In the basic communication process, a sender puts a message in words and transmits it to a receiver who interprets the message. The medium the sender chooses to transmit the message is called the communication channel.

Traditionally, it was thought that the words chosen and way they were interpreted were solely responsible for a successful message. However, beginning in the 1960s with Marshall McLuhan, many came to believe that the medium was the message. Today, with the help of media richness theory (Lengel and Daft 1998), most people realize that the appropriate choice of communication channel (medium) contributes significantly, along with the words, to the success of a message. Appropriate choice helps senders communicate clearly, saving them and their businesses time and money. Therefore, examining various communication channels to understand their appropriate use is important.

Media richness theory ranks communication channels along a continuum of richness, defining...