You know that not a day goes by without proper communication. Both in your personal life and at work, have you ever wondered how effective communication travels from one individual to another? Let's have a look at some of the most popular communication channels at work.

Communication Channels Definition

A company functions because its members collaborate and exchange information with others - managers allocate tasks, and knowledge is shared. Thus, communication takes place every single second to keep a business alive.

Yet, choosing appropriate communication channels for each message and idea is among the most intriguing parts of every company. But first, what is a communication channel?

Accordingly, whenever an individual (the sender) has a message to spread, they select a suitable communication channel to deliver to another (the recipient).

Fig. 1 - Communication is the key to success

Communication Channels Types

There are two main types of communication channels, which are formal channels and informal channels. In general, the main difference between these two channels is that formal channels require channels predefined by the organization, while informal channels do not.

Formal Channels of Communication

Regarding formal channels of communication, organizations generally establish a well-defined hierarchical chain. Within the workplace context, formal communication channels are critical in creating a proper and professional communication flow.

Some common examples of formal channels of communication at work are reports, internal email requests, legal & commercial notices, newsletters, or publications.

Informal Communication Channels

By contrast, informal communication channels follow a free flow without predefined communication routes. Thus, they help execute quick and relational communication at work.

Modern organizations often utilize informal communication channels to create open and safe workplaces where employees can freely discuss work-related issues and share their opinions.

Different Communication Channels

As diverse as communication channel type, so are the various directions of communication that take place in an organization.

Different Communication Channels: Downward Communication

Essentially, downward communication implies the transmission of information from higher levels to lower levels within a company. In most cases, businesses utilize downward communication to:

• Implement their goals, strategies, and objectives,

• Provide job instructions and rationale,

• Announce new procedures or practices,

• Give performance feedback and evaluation.

Most often, downward communication is a popular direction of formal organizations in which a one-directional hierarchical chain is visible.

Different Communication Channels: Upward Communication

As you may have guessed, upward communication is the opposite of downward communication. Thus, in the company's day-to-day operations, lower-level employees can use upward communication to communicate directly with higher-level ones.

In today's modern organizational cultures, upward communication is ideal for establishing friendly and participative workplaces. Commonly, upward communication encourages employees to perform feedback procedures, provide suggestions, or voice complaints towards their seniors at work.

Different Communication Channels: Lateral Communication

Lateral communication often occurs between peers or co-workers as information exchange across teams or departments at the same level within a company's hierarchy.

Essentially, lateral communication is one of the fastest and easiest informal communication channels. There are various purposes for lateral communication, such as solving a business problem, validating and confirming information, discussing common interests, etc.

Different Communication Channels: Formal Small-Group Networks

Formal small-group networks refer to complicated hierarchical groups within companies' formal communication channels. The three most popular small-group networks are the chain, the wheel, and the all-channel networks.

Specifically, the all-channel group activates direct communication between every member and every level. While the all-channel group is fast and open, communication accuracy is often moderate. Yet, member satisfaction is generally high due to little or no emergence of leaders.

On the complete opposite lies the chain group, which has a rigid chain of command in which communication speed is moderate and communication accuracy is high. The wheel group, however, is less rigid and faster, with leaders being the chief communicators at multiple levels. However, employees' satisfaction in the wheel group is often low due to high-level centralized power in leaders.

Different Communication Channels: The Grapevine

Informal communication networks are often referred to as 'the grapevine.'

Essentially, the grapevine is characterized by informal conversations between employees subjected to no prescribed structure, regulations, or system. Given its casual and simple nature, the grapevine can spread quickly and touch individuals on a large scale across an organization.

On the positive side, the grapevine provides employees emotional support while uniting them on common topics of interest. Further, by listening to the grapevine, the management team can study their employees' reactions and opinions on company policies or structures.

However, on the negative side, the grapevine has low credibility. For example, the grapevine can give rise to rumors, which are inaccurate and informal within professional business contexts. Further, in some cases, the grapevine proves detrimental to the management team's reputation as well as the company's overall goodwill due to a high risk of false information and distortion.

Communication Channels in the Workplace

At workplaces, there are also various practical means of communication channels to deliver messages and spark conversations. At the same time, barriers do exist in selecting and utilizing different communication channels.

Communication Channels Examples

There are two popular examples of communication channels at work, which are digital communication channels and face-to-face communication.

Digital communication channels imply online electronic means of communication. Thus, these channels can be mobile or desktop-based applications that keep employees engaged with each other as well as company news and updates.

Besides digital communication channels, face-to-face communication represents a core part of communication channels at work. As its name suggests, face-to-face communication involves direct communication between two or more people.

Communication Channels and Barriers

Sometimes, communication channels may create serious problems - for example, when they are selected or used ineffectively. Thus, a huge barrier lies in the selection of appropriate communication channels.

Accordingly, a wrong communication channel can be hugely detrimental to any company. The following are the consequences:

• Excess of irrelevant information volume

• Undermined transparency in information dissemination

• Psychological barriers for recipients due to reasons such as stresses caused by insufficient communication or negativity posed by the grapevine

• A lack of flexibility due to insufficient employees' agility to voice opinions, which is common in downward communication

• Ease of misinterpretation, misinformation, and distortion

Communication is undeniably the backbone of businesses. Arguably, everyone is free to use any presumably effective and friendly communication channels that they deem helpful for the gathering and spread of information. Yet, most importantly, such channels need to be carefully selected and implemented depending on specific purposes and types of information.