The best form of communication Published April 7, 2008 By Maj. J. Todd Hannah 325th Communications Squadron TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Gen.Omar Bradley, one of the principal U.S. Army commanders in World War II and the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, once commented, "Congress can make a general, but only communication can make him a commander." This is quite a statement when you consider the size of the units he commanded - at one point over one million soldiers - and the communication methods he had available to him. General Bradley relied heavily on simple radio and telephony. Written communication was sent by radio teletype or even courier, as high-speed data communications did not exist. To say that by today's standard the communication capability of General Bradley's army was limited would be a gross understatement. Consider for a moment the communications systems available to our modern military. First, as a frame of reference, realize one megabyte is about 500 pages of text; five megabytes is roughly the size of all the written works of Shakespeare. Today, data rates are measured in megabytes per second. This, of course, is a far cry from the mere one word per second teletype that General Bradley's army used. When considering the radio frequency systems in WWII, a maneuver unit was constrained to large, heavy radio sets utilizing a single, set frequency. Today, modern digital electronics allows us to easily traverse nearly the entire radio-frequency spectrum with receivers that weigh less than eight ounces, and satellites allow us to extend the range to any point on the planet. Obviously, there have been drastic improvements and many changes in communications systems since General Bradley commanded an army. Despite the dramatic improvements in our communications systems, do you ever feel like we as a culture have stopped really communicating? There is one system that has not changed though and, in my opinion, it is the best one available: face-to-face communication. We have all heard the statement "communication is not so much what is said, but how it is said." Tone, facial expression, and body language - things that cannot be captured in written form - are critical to conveying meaning. Hopefully you would agree that in our profession of arms, accurate communication is critical. There are several other good reasons as to why we as Airmen and leaders should consider face-to-face communication as our first avenue. First, it can be more efficient. How many times have you spent 30 minutes crafting the perfect e-mail message, when a five-minute conversation would have been better? What about the aspect of immediate feedback? Have you ever spent all day waiting on an e-mail response, only to then have a follow-up question? "Discussions" are longer when they take place via e-mail. Second, it helps leaders to actually see the mission in action. I overheard a senior non-commissioned officer in my squadron caution a young supervisor about performing "LBO"....Leadership By Outlook. This particular master sergeant developed the point further by saying that becoming a supervisor does not give you a license to drive your desk all day, but rather the responsibility to listen more and that must be done in person. Finally, it demonstrates that both the message and the receiver are important. Are you more likely to take timely, appropriate action when your supervisor visits you at your desk and personally interacts with you, or if you receive yet another e-mail message? E-mail is good for facts, quick broadcast of information to large audiences, and overcoming long distances, but as leaders we should always focus on the analog method of face-to-face communication. General Bradley earned the nickname "The G.I.'s General" because he easily identified and earnestly communicated with the lowest private. If General Bradley can do it, so can we.