“Hey June, when you see Ward, tell him <important thing for Ward to know>.”
The everyday communication pattern in that headline has two reliability issues. 1) It features dependency on human memory (June’s now and Ward’s later), and 2) the information has to wait until Ward and June are in the same place to be passed along. “Send him a text,” is the proper response because as a communication channel, it is superior to remember-to-tell-him. No one has to remember past this moment, the text will wait patiently for Ward to retrieve it, and the cellular network system is highly reliable.
Expand June and Ward’s 1-to-1 model scenario to include hundreds of messages per hour, on different value streams, needing to pass among dozens of players. Now you have our noisy, complex workplace communication model. We communicate via channels. Examples given: texts, sticky notes, conversation, MyChart. Visuals are a family of communication channels. Examples given: Inpatient boards, signs, telemetry monitors. Visual elements are powerful and often overlooked.
