Factors which influence the choice of a communication media

1. Speed or urgency of the messages

   Before selecting the means of communication, one should consider whether the information is urgently needed or not. Information which requires urgent communication may be transmitted by a quick means of communication e.g. telephone, telex, fax etc. Those which are not very urgent may be transmitted by normal letters through the post.

2. Availability of the medium

   In most cases the person who will use the medium of communication which is available of the means of communication available is only a telephone and the person who is to receive the message has got a telephone than the message will be used.

3. The cost of the medium

   Before deciding what means should be used in transmitting the information one should think of the cost involved.

4. Distance

   Consideration should also be taken as to the distance the information is going to be relayed longer distance would require a quick means of communication.

5. Confidentiality and security

   Confidential matter would need a confidential means of communication while normal information may require any means of communication.

6. Flexibility of the medium

   Before choice is made one should think of how flexible the means of communication is to effect any changes in order for information transmitted to reach the person concerned efficiently.

Barriers of affective communication

Noise, in the absence of noise people cannot communicate well because they bring about misunderstanding between the sender and the receiver of the message.

1. Breakdown of the communication channel

   Sometimes when people are communicating breakdown of the communication channel can happen, in such situation people cannot understand each other. This is especially for electronic channel of communication such as phones, radio etc.

2. Semantics

   By semantic we mean that the same words may have different meanings for different people e.g. manager may call in a new secretary and ask him or her to "burn" a copy of particular blueprint since there is only one copy with correction on it, the manager may want more copies. But the secretary, being unfamiliar with this "technical forgot" may literally put a match to the blueprint.

3. Language used

   If language used is complex or not know by the receiver it might be the barrier to effective communication because the parties will to a person who does not know English language.

4. Increase running costs

5. Large capital outlays

6. Remoteness of some areas makes it difficult to be accessed

7. Bad weather condition destroy means of communication