Some colleagues work better or feel more comfortable with a task if they can actually talk about it, and it's unwise to force them into an electronic exchange.
[ CareerJournal | Is Emailing Nearby Colleagues A Sign of Office Dysfunction? ]
And some of us appreciate email and IM for what they are, and don't want to be forced into a verbal exchange. Verbal communications are synchronous, and achieving synchronized in the office can be a complete waste of time. 9 times out of 10, IMHO, when I hear "wouldn't this be easier to talk it out" I believe what is really being said is "my time is more valuable than yours, so I want to monopolize you as a resource and force you to synchronize with me".
The worst offenders of this seem to be sales folks. If I send an email to inquire about your product, don't send me an email requesting my phone number to call me because "it would be easier". If it was easier for me, I would have called you. And since it is potentially my money, I would expect the courtesy of choice of method to communicate would be left to me.
Props to Joe G
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Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions.