Two-way communication - uses communication to negotiate with the public, resolve conflict, and promote mutual understanding and respect between the organization and its public(s).

Two-Way Communication in Public Relations

There are different types of two-way communication in public relations; symmetric and asymmetric.

Two-way asymmetric public relations...

• Can also be called "scientific persuasion ;"
• Employs social science methods to develop more:'
• Generally focuses on achieving short-term attitude change;
• Incorporates lots of feedback from target audiences and publics;
• Is used by an organization primarily interested in having its publics come around to its way of thinking rather changing the organization, its policies, or its views.

Two-way symmetric public relations
...

• Relies on honest and open two-way communication and mutual give-and-take rather than one-way persuasion;
• Focuses on mutual respect and efforts to achieve mutual understanding;
• Emphasizes negotiation and a willingness to adapt and make compromises;
• Requires organizations engaging in public relations to be willing to make significant adjustments in how they operate in order to accommodate their publics;
• Seems to be used more by non-profit organizations, government agencies, and heavily regulated businesses such as public utilities than by competitive, profit-driven companies.

Two-way communication is a form of transmission

Transmission (telecommunications)

Transmission, in telecommunications, is the process of sending, propagating and receiving an analogue or digital information signal over a physical point-to-point or point-to-multipoint transmission medium, either wired, optical fiber or wireless...

 in which both parties involved transmit information

Information

Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...

. Common forms of two-way communication are:

• Amateur
  Amateur
  An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
  
  , CB or FRS
  Family Radio Service
  The Family Radio Service is an improved walkie talkie radio system authorized in the United States since 1996. This personal radio service uses channelized frequencies in the ultra high frequency band. It does not suffer the interference effects found on citizens' band at 27 MHz, or the...
  
   radio contacts.
• Chatrooms and Instant Messaging
  Instant messaging
  Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
  
  .
• Computer network
  Computer network
  A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
  
  s. See back-channel
  Back-channel
  -In telecommunications:A back-channel is typically a low-speed, or less-than-optimal, transmission channel in the opposite direction to the main channel.-In IT Security:...
  
  .
• In-person communication
  Communication
  Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
  
  .
• Telephone
  Telephone
  The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
  
   conversations.

Two-way communication is in contrast to broadcasting

Broadcasting

Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...

.