Methods of communication pros and cons
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The document compares different methods of communication including their advantages and disadvantages. Television advertising has the benefits of broad reach but also high costs and declining viewership. Radio allows targeting but requires multiple stations to reach audiences. Newspapers have a defined local reach but decreasing readership. Magazines allow selective targeting but produce minimal short term reach. Verbal communication enables feedback but can be forgotten. Written communication produces records but takes time. Visual communication aids understanding but has higher costs than other methods. Each method has strengths for certain situations but also limitations.
Methods of communication pros and cons
- 1. METHOD OF COMMUNICATION ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES 1. TELEVISION • Wide geographic coverage & broad audience reach (appeals to most demographics) • Perceived ACCOUNTABILITY with well accepted audience • Relative ease of buying and post-buy maintenance • Proven Success record for PROMOTING mass consumer products (infomercials) • Audience share is generally declining due to fragmented audiences • Increasing use of DVR’s diminishing the impact of commercials (people can record their shows and skip the commercials) • Typically high CPM costs and rising production costs (most expensive) • Many television shows skew older and lower income • increasing ad clutter as commercial pods lengthen (people don’t want to watch commercials because they are taking more time away from their shows) 2. RADIO • Has targeting capabilities • Inexpensive compared to other traditional broadcast media • Builds frequency quickly (commercials are replayed throughout the day/evening) • Branded promotions offer advertisers appealing community involvement OPPORTUNITIES • No seasonal listener erosion • No visual component • ADVERTISERS must buy multiple stations and formats to accumulate audience reach • Peak listening is during morning and evening drive times with relatively low audiences the rest of the day (driving to and from work) 3. NEWSPAPERS Broad reach within a defined MARKETING area (i.e. business, sports, shopping section – newspapers often have special ADVERTISING sections as well) • Decreasing MARKET penetration and readership with many newspapers reaching less than 50% • Low Younger audience
- 2. • Geographic selectivity is available in small towns (local papers) • Marketplace for COMPETITIVE price shopping (promotions & coupons) readership (people between ages 18-24 are not reading the newspaper) • Cost frequency medium • Some ad recall studies show less than 50% of readers even note seeing ads in the newspaper • Ad clutter (i.e. Classifieds, Sunday Paper Advertising) 4. MAGAZINES • High degree of selective targeting based on demographics, product affinity, or lifestyle (women’s vs. men’s magazines, children’s magazines, etc.) • High production quality (images and full-colour printing) • Focused editorial environment • Regional editions offer localized targeting capabilities • Specific issue audience data is not typically available • Magazines produce minimal short term (daily/weekly) reach • Broad MARKET reach is difficult to achieve because of niche readership behaviour 5. VERBAL •the opportunity for immediate feedback to make sure the message was understood; • the opportunity to utilize nonverbal cues (tone, body language, inflection) •It is the fastest way of interaction with each other. •It is less expensive to interact with people. •It can be quickly forgotten •You cannot provide legal evidence. •Sometimes, you cannot remember each and every point. •Poor PRESENTATION of the message or the instruction can result in misunderstanding and wrong responses. 6. WRITTEN • allows for permanent records, which is something other means of communication such as oral communication do not have. •Written communication strength ens and clarifies a verbal message. •Because it allows for permanent records, it is good for making references. Written communication can take a considerable amount of time to produce. Written communication is sometimes limited to people who have sight. BLIND people or the visually impaired, for instance cannot receive
- 3. •Written communication can be very useful as a defense during legal issues. •Written communication is more reliable than oral communication. A written and signed document carries more weight and validity than spoken words. •Written communication is more precise than other means of communication. •Written communication, because of its form can be stored for analysis to be made in order for one to get a better understanding of the message it contains. •it can be easily disseminated to recipients that are in different locations. certain types of written communication. For example, a BLIND man cannot receive information from a poster or notice. Written communications are also not flexible. It is a very rigid means of communication. With written communication fee dback is not immediate. Feedback is a very important thing in every organization, which is why a delay in receiving feedback can result in certain unfavourable issues such as slowing down the decision making process. Poor writing skills can hamper the effectiveness of the written communication. If the writer cannot write effectively then there is a high likelihood that a lot of people are going to misunderstand the message being sent. This can be a very negative thing for any organization and can come with a great DEAL of severe ramifications. Another disadvantage of the written communication is
- 4. that it is time consuming and can be very expensive to produce and to disseminate. Some illiterates or people who cannot read and write very well will have it pretty difficult getting and understanding the information or message CONTAINED within a written means of communication. VISUAL •Effective for illiterate receiver: If the receivers are illiterate, the visual communication will be more effective to exchange information. They can easily understand the information that is PRESENTED visually. •Helps in oral communication: Visual techniques can be used with oral communication. Oral communication becomes more meaningful if graphs, pictures and diagrams are used with it. •Easy explanation: Everyone can explain the meaning of it very easily. Easy explanation has made the visual techniques more popular. •Simple presentation: Complex information, data and figures can be easily presented very simply on graphs, pictures and diagrams. •Prevents wastage of time: Visual techniques help to prevent the wastage of time. Written and oral communication takes much time to exchange information. But number of receivers can be communicated at a time through visual methods. •Helps in quick decision: Visual •The major drawback for using visuals is their higher cost. High quality images, pictures and graphics, require additional resources to procure and make, driving up the cost. Besides, using lower quality visuals has been proven to reduce credibility, having the opposite effect of that intended. •Making a graph or pie chart requires more time and effort, as it involves selecting, compiling, and PRESENTING a large amount of information in a visually-pleasing manner. •Only a small amount of information can be CONVEYED via a graphic. A very detailed visual will look cluttered, overwhelm the reader, and reduce its impact. •Visuals can be detracting, shifting the focus from the PRESENTATION itself. This is especially true if it is poorly designed. For example, using a fancy, illegible font can actually distract many members of the audience from what is being said to
- 5. communication helps to take quick decision. So MANAGEMENT prefers visual techniques to communicate with others. •Popular: Visual communication is very much popular because people do not like much speech and long explanation rather than a chart of a diagram. •Artful PRESENTATION Adds impact to the information, quicker understanding. how it's said. A visual can also close up the viewer, if it is too disturbing or controversial. •When using visuals, many concepts lose their complexity. This is especially harmful to an organization, as the viewers can miss out on crucial details, and hamper the decision-making process. Oversimplification can also make the issue being discussed seem petty and inconsequential.