Communication Methods

Various channels of communication are used by organisations. These include:

Face-to-face communications	Visual communications
• Interviews	• films and slides
• formal meetings	• videos
• informal contacts	• charts
• talks and discussion groups	• posters
• video telephones	Oral communications
Written communications	• telephone • public address systems
• external mail by letter	Electronic communications
• internal mail by memoranda
• booklets and manuals	• video displays using electronic mail (E mail)
• reports
• statements and tabulations	• Data transmission networks
• company, magazines, newsletters and bulletins	• Electronic Data exchange (i.e. computer to computer)
• notice boards	• Telex
• fax	• Pagers

Channels of Communication

To be usable by the manager, information must be transmitted by means of a communication process. Communication involves the interchange of facts, thoughts, value judgements and opinions and the communication process may take many forms; face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, informal and formal meetings, conferences, memoranda, letters, reports, tabulations, VDU transmissions and so on.

The channel of communication should be selected having regard to such things as: the nature and purpose of the information, the speed required and, above all, the requirements of the user. The typical output of formal information systems is a printed report or tabulation. These have their uses, of course, but there is research evidence that many managers, especially at senior levels, obtain most of their information aurally. They use written reports merely to confirm or reinforce information they already have.

Understandability

Understandability is what transforms data into information. If the information is not understood it cannot be used and thus cannot add value. Many factors affect understandability including:

• Preferences of the user. Some people prefer information in the form of pictures and graphs, others prefer narrative. Some are happy with statistical and numeric presentations whilst others do not understand them. Research shows that some people absorb concrete facts in detail whilst others evaluate situations as a whole with little regard for factual detail. This variability means that the same message will inevitably receive many interpretations.

• Remembered knowledge. Although the working of memory is not well understood there is no doubt that the extent of remembered knowledge, including technical knowledge; influences understanding. Understanding is thus a result of the association of memory and the received message.

• Environmental factors. As well as the individual characteristics mentioned above a number of environmental factors influence understanding. These include: group pressures, the time available, trust in the information system and so on.

• Language. Information is conveyed by means of signals or messages. These may be in a code (for example, mathematical notation) or in a natural language, such as English or Spanish. Natural languages are very rich in the range of information they can accommodate but are inherently ambiguous. Mathematical notation or programming languages can be very precise but lack the capacity to cope with a wide range of concepts.