On vacation in Mexico--Yea, I know, how big of a problem can this be if it begins with..."On vacation in Mexico..."--I went to the hotel business center to check my e-mail. I signed on with no problem, but soon discovered that a keyboard designed for use in Mexico has a different layout than one designed for use in the USA. The QWERTY part of the keyboard is the same, but the accent marks, questions marks, quotation marks, are all located in different spots. As I sent my reply e-mails without using any contractions (because I could not--and still can not) find the apostrophe key, it struck me: Subtlties make all the difference in communications. By not using any contractions, all of my writing has a slightly more formal sound to it than usual. I am not by nature a very formal person.
It works the same way in relationships, in business, in any form of communication, really. If you do not (I would prefer a contraction here) have access to the subtle forms of communication, then you can not expect to access the deeper levels of relationships. Winks, nods, facial expressions, body language, hand shakes, etc. are all the stuff of accent marks on keyboards. They seem like little things, until you either do not have access to them or you do not know how to use them, or, worse, you use them incorrectly. For example: If I suddenly use this symbol Ñ above the letter N, then it implies I speak Spanish (at least to someone who does not speak Spanish). But to the locals in Mexico, who know what that symbol means, it red flags me as el idioto!
Use subtlties wisely. You will really miss them when they are gone.
