There are many ways to communicate. We can write a letter, we can E-mail, text messages, we can phone and vskype or we can actually communicate with a person face to face. Guess what is the most effective way to communicate? Of course, it's face to face.
Face to face is the most effective way to communicate because of all the visual cues - facial and bodily expressions - we experience. For the most important thing when we communicate with another human being, is to 'read' that person correctly. It is only when the message is clear and can not be misunderstood, that we can start to resolve disputes.
The next big hurdle is of course figuring out what to say and how to respond. There is a chapter in Meyer's "Marriages, Shack-ups and Other Disasters" on 'Going Through the Problem' that describes in great detail how to communicate effectively. You can check this out on the website listed on my Bio Page