Change your communication methods depending on the medium

Should I intentionally communicate differently depending on the medium? Why?

The answer to this is a resounding yes, but chances are either you already knew that, or unconsciously alter how you communicate depending on the medium. For example, when you write a report, do you communicate the same as you would with your children or spouse, orally? No. When you are on the telephone, you certainly communicate differently than face to face, if only because neither party can see each other.

But why is it necessary to change how we communicate depending on whether we are talking face-to-face, talking on the phone, using email, or writing on paper?

Most of us don't think about it but each of these media have different strengths, weaknesses and limitations. When we ignore these, we tend to lose effectiveness in communication, and can even create a lot of unneeded interpersonal conflict.