communication essay

According to Jean Roberts (2009)
“Communication is the passing of messages, information, ideas, attitudes, feelings, fears, doubts, news, emotions, etc -to and from one person to another person, from one person to a group, from one group to another group. It involves listening, questioning, explaining, clarifying, encouraging, facilitating, challenging, convincing, verifying, comforting and supporting. Messages can be conveyed or passed in writing, in conversation, by behaviour, by attitude, through personal values and preferences or by silence. Communication is also the transmission of data from one machine to another: However, communicating through technology requires exactly the same degree of care as any other form of communication in order to be effective”.
Effective communication ensures whether the transmitted contents are received and understood by someone in the way they were intended. However during the transmitting of the information there can be a communication barrier which may cause misinterpretation of the information from the sender to the receiver. There are many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process. Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time by causing confusion and misunderstanding. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message. Also the common goal of effective communication includes creating a general perception, changing behaviors and acquiring correct information. Many people think that communication is easy. But effective communication cannot be expressed in simplest form. It is not just about talking. There are many other things involved with effective communication such as gesture, proper body language, expressions and listening. The proper balance of these attributes to be maintained during your communication process if you need to receive the intended goal. However there are many communication models develop by experts over the year that are used to understand the communication process, which shows how communication work, how messages are transmitted, how it is received by the other party, and how the message is eventually interpreted and understood. Some of these experts are: Shannon 's Model which was one of the earliest models of communication. This was introduced in 1948. This laid the foundation for the different communication models that we have today, and has greatly helped and enhanced the communication process in various fields. Another model that was introduced was Berol’s Model, in this model, he stresses on the relationship between the person sending the message and the receiver. Also, there was the Schramm 's Model. Schramm’s on the other hand, emphasized in 1954 that both the sender and the receiver take turns playing the role of the encoder and the decoder when it comes to communication. However, even through these different models of communication there are still many existing communication barriers that exist during the process of communication. Some types of communication barriers are: expectations and prejudices- which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping, people often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions. Cultural differences- The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings. Another type of barrier is the psychological barrier which is the state of the receiver that will influence how the message is received and interpret. For example, if someone has personal worries and is stressed, they may be preoccupied by personal concerns and not as receptive to the message as if they were not stressed. Physiological barriers may result from the receiver’s physical state: for example, a receiver with reduced hearing may not grasp to entirety of a spoken conversation especially if there is significant background noise. Therefore if the sender is aware of the receiver/s physical state then he/she should try a different mode of communicate. For example: sign language, writing or lower the back ground noise. In continuation, the fifth communication barrier is- Language Barrier – this is one of the most common barriers that can be found. Many communication issues can be occurred because of the language and vocabulary differences. If the sender and the receiver cannot understand the languages of each others, the communication will not give the intended effect. Use of unclear and inappropriate words also can make confusions and misunderstandings during a particular communication process. However to eliminate language barrier, the sender should be aware of how to deliver the message depending on the person/audience and their language comprehension. An example of language barrier is- A lady from Cuba that does not speak English will have a problem communicating with a Jamaican that does not speak Spanish. Therefore within this conversation there is going to be language barrier in communication. Moving on to the next barrier of communication is the Systematic Barrier- the systematic barriers to communication may exist in structures and organizations where there are ineffective or unsuitable information systems and communication channels, or where there is a lack of understanding of the roles and responsibilities for communication. In such organizations, individuals may be unclear of their role in the communication process and therefore not know what is expected of them. Therefore to prevent this type of barrier, the head of the organization needs to develop an effective communication system that will allow individuals to recognize their role. Another barrier is, attitudinal barrier- Attitudinal barriers are behaviors or perceptions that prevent people from communicating effectively. Attitudinal barriers to communication may result from personality conflicts, poor management, resistance to change or a lack of motivation. In order for effective receivers of messages be achieve, individual should attempt to overcome their own attitudinal barriers to facilitate effective communication. If a person is been encourage to attend work on time and she continue and does not change her ways by accepting the motivation then the demands of reaching work on time will not be met. However for effective communication to be taken place then she needs to work on her attitude and make an effort to reach work on time. The final barrier to communication that I will elaborate on is, Channel barriers – if the communication media is inappropriate or the message is too long; it might crumble the process causing poor communication. This can badly affect the clarity and accuracy of the communication process. For example, sending a long text message over the cell phone might crumble into different paragraph causing the receiver to not effectively grasp the information that was send. Therefore next time, the sender might consider using another appropriate channel to deliver the message. Chanel barriers can overcome through using proper communication channels. Always try to avoid intermediaries exist in the communication channel you use.
In conclusion, a skilled communicator must be aware of these barriers and try to reduce their impact by continually checking understanding and by offering appropriate feedback It will help you to determine the effectiveness of the communication you did. We need to overcome the above barriers to do an effective communication. Be a good listener, and by doing this you can solve lots of interpersonal barriers through this. Remember to filter any information you received before pass it to someone else. Also use clear expressions, accurate words and avoid using absolute words. Make sure to ask questions from the receiver to clarify the degree of understanding of the message you pass. Repeat the message if necessary to gain understanding from others. And also try to keep eye contacts when you are talking to someone or listening to someone. These will help you to resolve many communication barriers.

References

Levy,B (1994) Barriers to communication. Retrieved January 29, 2013 from http://www.skillsyouneed.co.uk/IPS/Barriers_Communication.html

Roberts.J (2009). Jeans definition of effective communication. Retrieved January 29, 2013 from http://www.jeanroberts.com.au/non-profit/jeans-definition-of-effective-communication/ No author, Retrieved February 4, 2013 from http://www.tutorialspoint.com/management_concepts/communication_models.htm No author retrieved on February 10, 2013 from
What are the Elements of Effective Communication? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5232701_elements-effective-communication_.html#ixzz2JUA8Gfh5

References: Levy,B (1994) Barriers to communication. Retrieved January 29, 2013 from  http://www.skillsyouneed.co.uk/IPS/Barriers_Communication.html Roberts.J (2009). Jeans definition of effective communication. Retrieved January 29, 2013 from http://www.jeanroberts.com.au/non-profit/jeans-definition-of-effective-communication/ No author, Retrieved February 4, 2013 from http://www.tutorialspoint.com/management_concepts/communication_models.htm No author retrieved on February 10, 2013 from What are the Elements of Effective Communication? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5232701_elements-effective-communication_.html#ixzz2JUA8Gfh5