The advantages and disadvantages of written communication are discussed here in this article. Communication has made human life easier and interesting in a way. It is a tool for every negotiation and exchange of expressions. Without Communication, it is difficult for human kind to stay at comfort.
Communication comes with different forms and one amongst the few forms is written communication. Writing has so many benefits. It can be easily read, understood by an literate, gets a clear idea about the content, can make the reader familiar with the content by the words chosen and list goes on. Writting is considered as an advisable way for communicating. It helps the receiver to decode the message in an ideal manner.
Written Communication can be defined as the potrayal of a particular message, command, idea or a procedure through the verbal medium, by jotting important statements, thesis, records, bills, etc., down for future references and a proper record of a particular job. As every coins has two sides, written communication has it’s own pros and cons too. Writings can be saved and revisited when required but on the contrary it can be misused and copied.
Written communication has been one of the purest and most understandable for of communication. This form of communication has weightage as compared to other forms. Writing gives us a sense of clarity and firmness and so does the written form of communication do.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of written communication?
Here are 5 Advantages and 5 disadvantages of written communication. Here we begin;
Advantages of written communication
The advantages of written communication are discussed below:
1. Data storage
It provides the precise records of the readings, thesis, workings, writings and analysis done before. It can later be used for references. Written documents is the best way to represent any complex matter easily and accurately.
A group of people can refer to the readings taken by previous scholars in a written form and can use it for providing the easy in working with the project or job assigned to the people in present times. It helps in reducing the effort or the people who are working on the job that has been previously worked on, by the elders. The written information can hardly be stolen by anyone. The information remains for the longest time without any disturbance in it.
2. Enough time to read and imbibe
This mode of communication, provides the receiver of the message sufficient time to read, analyse, decide, imbibe and react to the message. The reader can take the required amount of time to give a well expected feedback to the respective authority.
This helps in enhancing the quality of the feedack (i.e. effective communication) and because of that the sender, well understands what the receiver has to say about the message and can correct them if the information is perceived wrongly or misinterpret the information or messages of written communication misinterpreted.
The use of words, diagrams, pictures, signs, sketches and graphs may help in further explanation of the sender’s point or opinion. There isn’t any opportunity to misinterpret the information or messages if the document is written in a justified manner.
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3. Delivery of the important information or messages
Written communication contributes people with the information about their postings, instructions, orders, rules and regulations without having to ask anyone. The unexplained things about the particular task to be performed can also potrayed through written communication. Also it is quite impossible to delegate power without a written document.
It gets easier for respective authority to announce a message through written form. It gets clarified amongst the receivers if the the information written answers all the queries.
Example :- If a student needs to know the class time table of the college, it can be borrowed by his fellow classmates plus he will imbibe it in expected way.
4. Delivery of a saddening message
It is easy to give a devastating or a bad news through written mediums. In times where there is an important, yet disheartening news to give to a particular person, then this form of communication can be use to help lessen the pain or hurtfulness in potrayal of the same message through verbal form of communication.
Written communication helps to maintain respect of relationships of both, the person sending the message and the receiver. (i.e sender and receiver). On the other end, it also helps in sending the message to 2 or more people at one moment.
For say one letter for one family is enough to get the bad new.
Last but not the least
5. Easy to decode
A well written document is easy to understand and decode in a way that is ideally expected. There are less chances of misinterpreting a given message to the receiver. Written communication is chosen by most of the companies, firms, authorities to have a smooth way of communication amongst people working around.
The content of written communication are easy to store and to refer. Verbal and non-verbal communication content cannot be preserved.
The organization records a certain amount of time information of past mistakes, readings and studies which comes out to be really useful for the time when references are need to taken. The analysis and study of the company helps in the increase in profit margins of the firm and maybe used for the decrease of losses through the mistakes done in the past.
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Disadvantages of written communication
Talking about the disadvantages of written communication:
1. Could misunderstood or misinterpreted
Written communication form, if not understood properly or misinterpreted, then it would simply just defeat the purpose of communication.
The message intended to send by the sender to the receiver can be misread or misunderstood which would be against what the task asks for. Sometimes when if the writer would choose to use complex words or intense vocabulary in the writing style of their message, it might become difficult to decode the meaning by the reader or the receiver.
So the objectives of the communication may lose its essence and the task to be done or messages to sent might not be completed.
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2. Time consuming and wastage of efforts
The process of thinking, writing, and then sending, and also written communication takes time to communicate with others. Written communication is a time consuming medium and it might be really costly, since time is money. It costs the valuable time of both the writer as said before, to think, write, compose and then send, and the reader, to receive, decode, imbibe and react to the sent message or the exact information to be sent. It feeds on a lot of precious time that could otherwise be saved if the sender would choose to use verbal, oral communication and not verbal, written communication.
3. Difficulty in making changes and inflexibility
Amendments in the document is not possible once it’s done. This is a huge drawback for written communication while writing thesis or any type of analysis. Since editing documents cannot be done/executed smoothly at any time, the change in the words or readings cannot be done as its written/typed and printed through out. Lack of flexibility is one of the most important limitation of written communication.
When changes have to be made in the documents it will be either required to replace, rewrite or reframe the document. And then have to be composed again and sent, which will be too much of work and inflexible in a way.
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4. Language barrier
An unfamiliar language can make a reader or receiver feel useless about this form of communication. Written communication only helps people who can read, write and understand a particular language with ease. A foreign script to a home person might give a feeling of disconnection. It becomes a difficult part for illiterates to come across this form of communication. Usually they avoid or prefer another easygoing form of communication for communicating. When it comes to India, as there are illiterates present in huge amount, it isn’t easy to tackle for them in regards to this form.
5. Lack of vocabulary knowledge
Vocabulary plays a crucial role when it comes to written form of communication. Vocabulary enhances the content and develops a sense of interest for the reader. A person with good vocabulary can always have the ball in his court. But on the contrary, not each person is rich with vocabulary and which is why this becomes a drawback for written form of communication.
A person who uses high vocabulary for a person who isn’t familiar with written form of communication, then the ideal way of conversation is unintentionally missed between them, and a communication gap takes place. It gets difficult for a general person to precisely understand the meaning of words portrayed to him by the fellow communicator.
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Written communication is considered to be one of the most ideal and important way to communicate a message to a particular person. It all depends up on the choice of words and placing of words by the sender to the receiver.
