Written Communication: Advantages and Disadvantages

There are several types of communication mechanisms available for human beings to communicate and exchange information. The most common ones include verbal communication, written communication, nonverbal communication, visual communication, electronic communication, interpersonal communication, visual signaling, mass communication, symbolic communication, and paralinguistic communication.

Written communication is a fundamental mode of conveying information, encompassing emails, reports, letters, and documentation. It plays a crucial role in personal, academic, and professional contexts by providing a permanent record of communication. The clarity and structured nature of written communication make it an effective way to convey complex ideas.

However, it also has its drawbacks, such as the potential for misinterpretation and the time required for writing and reading. This article examines the advantages and disadvantages of written communication to help individuals and organizations utilize this method effectively.

What is Written Communication?

Written communication is the method in which ideas, information, or messages are communicated through written words. It involves various formats such as letters, memos, articles, reports, emails, blogs, and more.

Figure depicts various forms of written communications viz. using pen or pencil and paper, using keyboard on laptop or desktop computer and using soft keypad on mobile phone. All these forms involve written words.

Written communication is of two main types viz. formal and informal. Formal written communication examples include business reports, official letters, legal documents, academic papers etc. Informal written communication examples include Memos, sticky notes, Emails to friends, personal blog posts, text messages to family etc.

Types of Written Communication

Written communication can take various forms depending on its purpose, audience, and context. Here are types of written communication:

• Transactional Communication: Used in day-to-day business activities, transactional communication includes documents like emails, invoices, receipts, and purchase orders. These are often brief, straightforward, and focused on facilitating routine interactions and transactions.
• Instructional Communication: This type includes guidelines, manuals, and standard operating procedures (SOPs), designed to provide detailed instructions. Instructional documents are usually clear, step-by-step, and aimed at helping individuals complete specific tasks or follow certain procedures accurately.
• Informative Communication: These are documents meant to share information without necessarily expecting a response. Examples include reports, memos, press releases, newsletters, and updates. Informative communication often provides data or context on specific issues, ensuring the audience is aware and knowledgeable about developments.
• Persuasive Communication: Intended to influence the reader’s beliefs or actions, persuasive communication includes proposals, sales letters, advertisements, and opinion pieces. This form of communication typically employs a persuasive tone, logical arguments, and emotional appeals to convince the audience to agree with or act on the content.
• Formal Communication: This type encompasses official documents that follow a structured and formal style, such as contracts, legal documents, policy statements, and formal letters. Formal communication often requires precision and adherence to specific formats, as it is legally or professionally binding.
• Creative Communication: Seen in creative fields, this includes storytelling, poetry, scripts, and novels. Creative written communication uses expressive language, metaphor, and storytelling techniques to engage and inspire an audience, allowing the writer to convey ideas with artistic freedom.
• Academic and Research Communication: Academic writing includes essays, research papers, theses, and dissertations. This type is structured, evidence-based, and often follows strict formatting and citation guidelines to ensure rigor and credibility.
• Social Media and Digital Communication: This form includes blog posts, social media updates, online articles, and comments. It’s usually concise, engaging, and designed for digital platforms, often with a more informal tone, making information accessible to a broader online audience.

Advantages of Written Communication

Following are some of the notable advantages of Written Communication:

• This form of communication provides written records and evidence of dispatch and receipt.
• It offers clarity and precision and reduces chances of misinterpretation.
• Written communication messages can be preserved as record for future references. This is very useful in mutual contracts and agreements, official records and evidence.
• This communication type is capable of relaying complex ideas.
• It provides analysis evaluation and summary report.
• It helps in distributing information to people located in different parts of the world.
• It helps in confirmation, interpretation and clarification of oral communication type.
• It can help bridge language barriers by utilizing language translation tools such as translate.google.co.in and other language conversion tools.

Disadvantages of Written Communication

Following are some of the disadvantages of Written Communication to be considered:

• This communication method does not provide instant feedback and will take time to respond.
• Once it is dispatched or out of the hands of the sender, it is difficult to modify or stop.
• It does not allow immediate exchange of opinions, views or attributes.
• Written messages can be vulnerable to misplacement, damage or loss.
• Composing well written messages are time consuming particularly for complex and formal communications.
• It lacks non-verbal cues such as tone of voice, body language and facial expressions.
• Written messages can be ambiguous or open to interpretation which may result in different understandings or different actions can be taken based on same message.
• Written communication can be used by fraudulent individuals to deceive and cheat others. Few such activities include creating or establishing fake identities, Phishings and scams, false promises or offers, fake invoices or payment requests, misleading contracts or agreements etc.

Difference between formal written communication and informal written communication

Following table summarize difference between formal and informal written communication types.

Conclusion

Overall, written communication allows individuals to carefully choose their words and structure in their sentences which enhance clarity and precision in conveying information. With the advent of internet and digital communication tools, written messages can be shared instantly and easily across the globe. This allows efficient and widespread communication among people.

Written communication is an essential tool that facilitates clarity, documentation, and professionalism. However, challenges such as misinterpretation and time consumption must be acknowledged. By understanding both the advantages and disadvantages of written communication, individuals can enhance their communication strategies and achieve effective interactions across various contexts.