Meta-communication (Was: Don't start down that road...)

[Beth Agnew <Beth -dot- Agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca>]

People employ various techniques when they communicate:
There is the obtuse stance, where the respondent consciously or 
unconsciously misses the point the other person is trying to make. 
There is the distraction, where the respondent uses verbal 
countermeasures to draw the discussion away from the original topic into 
another area where s/he may have more ammunition or a better position to 
defend. There is the ad hominem argument which is directed toward the 
person rather than the matter being discussed. There is the "I'm OK, 
you're not" style that points out the faults in the other party's 
argument, logic or presentation while being oblivious to those same 
errors in one's owm communication. There are many more.

Computer-mediated communication removes many of the normal barriers to 
conversation by letting us focus on words and ideas without being 
affected by the correspondent's appearance, race, accent, gestures, etc. 
Theoretically, this should provide a communication environment that 
allows for more profound discussion and clearer messages. But what do we 
humans do? We find ways of reintroducing all those physical aspects of 
communication into the computer medium and perpetuate the problems that 
we have in face to face discussions.

As Andrew points out, we are professional wordsmiths. Our success is 
based on our skill in putting the right words in the right place at the 
right time for the right audience. What would happen if we used this 
medium to discover new, more effective ways of communicating, especially 
on sensitive topics?
--Beth