A guide to picking the right media for communications 2020 - paul cooper

Tuning up our communications Paul Cooper Calliston Consultants Pty Ltd www.ccgml.com.au
Tips for picking the best communications
media in the COVID-19 era
It’s currently a
worrying time…
We’re trying to
teach,
study…and
learn how to
work remotely
from home…

Pre COVID-19 we had many more ways of
communicating available to us…

But now we’re currently doing a LOT of this
instead…
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

We know that video is fine for non-verbal
communications…
• General impact between two or three people:
– 7% via content:- the meaning of the words
– 38% via tone:- how the words are said
– 55% via nonverbal communications:- eye contact,
body language
[Research at University of California in early 70s ‘Silent Messages’ Albert
Mehrabian (Wadsworth 1971)]
So that’s all well and good…but…

In the current challenge…we maybe are overusing
video communication
• COVID-19 has ignited a huge interest in working from
home and use of video tools such as:
– Zoom
– Skype
– Teams
• While these video channels are great – especially for
non-verbal communications – they are synchronous
communications media
• …and that has certain implications…

Synchronous communications (such as phone and
video) has these implications
• It requires all parties to be present at the same time
• It’s great for high intensity conversations & for building
empathy
But…
– doesn’t allow time for reflective thinking
– can over emphasise dominant voices
– is intrusive in terms of time and emotion – people
are currently complaining of “video chat exhaustion”
– technically video uses a huge amount of bandwidth
which is a constraint for home working

Research shows that different media are best for
specific purposes…
Marginal fit
Info too rich
Good fit
Good fit
Poor fit
Medium too
constrained
Good fit
Poor fit
Medium too
constrained
Good fit
Marginal fit
Medium too
constrained
Poor fit
Info too rich
Good fit
Poor fit
Info too rich
Poor fit
Info too rich
Marginal fit
Info too rich
Poor fit
Medium too
constrained
Marginal fit
Info too
lean
Good fit
Task type(s)
Media for Group Communications
Adapted from J.E. McGrath & A.B. Hollingshead, 1993
Increasing potential richness of information
Generating
Ideas & plans
Choosing
correct answer:
intellective tasks
Choosing
preferred answer:
judgement tasks
Negotiating
conflicts of
interests
Computer
systems
Audio/phone
systems
Video
systems
In person
face to face
Increasing potential
richness required
for task success

Is there a way we can work out what media are
best for the intended purpose?
Based on this original work in 1993 by McGrath and Hollingshead,
and subsequent work (Masters thesis) by M.Bennett, I offer the
following guide to help people select the optimal channel for the
intended purpose…

A “heat-map” view of how to select the optimal
communications medium
Red = Capable of accurately conveying
emotion and connecting emotionally.
Blue = Constrained in ability to convey
emotion or connect emotionally.
Heat-map view of communications medium. Paul Cooper, 2020
Asynchronous
(comms can
occur at any
time by either
party)
Near
synchronous
Synchronous
VIDEO CALLSAUDIO
(phone)
MANY to
MANY FACE TO
FACE
Twitter & social
status updates
Interactive
webinars
Collaborative doc
sharing
Wikis & Collaborative
social media tools incl.
Yammer
VODCASTS & Video
CBT and media rich
webinars
PORTALS BLOGS PODCASTS
$$$$$
$
$$
$$
EMAIL
“Richness” of communicationText Visual
ONE on ONE
FACE TO
FACE
ONE to MANY
FACE TO FACE
Instant
Messaging
“Syncrhonicity”ofcommunication

The subsequent pages provide guides for which
medium to use for these aspects of communication
and collaboration:
$$
$
$
“Synchronicity”ofcommunication
$
$$$$$
Creativity
Solving
Problems
Task involvement
and broad topic
education
Being clear on
which channels
convey emotion
How to best ensure
that message sent =
message received
Considering your audience
and whether they have
audio or visual preference
Communicating
effectively with
different generations

VIDEO CALLSAUDIO
(phone)
Twitter & social
status updates
Interactive
webinars
Collaborative doc
sharing
Yammer
VODCASTS & Video
CBT and media rich
webinars
$$$$$
$
$$
$$
EMAIL
To convey emotion:
Only use synchronous comms – preferably video
But DO NOT expect people to
constructively reflect on ideas in this
zone (channels too RICH and
immediate)
Do NOT use EMOTION IN
THIS ZONE (channels too
LIMITED and not real-
time)
MANY to MANY
FACE TO FACE
ONE on ONE
FACE TO FACE
ONE to MANY
FACE TO FACE
Instant Messaging

VIDEO CALLSAUDIO
(phone)
Twitter & social
status updates
Interactive
webinars
Collaborative doc
sharing
Yammer
VODCASTS & Video
CBT and media rich
webinars
$$$$$
$
$$
$$
EMAIL
“Richness” of communicationText
E.g. to resolve emotional problems…
use the red zone media…but blue zone is ok if
unemotional problems are involved
I need to get
a conflict
sorted
I need to sort out a difficulty with
an idea and it’s complex
I need to talk to someone about a
simple problem
I want to ask one or more people to
help come up with a problem
solution – and there are no emotions
or egos involved
I need to talk
personally to
someone
I need to
establish
trust
MANY to MANY
FACE TO FACE
ONE on ONE
FACE TO FACE
ONE to MANY
FACE TO FACE
Instant Messaging

VIDEO CALLSAUDIO
(phone)
Twitter & social
status updates
Interactive
webinars
Collaborative doc
sharing
Yammer
VODCASTS & Video
CBT and media rich
webinars
$$$$$
$
$$
$$
EMAIL
“Richness” of communicationText
To work collaboratively
(e.g. to creatively generate ideas) there are
choices…but they each work differently I need to get
agreement to
an idea
I need to get high-
energy creativity
going
I need to keep an initiative
going and/or check on regular
progress of an idea
I need to get people
reflecting on and
contributing to an idea
I need to get people
working collaboratively
on a concept
MANY to MANY
FACE TO FACE
ONE on ONE
FACE TO FACE
ONE to MANY
FACE TO FACEInstant Messaging

VIDEO CALLSAUDIO
(phone)
Twitter & social
status updates
Interactive
webinars
Collaborative doc
sharing
Yammer
VODCASTS & Video
CBT and media rich
webinars
$$$$$
$
$$$
$$
EMAIL
Text Visual
To manage a task:
First consider the degree of motivation required or
if it’s just for team alignment…
I want to keep team maximally
motivated and seek direct feedback
I want to keep a small task force
focussed and hear of any
concerns e.g. via regular tele-
conferencing hookups
I want to keep a large number of
people regularly informed and
engaged
I want to educate a large number of
people about a topic and need only
text or simple media
I want to educate a large number of
people about a topic and prefer rich
media
I need to send a
message that I
want to make sure
is FULLY
understood
MANY to MANY
FACE TO FACE
ONE on ONE
FACE TO FACE
ONE to MANY
FACE TO FACE

VIDEO CALLSAUDIO
(phone)
Twitter & social
status updates
Interactive
webinars
Collaborative doc
sharing
Yammer
VODCASTS & Video
CBT and media rich
webinars
$$$$$
$
$$
$$
EMAIL
Heat-map view of communications channels. Paul Cooper, 2011
Other suggestions:
consider whether your audience has audio or
visual preference
The right zone is more
suited to those who prefer
the visual modality, and
Extraverted personality
Types
The left zone is more suited to audio
oriented people and also to more
Introverted thinkers (in the Myer-Briggs
classification)
MANY to MANY
FACE TO FACE
ONE on ONE
FACE TO FACE
ONE to MANY
FACE TO FACE
Instant Messaging

Consider your age group and technology comfort level…
VIDEO CALLSAUDIO
(phone)
Twitter & social
status updates
Interactive
webinars
Collaborative doc
sharing
Yammer
VODCASTS & Video
CBT and media rich
webinars
$$$$$
$
$$
$$
EMAIL
“Speed”
Baby Boomer online
“comfort” Territory
MANY to MANY
FACE TO FACE
ONE on ONE
FACE TO FACE
ONE to MANY
FACE TO FACE
Millennial online
“comfort” Territory
All generations tend to be
comfortable in using the
high speed, rich content
channels
Instant Messaging

VIDEO CALLSAUDIO
(phone)
Twitter & social
status updates
Interactive
webinars
Collaborative doc
sharing
Yammer
VODCASTS & Video
CBT and media rich
webinars
$$$$$
$
$$
$$
EMAIL
Overall…
The upper (real-time) zone
enables more direct and
immediate confirmation that
your communication is
accurately received and
understood
The lower (non real-time) zone has
more dangers that messages sent
may be subject to the receiver’s
interpretation – you will need to
ensure confirmation of
understanding
MANY to MANY
FACE TO FACE
ONE on ONE
FACE TO FACE
ONE to MANY
FACE TO FACE
Instant Messaging

Summary of guide…
$$
$
$
“Synchronicity”ofcommunication
$
$$$$$
One: When considering communications
channels, start from your needs and
those of your audience. The technology
is important but should be considered
AFTER establishing your needs
Three: Collaborative tools like
Teams are wonderful – and we can
use them so much more than at
present
Two: Do NOT overuse the
video channel – it is
exhausting to introverts and
does not allow reflective
thinking time

Recommendations…if you really need
synchronous communications…THEN…
• Consider starting and ending your sessions with a Video
real-time link to establish rapport and empathy…
• But consider then switching OFF video (and just use your
profile picture together with audio) unless you need to
maintain face to face for dealing with emotion or
maximal engagement (e.g. workshop)
• Engagement can still be enhanced without video by
using shared whiteboards and shared screens

By taking this nuanced approach you will…
• Greatly reduce your bandwidth requirements resulting in a
better experience (video consumes WAY more internet
data than audio)
• Not over-tax people at a cognitive level – most of us are
getting exhausted by hours of video Zoom sessions each
day
• Allow people time to reflect and think, and compose their
thoughts
• BUT…it’s even better to consider using asynchronous tools
if you don’t really need video

Recommendations…if you really only need team
collaboration…THEN…
• Assuming you have previously established team
dynamics (with Video)…THEN…
• Simply use the sharing tools of MS Teams to enable
multiple parties to communicate non-synchronously via
the comments and chat facilities of Teams and within
the shared documents

Final tips for better audio and video
• Headsets work much better than using computer in-built
microphones since they support full-duplex
communications and thus allow both parties to speak at
once – without the one voice at a time approach
• Use a high quality webcam
• Don’t forget to look at the webcam – if you use two
screens make sure you are looking at the camera and
not your other screen

Attribution and acknowledgements
• Material principally prepared by A/Prof. Paul Cooper
• Acknowledgements to Michael Bennett for discussion and
source material derived from his Masters thesis on the
topic of channels of communications
• Photos (unless otherwise attributed) were taken by Paul
Cooper during a personal holiday trip )
• This material is Open Source and may be shared but is not
for commercial use.
• Please acknowledge if you use this material.
• paul@ccgml.com.au
• Updated April 2020

A guide to picking the right media for communications 2020 - paul cooper

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