Communication Is not an Easy Process - Essay Example

Communication is generally the process of making information known or exchanging information or news. Berko (1984) voices that the word communication originates from the word “communis”, which means common. In this case, communication can be referred to as the process of sharing ideas, information, knowledge, feelings with an aim of gaining a common understanding of the usage of the information, intentions and meaning. Communication on the other hand may be defined according to different disciplines which bring out different meanings. For example, an educationist defines communication as the process through which directions, information and decisions pass through a social system and the way in which opinions and attitudes are formed or modified while a psychologist defines communication as the force by which an individual transmits stimuli to encourage or modify other people’s behavior. This shows that communication has diverse functions which depend on the context of the information being communicated. (Pauley, 2009). There are various categories of communication which are determined by the nature of interaction. These different types are intrapersonal communication which is where a person interacts with himself, interpersonal communication where there is one to one interaction in a small group, intergroup communication where deferent groups interact with each other and finally and finally mass communication where a large body which comprises of millions of people is addressed. Communication involves verbal and non-verbal means of transmitting information. According to Anderson (1999), verbal and nonverbal communication is viewed as interacting streams of spontaneous and symbolic communication. In verbal communication, there is the use of words which are normally written or spoken while non-verbal communication, though it is given secondary importance, is much more important than verbal communication. This non-verbal communication usually comprises of facial expressions, gestures, voice tone, eye contact, body movements, signs etc. In general the normal interpersonal communication comprises of (5-10) % of verbal communication while (90-95) % is non-verbal. (Mehrabian, 1967). It is however true that communication faces major breakdowns and limitation. The first major step to improve the communication patterns is to recognize the barriers to effective communication. There are several barriers to effective communication the major one being the Language barrier. Language barrier is considered a major communication barrier because different languages dialect regional barriers which disjoints the communication process. (Pillai, 2008). Different languages may have different meanings and perceptions hence the use of difficult and misunderstood words may cause confusion and hence communication breakdown. Another barrier to effective communication is emotional interference. In this case an emotional individual is usually unstable and hence he or she may not be able to effectively communicate well. This is evident in cases where an individual is angry, overconfident, and fearful or an individual whose mind is preoccupied with emotions. For example if you are communicating to somebody whom you have personal issues with, it will be very difficult expressing the relevant issues instead the communication will lead to confrontations and mis-understandings. Insufficient knowledge of the subject and information overload is both communication barriers which are experienced in day to day activities. This is because if the sender of the information does not specific information about something, then the information receiver on the other end will end up receiving unclear or mixed messages. On the other hand if you receive too much information, one tends to erect a barrier because it becomes difficult to understand all of this information and interpret it. A very good example is advertizing for a product whose advert contains like 30 important features. The receiver of the information will then end up not understanding anything because he/she will not have time and capability of understanding all the features. Instead, one should choose only few best features and use them to advertize so that it is easier for the receiver to understand well and make up hi/her mind. (Thomas, 2008). Physical distractions are however another communication barrier. In this case there exist physical barriers that affect the transmission of messages between the sender and the receiver. This is mostly popular in Verbal communication where the various means of verbal communication like email, letters, dialogue and telephone are face with physical barriers. An example is the case where there are problems with the network and hence the people communicating over the phone cannot hear each other well. This event results to misunderstandings which cause communication breakdowns. Poor listening skills are also a contributing factor which acts as a communication barrier. The poor listening habits are caused by, environmental distraction in the middle of communication, disagreements with the speaker and passive listening instead of active listening. Due to these poor skills the receiver of the information becomes vulnerable to misunderstandings and misinterpretations of information during communication. This can also cause the receiver to miss out on important non-verbal communication gestures. As a result, the receiver can also start assuming things while communicating to other due to lack of concentration and understanding of the non-verbal communications. (Buck, 1984). A judgmental attitude by the receiver of the information may cause serious communication breakdowns. This is done through ridiculing, ignoring, name calling etc. Although this barrier may sound simple, it is the single most powerful communication barrier. This is because it affects the sender of the information’s moral and hence affecting the quality of the information that he/she gives out. This communication barrier is however attached to the “Know it all” attitude which is evident in cases where the receiver of the information perceives himself as knowledgeable. In this case other people’s opinions do not count and hence it is difficult to communicate to such kind of receivers of information. It is important to note that listening can be viewed as greatest form of communication. This is because communication is not one sided, there is the speaking part and the listening part and hence they are both equally important. As much as we study how to communicate through writing, speaking and reading, we should also be aware that there exist bad listening habits that act as barriers to communication. Many of us therefore are encouraged to very carefully and concentrate on factors that promote effective communication. There are some tips or factors that assist in effective communication which should be observed to promote good communication. The major principle behind this is establishing a great presence during communication. This not only encourages the sender of the information but it also creates a friendly environment for communication. The key element which assists in establishing a good presence is active participation where both the sender and receiver of the information are encouraged to participate actively. At the same time one should take the opportunity to encourage collaboration which is working together as one which in turn helps in building mutual understanding. For effective communication, presence establishment is very important and it can be achieved through first of all relaxing and taking a deep breath. One should also ensure that proper preparation is made prior to engaging in communication. One should maintain good eye contact which helps send a non-verbal message to the sender of information that you are listening attentively. This also helps concentrate on what the other person is saying. Amongst all this one should make sure he/she stays in the moment to avoid any psychological and physical distractions in order to maintain a strong self and hence reducing the barriers to effective communication. According to Lewis (2003), unused brainpower can be a barrier to effective listening. It is vital that, for effective communication, we should participate actively prior to comprehensive preparations. The purpose or intentions in the communication should also be very clearly stated to avoid misunderstandings. After the purpose is stated, one should offer relevant information regarding the information being communicated while at the same being ready to ask and be asked questions. In this case, early valuations and getting defensive should be avoided through avoiding making immediate judgments without consulting. This is because according to Adair (2009), when listeners begin to disagree with a sender’s message, they tend to misinterpreted and distorts the information. One should therefore be ready to ask questions where it is not clear. Effective listeners usually ascertain that heard the message correctly. In case of any misunderstanding, then question should be asked so that can be assertive when making judgment. A mutual understanding between the sender and the receiver should therefore be established through the active listening. One should therefore demonstrate understanding do that the sender of the information can know the level of understanding. This helps the sender of the information have the feeling that there is mutual understanding and hence eliminates cases of assumptions. At this level the receiver of the information should state any concerns and difficulties in understanding the message. (Arnold, 1983). After building mutual understanding, the sender and the receiver of the information should clarify their responsibility so as to set a level ground for communication. In this case, constructive feedback is attained through courtesy, complimenting ideas, explaining your reasons speaking openly and being honest. (Sevage, 1977). As a result, this helps in solving difficult problems. This is a key element in communication in which both the sender and the receiver of the information should collectively participate in solving problems within their scope of communication. Finally it is very important for both the receiver and the sender of the information should show gratitude and appreciation for help. No matter how radiant one’s idea is, it is deemed useless unless you share it with others. As a result effective communication is very vital in all facets of life. Be it in relationships, organizations, schools etc. However, the ability to effectively communicate is not easy because it is a skill that requires practice. Some of these communications skills are learnt through experience when one learns how to talk. Effective communication of a complex idea, however, requires more skills which are beyond the elementary conversation. The golden rule is that we should learn to organize our ideas or prepare adequately before communicating them to others and secondly, we should all realize that communication is collaborative and not competitive. References Adair, J 2009, Effective Communication: The Most Important Management Skill of all Pan Macmillan. Andersen, P 1999, Nonverbal communication: Forms and functions. Mayfield, Mountain View. Arnold, D, Schwarz, C & Kellar, E1983, Effective communication: getting the message across, International City Management Association in cooperation with the ICMA Training Institute. Berko, R 2010, Communicating. 11th ed. Pearson Education, Boston. Buck, R 1984, The communication of emotion, Guilford Press, New York. Lewis, T & Graham, G 2003, “7 tips for effective listening”. Copyright Institute of Internal Auditors, 60:4, pp23-24. Mehrabian, F 1967, "Inference of Attitude from Nonverbal Communication in Two Channels". The Journal of Counseling Psychology Vol.31, 1967, pp.248-52. Pauley, J & Pauley, F 2009, The Key to Effective, American Society for Quality. Pillai, M 2008, Barriers to Effective Communication, Intelligent life on the web, viewed 15th April 2010. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/barriers-to-effective-communication.html Savage, J 1977, Effective communication: language arts instruction in the elementary, Science Research Associates Thomas, T 2008, Four Barriers to Effective Communication, Articles base, viewed 15th April 2010. http://www.articlesbase.com/leadership-articles/four-barriers-to-effective-communication-639551.html Read More

Language barrier is considered a major communication barrier because different languages dialect regional barriers which disjoints the communication process. (Pillai, 2008). Different languages may have different meanings and perceptions hence the use of difficult and misunderstood words may cause confusion and hence communication breakdown. Another barrier to effective communication is emotional interference. In this case an emotional individual is usually unstable and hence he or she may not be able to effectively communicate well.

This is evident in cases where an individual is angry, overconfident, and fearful or an individual whose mind is preoccupied with emotions. For example if you are communicating to somebody whom you have personal issues with, it will be very difficult expressing the relevant issues instead the communication will lead to confrontations and mis-understandings. Insufficient knowledge of the subject and information overload is both communication barriers which are experienced in day to day activities.

This is because if the sender of the information does not specific information about something, then the information receiver on the other end will end up receiving unclear or mixed messages. On the other hand if you receive too much information, one tends to erect a barrier because it becomes difficult to understand all of this information and interpret it. A very good example is advertizing for a product whose advert contains like 30 important features. The receiver of the information will then end up not understanding anything because he/she will not have time and capability of understanding all the features.

Instead, one should choose only few best features and use them to advertize so that it is easier for the receiver to understand well and make up hi/her mind. (Thomas, 2008). Physical distractions are however another communication barrier. In this case there exist physical barriers that affect the transmission of messages between the sender and the receiver. This is mostly popular in Verbal communication where the various means of verbal communication like email, letters, dialogue and telephone are face with physical barriers.

An example is the case where there are problems with the network and hence the people communicating over the phone cannot hear each other well. This event results to misunderstandings which cause communication breakdowns. Poor listening skills are also a contributing factor which acts as a communication barrier. The poor listening habits are caused by, environmental distraction in the middle of communication, disagreements with the speaker and passive listening instead of active listening. Due to these poor skills the receiver of the information becomes vulnerable to misunderstandings and misinterpretations of information during communication.

This can also cause the receiver to miss out on important non-verbal communication gestures. As a result, the receiver can also start assuming things while communicating to other due to lack of concentration and understanding of the non-verbal communications. (Buck, 1984). A judgmental attitude by the receiver of the information may cause serious communication breakdowns. This is done through ridiculing, ignoring, name calling etc. Although this barrier may sound simple, it is the single most powerful communication barrier.

This is because it affects the sender of the information’s moral and hence affecting the quality of the information that he/she gives out. This communication barrier is however attached to the “Know it all” attitude which is evident in cases where the receiver of the information perceives himself as knowledgeable. In this case other people’s opinions do not count and hence it is difficult to communicate to such kind of receivers of information. It is important to note that listening can be viewed as greatest form of communication.

This is because communication is not one sided, there is the speaking part and the listening part and hence they are both equally important.

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