Define Perception and How Does Affect Communication

Definition of Perception

The process by which people translate sensory impressions into a coherent and unified view of the world around them, though necessarily based on incomplete and unverified (or unreliable) information, perception is equated with reality for most practical purposes and guides human behavior in general. It is important in the study of Organizational Behavior because people’s actions are based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself.

Someone's perception is our reality. Perception in communication is based on three elements.

I. Organization:
A social unit of people systematically structured and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals on a continuing basis. All organizations have a management structure that determines relationships between functions and positions, and subdivides and delegates roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out defined tasks. Organizations are open systems in that they affect and are affected by the environment beyond their boundaries.

II. Identification
Identification is the appropriation of identity, either by the individual or collective in question or by others. Identification includes "the development and maintenance of an individual's or group's 'sameness' or 'substance' against a backdrop of change and 'outside' elements." Salient symbolic linkages (through communication) are important to identification, identification is a process, and the nature of a particular individual's or group's identification with something is continually changing. Identification, to organizations or anything else is "an active process by which individuals link themselves to elements in a social scene" and identifications help us make sense of our world and thoughts and help us to make decisions. The process of identification occurs largely through language as one expresses similarities or affiliations with particular groups, including organizations.

III. Interpretation of Sensory Information.
Interpretation of sensory information in order to fabricate a mental representation through the process of transduction, which sensors in the body transform signals from the environment into encoded neural signals. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs.

We judge ourselves by our intentions; others judge us by our actions.
Types of Perception in Communication:

1. Self-Perception
Your self-perception is the way you perceive yourself. The self-perception is based on your self-esteem, self-concept and self-efficacy. Your self-esteem is how much you value yourself. Are you confident or insecure in how you perceive yourself? Your self-concept is designed by how you think people perceive you, how you're perceived in a group setting and your own perceptions based on past experiences. Self-efficacy is the predictions you make about yourself, such as "No matter what, I'm going to get that job."

2. Environmental
Environmental perceptions are formed based on the context in which the information is received. For example, if a child turned to a parent and said, "I hate you," that would have one obvious perception, but if you were practicing for a play and you read, "I hate you" in your script, the perception of the same words changes. One's environment will shape the perception that creates a mental filter in which they will process life and information through.

3. Learned
Learned perception is formed around personality, culture and habit. Learned perceptions are thoughts, ideas and beliefs that are formed by a person being taught. Whether they were formally taught or learned by example, an individual will process and react based on his or her learned perception. This can be seen in children reflecting their parent's personality traits, religious beliefs and philosophy on life.

4. Physical
Physical perception is based on the tangible world. It's the way your physical ears and eyes perceive something and how your mind processes it. For example, in U.S. culture, it would be perceived as intrusive and rude for a stranger to stand close to you while you ride the bus, but in South American cultures, this is perceived as a norm. Another example of physical perception is our idea of color. Red represents danger or romance while blue represents calm or water. The way a person identifies with various colors is an example of physical perception.

5. Cultural
Cultural perception differs from environmental perception because it refers to larger scale of a society and not a specific environment based on the person’s life. Culture perceptions will vary from city to city and region to region. "For instance, an Asian American woman possesses at least two distinct identities, each associated with different and sometimes conflicting domain-specific stereotypes," according to researchers at Harvard University's Interpersonal Perception and Communication Laboratory. Cultural perceptions are formed by the sub-society in which a person is raised.
How does perception affect communication?
Perception is at the heart of our communication. Perception is a major ingredient in all communication. For instance, if you're blind, you won't see body language; if you're deaf, verbal communication means nothing. But if you have certain opinions or feelings about the person giving you the message, such as how powerful that person is, it affects how that information is treated.
Let’s take an email communication. If this email looks like it uses a template that the service provider has on file, it could be perceived as - this company hasn't done email long, doesn't invest in communicating to me, is not professional, etc.
All communications are perceived not only by "looks" as in the example above, but also by language. If you are sending an informal letter, your reader is a little more at ease. If you’re writing over your key prospects head using jargon instead explaining what things are, they will walk away.

Communication and Perception
When you communicate with someone, you convey a message that the other person is meant to perceive and decode. The simpler and more straightforward the message, the easier it is to perceive. For instance, asking someone if he is hungry is a simple communication that asks a direct question. But if you phrase it in a language the recipient doesn't know well or you put an inflection in your voice, it adds layers to the communication that the recipient might not get. For instance, the lilt in the question could be silently asking if the recipient wants to eat with you, though you didn't ask that question.