What are the different medias of communication.

Explain oral and written

communication along with its advantages and dis-advantages?

Medias Of Communication :

The media available for transmitting the messages are –

a) Oral Communication
b) Written Communication
c) Visual Communication
d) Audio-Visual Communication
e) Computer based communication
f) Silence
g) Face-to-face communication

For communication to be effective the communicator (Sender) has to be very careful

and wise in the choice of media, which will depend on various factors like –
a) Urgency of the Message.
b) Time available
c) Expenditure Involved
d) Intellectual and Emotional level of the receiver.
Oral Communication

Merits of Oral Communication :

1. Oral Communication Saves Time :

In a number of cases where action is required to be taken immediately it is best
to transmit the message orally. When the workload builds-up, the harassed
executives stop writing, they reach for a telephone or call for a snap
conference or just walk down the corridor and give oral instructions to
somebody. It helps them to expedite work, within half an hour their work load is
off their head.

2. In most of the cases (e.g. when the meeting are held within the organization)
oral communication saves money also.
3. Speech is a more powerful means of persuasion and control. Therefore,
executives often prefer to transmit messages orally.
4. With the help of variations in tone, pitch and intensity of voice, the speaker can
convey shades of meaning which he would not be able to do through written
communication.
5. The speaker can get immediate feedback on whether it is creating a favourable
impression on the receiver mind or antagonizing him, whether the receiver will
protest or whether the receiver has clearly understood his meaning or is feeling
perplexed / baffled and he can mould and adjust his message accordingly.
6. Although the employees feel more secure when in possession of written
messages they find the oral message more reliable, for they get an opportunity
for feedback and clarification
7. The informal plane on which oral communication is mostly carried out helps to
promote friendly relations between the parties communicating with each other.
8. Oral communication is extremely useful while communicating with groups at
assemblies, meetings etc.

(De-merits) of Oral Communication :

1. Oral communication is not possible if the communicator and receiver are far
removed from each other and no mechanical devices are available to connect
them.
2. Lengthy messages are not suitable for oral transmission as there is every
likelihood of something important being missed.
3. Oral message cannot be retained for a long time. In about a months time, not
more than 20% of the original message may have been retained. Since these
messages are no where to be found in the record books, we cannot refer back
to them in future.
4. Oral message does not have any legal validity unless they are taped and made
a part of permanent record.
 5. Although, oral messages offer a greater opportunity for clarification, there are
also inherent in them greater chances of mis-understanding.The speaker often
gives the message without having properly organized it earlier. So, it is quite
possible that he may not be able to make himself quite clear
6. In oral messages, responsibilities for mistakes, if any, cannot be specifically
assigned.

Essentials of effective Oral Communication

1. Clear pronunciation . The first important prerequisite of effective oral

communication is that words should be pronounced clearly and correctly. Oral
messages are often misunderstood because the speaker does not talk distinctly.
(Inability to use the jaws freely, to speak with a limber tongue and limber lips and
to speak slowly often makes for poor oral transmission .If a person tries to talk as
fast as he thinks, his words will run together and get rammed into one another.
Eg. If a person wishes to say ‘ what did you have?’ he will succeed only in saying
‘wajuhave?
2. Brevity : People take pleasure in talking, so oral communication tends to suffer
from over communication. But if a speaker keeps on talking for long, his message
will get lost in a sea of verbosity and distraction. It is important to keep the
message as brief as possible without appearing abrupt and discourteous.
3. Precision : Precision can make oral communication very effective. Avoid using
vague statements. Instead of saying ‘Come to office early tomorrow’ is not as
good as ‘could you come to office tomorrow by 8o’clock since all the letters
have to be dispatched by first mail’
4. Conviction: A person communicating orally must have conviction in what he
says. Lack of conviction causes lack of confidence, so that he is not able to
impress the receiver with the message. Conviction comes from sincerity of
approach, careful thinking, careful planning, careful analysis and evaluation of
the message.
5. Logical Sequence: If the speaker has given a proper thought to his message, he
will be able to arrange the various ideas contained in it in logical sequence..
Jumbled ideas create confusion.
6. Appropriate word choice : Words have different meanings for different people.
So it is important to be careful in the choice of words.
7. Avoiding hackneyed phrases and clichés. Speakers, often when they are
groping for words, make use of hackneyed phrases like ‘what I mean’, ‘do you
follow’, isn’t it’, ‘I see’ etc. Such words and phrases interrupt the flow of speech.
They are used unconsciously, but the speaker should take deliberate pains to
exclude them.
8. Natural Voice : Some speakers deliberately cultivate an affected style under the
impression that it would make them look more sophisticated. Nothings is far from
 truth and nothing impresses so much as the natural way of speech. Try to
cultivate a pleasing voice and speak clearly and distinctly.
9. Finding the right register. It is rightly said that people belonging to different social,
cultural and educational levels use different kinds of language. If educated
groups need five words to understand an idea, uneducated people may need
ten. An efficient communicator senses distinctions of this type and adjusts his
speech according to the needs of his listeners. This is finding the right register.
According to him, an efficient oral communicator, tunes in to the listener’s
wavelength by subtly and perhaps unconsciously, adjusting his vocabulary,
loudness, speed of delivery and accent. The good oral communicator is always
multilingual.

Essentials of effective Written Communication: (Please refer to the principles of

Communication)

Written Communication:

Merits

1. It is accurate and precise: written communication is usually formulated with

great care. The very prospect of writing makes a person conscious. Since written
communication is open to verification and its authenticity can be easily
challenged the communicator has to be accurate and factual. Therefore, in
written communication, there is an insistence on greater accuracy and
precision.

2. It can be repeatedly referred to : The receiver of a written communication can

go through the message again and again. He can read and re-read it till he
things he has properly understood it. An oral message is given just once. Even if it
is not understood, the receiver does not request for its repetition for he is afraid
that it might adversely reflect upon his own competence. In written
communication, these possibilities are more or less eliminated.

3. It is permanent record . Written communication becomes a permanent record of

the organization and can prove to be very useful for future reference. Old orders
and decisions can serve as precedents for fresh decisions. Previous years reports
are found beneficial for formulating new policies and fixing current targets.

4. It is a legal document. Written communication is acceptable as a legal

document. That is why some executives think that even if some messages have
been transmitted orally, they should later be conformed in writing.
 5. It facilitates the assignation of responsibilities. If communication are presened in
writing, it is much easier to assign responsibilities. In case, a mistake is committed
as a result of oral communication, it is very difficult to ascertain whether the
mistake has been committed at the communicators end or the receivers.
Managers may sometime have a tendency to shift the responsibilities for the
mistake to a lower staff . That is why the lower staff feels more secure when it
receives orders in writing.

6. It has a wide access. Communication media having become very fast, written
communication enjoys a wide access. If the communicator and the receiver are
far removed from each other, written communication sent through post is the
cheapest and may be the only available means of communication between
them.

De-merits

1. It is time-consuming : one of the major limitations of written communication is

that it is time consuming. A letter may take two or even three to four days to
reach its destination, whereas in oral communication through mechanical
devices like the telephone not only is the message instantly transmitted but even
the response is received immediately.

2. It is Costly : Writing letters is a costly process, not because of postage expenses,

which are only nominal, but because a number of people are involved in
sending out a letter from an organisation and their time is definitely valuable.

3. Quick Clarification is not possible : Incase the receiver of a written

communication has certain doubts or questions about the message, he cannot
obtain immediate clarification as is possible in oral messages. He has to write
back and wait for the reply, but he may not be able to afford the time required
for this lengthy process.

Visual Communication

Facial expressions and Gestures, Printed Pictures, Posters, Slides, Film Strips etc. fall under
visual communications. Mime is an old art in which ideas and emotions are
communicated through facial expressions and gestures.
Successful communicators make a very effective use of
facial expression and gestures. A good boss, while scolding a subordinate for some
serious mistake will not show anger on face, instead his face will register a feeling of
concem for the employees so that the letter goes with the impression that the scolding
was directed at improving him and making him more efficient in his work.
Audio-Visual Communication :

The use of telecasts (news), short films on the cinema screen and video-tapes is a
powerful medium of communication. It is a combination of sight and sound. Audio
visual communication is found most suitable for mass publicity, mass education and
mass propaganda. Large business houses frequently make use of this technique to
educate their workers and to popularize their products. The effectiveness of a new
detergent powder can be best demonstrated through audio-visual means. In order to
make an effective use of this technique it is necessary to make the films and slides
attractive and interesting and the narrations clear, precise and easily understandable.

Computer Based Communication :

Computer technology has dramatically changed the landscape of business

communication today. It is now possible to communicate instantaeneously with people
living in the remotest place. Now think of a situation in which two persons have the
facility of two computer terminals connected on network. One of them types a
message on his computer. He can edit it, alter it as many times as he likes without
wasting any time as he likes without wasting any time. When he is fully satisfied he just
presses a button and the message is immediately transmitted to its destination. The fax,
voice mail, e-mail, cellular phones, telephone answering machines etc. are some of the
computer based media of communication.

Merits

1. The quickest means of communication.

2. Place no longer a barrier to communication. Message can now be sent fast to
any place in the world provided that place is accessible on the network.
3. Video conferencing can replace personal meetings. Executives can hold
conference without undertaking long, uncomfortable journeys that proves to be
expensive both in terms of time and money. Without stepping out of the office
executives can conduct meeting.
4. Better means of keeping permanent record of valuable and bulky data.
Information stored in files and books become over the years difficult to manage.
This information can now be stored digitally on CD-ROM, Optional Disc and other
storage media.
This sort of storage has four distinct advantages –
1. Easy to store.
2. Equally easy to retrieve.
3. Since it is stored in a compressed format, it is possible to store even bulky
data.
4. If the computer is networked this information can be shared and accessed
by a large community of people.
 De-Merits

1. Uncertain legal validity : Written communication is a permanent record of

proceedings and is accepted as a legal document in a court of law. No such
sanctity has yet been assigned to computer records.
2. Fear of undesirable leakage: Easy accessibility of information on network
can sometimes become the biggest liability of this channel. The leakage of
such information could even threaten the security of a nation.
3. the virus malady. : Sometimes some undesirable viruses get into important
data files and corrupt them. Retrieving correct data becomes difficult.

SILENCE :

We do not communicate through words, signs and signals alone, we

communicate through silence also. Silence can effectively communicate a
number of response. Two strangers talk to each other for a few moments and
then sinlk in silence. There is a communication gap between the two. The
most effective use of silence can be made by using a slight pause before or
after making an important point during a speech. That is what the most
successful orators usually do. A slight pause before an important point
creates suspense, it raises a sense of anticipation and the audience listens to
the nest point more attentively and a slight pause afterwards suggests that
something very important has been said and the speaker desires his
audience to assimilate it and realize its significance before he passes on to
the next point.

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