Schematizing Communication

I've been meditating periodically on a schema for communication, as a method for assessing what channel of communication is best suited for a given message, and to identify opportunities for accommodating communication in a way that current channels fail. This is likely not baked out as much as it could be, but there's sufficient detail to post a note here.

The Schema

The schema considers the intention of the sender in initiating the act of communication - what he is seeking to accomplish. I've waffled a bit on whether it is the sender's own desires to communicate or his assessment of his audience's desire to receive communication from him, and am led to the conclusion that it is primarily the first, but mitigated by the second.

That said, the communicator chooses a channel based on the following factors, roughly in order of importance:

• Reach - Does the sender wish to communicate to one other person, a specific group, or anyone who cares to listen? This encompasses consideration not only of those he wishes to include, but also of those he wishes to exclude
• Distance - Is the recipient of a message proximate in space and time to the communicator?
• Content - By what methods does the communicator wish to express the message? Words, pictures, media?
• Response - Does the communicator wish to receive a response from the audience to the content? "Response" is meant as an act of communication, not as a "reaction" or "impression" created by the message.
• Immediacy - Does the communicator wish the message to come to the immediate attention of his audience, or can it wait for their convenience?
• Perishability - Is the content of the message time-sensitive? Is it something that should be received, acted upon, and forgotten, or will it remain relevant over a longer period of time?

There may be other factors I have failed to consider, and there may be certain of these factors that a communicator fails to consider (a person who has a personal conversation on a cell phone in a crowded room is certainly failing to consider his reach), but I've stewed on it a bit and feel fairly confided that these are the most significant.

Practical Application

The practical application of the schema is in considering what channels might be appropriate to a given act of communication, which is likely easier to consider and more broadly applicable.

For example, if you wish to communicate to one person, who is not proximate, using text content, desiring a response, and want it to be immediate, there are a few methods that may be effective: an instant message (presuming they are at their computer) or a text message (presuming they have their mobile device handy and will attend to it)

The "presuming" qualifications point to the (inevitable) fact that choosing the appropriate mode of communication does not ensure success - nor do I think that success can be ensured without a serious breach of etiquette and common decency.

Analytical Application

Analytical application of the schema is useful for determining how a given channel or technology is to be categorized. It's likely an academic exercise to ponder a known methodology, except as a prerequisite to practical application later (you must know the capabilities of a medium to determine if it is a match for a need), though it is also useful when considering development of a "new" medium, to determine what other methods might already be available to serve the same purpose.

Consider a proposal to develop a device that is used to communicate to a one person (but indifferent to whom else might accidentally pick up on it) who is proximate, using a voice message that facilitates a response and should be received immediately.

To my knowledge, no such device exists, which would seem to make it a great opportunity ... except that this particular set of requirements can be met without a device at all - just speak to them.

To make the example a little less silly, change the message to text and add a level of concern that only the intended recipient receive the message, and the device becomes valuable, though there are still a couple pf competing technologies: passing them a written note or sending a text message to their mobile device.

That's not to say the device would be useless, but it would need to be superior, in some other regard, to the existing alternatives. Likely it would deal with the convenience or security of composing or receiving a message.

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This could likely use a bit more consideration, but my sense is that the basic schema and the suggested applications are fairly detailed and largely comprehensive in their present state. Its also likely that this yields little value in and of itself, but may yield value as a method for categorizing and analyzing the components of an overall communication strategy and the consideration of a given tactic.