7 Media of communication

Ms. Geeta S. Thakur

epgp books

 

Module Structure

 

6.1 Introduction

 

6.2 Types of media

 

6.2.1 Audio media

 

6.2.2 Visual media

 

6.2.3 Audio-visual media

 

6.2.4 Multi-sensory media

 

6.2.5 Mass media

 

6.2.6 Multimedia

 

6.3 Importance of media

 

6.4 Choice of media

 

6.5 Let us sum up

 

 

6.1  Introduction

 

The communication media or channel just lies in between the source and the receiver like a bridge or connecting link. What the source of communication wants to convey to the receivers can be done only with the help of some or the other verbal or non-verbal communication channel. The effectiveness and the strength of the communication flow between the communicator and receiver surely depend on the nature and quality of the media and/or channels employed in the process of communication. Media of communication is a means of transmitting information between a speaker or writer (the sender) and an audience (the receiver). It refers to the channels or ways people communicate information to each other.

 

The word “media” is directly borrowed from Latin and is the plural form of the word “medium”. Medium simply refers to a channel or means of completing a communication. It acts as an intervening agency, means or instrument to establish the process of communication between the sender and the receiver. People communicate with each other through several types of media.

 

The effectiveness of a piece of information or knowledge or communication is dependent on the medium or the choice of media through which it is imparted.Before choosing any communication channel, one must be sure of its appropriateness for a particular purpose and the nature of the receiver. Inappropriate choice of media/channels can send out wrong signals and end up creating confusion.

 

6.2 Types of media

 

 

6.2.1     Audio media

 

In a communication process, both the communicator and receiver may rely on the audio media only. In any classroom or teaching learning situation communication can be done through verbalization or lecturing and the students/learners may receive the communicated knowledge through hearing or listening.

 

Audio media also includes an electrical or digital representation of sound.It depends on hearing and speaking as a main way of communication.

 

Examples:Tape recorders, MP3s, IPods, radio, cassettes, audio CD’s, audio conferencing, etc.

 

Advantages:

  • It includes one way or two way communications thus enhances the effectiveness of the communication. Immediate feedback is possible.
  • Clarity of voice
  • Relevant to the topic
  • Clear pitch of the audio
  • Appropriate length
  • Appropriate language
  • Unbiased content

 

6.2.2 Visual Media

 

A learner may receive information or message by reading out a written or printed statement or through the visual interpretation of the graphic material. (chart, diagram, graphs, pictures etc.) Such communication involves visual media for the required transmission and receiving of the communication.

 

Visual communication is communication through the use of visual aids only. It is described as the transference of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon. Generally visual communication in part or whole relies on vision. It is primarily presented or expressed with two dimensional images, which includes: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, etc.

 

Visual messages accompanying text has a greater power to inform, educate, or persuade a person or audience. The communication through newspapers, magazines, books etc. as well as learning through demonstrations is also carried out through visual media.

 

Examples: Pictures, Puppets, Dramas, street plays and roles plays, Videos. Broadcast media.

 

Advantages:

 

Visuals are powerful and can be used effectively to strengthen communication. Association of the knowledge heard with the pictures seen helps people to remember what they hear. Visuals play the following key roles in our life.

  • Relevance: Visuals can give accurate representation of ideas; visuals help to define facts and information easily and precisely. The can identify and describe in concrete terms giving meaning to words.
  • Economic: Visuals save a lot of time and help in better comprehension. For example talking about some common diseases, giving a description about the digestive system in humans would consume a considerably more time than the use of pictures. A picture of a digestive system will help to learn and understand about its different parts and the process of digestion. Using only words to describe what happens to the food will certainly take much more time than the use of a visual of the digestive system.
  • Visuals help memory: Humans can generally remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear and 30% of what they see. Visuals thereby help people to remember and recall information much better than reading or hearing it. Most of us will be able to recall things we had seen in our youth, than a talk we heard just a day or two before.
  • Visuals can stimulate the imagination: Pictures can help us to imagine and gives shape to our ideas. Pictures can be used as a starting point for any discussions and debates. Visuals are not only a quick way of acquiring facts but also of using them. Details presented in a picture can make people think and react.
  • Enriched experiences:Visuals provide a shared experience we have seen that when the communicator and the audience share a common experience, communication becomes much easier. Visuals get two people thinking on similar lines about the same subject. It cuts down the possibility of there being ambiguity about the subject under discussion.

 

6.2.3 Audio-Visual Media

 

In most occasions, the communication in the day to day situation is generally carried out through a combination of audio and visual media. Writing on board, drawing a diagram, displaying a model or graphic, demonstration, use of the skill of narration, explanation, lecturing and exposition along with its visual display is the use of both audio and visual media. The term audiovisual (AV or A/V) may refer to works with both sound and visual component. The audio visual media proves to be more effective than the use of the only audio or visual media for communication. Examples: Microphones, tape recorders, audio mixers, still and video cameras, film projectors, slide projectors, VCRs, CD and DVD players/recorders.

 

 

Advantages

  • Clarity:One of the main benefits of using audio visual media for communication is its clarity. When you send an email or write a letter, you know the type of tone and mood used in the letter, but it could come across differently to the receiver. Audio visual input enables both parties to observe facial expressions and gesture, hear tones and inflections in the voice and use both audio and visual cues to clarify each other’s meanings and positions.
  • Speed:Ancient man used pigeons, falcons and messengers to communicate messages to one other. With the development of technology, people started using better sources of communication like sending letters and telegram. If the letters were to be sent to the people living in the same country then the messages would probably reach within a span of 15 days and if overseas then it would take around a month or two. But today’s communication is immediate, with the use of audio-visual hardware devices such as video phones, webcams and software devices like whatsapp, Skype, viber, etc the speed of sending and receiving messages is extremely fast.
  • Retention:Audio and visual cues, when combined, increase the retention of messages. Presentation software and video conferencing can be effective tools in meetings and lectures because the audiences receive and process the information more effectively in comparison to traditional approaches.
  • Media:By adding videos, visual aids and sound clips to presentations, it creates a multimedia experience for the receivers. Using a variety of media, from mp3s to video footage to still-image slideshows and online social media helps in bringing about a more engaging communication with the audience.

 

6.2.4 Multisensory Media

 

Our senses are said to be the gateway of knowledge. In accordance with this well-known maxim of teaching and learning, it is always better to employ as many senses as possible in the process of instruction for the best possible outcomes. We use different ways to communicate and learn through the five senses, through body movements and gestures, space, time, emotions and artifacts.

 

Thus each of the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch) separately or in combination may work well as an effective media for the communication process. It allows us to connect and interact to develop relationships. If we are able to make use of the different types of media and aid material involving as many senses as possible, we will certainly bring better results in the communication process. Examples: AVI, MPEG, WMV and QuickTime files, slideshows with audio

 

Advantages:

  • Caters to all kinds of learners:There are different types of learners viz. auditory, visual and kinaesthetic. Multisensory media can appeal to and caters to the needs of all the kinds of learners
  • Longer Retention: The purpose behind multi-sensory instruction is to apply this concept of learning to all subject areas. The more experiences a student has with a piece of information, be it a spelling word, a process in mathematics, a novel, or a concept in science; the stronger their ability will be to remember it over a longer period of time.
  • Perception through senses:By enabling a student’s strongest input channel (auditory, visual, or kinaesthetic) to take the lead in his/her learning experience, weaker pathways are strengthened.
  • Better grasping:If we provide a variety of pathways for learning to occur, we are more likely to reach all students and each is more likely to grasp the concept.

 

6.2.5     Mass Media

 

Nelson Henry has very rightly observed in Media and Symbols, “Educational institutions, left to themselves may not be successful in achieving the educational objectives of the developing societies without the support of the new media.” New media implies to mass media as channels of education which has gained relevance from their capacity to disseminate information to a great number of people and make the present educational programmes more effective and meaningful.

 

Mass media are means of impersonal communication via some medium, imported through mediated situation. They are means or instruments of communication that reach large number of people or pupils with a common message. The matter/information/message may be printed like newspapers or it may take form of radio, television and cinema. There are different forms of mass media

 

•         Print – Newspapers, books, pamphlets

 

•         Electronic – Television, radio

 

•         New Age- Internet, mobile phones

 

 

Advantages:

  • Helpful in the spread of compulsory education and adult literacy.
  • Reaches large number of the population in a short amount of time.
  • Helps in supplementing correspondence programmes.
  • Facilitates an exchange of thoughts and ideas.
  • Helps in developing leisure time interest and appreciation.
  • Facilitates disseminate information; increase the speed with which a message travel.
  • It is a way to link parts staple of social life.
  • Makes the constraints of time and distance manageable.
  • Assists in the spread of non-formal education an alternative to formal approach to education.

 

Disadvantages

  • There may be a misinterpretation of a situation as at times the information reported may not be authentic from every angle.
  • News can be manipulated to influence the minds of the audiences. For example – a particular political party may manipulate reports in their favor, which would indicate the political control in the media.
  • Media bias can occur due to various issues. A journalist’s subjectivity or personal opinion mayinfluence the readers.

 

6.2.6 Multi media

 

A communication process may be termed as based on the multimedia approach when it employees a number of media in a planned and organized combination for deriving the maximum output in a particular communication situation. Multimedia communication is the presentation of digital information in the form of text, images, sound, motion graphics, web sites, and video.This contrasts with media that use only rudimentary computer displays such as text-only or traditional forms of printed or hand-produced material.

 

Most of the well-organized programmes of the reputed open education or distance education institutions like IGNOU are run through the multimedia approach adopted for the interaction with the learners. In the advanced countries such as USA, UK, Australia and Canada, it is used in a quite effective way for carrying out a number of on-line courses.

 

Examples: CD. ROMs, DVDs, Web chatting, teleconferencing, videoconferencing

 

Advantages:

  • Makes the educational process interesting, purposeful and effective.
  • Helps in meeting the needs of the learners.
  • Makes the learning highly individualized and self-dependent.
  • Appeals and spreads education to the masses.
  • Easy to use.
  • Provides advantages to group and individual learning.
  • Tailors information to the individual.
  • Relieves teachers from the routine duties.

 

Disadvantages:

  • Not economic in cost.
  • Special hardware and software is needed.
  • It is not always user friendly.

 

6.3 Importance of media

  • It helps in the facilitation of fast and effective learning
  • It helps to motivate the students as the message or the information communicated to the receiver reaches it with the same clarity of the sender.
  • It helps in adding variety in teaching methods. Media and method are complementary and supplementary to one another. A method can be made effective by using an appropriate media of communication.
  • It helps in provide concrete information, whether it is in verbal, visual or audio form.
  • It helps in facilitating long lasting learning as it appeals the senses, in other words channels are senses of perception.

 

6.4  Choice of media:

 

Romiszowski(1997) says that the main categories of factors that may influence the choice of media are:

  1. Task factors- the type of objectives and the type of learning activities which should be provided for the learner.
  2. Learner factors- some learners may learn better from certain media than from others
  3. Economics/availability factors- this may limit the choice of media in practice.

 

6.5 Let’s Summarize

 

There are different media through which communication can be made possible. These media can be grouped as audio, visual, A/V, Multisensory, mass media and multimedia. Each type of media has its own advantages and limitation. However the effectiveness of any communication is dependent on the choice of media. Keeping this in mind the sender must make the selection of the right media and ensure that the communication takes place in the right manner.

 

you can view video on Media of communication

References

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