4 Communication Process, different types of barriers in communication

Mrs. Shilpa Hattiangadi

Content Outline

• Introduction
• Objectives of the module
• What is communication?
• Why is communication vital to us?
• Relevance of communication to different fields of study
• Means of communication
• Written communication
• Oral communication
• Non-verbal communication
• Definitions of communication
• Process of communication
• Two schools of communication
• Elements of communication
• Barriers and breakdowns in communication
• Physical or environmental barriers
• Language barriers
• Cultural barriers
• Interpersonal barriers
• Emotional barriers
• Perceptual barriers
• Ways to overcome barriers in communication
• Summary

Introduction

Communication is a complex and intriguing process that makes it difficult to determine where or with whom a communication encounter starts and ends. A mere exchange of glances can suggest multiple meanings. Glances from a loving mother to innocent infant, two strangers, young couple, a stern glance from teacher to a student and many more I a variety of day to day situatios of our lives. The scholars have suggested many models of communication that simplify the process by providing a visual representation of the various aspects of a communication encounter. Even though models explain communication in detail, any model still cannot recreate our experience involving feelings, emotions, commonness of understanding in a moment of a communication encounter. The process of communication can be best experienced by the individual in that situation. Models serve a valuable purpose for students of communication by allowing us to see specific concepts and steps within the process of communication, define communication, and apply communication concepts. When one is aware about how communication functions, one can think more deliberately through your communication encounters, which can help prepare effectively for future communication and learn from earlier communication experiences. For example, when you say “Hello!” to your friend, you are sending a message of greeting that will be received by your friend and may be, acknowledged.

Objectives of the module

At the end of the module learners will be able to:

a.    Define communication

b.    Understand the process of communication

c.    Identify the elements of communication

d.   Analyse the barriers and breakdowns in communication

e.    Explore ways of overcoming these barriers

What is communication?

According to G. G. Brown, communication means transferring information from one person to another,whether or not it elicits confidence. But the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver. Fred G. Meyer defined communication as the intercourse by words, letters or messages. The dictionaries define communication as the transmission of a message or information by speaking or writing. Another dictionary explains communication as giving or exchanging information, signals, messages by talk or gestures or writing. Yet another definition says that communication is social intercourse. Communication is all this and much more. A good definition should not only give the precise meaning but also throw light on the scope of the word / expression. Communication is giving, receiving or exchanging ideas, information, signals or messages utilising appropriate medium, enabling individuals or groups to persuade, to seek information, to give information or to express emotions, feelings and ideas.

Why is communication vital to us?

We have been communicating with others since our infancy and the process of transmitting information from an individual (or group) to another is a very complex process with many sources of potential error and interpretations of meaning.

When one communicates, some of the “meaning” is lost in simple transmission of a message from the sender to the receiver. In diverse situations, a lot of the true message is lost and the message that is transmitted is often different than the one intended by the sender. This is very common in cross-cultural situations where language is an issue. But even within people of the same culture this is possible. A message can be misunderstood, misinterpreted and there can be a failure of communication. The message is encoded by the sender in a particular way but it is decoded by the receiver in a way that is not intended by the sender, hence transforming the message and its meaning. In this process of communication, there are four basic places where transmission errors can take place and at each place, there are a multitude of potential sources of error.

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 a majoring of 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.

Let us consider these day to day examples- a son being advised about future career options by his father, but the son being disinterested, occasionally nods and answers in monosyllables, but cannot take his eyes off his mobile screen. How effective do you think this communication would be?

A simple communication between a husband and wife, when the wife is sharing the events of her day but her spouse is engrossed in either a news channel or a sports program. How effective do you think this communication would be. Hence, the process of communications is crucial for complete understanding of the message

Relevance of communication to different fields of study

• Communication is crucial, practically, in every field and many more situations where people need to interact with each other to fulfil their needs and wishes.

Written communication– We are living in the information age today and that has made communicating through writing essential in the modern world. In fact, written communication is the most common form of business communication. It is essential for small business owners and managers to develop effective written communication skills and to encourage the same in all employees. It is essential to possess an email address these days. The information age has altered the ways in which we communicate and placed an increasing emphasis on written communications. A straightforward, courteous tone is usually the best choice but one that may not come naturally without practice

Oral communication- Oral communication describes any type of interaction that makes use of spoken words, and it is a vital, integral part of the business world, especially in an era dubbed the information age. The types of oral communication commonly used within an organization include staff meetings, personal discussions, presentations, telephone discourse, and informal conversation. Oral communication with those outside of the organization might take the form of face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, speeches, teleconferences, or videoconferences.

Non-verbal communication(NVC) – is a process of generating meaning using behavior other than words. NVC is not the opposite of or separate from verbal communication, rather, it’s more accurate to view them as operating side by side as part of the same system. Yet, they still have their important differences, including how the brain processes them.

Definitions of communication

The origin of the word “communication” is “communicare” or “communis” which means “to impart”, “to participate”, “to share” or “to make common.” The sense of sharing is inherent in the very origin and meaning of “communication.” Communication refers to the process of human beings responding to the symbolic behavior of other persons. Keith Davis defines communication is a process of passing information and understanding from one person to another. John Adair takes yet another perspectiveof communication and defines it as the ability of one person to make contact with another and make himself or herself understood. William Newman and Charles Summer define communication is an exchange of ideas, facts, opinions or emotions of two or more persons. Louis Allen explains communication as a bridge of meaning involving a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening and understanding. Peter Little sees communication as a process by which information is transmitted between individuals and / or organizations so that an understanding response results. Thus, we get a diverse view of the field of communication through these definitions given above

Process of communication

Communication is a two-way process involving the following elements: a sender, a message, a medium, a channel, a receiver, a response and feedback. Successful communication will take place where there is cooperation and understanding between the two elements-Sender and Receiver, involved. It is important to have a common frame of reference or context for successful and meaningful communication, e.g. a common language or common interpretation of a gesture like Namaste, or V for Victory. Communication involves the sender or the communicator and the receiver. The content of the code is sent in a medium chosen by the sender (oral, written or non-verbal) using channels (air, mikes, body, pictures, text, etc.) in the form of encoded messages. Interestingly, the “code” is not restricted to only language; it may also involve the use of costumes, gestures, colors and many more.

The process of communication can be described in the following manner:

• The sender sends a “message” using a “medium” and a “channel” to the “receiver”.
• The message arrives in the sensory world of the receiver.

The receiver’s brain filters the message on the basis of his/her knowledge, emotions, attitudes, and biases and gives the message a unique meaning. This meaning may trigger a response which the mind of the receiver forms.

The receiver encodes his/her response and sends it across as “feedback” into the sensory world of the sender. This completes one cycle of communication and the process continues in a cyclic manner, i.e. cycle after cycle, as long as the people involved care to communicate.

Elements of communication

The elements of the communication process can be listed as follows:

1. The Sender: who thinks of an idea, impulse, thought, feeling that arises in the mind and needs to be conveyed
2. Receiver: who is the intended recipient of the message conveyed by the sender
3. Encoding is the formal expression or conveying of the idea using an appropriate medium or channel
4. Decoding is the interpretation of the message by the receiver
5. Feedback is the reaction or response of the receiver
6. Conveying the reaction/response in the feedback using a medium and channel

Barriers and breakdowns in communication

Physical barriers are easy to spot – doors that are closed, walls that are erected, and distance between people all work against the goal of effective communication. A classic example is office spaces: people need their own personal areas in the workplace, yet openness is encouraged for free communication and creates closer working bonds.

Perceptual barriers, in contrast, are internal. We have perceptions of a particular idea and we function according to those perceptions. If you go into a situation thinking that the person you are talking to isn’t going to understand or be interested in what you have to say, you may end up subconsciously sabotaging your effort to make your point. You will use language that is sarcastic, dismissive, to alienate the person in conversation.

Emotional barriers can be tough to overcome, but are important to put aside to engage in conversations. We are often taught to fear the words coming out of our own mouths, as in the phrase “anything you say can and will be used against you.” By believing in yourself and what you have to say, you will be able to communicate clearly without becoming overly involved in your emotions.

Cultural barriers are a result of living in an ever shrinking world. Different cultures, different societies or races or simply the work culture of a company, can hinder developed communication due to clash of two different. In work situations, it is good to identify a problem and resolve them with highly effective and creative ways.

Language barriers are often hidden that we aren’t always aware of. If you work in an industry that is heavy in jargon or technical language, care should be taken to avoid these words when speaking with someone from outside the industry. A clear, direct narrative is preferable to an incomprehensible and confusing jargon or highly special terminology.

Gender barriers have become less of an issue in recent years, but there is still the possibility for a man to misconstrue the words of a woman, or vice versa. Men and women tend to form their thoughts differently, and this must be taken into account when communicating. Women have entered the field of combat and many fields are breaking barriers. Men as chefs and women as combat pilots is a very positive scenario.

Interpersonal barriers are what ultimately keep us from reaching out to each other and opening ourselves up, not just to be heard, but to hear others. This could be due to poor self-image or a series of deeply rooted prejudices about their place in the world. They are unable to form genuine connections with people because they have too many false perceptions blocking the way. One can overcome this barrier by engaging with others, and identifying our actual strengths and weaknesses.

Summary

Communication is not a one-way thing. The process of communication is very complex as you must be open yourself if you have to havr others open up to you. By overcoming these barriers to communication, you can ensure that the statement you are making is not just heard, but also understood, by the person you are speaking with. Understanding this process can lead to successful communication.

References

• Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet
• Fiske, J. (1990). Introduction to Communication Studies. New York: Routledge.
• Fiske, Hartley, Montgomery, Saunders & O’Sullivan. (2006). Key Concepts in Communication and Cultural Studies. New York: Routledge.
• Hartley, P.(1993).Interpersonal Communication. New York: Routledge.
• Werthiem, E. (2012). The Importance of Effective Communication. https://ysrinfo.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/effectivecommunicatio pdf
• Smith, C. (2012). The Seven Barriers Of Communication. https://www.govloop.com/members/ChrisSmith676