"So Why Should I Care About the Media Link Anyway?"

Understand media selection to master communication essentials

Dec 30, 2024

Welcome to the gazebo! Take a seat. I’m honored you’re here!

This Week’s Summary:

Why media selection matters in communication
Communication starts with being understood
Different audiences understand in different ways
Matching the right media to your message boosts success
Poor media selection can undermine your goals

“Why should I care about media selection?” one of my best students asked me recently. The question caught me off guard. After all, I’d spent several sessions passionately teaching my media selection method, confident in its value. But their question forced me to recognize a common mistake—assuming others see the world through our lens. I needed to break it down.

Back to Basics: Why Feedback and Media Awareness Matter

“What is the primary goal of any business communication?” I asked the class.

“To deliver a message that achieves a goal,” one student replied.

“Exactly. Now, how critical is it that your message is understood as intended?”

“Very critical,” they agreed. “Because if I am not sure that they correctly understood my message, then how can I accurately determine if their subsequent actions are because of a misunderstanding, or reflective of their willingness to cooperate?”

Image created by Ed Paulson Copyright © 2024 using ChatGPT and Adobe PhotoShop.

I pressed further. “How do you verify understanding, especially when using emails, presentations, or conference calls?”

“I guess I really can’t without using some other way of communicating such as a survey, etc. which I am unlikely to do,” one admitted. “If we were face-to-face I would just ask and could likely tell from how they reacted.”

“Right,” I said. “Feedback is key to accurate understanding, and it turns out that there are different feedback capabilities for each level of media richness. Picking the one that is right for your situation is critical. This is where media richness theory becomes essential.”

The Role of Media Selection in Communication

To illustrate, I posed a scenario. “Who would better understand this statement: ‘The outcome depends on the capacitive reactance of the data link’—an administrative clerk or an electronic engineer?”

The unanimous answer: the engineer.

“So, if I email this message to the engineer, she’ll likely understand. But if I send the same email to the admin clerk, it’s a miscommunication disaster waiting to happen. Would email still be the best way to communicate with the admin clerk?”

The class agreed it wouldn’t.

“Exactly. If I know my audience lacks technical expertise, I should use a richer communication medium, like a phone call (Level 4) or an in-person meeting (Level 5) and simplify the message as much as possible. This aligns with my Paulson Media Matching Method: matching audience experience and message complexity to the right communication medium.”

Image Copyright © 2023 by Ed Paulson. All rights reserved.

The Paulson Media Matching Method

Using this method, we consider:

Audience experience: Is their expertise high or low?
Message complexity: Is it routine or non-routine?
Required interaction: Does the situation demand real-time feedback?

When complexity is high and experience is low, richer communication methods (e.g., face-to-face) offers richer feedback that can help to prevent misunderstandings. For simpler messages with more experienced audiences, leaner methods (e.g., email) may suffice.

Why This Matters

It may seem counter intuitive, but many communication failures could be prevented by considering the media’s role in message delivery. We often choose the media—email, meeting, report— out of convenience or familiarity with the technology, and don’t consider in advance the inter-related audience and message complexity. This reverse approach leads to miscommunication frustration and unmet objectives.

I sometimes think that these mismatches explain the perceived sad state of business communication effectiveness. See my “The Sad State of Perceived Organizational Communication Effectiveness” post on June 25, 2024 for more details on this sobering topic.

If folks are consistently using the incorrect media richness when communicating, then misunderstanding would be a common problem, which it is.

You should start every communication using the following steps:

What do you want to accomplish (your desired outcome) from this particular communication?
Who is your audience?
What do you want them to understand?
Why should they care?
What is the message they they need to hear to make them more likely to support your desired outcome?
How will they interpret your message based on their background and the topic’s complexity?
Which media should you be using to ensure that you have the right amount of feedback and interaction to ensure proper message understanding for this particular situation?

By integrating media selection into your communication strategy, you’ll achieve better outcomes.

Takeaway

We all want to be understood but we rarely consider the media connection between us and our audience when formulating our communication approach. I contend that much of what must happen to create a productive communication environment is based on the selection of the right media for the situation. This means that if the media selection is flawed much of what will subsequently be understood may be incorrect. Understanding media selection transforms communication. It’s not just about delivering a message but ensuring it’s received and understood as you intended.

Use the Paulson Media Matching Method, which is presented in my “Getting Through” book, to enhance clarity, foster collaboration, and achieve your goals.

Thank you for stopping by, as always. Peace.

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(Short 3 minute video)

Ed talking about "Getting Through"

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