Sometimes we obsess over what to say and how to say it. An important email for example: Is the tone right? Is the context understood? Is the language too formal? Should I word it differently? And what if I don’t get a reply?

The other day, I received a phone call from an industry colleague. He said, “I was writing a lengthy email to you, and ... well ... I stopped writing it and I picked up the phone.”

It was the opening line of a clear and productive conversation.

Many times, picking up the phone is just the right thing to do. A call doesn’t solve every challenge with communication, but it can solve a lot of them.