Types of Communication Medium

 

We divide the different types of communication medium into two different categories:

1. Physical media

2. Mechanical media (everything that is not No. 1)

This site focus on the internal communication. Our listings of types of communication medium therefore exclude external media.

                            Physical media

With physical media we mean channels where the person who is talking can be seen and heard by the audience. The whole point here is to be able to not only hear the messages but also to see the body language and feel the climate in the room. This does not need to be two-way channels. In certain situations the receiver expect physical communication. This is the case especially when dealing with high concern messages, e.g. organizational change or down sizing. If a message is perceived as important to the receiver they expect to hear it live from their manager.

• Large meetings, town hall meetings
• Department meetings (weekly meetings)
• Up close and personal (exclusive meetings)
• Video conferences
• Viral communication or word of mouth

                                                  Mechanical media

The second of the two types of communication medium is mechanical media. With mechanical media we mean written or electronic channels. These channels can be used as archives for messages or for giving the big picture and a deeper knowledge. But they can also be very fast. Typically though, because it is written, it is always interpret by the reader based on his or her mental condition. Irony or even humour rarely travels well in mechanical channels.

• E-mail
• Weekly letters or newsletters
• Personal letters
• Billboards
• Intranet
• Magazines or papers
• Sms
• Social media