Electronic communication free essay sample

The general purpose of most electronic gadgets is to make life easier, more fun, or more efficient. Mobiles phones are universal and, with the advent of voice mail and mobile phones, it is now possible to reach people practically anytime, anywhere. This can be used for staff to staff communication. Video conferencing uses phone lines to transmit video as well as sound, between two or more groups. Because cameras, microphones, audio playback and special software are required, video conferencing is used only infrequently and on specially-provided workstations. However, as networks become more powerful and the machinery becomes less expensive, it is possible that this will eventually be available to everyone. This can be used for staff to staff communication. Social networks allow people to keep in touch with each other through status updates, pictures, comments and messages. Through social network sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, people can see what their friends are up to at all times and comment on their activities. While social networking may be used as a form of communication between friends and family, businesses and celebrities as well have allowed fans to follow them through fan pages on Facebook and status updates (tweets) from their Twitter accounts. Linked In is primarily used as a job network between colleagues and contacts. Communicating by email is almost instantaneous, which can enhance communications by allowing for quick dissemination of information and fast response to customer inquiries. It may also allow for quicker problem-solving and more streamlined business processes. As a result, small business owners can accomplish more in less time. Email can help increase productivity. Business owners can communicate with established distribution lists, automatically forward information based on a topic, or send information to specific individuals as needed. Effective email use can reduce reliance on face-to-face consultations and meetings. Email lets businesses market to targeted audiences. Customers can opt in to receive email communications about products they own, sales or new items. Customers who receive targeted emails based on their preferences are likely to be more receptive. With the help of information technology (computers), communication has also become cheaper, quicker, and more efficient. We can now communicate with anyone around the globe by simply text messaging them, or sending them an email, for an almost instantaneous response. The internet has also opened up face-to-face direct communication from different parts of the world, thanks to the help of video-conferencing. A touch screen is very easy to use (as the user simply touches what he or she sees on the display). It also save space as no keyboard or mouse is required. Touch monitors can even be mounted on the wall. Touching a visual display of choices requires little thinking and is a form of direct manipulation that is easy to learn. Touch screens are the fastest pointing devices. Touch screens have easier hand eye coordination than mice or keyboards. Touch screens are durable in public access and in high volume usage. Another thing is DVD with this you are able to watch high definition video when in conferences like on a blue ray, this is also inbuilt in some of the televisions. A WAP application on one network should be easily portable to a different environment with little or no change. The alternative to using WAP is to write applications using proprietary protocols. Such applications will require substantial code rewriting when porting to a different type of network. New services can be added quickly and at a lower cost using WAP. This allows access to the internet from mobile connections allows you to visit sites like YouTube, Facebook and other social networking sites Non-electronic communication Non electronic methods of communication are ways of communicating through non-electronic sources such as letters, reports, memorandums, etc. Before the invention of electricity, Communication was slow and difficult. Some messages took days, weeks and even months to arrive to its destination. It was also not as effective and less people were able to receive these messages at once. Letters can be used for internal communication but are mainly used for external communication. They provide written means of communication and can also include diagrams. Depending on how the message is sent, it will take a certain amount of time to reach the recipient, e. g. if it has to be delivered abroad through airmail, it can take longer than delivering it from London to Leicester. This can also depend on what class stamp the letter is being sent through. If it is through first class it will reach the recipient much quicker. A memo carries just one person’s views. For that reason, memos usually are for top-down communication, but they can flow the other way, too. They are good for laying out policies and proposals, for suggesting and summarizing. Communicating by memo gives you the chance to plan what you want to say and to get it right. As such, a memo has a formality that requires correct spelling and punctuation. A memo is a permanent record that may be photocopied, posted, passed around and filed. It is good for documenting or making proposals formal. When a fax message is sent through a phone line to another fax machine, it travels a fairly direct route through a system of fibre-optic cables and is essentially a private transmission. There is little room for interference or prying between the sending and receiving points. This is a quick means of transportation. The senders name and your own is sent along so the person knows. Unlike paper-based invoices provide all data in digital format. This is basically a bill of certain things, like the pricing of things purchased, the quantity of how much you had bought the contact address for the payment and the service description. This is all legal documents that could be used as evidence. The collector could collect the payment every month instead of every 1-4 weeks. It is often easier to reach someone by phone than by trying to arrange to see them in person, plus it’s more convenient for patients. This method is more likely to succeed in contacting someone especially if a time / date have been agreed (few people are able to ignore the telephone and leave it ringing). Telephone conversations are, on average, shorter than face-to-face conversations as it’s easier to control the conversation and take the initiative. Flowcharts are better way of communicating the logic of a system to all concerned. With the help of flowchart, problem can be analysed in more effective way. Program flowcharts serve as a good program documentation, which is needed for various purposes. The flowcharts act as a guide or blueprint during the systems analysis and program development phase. It also determines how long a project could naturally take. When people communicate face to face especially in businesses, the worker could ensure that he understands the tasks that his manager asks him to do. This is because; the worker could ask as much questions as he wants to the manager and the manager could define the task more to the worker. Second, by communicating to people face to face instead of using the electronic mails would be more efficient, as there is a risk that the letter or mail may not be received due to technical issues or problems. A video conference allows participants to lend a personal touch to their communications. Video conference allows individuals to establish eye contact which is crucial for fostering trust quickly. It also allows participants to absorb the non-verbal communication that supplements spoken words of the speaker. By analysing the body posture and facial expressions of the speaker, at the same time, the speaker can analyse the facial expressions of listeners, and accordingly adjust the tone of communication to suit the communication style of the listeners. Most people who are younger can concentrate for less time which means there attention span is pretty low whereas older or more educated people can focus or listen for a longer period of time. Younger people respond more to videos, images and PowerPoint presentations, plus younger people are more used to the new technology, whereas older people may sometimes struggle with the new technology but can read for a long time such as reports etc. It is important to know who your audience are, this is looking at younger or older people. Younger people may prefer to have simple language than something that is difficult to understand, but older people may understand the language of technical terms, phrases and different types of jargons. Some technical terms maybe excused just in case there are professional there. Large fonts in leaflets and PowerPoint presentation in the headers and pictures, diagrams and other visual preferences should be used for people who are partially sighted and colours like green and yellow should be avoided due to visually impaired people. People who need to lip read should be sat at the front so the speakers can face towards them. Some people who have mobility problems, such as wheel chairs need to have enough space to come so therefore chairs along the side should be removed. Finally audios should be played so people who are blind can understand what is going on. People that are deaf but can lip read should also be placed at the front of the room. When making a PowerPoint slide presentation, it must be clear and the fonts must be the right size for the audience it must also be sure to have bullet point instead of having long paragraphs because this could be harder to read during the presentation. There must be a dark text on a light background so it would be able to stand out when it’s read. When targeting your audience makes sure that it is short but still comprehensible, also be sure to entertain your audience so they stay interested in what you say. Try to get the audience involved by asking those questions so they could reply to, have them participate. You also have to make the keen on listening on what you want to say, so it doesn’t seem like they are bored. Make sure to ask that all Mobile phones be put off or on silent. Then explaining in the presentations make sure you cut it down to make it simpler for those that have a hard time understanding but if they are all well experienced then it may not be needed.