“And if you roll a barrel on it, then this is already a container carriage.”
(m / f "Winter in Prostokvashino")

Summary in one line:
Preface → Evolution of Communication Tools → Interactivity Levels → Maximizing Efficiency

Preface

Did you have to make a phone call to find out if your interlocutor received an email? Schedule a face-to-face email? Set at the end of the meeting the time of the future conference call in Skype or the date the report was sent by email?

This article is about the means of communication between people and the levels of interactivity of these tools.

^{At once I will make a reservation that only those means of information transfer that support the possibility of conducting a dialogue will be considered, are widely distributed and are more or less homogeneous for the participants of communication. Thus, the article will not affect, for example, heliographs, books, podcasts and television, although, of course, they are also ways of communication.}

The evolution of communications

During the existence of mankind, many communication tools have been created. The mass use of communication methods such as specified horn beeps and “courier delivery” of papyrus letters began about two thousand years ago.
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According to the distance of the interlocutors from each other, communication can be divided into “full-time” and remote (remote). Optical (letters, signal flags, etc.), sound (for example, telephone) and hybrid (say, video conferencing) communications are distinguished according to the form of information transmitted.



The most "ancient" is living communication - it originated about 200,000 years ago. All other types of communication, firstly, are remote, and secondly, they arose much later, in just the last 4-5 thousand years.



An Egyptian startup with the investment of Pharaoh crossed the written language, the notification system about the orders and decrees and courier delivery of goods - approximately in the year 2,400 BC. there was a mail. We will assume that the postal systems were widely distributed around 500 BC.



All other means of communication arose much later, in just the last few centuries, and began to be used everywhere only in the 20th century. In the classification below, live communication is the most, and mail is the least interactive form of communication.

^{I will no longer bore readers with history. Nevertheless, I highly recommend everyone to see an article about the history of the means of communication (and further links). I strongly advise, because it is worth the time you spend to get acquainted with it.}

Interactivity levels

Communication tools can be ordered by interactivity level. We will consider the level of interactivity to be a composite characteristic of a communication medium, depending on the speed of communication (depends on the delivery time of the message, the time before its detection and the response time to the addressee) and the possibilities for presenting content available for this form of communication.

	Interactivity level	Examples
6	Live chat	Live chat
five	Video chat	Video telephony, video conferencing
four	Audio communication	Telephony, mobile telephony, audio conferencing
3	Interactive messages	SMS, IM
2	Non-interactive messages	Fax, answering machine, voice mail, e-mail
one	Completely non-interactive messages	Mail (analog)

As noted above, all intermediate forms between the most and least interactive means of communication came to mass use during just the last century.

^{By the way, do not think that analog mail is not needed by anyone. In the excellent article “On the greatness of paper mail :)” maniaque tells you when regular mail can be indispensable. It is highly recommended reading.}

Why did intermediate communication tools arise? Most likely, because a person needs different tools for different tasks. In order to optimally choose the most appropriate means of communication, you need to determine what the requirements of the participants in the dialogue are at the time of response and to the presentation possibilities.

Maximize efficiency

Sometimes it is important to answer time, sometimes - means of expressing information. In these cases, it is more efficient to use the method of communication with a higher level of interactivity. On the other hand, there are often situations when it is necessary to think about the answer, to convey a significantly larger amount of information, or simply to reduce the cost of communication. In this case, it is more logical to use a lower level of interactivity.

^{Key agreements between large companies are usually concluded during the personal meetings of their leaders. Brainstorms (brainstorm) are much more productive at a personal meeting than during a conference call or even a video conference in Skype. Companies prefer remote work from home to work in the office, given the effectiveness of the interaction of team members.}

If you use a not quite adequate means of communication, then the following options are possible.
Option # 1: You can route the current session to a more suitable communication medium. Routing can both increase and decrease the level of interactivity. It is possible to schedule a meeting during a telephone conversation, or at a meeting to arrange additional data later in an e-mail.
Option # 2: If routing is not possible, you will have to put up with some loss of efficiency or try to minimize it.

It is worth noting that your interlocutor may have different preferences for using these or other means of communication from yours. For example, it is naive to believe that your new interlocutors check email with the same frequency as you. That is why, with unknown preferences of the interlocutor, it is recommended to maximize the level of interactivity if possible - if you are not answered to the letter, this is a reason for a phone call.

<sup>Picture:

(I will be very grateful if someone finds the author of this image so that I can refer to it and not violate copyrights.)</sup>

Choose the right communication tools. Competent choice of means of communication and the use of routing between communication environments can significantly improve the efficiency of the dialogue, and, consequently, any joint activities or teamwork.

Thanks for attention :)

^{PS Unfortunately, the parser won in my fight with the parser. Therefore, the post will not be decorated as beautiful as I wanted.}