Communication Medium
Introduction
The essay below defines the process of communication and its mediums, outlines the main types of mediums, and describes why it is important to carefully choose the right way of communication when trying to deliver a message to recipients.
Communication and its mediums.
Communication is a very important aspect of everyday life. From the time we are born we are involved in this process. It’s one of the very first skills we learn in life, it’s something we do every day, and still the huge amount of mistakes are often made on a day-to-day basis when people try to communicate with each other. Why?
Well first of all we have to identify “Communication”. According to Henry McClave “Communication can be defined as the process by which ideas, information, options, attitudes and feelings are conveyed from one person to another.” It can be shown like this:
From this model we can see that a message is transmitted from Sender to Receiver using a Medium. “The medium is the means to transmit the message.” (McClave, 1997)
Michael Martinez thinks that being aware of the different types of communication medium available to you will help you communicate effectively. A communication medium is simply "how" your message is sent to the receiver. It is often referred to as the communication channel. It 's critical to realize that whenever you are communicating the medium you use to communicate your message is just as important as the message itself. If you use the wrong medium, your message may never get through to the receiver or may be misunderstood. McClave defines some of the factors which should be taken into consideration when choosing the best medium:
• Purpose of communication
• Complexity of the message
• Need for a record
• Importance of immediate feedback
• Distance between sender and receiver
• Need for personal touch
• Cost
Martinez takes a look at some of the different types of business communication media available:
Face-to-Face
The essay below defines the process of communication and its mediums, outlines the main types of mediums, and describes why it is important to carefully choose the right way of communication when trying to deliver a message to recipients.
Communication and its mediums.
Communication is a very important aspect of everyday life. From the time we are born we are involved in this process. It’s one of the very first skills we learn in life, it’s something we do every day, and still the huge amount of mistakes are often made on a day-to-day basis when people try to communicate with each other. Why?
Well first of all we have to identify “Communication”. According to Henry McClave “Communication can be defined as the process by which ideas, information, options, attitudes and feelings are conveyed from one person to another.” It can be shown like this:
From this model we can see that a message is transmitted from Sender to Receiver using a Medium. “The medium is the means to transmit the message.” (McClave, 1997)
Michael Martinez thinks that being aware of the different types of communication medium available to you will help you communicate effectively. A communication medium is simply "how" your message is sent to the receiver. It is often referred to as the communication channel. It 's critical to realize that whenever you are communicating the medium you use to communicate your message is just as important as the message itself. If you use the wrong medium, your message may never get through to the receiver or may be misunderstood. McClave defines some of the factors which should be taken into consideration when choosing the best medium:
• Purpose of communication
• Complexity of the message
• Need for a record
• Importance of immediate feedback
• Distance between sender and receiver
• Need for personal touch
• Cost
Martinez takes a look at some of the different types of business communication media available:
Face-to-Face
References: Henry McClave. (1997). Communication for business. 2nd edition. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. Types of Communication Mediums for Project Managers. (2011). Available: http://www.project-management-skills.com/types-of-communication-medium.html [accessed 24 October, 2012]. Resonant Media. (2000). Available: http://records.viu.ca/~soules/media112/resonant.htm [accessed 24 October, 2012] M2 Communications. (2010). Leadership Now. Building a Community of Leaders, [online], available: http://www.leadershipnow.com/communicationquotes.html [accessed 24 October, 2012]