Knowledge Street :: Communication Channels

One Message, Many Channels

Messages originate with a sender, and are then encoded in some fashion for delivery over a communication channel. That’s how they get from one head to another.

Channels can be fairly direct (like newsletters) or more indirect (like wall posters). It’s a good idea to use multiple channels, orchestrating them in a way that gives the sender some options for getting the point across. The law of 27 says the average person needs to hear something 27 times before it really sinks in, but that doesn’t mean they want 27 copies of the same memo. It means that the same content needs to be packaged in different ways, and delivered repeatedly over time.

It’s also important to understand that the channel itself is part of the message, since all channels will have a perceived value in the mind of the audience. A message delivered on a Post-it Note will never have the weight as one that comes Priority Mail. An email from the CEO won’t have the impact of a meeting in her office.

Email is generally at the bottom of the perceived value scale, and direct face-to-face communication is at the top. However, organizational culture plays a big role here. We’ve seen companies where email could be ignored with impunity, as long as you kept on top of you voice mail. We’ve also seen the reverse.

Communicators need to manage their channels and their messages over time, in a way that provides maximum results. If the communication deals with something important (or controversial), the best plan might be to announce the highlights with email, cover the details at some kind of in-person event (at which people can ask questions), follow up with something in print and then reinforce later with more email.

If an organization’s communications channels are considered side by side, the cost differences are obvious. Email is virtually free, and Town Hall meetings are pretty pricey. But you get what you pay for, and good communicators know how to manage their channel portfolio. That’s why measures of communication effectiveness should find ways to extract insights about the channels themselves. It’s one of the areas where feedback really helps.