Tag Archives: communication
Barriers to Effective Communication
Anything that prevents understanding of the message is a barrier to communication. Many physical and psychological barriers exist.
Culture, background, and bias – We allow our past experiences to change the meaning of the message. Our culture, background, and bias can be good as they allow us use our past experiences to understand something new, it is when they change the meaning of the message then they interfere with the communication process.
Noise – Equipment or environmental noise impede clear communication. The sender and the receiver must both be able to concentrate on the messages being sent to each other.
Ourselves – Focusing on ourselves, rather than the other person can lead to confusion and conflict. The “Me Generation” is out when it comes to effective communication. Some of the factors that cause this are defensiveness (we feel someone is attacking us), superiority (we feel we know more that the other), and ego (we feel we are the center
of the activity).
Perception – If we feel the person is talking too fast, not fluently, does not articulate clearly, etc., we may dismiss the person. Also our preconceived attitudes affect our ability to listen. We listen uncritically to persons of high status and dismiss those of low status.
Message – Distractions happen when we focus on the facts rather than the idea. Our educational institutions reinforce this with tests and questions. Semantic distractions occur when a word is used differently than you prefer. For example, the word chairman instead of chairperson, may cause you to focus on the word and not the message.
Environmental – Bright lights, an attractive person, unusual sights, or any other stimulus provides a potential distraction.
Smothering – We take it for granted that the impulse to send useful information is automatic. Not true! Too often we believe that certain information has no value to others or they are already aware of the facts.
Stress – People do not see things the same way when under stress. What we see and believe at a given moment is influenced by our psychological frames of references – our beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences, and goals.
These barriers can be thought of as filters, that is, the message leaves the sender, goes through the above filters, and is then heard by the receiver. These filters muffle the message. And the way to overcome filters is through active listening and feedback.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Software developers, during the project execution, have to prepare a number of documents – requirement – specifications documents, design documents, test reports, user manuals etc. Ability to express oneself clearly calls for written communication skills. This ability comes only through practice.
Good handwriting may sometimes outrightly select you from a mob of students. Same is the case with command of English language. But, then if you are good, you have to exhibit it before your interviewer and later your boss. If you hesitate or feel shy how can anyone know?
During interviews, especially during Campus recruitments, the companies generally ask to give some information in writing. Better be prepared to write without any grammatical and spelling mistakes in a professional manner. When you are asked to give references, mention the names of persons under whom you have either worked or received your education or who know you professionally. Students may give the names of placement officer, Head of the Department or a friend or senior working in a company in a decent position. See that the persons are professional. Don’t give the names of your class-mates or relatives as references, Many people, while writing letters use what is called “Rubber Stamp” language, for all their personal and semiofficial letters. ‘Acknowledging your recent letter dated so and so’ or ‘Please find enclosed herewith’ or ‘In response to your highly valuable inquiry’ or ‘In reply to your favor of even date ‘ Such usages are outdated and boring and hence are rejected in the first instance. Old fashioned words might reflect old fashioned thinking! Prepare answers thoroughly for the following commonly asked questions.
The Role of Communication
Notice that these example systems have communication in common. The nervous system carries messages from the nerve endings in our extremities to our brains and back. · The legal system includes thousands of individuals talking to one another, laws being read and interpreted, forms being filled out, and so on. · The highway system requires constant communication among drivers – turn signals, brake lights, and so on – and between drivers and their vehicles – as, for example, when you “tell” your car to turn left by pulling on the steering wheel.
In fact, it might be said that communication is the “glue” that holds a system together. This gives insight into the nature of communication itself, to wit:
The Communication Process
Although all of us have been communicating with others since our infancy, the process of transmitting information from an nindividual (or group) to another is a very complex process with many sources of potential error.
Consider the Simple Example
· Terry: “I won’t make it to work again tomorrow; this pregnancy keeps me nausious and my doctor says I should probably be reduced to part time.
· Boss: Terry, this is the third day you’ve missed and your appointments keep backing up; we have to cover for you and this is messing all of us up. In any communication at least some of the “meaning” lost in simple transmission of a message from the sender to the receiver. In many situations a lot of the true message is lost and the message that is heard is often far different than the one
intended. This is most obvious in cross-cultural situations where language is an issue. But it is also common among people of the same cuture.
Look at the example. Terry has what appears to be a simple message to convey-she won’t make it to work today because of nausia. But she had to translate the thoughts into words and this is the first potential source of error. Was she just trying to convey that she would be late; was she trying to convey anythingelse. It turns out she was. She was upset because she perceived that her co-workers weren’t as sympathetic to her situation as they should be. Her co-workers, however, were really being pressured by Terry’s continued absences, and her late calls. They wished she would just take a leave of absence, but Terry refuses
because she would have to take it without pay.
Thus what appears to be a simple communication is, in reality, quite complex. Terry is communicating far more than that she would miss work; she is conveying a number of complex emotions, complicated by her own complex feelings about pregnancy, work, and her future.
She sent a message but the message is more than the words; it includes the tone, the timing of the call, and the way she expressed herself.
Similarly, the boss goes through a complex communication process in “hearing” the message. The message that Terry sent had to be decoded and given meaning. There are many ways to decode the simple message that Terry gave and the way the message is heard will influence the response to Terry.
In this case the boss heard far more than a simple message that Terry won’t be at work today. The boss “heard” hostility from Terry, indifference, lack of consideration, among other emotions. Terry may not have meant this, but this is what the boss heard.
Communications is so difficult because at each step in the process there major potential for error. By the time a message gets from a sender to a receiver there are four basic places where transmission errors can take place and at each place, there are a multitude of potential sources of error. Thus it is no surprise that social psychologists estimate that there is usually a 40-60% loss of meaning in the transmission of messages from sender to receiver.
It is critical to understand this process, understand and be aware of the potential sources of errors and constantly counteract these tendencies by making a conscientious effort to make sure there is a minimal loss of meaning in your conversation.It is also very important to understand that major of our communication is non-verbal. This means that when we attribute meaning to what someone else is saying, the verbal part of the message actually means less than the non-verbal part. The non-verbal part includes such things as body language and tone.
Principles of Communication
Communication is derived from the Latin word communis, which means, “ to share” that is, sharing of ideas, concepts, feelings and emotions. The science of communication is almost as old as man himself. Form time immemorial; the need to share or to communicate had been felt. Different vehicles / channels were identified and subsequently improvised for the purpose of transmission of ideas and concepts. A study of these channels enables us to gain an insight into the process of communication.
Before a definition of communication is arrived at, a few queries, which arise in the minds of the readers, have to be answered. What is the importance of communication? Why should it be studied? Why should the channel be analyzed and examined?
The importance of communication can be gauged from the fact that we are communicating in some from or the other almost every moment of our lives. Whether we are walking,, talking ,playing, sitting, or even sleeping, a message is being formulated and transmitted. Man, who is a social animal, is constantly interacting with other individuals. For him it is necessary to understand the art of communication and apply or modify it in a suitable manner. Man possesses the ability to communicate, which is much more than a composition of certain symbolize or to understand concepts in terms of images or symbols. It is this ability that helps him to communicate. Communication then, it may be stated, is much more than an understanding of the spoken or written language. It is a composite of symbols, gestures, and illustrations that accompany either the spoken or the written word.
