Introduction??Effective communication is indispensible for any organisation. In the absence of
effective communication, a message can be interpreted erroneously or it can breed
misunderstandings. Ineffective communication skills have been known to make or break
relationships. Miscommunication in a business can mushroom disastrous consequences as
the reputation of the business, forecasts and other important goals are at stake. It thereby
becomes imperative to lay emphasis on training in effective communication in order to keep
failure at bay.
Communication skills need to be honed and developed continuously. The success of
sort of relationship, whether it is a business relation or personal relation is contingent upon
on oral communication.
Take for example the instance of an English speaking tourist in a foreign country. If
the tourist carries out conversations only in English in a non English speaking country,
he/she will fail to communicate effectively. Similarly communication skills need to constantly
kept at par with the changing environment and need to be worked upon on a continuous
basis.
2.2 Barriers to Effective Communication?
Effective communication can face multiple barriers.
In business communication, obstacles occur because of organisational barriers. The
obstacles could be:
? Size of organisation
? Physical distance between employees
? Specialisation of jobs, activities
? Power struggles, status of relationships
? Defensiveness, distorted perceptions, guilt, distortions from past
? Misleading body language, tone or other non-verbal communication
? Interpersonal relationships (individual or groups)
? Prejudices
? The channels used to communicate
2.2.1 PHYSICAL BARRIERS
There are four kinds of physical barriers.
? Competing stimulus: Another conversation (within hearing distance), loud music, traffic
noise (in the background), crows cawing, plane overhead - can drown message.
? Environmental stress: High temperature plus humidity, poor ventilation, vibrations felt,
strong glare can contribute to distractions (in sending and receiving messages).
? Subjective stress: Sleeplessness, ill health, effects of drugs, mood variations give rise to
stress, leading to difficulty in listening and interpretation
? Ignorance of medium: The various media for communication are oral, written, audio,
visual, audio-visual. Use of a medium, which the communicator is not familiar with could
turn the medium itself into barrier (e.g. maps, charts used to instruct workers who have
not been taught to read maps will alienate workers immediately).
2.2.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
Each person has a ?frame of reference?, a kind of window to view the world, people,
events and situations. A ?frame of reference? is a system of standards and values, usually
implicit, underlying and to some extent controlling an action or the expression of any belief,
attitude or idea. No two people will have same ?frame of reference?. Our ?frame of
reference? is fashioned by our expressions, childhood experiences, cultural environment and
heredity.
With the passage of time, we develop diverse frames of references to meet our
myriad needs - our own and that of the group we identify with. This is the reference group
whose attitudes, religion, politics, education etc. we espouse as our own (without being fully
aware that we are doing so).
? Self Image: Enmeshed in the ?frame of reference? is the self-image or self- concept of a
person. Owing to this self-image people establish their point of view, and interpret
messages in accordance with their self concepts. They interpret 'reality' in the light of
these pre-conceived notions. As a part of this system, people tend to listen and interpret
favourably towards those messages, which give a further their self-image and reject
those messages, which threaten that image.
? Resistance to change: ??The risk of being changed is one of the most frightening
prospects many of us can face?(On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers,
www.listeningway.com). It is a human tendency to resist change and new ideas.
However, the effective communicator does not wait for resistance to accumulate but
takes people into confidence, even at planning stage, lends a ear to their point of view,
involves them in change, converses about benefits, ?assures them security will not be
affected and explains why change is necessary. ?
? Defensiveness and fear: ?This is strongly allied to the barrier raised by a ??resistance to
change?. One of man?s most compelling needs is to justify himself. ?Fear is an effect of
great potency in determining what the individual will perceive, think and do?, said Izard
and Tomkins. Together with connected emotions of nervousness, anxiety and tension,
fear is the most restricting of all effects, resulting often in 'tunnel vision'. It also gives
slow, narrow thinking, which selects and distorts communication. Appropriate examples
of this are interviews and exams. Some psychologists propose that a little anxiety is
good; it heightens attention, improves performance, releases certain hormones and
facilitates learning by a greater nerve messages to brain. In other words, fear and anxiety
can be turned into a source of energy and confidence.
2.2.3 LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL BARRIERS
Language is an expression of thoughts/expression of people in terms of cultural
environment. When same language is used in different cultures, it takes another colour.
Language can be appropriated to suit varied situations e.g. financial terms, medical terms,
psychological terms etc. Language facilitates understanding, but it can also prove to be a
barrier to communication. A language, whether verbal or non-verbal, is ambiguous in
nature. Words are mere symbols. Symbols are comprehended differently by participants in
communication. Cultural differences have an impact on language and meanings.
Cultures provide people with ways of thinking, ways of seeing, hearing, and
interpreting the world. Thus, the same words can possess myriad meanings for who speak
the same language, but are native to different cultures. When languages are distinct,
communication is carried out through translation, which increases the probability of
misunderstandings.
Activities
1. What I really liked about the article is......
2. Mention one instance when you experienced difficulty in a situation and analyse the barriers that could have interfered with communication (it could be at work, personal relationship, at a store, etc.)
3. How could defensiveness and fear interfere with intercultural communication?
Source: http://ile-intercultural2.blogspot.com/2013/01/forms-of-communication.html
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