1. Online communication

• Types of online communication
• Advantages of online communication
• Disadvantages of online communication

Communicating effectively online is a key digital skill needed in the workplace and throughout your university studies. During COVID-19, being able to collaborate online seamlessly for tutorials, workshops and projects became essential. The ability to interact online efficiently and in a safe and respectful manner is an important skill to master.

Types of online communication

Ways that we communicate online:

• Text-based — email, discussion forums, texts, messaging and chat
• Video and audio — online meetings and conferences, screen and application sharing, virtual worlds and gaming
• Social media — can encompass a variety of media, including text, images and video.

Each of these communication methods have their own degree of formality and you must be careful with the type of language you use.

Advantages of online communication

Flexibility

People communicating online don’t have to be in the same place or respond at the same time.

Increased productivity and efficiency

Time isn’t wasted waiting for all the participants to get to the same location. People can respond when it suits them.

Skill development

Communicating online to learn, share insights and complete collaborative projects helps you to develop the digital literacy skills that employers value. Organising meetings, co-creating content, managing workloads, problem-solving and interacting respectfully, all through the use of online technology, are crucial skills for your future employability.

Cost efficient

Team members can work from home. This reduces transportation costs because team members do not need to be in the same location.

Disadvantages of online communication

Word or time limits

In online communication there may be word or time limits that prevent you from fully explaining everything you want to say. Research shows that people tend to scan and skip online content rather than reading the complete text word for word. Your audience may not focus enough to grasp your key message.

No visual or tonal cues

In text-based communication, you can’t use your face or voice to convey your meaning. We look at the people we are interacting with face-to-face to gauge their reaction or mood. Does their facial expression or body language indicate interest or boredom, anger or happiness? Does their tone of voice indicate a joke or a serious statement? Even in video or audio meetings subtle cues or nuances can be lost when you can’t hear or see people as clearly as you would face-to-face.

Conversation pace

In video or audio meetings and text-based communication the normal flow of conversation is distorted. Delays in responses can cause frustration and confusion.

Retracting statements

You may not be able to retract or remove a statement that you didn’t really mean to say or write. Once you post a comment or say something in a recorded online meeting there is a chance that you won’t be able to delete it.