Written Communication - Advantages and Disadvantages

Written communication is the most common and sought after mode of communication in a business environment. Various types of letters, memos, reports and paragraphs are examples of business correspondence. There are a plethora of reasons why written communication is the preferred mode of communication for any business. At the same time, there are reasons which does not make it very viable enough. The following points will elaborate the pros and cons of written communication, in the light of business environment.

Advantages of written communication:

Legal Evidence: The first and foremost reason why written communication is sought after is because it works as a legal evidence in case of any glitch arising in the future. Written documents need to have the signature of the sender / writer and therefore work as evidence in a court of law.

Permanent Record: Whatever we write can be preserved and referred to in the future. This also helps in maintaining a permanent record of the organisation. This permanent record creates a goodwill not only among the employees but also among the shareholders / investors, who can get access to information if they so desire.

Accurate and Precise: There is usually no chance of a miscommunication in written communication. The information is almost always relevant and error free because the writers are expected to make special efforts in that direction.

Wide Circulation: Multiple copies of the written communication can be made which makes it easier to circulate among a wide group of readers / learners. It is not always possible to hold oral conversations with a huge number of people.

Fixing of Responsibility: The fact that written communication automatically forms a permanent record as well as that it bears the signature of the writer / sender, helps to fix the responsibility in case of an error. Even credit cannot be taken by someone else, in case of some good work and therefore prevents the occurrence of fraud in an organisation.

Suitable for Lengthy Messages: Written communication is especially suitable for lengthy messages as it is tiring and often impossible to convey lengthy messages during oral conversation.

Corporate Image: When care is taken to write the content in a persuasive and innovative manner, it can help in building and maintaining the corporate image of the firm in the market and among the investors.

Disadvantages of Written Communication:

Time Consuming: It takes a lot of time for the writer / sender to draft the content and then send it through post / courier or some other channel. It may also take time for the reader to finally open and read it. It may take further time for the reader to comprehend what the message is all about. Therefore, written communication is very time consuming.

Expensive: Compared to oral communication, written communication is expensive as it consumes stationery, ink and the cost of sending through post or courier. Moreover, the time of the writer also costs  money. So, written communication is considered a dent in the pocket of the firm.

Problem of feedback: Written communication can always receive feedback BUT it is not instantaneous. Instant feedback completes the process of the communication and that correspondence ends there. In case of written communication, it drags on because of a slow feedback. Sometimes, the feedback may not even arrive altogether.

Problem of instant clarification: Doubts or questions in the mind of the receiver cannot be addressed immediately due to the time-consuming nature of written communication. This creates the problem of instant clarification.

Problem of writers: Some writers may not be great communicators, their grammar may not be up to the mark and their choice of words may be poor. This can often create a misrepresented image of the form in the minds of the readers. This can also create doubts or raise questions in the minds of the readers.

Secret Information: Written communication can always be intercepted or they may fall into the wrong hands. This makes it difficult to convey secret or sensitive information.

Will be right back with the pros and cons of face to face communication. Stay tuned.