Let's close the year by taking a trip down memory lane. While it may be hard to believe, there was once a time when the art of conversation was considered an essential "life skill." Employees knew that making amiable and effective small talk at company parties could affect their career. Mealtime was when family members sat around the table to discuss the events of the day. And countless young couples romanced each other and fell in love with the help of lengthy telephone conversations.

Today's world, of course, bears little resemblance to that of only a few short decades ago. And with the warp-speed technological advances of the 21st century, communication has been altered dramatically. The entire definition of "conversation" has changed. In today's world, it's often just a matter of hurriedly exchanging information or data.

Not surprisingly, this change has been introduced and embraced by young people. Several decades ago, teenagers were known for lengthy, time-consuming phone calls. It was the era of "the princess phone," when teenage girls raced home from school to talk on the phone for hours with friends they had just seen in class for most of the day.

Now, teens communicate mainly by exchanging text messages, with the average teenager sending at least half a dozen texts every single hour. According to a recent Nielsen survey, the average American teenager aged 13 to 17 sends and receives more than 100 text messages a day, for a total of about 3,300 each month. And for those only slightly older, aged 18 to 24, the number drops to a still impressive monthly total of 1,600.

And just as age is an indicator of text frequency, so is gender. Male teenagers send about 2,500 messages each month, while females send 4,000 during the same time, which means that they are sending more than eight texts per waking hour!

Statisticians have discovered that phone calls by teenagers have dropped almost 15 percent in a single year. According to CTIA, the wireless industry trade group, as Americans of all ages text more, their cell-phone calls are becoming shorter. In 2006, the average length of a cell-phone call was about three minutes. By June 2010, the average call was 1.67 minutes, almost half as long as earlier conversations.

The reasons for this dramatic decrease in phone use vary, but most teens agree that texting is faster and easier than communicating via voice. Additionally, much of today's communication centers around logistics rather than emotional content. And it's a lot easier to send a message that reads "LOL" or "OMG" than to initiate a conversation about what's on your mind at any particular moment.

A recent survey of 2,000 students at American University in Washington discovered that when it came to communicating, students shared one goal: "to pass along information in as little time, with as little small talk, as possible." Connection through conversation? Forget it.

The bottom line is that even though almost 90 percent of American households have a cell phone, they are no longer being used for their primary application: talking. Today, consumers use smartphones to browse the Web, play games, listen to music, watch TV or send text messages and e-mails. And according to Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint Nextel Corp., talking accounts for less than half the traffic on mobile networks.

For people who reluctantly exchanged hand-written notes on quality stationery and intimate phone conversations for terse e-mails, the future is again demanding an upgrade. Facebook has just launched a messaging system that, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is "not e-mail," but a savvy combination of texting, instant messaging and e-mail. The new "social inbox" will divide your mail into three categories: spam, messages from your friends, and other.

Many experts conclude that the art of conversation appears to be headed for the graveyard. Stuck for a holiday gift this season? Try giving someone the gift of conversation. It's an inexpensive investment, but the appreciation may be priceless. You may even find it's a tradition worth resuscitating.

Connie Glaser is a national expert on workplace communications and leadership. She has written best-selling books that have been translated into more than a dozen languages. She also is a speaker at corporate and business events. Contact her at www.connieglaser.com.