Types of Communication

Have you ever struggled with delivering your ideas to others? Have you ever wondered whether your colleagues truly understood your presented project in the last team meeting? If the answer is yes, understanding some of the typical types of communication can help you nail it next time!

Types of Communication Strategies

Within organizational communication, there are various types of communication strategies, among which the three most popular ones are verbal communication, written communication, and non-verbal communication.

As each of them has its advantages and disadvantages, a proper understanding of different types of communication can help you determine whether you should write (written communication), speak (verbal communication), or read (non-verbal communication) to communicate specific situations with your target audience.

Fig. 1 - Diverse types of communication

Types of Communication: Verbal

Verbal communication, also known as oral communication, implies using words to speak as a primary means of communication.

Essentially, verbal communication optimizes discussing processes in most cases, as people can directly and continuously participate in the flow of communication. Thus, participants can mutually communicate feedback and exchange information on the spot.

Further, as verbal communication often leaves room for small talk about trivial matters among participants, it opens the possibility of social exchange and interpersonal relationship development.

However, verbal communication can lead to unwanted rumors and information distortion, as a sentence may have two or multiple meanings for different people.

Types of Communication: Meetings

This concept is very familiar to all of us. However, meetings remain the most popular means of verbal communication across different contexts.

Nowadays, meetings are no longer confined to traditional places such as offices or rigid meeting rooms. Instead, they have become more creative and flexible in form and structure, including online meetings via innovative virtual platforms such as GatherTown or Zoom and outdoor business meetings at local coffee shops or co-working spaces.

Types of Communication: Videoconferencing

As the business world transcends any national border to reach the stage of globalization, videoconferencing provides a solution to communicate across different locations.

Nowadays, there are various popular virtual conference platforms such as Zoom, vFairs, Eventzilla, etc. Such platforms facilitate communication with integrated features, including screen sharing, poll creation, group division, or breakout rooms.

Fig. 2 - Videoconferencing is increasingly popular

Types of Communication: Written

As popular as verbal communication, written communication is also a dominating means of communication.

From a practical perspective, you can find written communication integrated into business communication tools such as emails, PowerPoint, letters, publications, or company blogs. Let's look through some typical forms of written communication at the workplace.

Types of Communication: Letters

What comes to mind when you think about 'letters' at work?

Nowadays, most companies require applicants to submit their cover letters, which require written communication skills. Besides, companies also utilize letters to represent an official document, such as new rules or promoted positions. Whether handwriting or typing letters, they convey a more personal touch and formal expression toward recipients.

Types of Communication: Presentations

Currently, we can notice people presenting in almost every aspect of a business. While the traditional Microsoft PowerPoint remains popular, emerging platforms also help communicators design more aesthetic and interactive slides by integrating features such as designed vectors, graphics, or QR codes.

Types of Communication: Email

Within business contexts, email is one of the most formal ways of communication.

Accordingly, email enhances the scalability of a business in delivering valuable and personal communication messages to mass audiences.

For example, email marketing is a popular concept in which marketers send mass emails to customers regarding topics such as new product launches or seasonal promotions. Internally, companies may use email to circulate recent changes in the company's legislation or to introduce new team members to all staff.

Yet, email communication can prove costly when companies decide to automate their emails to gain more insights from them. Large companies such as BuzzFeed or Mumsnet have heavily invested in their email marketing automation to precisely send celebrating messages to customers during meaningful days.⁴

Types of Communication: Non-verbal Communication

Indeed, non-verbal communication exists in both verbal communication and written communication. Every unspoken message is a form of non-verbal communication. For example, our writing tone and word choices reflect our non-verbal communication within written email communication.

Body language is one of the most popular non-verbal pieces of evidence in verbal communication. By watching individuals' body language, we can understand their current feelings and attitudes.

Besides, facial expressions are also critical non-verbal messages. We can tell much about an individual's feeling judging from their expressions. In a videoconference, the participant might be distracted by something else if you notice an indifferent face with ambiguous eyes. Likewise, if you see someone's frown on their face, they must be experiencing displeasure or even anger.

Types of Communication at the Workplace

Regarding workplaces, besides different types of communication, people are also concerned about the diverse types of communication styles, communication processes, and communication barriers. Let's have a look at the generalization of each concept together!

Types of Communication Styles

Generally, there are four communication styles: passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive.⁵

Each style has its strengths and weaknesses. Thus, communicators must carefully select the most appropriate styles for different purposes. For instance, while an assertive communication style can help create a respectful environment and build long-term relationships, passive or aggressive styles are more suitable in case of team conflicts or urgent matters.⁵

Types of Communication Process

The communication process facilitates the steps during which we can execute different types of communication. Effective communication requires a well-planned communication process that clearly defines the desired message and how to transfer them from senders to recipients.

Generally, there are eight main elements of a communication process, which are (1) the sender, (2) encoding, (3) the message, (4) the channel, (5) decoding, (6) the receiver, (7) noise, and (8) feedback.

Types of Communication Barriers

Various barriers hinder the effectiveness of different types of communication in workplaces.

Prominently, cultural factors, which can result in misunderstanding or personal offenses, represent a considerable obstacle to effective communication. Further, factors stemming from actors in the communication process, such as selective perception or communication apprehension, can also form a barrier against effective communication.

As there are various types of communication in modern workplaces, communicators should carefully select and appropriately implement them to suit their communicating purposes and match their targeted audiences. Be it verbal, non-verbal, or written communication, it costs enormous effort and practice to become persuasive and productive communicators!