What are different tools and channels used in organizations for communication and training?


There are many different tools and channels used by organizations for communication and training. These range from short and informal, such as a direct message or text, to long and formal, such as a blog article, webinar, or a training class.

Widely use short and informal tools include Slack, Microsoft Team, Skype, WhatsApp, and many more. These tools can incorporate text, audio file, video files, and links to files. They're usually used for one to one, one to many (small group), or one to many (large group). 

Email can be used both for short and informal and longer, more formal communications. In fact, emails have fully supplanted the "interoffice memo" used for decades in the corporate world.

Presentations are a widely used tool in enterprises today. These typically include both a live presenter and prepared slides for the audience to see, and usually, take away. Tools for creating these slide show, also referred to as "decks," include Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides. Webinars are virtual presentations, nearly always using slides. 

An interesting evolution in corporate communication has been the advent of the "slideument." Coined by Nancy Duarte in her book, slide:ology, a slideument is "the worst of both worlds." Each slides features a great deal of text, which may or may not be the presenter's script. However, being slides, there is often little heed given to the principles of good writing. Directness, transitions, conciseness, clarity. 

A workshop or training event is another method of corporate communication. The key difference between this and other tools is that a workshop is usually for skill building of some type and incorporates (hopefully) a great deal of audience interaction (with the presenter and with other participants. Slides are often used, but other tools can be brought into play, such as flip charts, small group discussions, and assignments for individuals and groups.