This document discusses effective communication strategies with coworkers. It notes that while technical communicators often advise knowing your audience, this is rarely applied to internal communications. It explores factors like media richness theory and cultural preferences that influence communication choices. Media richness theory states richer mediums like face-to-face are best for complex topics that could be misunderstood. However, individual and cultural preferences must also be considered. The document recommends determining communication preferences through discussion and trial-and-error with coworkers.

1. Communicating with Others – Research Says!
Progression with Kelly Schrank
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Spectrum 2014 Page 1 of 4
Introduction
As technical communicators, we often preach that you have to know your audience and cater your
communications to their needs (manuals vs help vs quick start guides), but how often do we use this
advice for communicating with our co-workers?
Disclaimer: There is SO much more to this topic, but we’ll just focus on a couple of interesting things.
Factors in Communication
Food for Thought: H. Paul Grice’s cooperative principle: “speakers and hearers engaged in conversation
take part in a cooperative effort in which the speaker attempts to convey information and the hearer
attempts to interpret that information in a way that is appropriate for the conversation.”
Media Richness Theory
According to Media Richness Theory: “complex forms of communication demand rich media” (Denstadli,
Julsrud and Hjorthol 2011)
(Media Richness Theory Diagram n.d.)
Why is face-to-face communication the richest medium? Facial expressions, tone of voice, touch,
posture, and nonverbal cues enable those involved to see that the other is there and present.
“If the medium is not rich enough for the content, communication failure is likely to occur.” (Denstadli,
Julsrud and Hjorthol 2011)

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When do you need the richer mediums?
• When your message can be misconstrued or misunderstood
• When you’re conveying bad news
• When you need to solve a problem quickly
• When you need to negotiate, especially conflicts
• When you are attempting to build a long-term relationship
This infographic shows the results of a survey of top executives on when they felt that in-person
interaction was needed: (The Economist Intelligence Unit n.d.):
When are the leaner mediums acceptable?
• When accomplishing routine tasks
• When reaching many people at once
• When disseminating unambiguous information
• When it’s the expected medium by the audience

3. Spectrum 2014 Page 3 of 4
Cultural Preferences
Many times you must work within your company’s established preferences. You know what these are by
how others communicate with you, how the company communicates with you, and by the availability of
different ways of communicating with others. These preferences may also differ by department or area
of the company. When two different areas have different mutually agreed-upon preferences, they can
clash when you have one group running communications that involve other departments with different
preferences.
Audience
Another disclaimer: “Researchers have discovered no clear patterns among various communication
styles and the use of communication technology. Individuals with high-energy styles, who are rather
dramatic and animated, as well as those with a more relaxed style of interacting use different
technologies equally…” (Modaff, DeWine and Butler 2008)
While it would be nice to be able to generalize by introverts vs extroverts, individual contributors vs
managers, or other designations, these generalizations are not always true for every person. There is
always an exception. In many cases, we need to find out the best way to communicate with someone
through trial and error and communication.
Individual Preferences
When you have someone you communicate with often—your supervisor, an SME on your project team,
a coworker you rely on—it’s often a good idea to ask them how they like to be communicated with.
Whenever possible, you want to communicate with them in the way they are most comfortable for the
task.
Politeness Theory
Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory: “This strategy of politeness sacrifices efficiency for the hearer’s
public self image, whereas maximally efficient conversation sacrifices politeness and the hearer’s face.”
(Friess 2011)
In the study in this article, the “culturally established intraorganizational value of adhering to deadlines
through direct language carries more weight than the value of politeness through conversational turns
with a high concern for face.” (Friess 2011)
Many times, you should match your communication with the other person; if they are very direct and
looking for a quick answer, then you should not hedge and talk around the answer, but get straight to
the point.
Speaker's
Preference
Hearer's
Preference

4. Spectrum 2014 Page 4 of 4
Works Cited
Denstadli, Jon Martin, Tom Erik Julsrud, and Randi Johanne Hjorthol. "Videoconferencing as a Mode of
Communication: A Comparative Study of the Use of Videoconferencing and Face-to-Face
Meetings." Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 2011: 65-91.
Friess, Erin. "Politeness, Time Constraints, and Collaboration in Decision-Making Meetings: A Case
Study." Technical Communication Quarterly, 2011: 114-138.
Modaff, Danial P, Sue DeWine, and Jennifer Butler. Organizational Communication: Foundations,
Challenges, and Misunderstandings. Boston: Pearson, 2008.
The Economist Intelligence Unit. "The Power of In-Person Communication." Cisco. n.d.
http://www.cisco.com/web/telepresence/economist-infographic.html (accessed April 6, 2013).
Thanks for coming to my progression. Keep in touch!
Kelly Schrank, MA, ELS
Technical / Medical Editor
Email: headbookworm@gmail.com
Twitter: @headbookworm
Linkedin: kellyschrank