When NOT to Rely on Technology

I’ve regularly identified myself as a millennial, known for our attachment to technology, but my dad raised to be able to do things myself. I wasn’t allowed to use a calculator until I had learned to do the math without it.

We use technology constantly in our careers whether it’s answering a phone call, making a copy, or checking an email. But when do we need to put the mouse down and rely on ourselves?

Communicating important information. Emails might not get read. Voicemail might not get checked. Use technology as a last resort (i.e. your boss is out of the office). Not only do you want to ensure the message is received, you want to make sure the content and tone is too. Email is not going to express urgency or really any emotion as effectively as voice and nonverbal clues. 

Spellcheck. Seems simple and easy. You hit the little abc button and your document is perfect and error free. Think again! Spell check doesn't know that you wanted 30 balloons for your event and not 30 baboons. Check your work. While we're at it, check out these common grammar mistakes: http://www.businessinsider.com/11-common-grammatical-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them-2013-9

Storing important documents. No one hates paper more than me.  Electronic storage makes it easier to find, easier to send, and there’s an audit trail for it. I’m always the first to shred something if possible, but sometimes a document is so important you can’t simply hope that the electronic copy backed up at 3 secure facilities is sufficient. Ask yourself; is this document difficult to reproduce?  Will I or my company be in legal trouble if I can’t produce this document? If you answered yes to either of those questions, save a hard copy.

Minute taking. I often use a voice recorder / Dictaphone and take notes on a laptop. Having an arts background, getting thrown into financial meetings leaves me out of my element, so having any extra support gives me greater confidence in the minutes I produce. However, no matter what technological toy I take with me, I always take a pad of paper, a pencil and a pen. You never know when technology is going to fail. I’ve been locked out of a computer, I’ve had the battery die, the white noise has been interfering with the audio.  During the knocked over chair incident mentioned in my last post (Laugh Your Job Off), my laptop went flying and although I grabbed it before it hit the floor, when I picked it up, everything on the screen was upside down.  (These kinds of bizarre things happen to me all the time. I mean, seriously, what are the chances?!). After the panic settled, I was able to fix it (which took longer because it's harder to read and move your mouse when everything is upside down), but if I hadn't I would've quickly transitioned to my trusty paper and pen.

Giving Presentations.  Be prepared to talk without your powerpoint presentation.  Have hard copies of your notes.  If you are relying on the visuals to get your point across and your message remembered, print copies for all of your attendees.  Not only will it help if the technology fails, it might be easier for them to see and they won’t have to take as many notes.

 Producing last minute hard copies. We've all been there. The presentation gets finished with minutes to spare you're frantically running to the printer to grab your copies for the meeting and....what?! Out of toner?! Paper jam?! Magic elves?! (Insert other randomly inexplicable event here)?!?!?! The only thing that never seems to fail when producing hard copies is that there will be problem. Chances are, you're not going to be able to completely give up last minute production no matter how hard you try, but always have a back-up plan in place. Another printer/copier, a friend to print for you, (a magic spell for the elves). Be prepared.

  

 When it comes to technology, it’s always best to be prepared, have a back-up plan, and expect the unexpected.