All the best presentations, writing and the communicating you may be capable of are meaningless without use of the right medium of communication. The right medium is determined by the situational requirements in the organization, at the internal and external level in the first instance, and then at the personal level in both.

Employees will know things only through good communications with their supervisors and managers. Managers have the responsibility to communicate with their employees.

Good internal communication can help:

• Employees perform better and become more committed towards the organization’s success.
• Managers perform better and make better decisions.
• Create greater trust between management, trade union and employees.
• Increase job satisfaction among employees.

Employees need to be able to ask questions and receive answers to help them understand the information they are given. They need to be able to discuss such information, through the appropriate channels, to determine their own reactions. In this way the employees understanding of the company’s goals will be enhanced and their knowledge of the opportunities or constraints faced by the company will improve.

Employees communication is a new priority for upper management. In this respect research reports state that todays employees prefer to get face-to-face information, either one-to-one or in a small group. Employees want to hear news from their supervisors or some other knowledgeable authoritative source. But the new emphasis on face-to-face communication does not mean that other relevant means of business communication are obsolete. The only forms of communication that are in trouble are those that are poorly planned, misdirected or otherwise meaningless.

There are three general communication media used in internal and external communication, depending on the needs and objectives of the organization or the communication situation:

1. Audio-Visual Presentations.
2. Written or Printed Media.
3. Human Verbal Communication

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Each has its distinct advantages and specific uses in supplementing purposeful business and corporate communications.

Audio Visual Presentations
Audio-visuals should be used when you need to supplement your oral and sometimes written communication. Used properly they can be an extremely powerful communication tool.

Printed Media
Written communication media may be viewed as printed hardware. Writing plays an important role in many managerial and professional communications both internally and externally. The most common and important written media are contracts, letters and memoranda, reports, manuals, in-house communications, brochures, professional papers, sales invoices and advertisements.

Verbal Human Communications
Human Verbal Media includes all the personal media for conveying ideas. The most obvious personal medium is yourself on a one-to-one basis. Beyond you, the communicator, there are other important forms of human media such as audience participation in group meetings or conferences etc. which can be valuable supplements to the other forms of business communication.

Develop proper attitudes and outlooks and identify the need to recognize some basic things which can make or break you as an efficient communicator. Develop personal communication competence and you will have already seen that your confidence is in a large part based on your business and personal communication competence.

Business, Communication Technology
business management, Communication