In this assignment I am going to produce two tables which detail you all the electronic and non-electronic methods of communication available to a business. I will also describe each method of electronic and non-electronic forms of communication and provide you with an example of when each method would be used in a business situation. Audience requirements: Below we will look at some of the reasons why changes might be necessary when selecting a method of communication and how you might meet the individual needs of your readers or audience. Age and attention span:

Younger people can only concentrate for shorter periods of time, while older people and those who are more highly educated are usually better able to listen to a presentation or read for extended periods. Younger people respond well to visual stimuli, such as pictures, videos and models; therefore web-based communication methods or Power Point presentations can work well for such an audience. Gender, ethnicity and age: A good way to help your audience understand your message is to give examples or illustrate your explanations, but you may need to adapt theses to take account of your audience.

Use examples relevant to them, which draw on the lives of the listeners, or reflect their experiences and interests. It’s preferable to use examples drawn form different ethnic backgrounds and which drawn from the experiences of both men and women in positive ways. Accessibility: You should consider the need to adapt your written communications or presentation materials to make them more accessible to your audience. There are different issues to consider when preparing verbal presentations for example; some individuals may have special needs that you should be aware of.

You may need to adapt the environment so that those with special needs sit in appropriate positions in the room. For the people that are blind we have to produce a written document with the accessibility of brail writing and for the people who suffer from dyslexia we have to put some pictures and colours in their presentation so that it easy for them to interpret and understand the information. Readability: You may need to adapt the language that you use to suit your audience. Inexperienced people may prefer you to use simple language.

Interest: Before selecting a communication method we might need to know how much the audience is interested in the topic you are to communicate about. If they are already keen to hear what you have to say, then you don’t need to work too hard, but sometimes audiences will need to be won over. Legibility: A legible document is one that is easy to read for the audience. There are several factors that can make a document more legible to the audience such as white space, font, font size, colour contrast and line spacing. Distraction avoidance:

If you want to get your message through it’s important that the people in your audience are not distracted; this is especially true during oral presentations. So you will need to make sure that others are not disturbing you. Have another person ready to greet late-comers outside the room and avoid them entering the room inappropriately while you are talking; and make sure that all phones are switched off before you begin. Previous knowledge: People who don’t have experience need the basics explained first. If you miss this out they will not get anything from your communication.

However, if you labour your way through the basics of a topic when you are writing or speaking to experienced business people you will come over as patronising and they are unlikely to listen. By the time you get to the main point, they will already have switched off. Electronic method of communication: Now I am going to produce a table which is lists the electronic methods of communication available. In this table I will explain each method of communication, I will also give examples of each method and I will also justify why each method is important for the business.

Method used for communication Suitable recipient Justification Mobile phone- this method helps you to communicate with your customers and colleagues on the go with the use of a mobile handset. We carry mobile phones so we don’t miss important calls. We can also use a mobile phone to call our consumers or manager if you are running late to a meeting. The reason to use a mobile phone is to save the business time, if you are running late for meeting you may be stuck in traffic and will not have access to email, therefore a mobile is the best method to use.

SMS- this method is used between mobile phones, to send short messages between employees as a replacement for memos and e-mails. A text can be suitable for all people apart from the blind. A text is short and quick, and ideal for someone reminding someone about deadlines, meetings etc. Orange use texts to their customers about the free cinema tickets they offer and colleges use texts to inform the students that they have an interview. SMS is far cheaper than a phone call so in most instances you will convey just as much information as you would have if you had called.

An SMS message is automatically stored where it can be re-read. This proves particularly useful in the case of fairly detailed information that might otherwise be forgotten. Website- this site can be found on the world wide web. Websites can save a business money as they can advertise the business and it’s a fast way to sell products online. Website is a formal way. The benefit of the website is a best way to advertise your company and it also show some offers to customers which mean it increase the company sales.

Email- it communicates electronic documents, which are sent form one person to another, via a computer. It is a fast way to send messages anywhere around the world in an instant. It’s cheap and usually costs nothing to broadcast. It is simple and easy to use, after initial set-up. For example in business situation employer can send the emails to their employees to get the reviews of their progress. Emails suit all people apart from the blind, email can be an informal or formal letter to a colleague in the workplace, and they are instant.

Email increases business sales to send some offers to customers. Emailing is easy to use because once you finish your email you can send it straight away and you’ll know they get it, also because its no different from writing a letter on Microsoft word. Touch screen- this is an adaption of computer technology where the recipient interacts with the machine through touch. Touch screens are easy for showing information about the company and it can be accessed quickly without the need of an assistant or helper outside the business hours, which can save the business money and time.

The advantage of touch screen monitors is that they act as both an input and output device. Using a graphical user interface there is no need for a separate monitor, keyboard and mouse as the touch screen monitor acts as all three. In industrial applications, touch screen monitors also have the advantage of being more robust than a conventional LCD monitor. Touch screens are often built with durability in mind and many are resistant to industrial contaminants such as water, dirt, oil and grease.

Fax- this document needs a reproduction machine and telephone line to spend pictures and documents. It is usually sent with a cover sheet that includes the date the document sent, number of pages sent, who it is for and who it is from. Fax is a formal method. Its easy and cheapest way to use in business. Fax can be used to sending the signing document. For example you are working hard to achieve that perfect paperless office but there are some things that still require paperwork. For instance, you just received a contract via fax that you are supposed to sign and fax it back.