Every person is unique. Thus, we all have different expectations for the person reaching the Pareto optimal of communication. To avoid any undesirable conflicts or negative thoughts, I wanted to make it clear how I communicate:

General communication style

• I prefer straightforward communication instead of showing fake politeness.
• A late reply from my side doesn’t mean that your message was not important. I prefer to have high focus and most days are fully scheduled between work and play. Hence, put more emphasis on the quality of my reply.
• I wouldn’t say I like small talk. If I ask the usual “how are you?”, I am really interested in how you are feeling, and if all is really good in your life.
• If I don’t reply even after a few days, most likely, I have missed your message. Feel free to inundate me with a reminder in that case and expect an apology from me for missing your message.
• By scheduling, I respect putting emphasis on a proper plan rather than an abstract idea: Let’s hang out sometime (an idea) vs. let’s hang out this Friday evening after training (plan)

Communication preferences

Email: If we have never met before, the best way to reach me is through email. I check my inbox regularly and try to respond to all emails requiring a reply. However, time is finite and valuable. Hence, please try to keep your first email short (20-300 words), and convey the expectation clearly on what and/or why I can contribute to.

Social media: I am active on the following platforms.

1. LinkedIn: I usually depend on LinkedIn app notifications to reply to direct messages and connection requests. However, don’t send me a connection request without any common node. I still prefer an email instead of a message if you are reaching out to me without being connected on Linkedin.
2. Instagram (@i.am.akshitgupta): I usually check Instagram once a day. However, if I don’t follow you, your message goes to a “requests” folder that I usually don’t check.
3. Facebook: I check facebook once per week mostly for event notifications/invitations. Hence, please don’t message me via facebook.

Texting and Calls: I consider WhatsApp, iMessage and Telegram as my main texting channels. I use texting mainly to stay in touch with people already close to me. However, don’t send me “hey”, “hello ^V^” kind of texts which have no meaning and will usually be left unattended. My phone is almost always on silent. So, I will miss unscheduled calls, especially on those evenings when I have a sports training. Further, I prefer calls only when its faster to communicate than texting. If there is something that cannot be communicated via texting, then I prefer 1. scheduling an in-person meeting over a short coffee 2. scheduling a time for video/audio call

Conclusion

The above words are only written to provide a rough idea of my communication habits and to avoid any over/under-expectations. In terms of communication, I am not inflexible. In fact, my closest friends and people who I respect the most are those who abide by their words, are not afraid to express their criticism/praise for me, and naturally, they are rule-breakers.