Barriers+to+Communication

= Barriers to Effectiv﻿e Com﻿munication =

The Communication Triangle
This image depicts communication in an ideal world - the sender understands the context and the auidence, selcts the appropriate medium (verbal or written form), sending a very clear message, which in turn, the receiver then recieves and understands the message exactly as the sender inteded.

This second image depicts a more likely or accurate representation of communication in the real world.

Leadership Communication: A Communication Approach for Senior-Level Managers

This can include:
Culture, Background and Bias
 *  ﻿ Past experiences can change meaning of message - when this occurs, the communication process has been interfered with.

Noise
 * Equipment or environmental noise - both the sender and the receiver must be able to concentrate on the message being sent.

Ourselves
 * Focusing on ourselve can lead to confusion and conflict. Factors that attribute to this include: defensiveness (feeling of being attacked), superiority (feeling of knowing more than the other person), and ego (feeling of being the centre of attention).

Perception
 * May not take in information if the person is talking too fast, not fluenty or articulating clearly.
 * Our preconceived attitudes also affect our ability to listen carefull, generally dismissing people of a lower status and listening better to those of a higher status.

Message
 * Focusing on facts rather than the idea can cause distractions, also when a word is used differently, your focus may then become on the word and not the message.

Environmental
 * Bright lights, an attractive person, unusual sights, or any other stimulus provides a potential distraction.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Smothering
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Believing certain information has no value to others or they are already aware of the facts.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Stress
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What we see and believe at any given moment is influenced by our believes, values, knowledge, experiences and goals.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">These barriers can be likened to filters, that is, the message leaves the sender, goes through the filters, and is then heard by the receivers, thus the message becomes muffled or changed. Active listening and feedback can help overcome these filters.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Misinterpretations of the meanings of words
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Some words mean different things to different people, for example, 5 minutes could literally mean 5 minutes, or to another person, any time soon.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Different words mean the same thing, for example, using an acronym instead of the actual word (DEECD).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Misinterpretations of actions
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">If someone walks quickly out of a room during a meeting, or taps a pencil on a table, it may be thought that the person is in a hurry, bored or upset, even if they are not.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Misinterpretations of non-action symbols
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Clothes you wear, the objects in and state of your office, your respect for time and space, needs of others: these all communicate things about you. Therefore if you expect punctuality from your staff, you too need to communicate this through your own actions.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Misinterpretations of voice
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Quality of voice - the overall impression the speaker makes on the listener (happy, sad, nervous, confident).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Understandability - pronunciation, articulation and grammatical correctness.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Variety of voice - pitch, rate, volume and emphasis.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">For more detailed information click on the link 'Communication and Leadership by Dr John A. Kline'