30 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS (EXAMPLES) - PSYCHOLOGY - 2024

The types of communication are all those ways in which certain information can be transmitted. There are a large number of possible classifications, depending on variables such as the number of interlocutors, the type of channel used to transmit the message, or the intention of the communication.

Knowing and understanding the types of communication that exist is necessary to understand all the possibilities that we have when transmitting certain information. In addition, each of these ways requires different specific skills, which can be trained to become more effective when communicating.

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In this article we will show you which are the most important types of communication, classified according to different variables. In addition, we will briefly explain what they consist of, along with examples of each of them to make it easier for you to understand their differences.

Types of communication according to whether the message is verbalized or not

One of the first classifications that can be made within the types of communication is the use of words or alternative means to convey a message. Based on this, we can distinguish three types of communication: oral verbal, written verbal, and non-verbal.

Oral verbal communication

Oral verbal communication is characterized by the use of words, sounds, and expressions aloud to convey a message. It is one of the main forms of communication; But contrary to what many of us think, experts believe that only about 15% of our communication belongs to this category.

For example, when we are having a conversation with another person, the words we use would be part of oral verbal communication. However, all the other elements of the situation (such as our posture or tone of voice) would fall into other categories.

Still, oral verbal communication is still one of the best ways to convey concrete information, since it is the most accurate that we can use.

Written verbal communication

An alternative way of transmitting data, thoughts or ideas is writing. In the modern world, much of the communication we use in our day to day belongs to this type. Thus, acts such as writing a message, reading a book or publishing a post on a social network would fall into this category.

When we communicate verbally in writing, much of the information that we transmit orally is lost. This is because we can only observe the concrete message expressed in words, leaving aside other elements that may be equal or more important in the exchange of ideas.

Non-verbal communication

Within this classification, the last type of communication is the one that has to do with all those elements not directly related to words.

When we are having a conversation, there are many other levels that can convey ideas, thoughts and feelings that have nothing to do with oral or written language.

Thus, for example, some of the elements that are part of non-verbal communication are the tone of voice, posture, eye contact or closeness to our interlocutor (element known as "proxemics"). It is estimated that approximately 85% of information exchange occurs at this level.

Depending on the number and characteristics of the participants

Another of the most common classifications of the types of communication is the one that has to do with the people who participate in the exchange of information. Next we will see the most important types.

Individual communication

This type of communication occurs only between a sender and a receiver. In it, two people exchange information directly between them, without any pretense of impacting third parties or a possible audience. Some of its characteristics are that it is direct and in general more efficient, but it is also usually slower.

Examples of individual communication would involve scenarios such as a conversation between two people, an exchange of private messages through an application, or a communication by letter or email.

Collective communication

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The distinctive feature of collective communication compared to individual communication is mainly the intention of the issuer. In this type of information exchange, whoever creates the message intends to influence not only one interlocutor, but several people at the same time.

These other participants in the communication process can be both direct recipients and viewers of the exchange of messages. Thus, some examples of collective communication could include group conversations, but also a live broadcast on television or a YouTube video.

Intrapersonal communication

Intrapersonal communication is different from other types in the sense that in it, the sender and the receiver are the same person. It occurs when an individual talks to himself, either internally (through internal thoughts and images), out loud, or in writing (such as with a journal).

Intrapersonal communication occurs constantly, and greatly influences our behavior. However, some experts question whether it can really be considered a form of information transmission, since it only involves one person.

Interpersonal communication

This type of communication would be the opposite of intrapersonal. In it, the transmission of information occurs between at least two individuals. It is important to note that it can be both individual and collective, depending on the specific scenario in which it occurs.

Thus, for example, a conversation between two people would be an example of individual interpersonal communication; but a group one would be collective interpersonal.

Intragroup

This type of communication occurs when two or more members of the same group exchange information or ideas. Due to various psychological effects, the dynamics that occur when the interlocutors belong to the same group are very different from those that appear in other cases.

Intergroup

Unlike the previous category, intergroup communication occurs when there is an exchange of information between the members of two different groups. This style of communication occurs, for example, in a debate, in a negotiation or in a classroom.

Depending on the relationship between the participating groups, the dynamics present in this type of communication will be totally different in each case.

Mass communication

The last type of communication depending on the participants is that which occurs when a single sender transmits a message to a large number of anonymous recipients. The main difference of this style is that the sender does not really know who she is reaching, and in principle there is no intention of receiving a response.

Examples of mass communication could be a political speech broadcast on television, a post on a social network such as Facebook, an article in a newspaper or the publication of a book.

According to the channel used

In the old days, the only way to convey information was face-to-face, either verbally or non-verbally. Today, however, we have a large number of alternatives that allow us to communicate in a much more versatile way.

Direct communication

The most traditional communication method, and one of the most used still today, is the one that involves sending the message directly in front of our interlocutor. This can be done by speaking, or by using one of the codes mentioned above, such as gestures or writing.

Thus, an example of direct written communication might be the exchange of notes within a high school class; and the oral version would simply be a face-to-face conversation between two or more people.

Telephone communication

One of the first means created that allowed remote communication was the telephone. Although it is not as popular today as it used to be, it is still one of the most used methods for exchanging information with people who are not physically present.

Among the characteristics of telephone communication, we find that it allows us to capture part of the non-verbal information (such as the tone of voice or inflections), but leaves out other equally important elements such as posture or facial expression.

Distance written communication

We have already seen that certain types of written communication can be considered as direct, as long as the two interlocutors share the same space. However, most of the information exchanges using written language take place at a distance.

Within this category we could find, for example, text message exchanges, but also writing on a blog or in a printed medium such as a newspaper or an encyclopedia.

It is a communication style that has both advantages (such as immediacy and the possibility of transmitting information to any part of the world) and disadvantages (only includes the verbal part of the message).

Video communication

Video communication is the only method other than direct that allows information to be transmitted through two different channels: visual and auditory. Thus, although it is not as complete as face-to-face communication, it is one of the preferred options for many people who do not have access to this modality.

Within video communication, we can find many different styles: from one-way, such as movies or television series, to two-way, which mainly includes video calls.

Communication using still images

A communication style that is not normally contemplated is one that uses only still images of any kind, without any kind of verbal information. Despite not transmitting as much data as other styles, it is an option that we often find in our day to day.

In this category, we can find elements as diverse as the use of visual signals to regulate traffic and the sending of photographs through instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp, or the uploading of images to social networks such as Instagram.

According to the senses involved

Due to the existence of five sensory channels, humans are able to transmit and receive information both with each of them separately and through a combination of several or all of them at the same time. Depending on the employee, the communication properties will vary slightly.

Visual comunication

This style of communication involves receiving information through sight. Thus, it can involve both acts such as a conversation in sign language, the reading of a book or an article, or the contemplation of a work of art such as a sculpture or a painting.

In addition, such important parts of direct communication as non-verbal language, posture or proxemics are detected by sight. In fact, image processing occupies a disproportionately large part of our brain.

Auditory communication

Auditory communication involves the transmission and reception of information using the sense of hearing. This category includes any type of conversation using speech, such as listening to a piece of music or interpreting the noise of a car to know that it is approaching.

Although the sense of hearing is not as predominant in humans as the visual, it is a channel that has great importance in our day to day.

Tactile communication

Touch, although not as important in our daily lives as sight or hearing, provides us with valuable information in many types of situations.

Either through physical contact with an interlocutor, or when using this sense to study any element of our environment, touch allows us to communicate more effectively.

Examples of tactile communication would include a caress to a loved one, but also a handshake that allows us to intuit the character of our interlocutor, or even the reading of a text in Braille.

Olfactory communication

The transmission of information through smells is one of the most important in many species of animals, such as dogs. Although in humans it is not so fundamental, experts believe that at the unconscious level we receive a lot of information through this sense.

Thus, there is a theory that humans produce pheromones, chemical substances that transmit data to other people about our state of health, our mood and other similar elements. However, this sense is one of the least we know.

Gustatory communication

Taste buds

Finally, the sense of taste is probably the one that we pay the least attention to in our day to day life. Even so, through it we are able to receive fundamental information from our environment, both from the food we eat (essential for our survival) and from the people closest to us.

Thus, each of the four basic flavors (sweet, salty, bitter or acid) transmit a series of data to us that are interpreted at a subconscious level. At the same time, when we kiss someone, this sense provides us with information about their chemical state that can influence how we relate to that person.

Hybrid communication

So far we have seen the types of communication that involve a single sensory channel; but in the real world, most situations involve several senses at the same time. In this way, the information we receive is much more complex and complete.

For example, in a face-to-face conversation, much of the exchange occurs at the auditory level; But elements such as the other person's appearance, their smell, and the possible physical contact that may occur between the interlocutors also influence.

According to the intention

One of the most important aspects of communication is the purpose you want to achieve with it. In this section we will see what are the most common reasons that we can find behind a communicative act.

Informative communication

The main motive behind the majority of communicative exchanges is the transmission of information. This kind of communication is what occurs, for example, in a conversation between a group of friends about what has happened in recent days, but also what occurs when watching certain types of YouTube videos or when reading a novel.

On the other hand, informative communication can be both impartial and partial, depending on the degree of subjectivity that the issuer has. However, if subjectivity is very high, in many cases we could be talking about persuasive communication.

Entertainment communication

The least formal type of communication is one that simply involves the exchange of information with the intention of fun and entertainment, without a firmer goal in mind. It occurs in a context similar to the informative one, but they tend to be less formal variants.

For example, when having an inconsequential conversation with another person, watching a humorous video or attending a show, the main objective of communication is usually to entertain.

Educational communication

This type of communication occurs when the sender intends to help his interlocutors to form new knowledge. It can occur in both formal settings (such as a college or university classroom) and informal settings (such as a conference, group workshop, or simple conversation).

Persuasive communication

The main objective of persuasive communication is to change the thoughts, emotions or attitudes of a person or group so that they are more similar to what the sender wants to achieve. Much of the information exchanges that we participate in on a daily basis belong to this category.

Thus, for example, a discussion between friends can easily turn into a persuasive communication situation; But political rallies, television news or opinion articles in a newspaper or digital medium can also be part of this category.

According to the level of participation of the components

One-way communication

Many of the communicative scenarios that we have seen previously involve the transmission of information in one direction only, either because the interlocutor is not given the option to respond, or because there is no direct possibility of this happening.

Thus, for example, in a master class the teacher is carrying out an act of one-way communication with his students; But this type of information exchange also occurs in the mass media, as viewers do not have the possibility of addressing content creators.

Two-way communication

The opposite type of communication is one that involves a mutual exchange of information between the interlocutors. In this style, the issuance of a message by one of those involved provokes a response in the other, so that the feedback given between them is one of the most important parts of the process.

Examples of two-way communication could be a conversation, a thread in a forum, or a chain of comments on a social network such as Twitter or Facebook.

Depending on the context in which it occurs

Finally, some types of communication are more appropriate for some environments than others. Next we will see the two most important types in this regard.

Formal communication

Formal communication is that which occurs in environments in which the interlocutors have decided to treat each other with special respect, generally due to the existence of some kind of prior hierarchy. It is generally less spontaneous than the other types, and requires knowledge of certain rules and protocols.

Some examples of formal communication are those that occur in a meeting of senior executives of a company, or during the visit of a representative from one country to another territory.

Informal or plain communication

Informal communication occurs in contexts in which there is no type of hierarchy between the interlocutors, or they do not give it too much importance. It is much freer than the formal one, and often occurs more spontaneously as well.

This level of communication would occur, for example, in a conversation between friends or in a television program for the whole family.

Vulgar communication

Finally, some experts speak of a third level of communication that would occur in environments in which the interlocutors do not respect each other. It generally occurs between people with low socioeconomic status, although anyone can use this type of communication at certain times.

References

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