Disadvantages of Using Multimedia in Professional Communication

by Bridgette Redman, studioD

Multimedia can be an exciting addition to business communication. Its flashiness and fun holds great temptation for the business communicator who wants to add pizazz to presentations, business plans or even memos. However, giving in to this temptation doesn't always produce the desired results. Using multimedia effectively can be tricky business and sometimes the old adage makes the best rule: Simple pictures are best.

Equipment Failure

Multimedia often requires more equipment to deliver a message than more traditional mediums. Whenever equipment is involved, there is the chance that the equipment will fail. Time is a precious commodity and you don't want to spend time with your customer, client or business associates trying to fix presentation equipment, change a light bulb, get a new computer or search a hard drive for a missing multimedia file.

Message Distraction

"The medium is the message," stated the noted communications expert Marshall McLuhan. This is great if you're selling media, but not so great if you're trying to communicate on other topics. There is a danger when using multimedia in business communications that the focus because the medium, the multimedia presentation. If this distracts from your message, then you've spent a lot of time, energy and money on failed communication. Make sure that any multimedia you incorporate supports the message and isn't just included for the sake of looking technology savvy.

Lost Productivity

Even with software making multimedia easier than ever to develop and incorporate into messages, it still takes time. Consider how much time you will spend figuring out the software, collecting images and sound bites and putting them together in a professional looking presentation. Then compare that to the rate of return you expect from the message and evaluate whether the time is well spent. Too much time incorporating multimedia into professional communication when a simple message would be just as effective translates into lost money and lost productivity.

Multimedia Quality

The quality of the multimedia you use in your professional communication will say something about your company. Given that multimedia clips can vary greatly in quality, you may be sending the wrong message inadvertently. Throwing together a bunch of unrelated images or poorly recorded sounds can be annoying to those receiving your message. On the other hand, high-quality multimedia can be expensive to create or purchase.

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