Communication Media

Selecting the Right Medium

Graphics courtesy of European Audiovisual ObservatoryOpens in new window As mentioned earlier there are a variety of communication media available to leaders. To be effective communicators, leaders (and other members of an organization) need to select an appropriate communication medium for each message they send. Should a change in procedures be communicated to direct reports in a memo sent through e-mail? Should a congratulatory message about a major accomplishment be communicated in a letter, in a phone call, or over lunch? Should a layoff announcement be made in a memo or at a general meeting? Leaders deal with these questions day in and day out.

One way in which we communicate effectively is by using the medium most appropriate for the situation. That is, we watch media richness with the situation’s complexity.

1.     Media Richness

One of the main characteristics on which communication media vary is information richness.

One view of richness suggests that the three characteristics of a communication medium that affect richness are (a) the ability to handle many items of information at the same time, (b) the availability of rapid feedback, and (c) the ability to establish a personal focus.

Another view suggests that there are four factors that affect communication richness:

1. Speed of feedback: Faster feedback offers more richness.
2. Channel: The visual and audio characteristics of a videoconference are richer than the limited visuals aspects of a written report.
3. Type: Personal media such as phone calls and interpersonal speech are richer than impersonal media such as memos and group emails.

4. Language source: The natural body language and speech in a face-to-face conversation provide a richer medium than the numbers in a financial report.

Based on these characteristics, media can be classified on a hierarchy of richness (e.g., media varies from rich to lean).

2.     Complexity of the Situation

Situations can range from low to high complexity. Low-complexity situations are routine and predictable, such as leader updating employees on last mouth’s sales or calculating someone’s paycheck.

Highly complex situations, such as a corporate reorganization or merger, are ambiguous, hard to analyze, and often emotionally charged.

3.     Selecting the Right Communication Medium

Effective communication occurs when the richness of the medium is matched appropriately to the complexity of the problem or situation. The richer the medium, the better it is at conveying information.

Face-to-face communication is the richest because it meets all three criteria:

1. multiple information cues,
2. immediate feedback, and
3. personal focus.

Moving down the hierarchy, telephone allows quick feedback, but the information cues that are available from nonverbal behaviorOpens in new window in face-to-face communication are absent; body languageOpens in new window such as eye contactOpens in new window, postureOpens in new window, gestureOpens in new window, and head movements.

Written communicationsOpens in new window can be directed at individuals, but carry limited information, and feedback is likely to be delayed. At the bottom of the hierarchy, interpersonal bulletins and computer reports are limited on all three criteria and are therefore information poor or lean.

Leaders should understand that this is not an argument in favor of rich communications. On the contrary, the degree of richness that is appropriate depends on the nature and content of what is being communicated, and in particular on where the issue lies on a continuum from routine to nonroutine.

Routine issues are commonplace, simple, rational, straightforward, and contain no surprises. Nonroutines issues, in contrast, concern novel, complex, unexpected events and are often characterized by time pressure, ambiguity, and surprise.

The potential fit for misunderstanding is thus greater with nonroutine issues, and a richer exchange of information is therefore necessary in order to establish a common frame of reference. Leaders should consider the following six rules for matching media richness to the message:

Most of a leader’s communication time is spent one-on-one, face-to-face with employees and other members of the organization.

Face-to-face communication provides opportunities for immediate feedback from recipients and is the richest information medium because the recipient hears the message and sees all of the nonverbal cues that you are communicating. It is the appropriate medium for delegating tasks, coaching, disciplining, instructing, sharing information, answering questions, checking progress toward objectives, and developing and maintaining interpersonal relations.

While communication that occurs face-to-face can be misinterpreted because of nonverbal cues, other forms of communication such as telephone, e-mail, or letters also have limitations. Overall, an individual may receive less feedback from the recipient using these forms of communication which may result in a breakdown of communication.

For example, in a telephone conversation, a leader can hear the enthusiasm or frustration in someone’s voice, but they cannot tell whether they are paying attention. Further, in written communication, receivers may over interpret or over emphasize some of the words or phrases used by the sender.

Thus, a leader should think carefully about what form to use for important communication to ensure that the information is provided efficiently and effectively.

For example, if a message has a great potential for being misunderstood or is ambiguous, then face-to-face interaction providing opportunities for immediate feedback enables leaders to exchange information and ideas rapidly until a common understanding is reached. On the other hand, when the message is clear, well defined, and everyone involved has a similar understanding of the background of the issue, then written memos are appropriate.

As noted above, a two-way face-to-face conversation is the richest form of communication. It provides immediate feedback and allows participants to observe multiple cues such as body language and tone of voice.

Leaders should use face-to-face in situations that are complex or that are highly important to receivers. In contrast, telephone conversations and videoconferencing are not as informative as face-to-face exchanges even though they are relatively high in richness.

For example, webinars and WebEx presentations are well suited for disseminating information, but it can be said from experience that they are not as good for ensuring the messaging has been understood. At the other end of the complexity scale, newsletters, reports, and general e-mail blasts are lean media and best for less complex situations.

E-mail and social media messages vary in media richness: Leaner if they impersonally blanket a large audience, and richer if they mix personal textual and video information that prompts quick conversational feedback.