Expand Your Skills Critique the Professionals Locate an example of professional communication in any medium-channel that you think would work equally well-or perhaps better-in another medium. Using the information in this chapter and your understanding of the communication process, write a brief analysis (no more than one page) of the company's media-channel choice and explain why your choice would be at least as effective. Use whatever medium your in- structor requests for your report and be sure to cite specific ele- ments from the piece and support from the chapter. ng the Three-Step Writing Process h Selecting the Best Combination of Media and Channels With the necessary information in hand, your next decision involves the best combina tion of media and channels to reach your target audience. As you recall from Chapter 1, the medium is the form a message takes and the channel is the system used to deliver the message. The distinction between the two isn't always crystal clear, and some people use the terms in different ways, but these definitions are a useful way to think about the pos- sibilities for business communication. Most media can be distributed through more than one channel, so whenever you have a choice, think through your options to select the optimum combination. For example, a brief written message could be distributed as a printed letter or memo, or it could be dis tributed through a variety of digital channels, from email to blogging to social networking THE MOST COMMON MEDIA AND CHANNEL OPTIONS The simplest way to categorize media choices is to divide them into oral (spoken), writ- ten, and visual. Each of these media can be delivered through digital and nondigital channels which creates six basic combinations, discussed in the following sections. Table 4.1 sum- marizes the general advantages and disadvantages of the six medium/channel combina- tions. Specific options within these categories have their own strengths and weaknesses to consider as well. (For simplicity's sake, subsequent chapters occasionally use "digital media" to indicate any of the three media types delivered through digital channels.) Oral Medium, In-Person Channel The oral medium, in-person combo involves talking with people who are in the same location, whether it's a one-on-one conversation over lunch or a more formal speech or presentation. Being in the same physical space is a key distinction because it enables the nuances of nonverbal communication more than any other media-channel combo. As Chapter 2 points out, these nonverbal signals can carry as much weight in the conversa- tion as the words being spoken. By giving people the ability to see, hear, and react to each other, in-person commu- nication is useful for encouraging people to ask questions, make comments, and work together to reach a consensus or decision. Face-to-face interaction is particularly helpful in complex, emotionally charged situations in which establishing or fostering a business relationship is important Managers who engage in frequent "walk-arounds," chatting with employees face-to-face, can get input, answer questions, and interpret important business events and trends." Oral Medium, Digital Channel Oral media via digital channels include any transmission of voice via electronic means, both live and recorded, including telephone calls, podcasts, and voicemail messages. Live phone conversations offer the give-and-take of in-person conversations and can be the best alternative to talking in person. However, without a video component, they can't provide the nuances of nonverbal communication. Podcasts can be a good way to share lectures, commentary, and other spoken content. You can read about podcasting in Chapter 7, Written Medium, Print Channel Written, printed documents are the classic format of business communication. Memos are brief printed documents traditionally used for the routine, day-to-day exchange of information within an organization. Letters are brief written messages sent to customers and other recipients outside the organization. Reports and proposals are usually longer than memos and letters, although both can be created in memo or letter format. These documents come in a variety of lengths, ranging from a few pages to several hundred, and are usually fairly formal in tone. CHAPTER 4 Planning Business Messages 107 TABLE 4.1 Medium/Channel Combinations: Advantages and Disadvantages Medium/ Channel Oral, in-person Oral, digital Written, printed Written, digital Visual, printed Visual, digital Advantages •Provide opportunity for immediate feedback Easily resolve misunderstandings and negotiate meanings •Involve rich nonverbal cues (both physical gesture and vocal inflection) • Allow you to express the emotion behind your message Can provide opportunity for immediate feedback (live phone or online conversations) Not restricted to participants in the same location Allow time-shifted consumption (e.g.. podcasts) Allow writers to plan and control their messages Can reach geographically dispersed audiences Offer a permanent, verifiable record Minimize the distortion that can accompany oral messages Can be used to avoid immediate interactions • Deemphasize any inappropriate emotional components Give recipients time to process messages before responding (compared to oral communication) Generally, all the advantages of written printed documents plus: . Fast delivery • • Can reach geographically dispersed audiences Flexibility of multiple formats and channels, from microblogs to wikis Flexibility to structure messages in creative ways, such as writing a headline on Twitter and linking to the full message on a blog Ability to link to related and more in-depth information. • Can increase accessibility and openness in an organization through broader sharing • Enable audience interaction through social media features Ease of integrating with other media types, such as embedded videos or photos Can convey complex ideas and relationships quickly Often less intimidating than long blocks of text Can reduce the burden on the audience to figure out how the pieces of a message or concept fit Can be easy to create in spreadsheets and other software (simple charts and graphs), then integrate with reports Generally, all the advantages of visual printed documents and all the advantages of written digital formats plus: Can personalize and enhance the experience for audience members Offer the persuasive power of multimedia formats, particularly video Disadvantages Restrict participation to those physically present Unless recorded, provide no permanent, verifiable record of the communication Reduces communicator's control over the message Lack nonverbal cues other than voice inflections • Can be tedious to listen to if not audience focused (recorded messages) •Offer limited opportunities for timely feedback • Lack the rich nonverbal cues provided by oral media Often take more time and more resources to create and distribute • • Can require special skills in preparation and production if document is elaborate Can be limited in terms of reach and capability (e.g., on Twitter you can reach only those people who follow you or search for you) Require Internet or mobile phone connectivity Vulnerable to security and privacy problems Are easy to overuse (sending too many messages to too many recipients) Create privacy risks and concerns (exposing confidential data; employer monitoring: accidental forwarding) Entail security risks (viruses, spyware; network breaches) Create productivity concerns (frequent interruptions; nonbusiness usage) Can require artistic skills to design Require some technical skills to create Can require more time to create than equivalent amount of text • Can be expensive to print Potential time, cost, and skills needed to create Can require large amounts of bandwidth Written Medium, Digital Channel Most of your business communication efforts will involve written digital messages, with everything from 140-character tweets to website content to book-length reports distributed as portable document format (PDF) files (see Figure 4.4). Business uses of written, digital messages keeps evolving as companies look for ways to communicate more effectively. For example, email has been a primary business medium for the past decade or two, but it is being replaced in many cases by a variety of other digital formats. Chapter 7 takes a closer look at various written-digital combinations, from email to instant messaging (IM) to social networks. Visual Medium, Print Channel Photographs and diagrams can be effective communication tools for conveying emotional content, spatial relationships, technical processes, and other content that can be difficult to describe using words alone. You may occasionally create visual, printed messages as stand-alone items, but most will be used as supporting material in printed documents. Visual Medium, Digital Channel Business messages can really come alive when conveyed by visual media in digital chan- nels. Infographics, interactive diagrams, animation, and digital video have the potential to