Transcript BARRIERS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC
COMMUNICATION
CSSC 101
Mr. L.Kahari
2017
Faculty of Science
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OBEJECTIVES OF LECTURE
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Definition of communication.
Types of communication.
Introduction: The communication process.
Barriers to communication.
Overcoming communication barriers.
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DEFINITION OF
COMMUNICATION
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Communication,” which is etymologically related to both “communion”
and “community,” comes from the Latin communicare, which means “to
make common” (Weekley, 1967. 338) or “to share.”
DeVito (1986.61) expanded on this, writing that communication is “[t]he
process or act of transmitting a message from a sender to a receiver,
through a channel and with the interference of noise” .
Some would elaborate on this definition, saying that the message
transmission is intentional and conveys meaning in order to bring about
change.
“Communication is referred to as a process to emphasize that it is always
changing, always in motion” (. 239).
A process, therefore, is a series of actions (purposive, some would argue),
something that may be better thought of as a continuum, rather than a point
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is what ??
It is a process of exchanging –
Information
Ideas
Thoughts
Feelings
Emotions
Through –
Speech
Signals
Writing
Behavior
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LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION
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Intrapersonal Communication
This is mental conversation or communication with
yourself.
Anytime you communicate with yourself
takes place within a single person,
often for the purpose of clarifying ideas or analyzing a
situation.
Other times, intrapersonal is undertaken in order to
reflect upon or appreciate something.
Thinking,contemplation,mediation,speaking aloud to
oneself
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Levels of
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Intrapersonal Communication is communication that occurs in your own
mind.
It is the basis of your feelings, biases, prejudices, and beliefs.
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Examples are when you make any kind of decision –
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what to eat or wear.
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When you think about something –
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what you want to do on the weekend or when you think about another
person.
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ORGANISATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
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Communication within business
organisations.
It includes formal and informal channels of
communication
(To be looked at in detail in Professional
Communication course later)
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Small group communication
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MASS COMMUNICATION
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Mass communication is a more public form of
communication between an entity and a large
and diverse audience, mediated by some form
of technology.
This may be either real time or on a taped
delay basis, or it may be rooted in the usually
recent past.
E.g Radio and television, newspapers and
magazines
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Mass communication
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INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
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Communication between people of different groups.
The following are examples of intercultural
communication
Cultures: English and Chinese
Races: Blacks and Whites
Ethnic groups:Shona-Ndebele
Nations: Zimbabwe-South Africa
Sub-cultures: Doctors –Lawyers.
Sub-culture-dominant culture. Homosexuals and
heterosexuals
Sexes: men-women
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Types of
People communicate with each other in a number of ways
that depend upon the message and its context in which it is
being sent.
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Types of communication based on the communication
channels used are –
Verbal Communication
Non-verbal Communication
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Verbal
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It refers to the form of communication in which message
is transmitted verbally.
Communication is done by word of mouth and a piece of
writing.
In verbal communication remember the acronym “KISS”
(keep it short and simple).
Verbal Communication is divided into:
Oral Communication
Written Communication
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Oral
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In oral communication, Spoken words are used.
It includes face-to-face conversations, speech,
telephonic conversation, video, radio,
television, voice over internet.
Communication is influence by pitch, volume,
speed and clarity of speaking.
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Advantages –
It brings quick feedback.
In a face-to-face conversation, by reading facial
expression and body language one can guess
whether he/she should trust what’s being said
or not.
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Disadvantages –
In face-to-face discussion, user is unable to
deeply think about what he is delivering, so this
can be counted as a fault.
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Written
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In written communication, written signs or
symbols are used to communicate.
In written communication message can be
transmitted via email, letter, report, memo etc.
Written Communication is most common form of
communication being used in business.
Advantages –
Messages can be edited and revised
Written communication provide record and
backup.
A written message enables receiver to fully
understand it and send appropriate feedback.
Disadvantages –
Written communication doesn’t bring instant
feedback. It take more time in composing a written
message as compared to word-of-mouth and
number of people struggles for writing ability.
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Nonverbal
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Nonverbal communication is the sending or
receiving of wordless messages.
Such as gesture, body language,
posture, tone of voice or facial
expressions, is called nonverbal
communication.
Nonverbal communication is all about
the body language of speaker.
Nonverbal communication have the following
three elements –
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Appearance
Speaker – clothing, hairstyle, neatness, use
of cosmetics
Surrounding – room size, lighting,
decorations, furnishings
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Body Language
facial expressions, gestures, postures
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Sounds
Voice Tone, Volume, Speech rate
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Process of
Sender
Channel
Feedback
Decoding
Encoding
Message
Noise
Barrier
Receiver
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KEY TERMS IN THE
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
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Understanding several key terms is important in
order to follow the models.
These terms are:
Sender
Encoding
Decoding
Message
Channel
Receiver
Noise
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SENDER
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Initiates communication.
Is the person who is sending the message.
Encodes a message which means translating information into a message in
the form of symbols that represent ideas/concepts.
Two factors that will determine how effective the communicator are.
communicator’s attitude. It must be positive.
communicator’s selection of meaningful symbols, or selecting the right
symbols depending on your audience and the right environment
To communicate effectively, the sender must use effective verbal as well as
nonverbal techniques.
Speaking or writing clearly, organizing your points to make them easy to
follow and understand, maintaining eye contact, using proper grammar and
giving accurate information are all essential in the effectiveness of your
message.
The sender should have some understanding of who the receiver is in order
to modify the message to make it more relevant.
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ENCODING
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when the sender consciously
attaches meanings to symbols
from feelings and ideas, creating
the message sent
a process of
translating ideas,
feelings, and
thoughts into
symbols
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DECODING
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when the receiver interprets and
creates an understanding of what the
message sent means
a process of
translating
incoming
information into
understandable
concepts
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MESSAGE
Most crucial element of effective communication.
Comes in many different forms, such as an oral
presentation, a written document, an
advertisement or just a comment.
It is a “signal or combination of signals that
serves as a stimulus for a receiver” (DeVito,
1986, p. 201).
Can be either a sign or a symbol.
A sign, on one hand, is a natural, universally
understood phenomenon such as thunder (which
follows the occurrence of lightning) and smoke
(which suggests that a fire is also present).
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MESSAGE
A symbol, on the other hand, exists by human
convention.
The object commonly called a stop “sign” — because
it has been created by people to convey a message, and
because it is not natural and universally understood —
is an example of a symbol
The message isn't necessarily what the sender intends it
to be.
Rather, the message is what the receiver perceives the
message to be.
As a result, the sender must not only compose the
message carefully, but also evaluate the ways in which
the message can be interpreted.
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CHANNEL
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The message travels from one point to
another via a channel of communication.
The channel sits between the sender and
receiver.
Channels include spoken word to radio,
television, an Internet site or something
written, like a book, letter or magazine.
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CHANNEL
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Every channel of communication has its advantages
and disadvantages.
E.g., one disadvantage of the written word, on a
computer screen or in a book, is that the receiver
cannot evaluate the tone of the message.
For this reason, effective communicators word written
communications clearly so they don't rely on a specific
tone of voice to convey the message accurately.
The advantages of television as a channel for
communication include its expansive reach to a wide
audience and the sender's ability to further manipulate
the message using editing and special effects.
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RECEIVER
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The party to whom the sender transmits the
message.
Can be one person or an entire audience of
people.
The best way to receive a message is to listen
carefully, sitting up straight and making eye
contact.
Don’t get distracted or try to do something
else while you're listening.
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RECEIVER
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The individual/s to whom the message is directed
Once the message is received and examined the
stimulus is sent to the brain for interpreting, in order to
assign type of meaning to it.
The receiver interprets the symbols sent by the sender
,translating the message to their own set of experiences
in order to make symbols meaningful.
Nodding and smiling as you listen to the sender speak
demonstrate that you understand the message
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FEEDBACK
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The last element of effective
communication, feedback, describes the
receiver's response or reaction to the
sender's message.
Feedback is that reaction I just mentioned.
It can be a verbal or nonverbal reaction or
response.
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FEEDBACK
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It can be external feedback (something we
see) or internal feedback (something we can’t
see).
The receiver can transmit feedback through
asking questions, making comments or just
supporting the message that was delivered.
Feedback helps the sender to determine how
the receiver interpreted the message and how
it can be improved.
Feedback can be positive or negative
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Barriers
to
Communication in
academic contexts
Barriers of Communication
•No
matter how good the communication system is, unfortunately barriers can and
do often occur .
•These are difficulties involved in the process of communication which distort the
message being properly understood by the receiver
•“barriers prevent the communication from being effective”
•Noise is defined to be “[a]nything that distorts the message intended by the
source,
•anything that interferes with the receiver’s receiving the message as the source
intended the message to be received”
•There
are two types of barriers—internal and external.
• internal barriers are fatigue, poor listening skills, attitude toward the sender or the
information, lack of interest in the message, fear, mistrust, past experiences,
negative attitude, problems at home, lack of common experiences, and emotions.
•external barriers include noise, distractions, e-mail not working, bad phone
connections, time of day, sender used too many technical words for the audience,
and environment.
Communication is complete and perfect when
the receiver understands the message in the
same sense and spirit as the communicator
intends to convey,
Here, idea and information reached to and
responded by receiver remain unaltered and
undistorted.
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But practically it has been noticed that such perfect
and complete communication does not take place
because of certain obstacles or other factors known as
communication barriers.
" There are a lot of causes of misunderstanding and
misinterpretations of message communicated.
As the process of communication involves sender,
channels and receiver, the problem of communication
usually lies with either one or more of them.
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• Physical Distractions
• Channel Barriers.
• Long Communication Chain.
• Lack of Sensitivity to
Receiver
• Lack of Basic
Communication Skills
• Insufficient Knowledge of
the Subject
• Emotional Interference
• Lacking confidence
Encoding
Barriers
Transmitting
Barriers
• No Provision for Feedback
• Inadequate Feedback.
Responding
Barriers
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Lack of Interest.
Lack of Knowledge.
Lack of Communication Skills
Emotional Distractions
Information overload
Conflicting Messages
Decoding
Barriers.
Some types of Barriers in Communication:1. Physical
2. Psychological
3Language/semantic
4.Organizational structure barrier
5.Cross-cultural Barriers
6.Overcoming barriers
1.Physical /Environmental barriers
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Often due to the nature of the environment.
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Likewise, poor or outdated equipment,
particularly the failure of management to
introduce new technology, may also cause
problems.
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Ex:-Defects in media (letters,courier,fax,)
Noise in Environment (Air vibration, people
talking, in factory bcoz of noise the oral
communication is difficult)
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ENVIROMENTAL/PHYSICAL
NOISE
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Playing with key bunch, tapping the desk
with fingers, physical discomfort, ill health
and/or poor listening all these create
physical barriers
Noise in the environment (air vibration,
people talking
1. Physical /Environmental
Barriers
2.Physiological barriers
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May result from individuals' personal discomfort,
caused, e.g. , by ill health, poor eye sight
or hearing difficulties.
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Physiological barriers may result from the receiver’s physical state.
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E.g. , a receiver with reduced hearing may not grasp to entirety of a spoken
conversation especially if there is significant background noise.
PSYCHOLOGICAL NOISE
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Mental turbulence of any kind which distracts the participant
or prevents him from paying attention to the message
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may include biases and prejudices, in both the sender and
receiver, that lead to distortions in receiving and processing
information: closed mindedness.
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E.g. .It could be due to host of reasons –preoccupation,
prejudice, ego hang-ups, know-it-all, fatigue, anxiety, preconceived ideas or notions, disinterest and/or cultural
disparities
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Self-centred attitude,defensiveness,resistance to change, filtering
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PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
Self-Centred attitude
Group identification
Self image
Selective perception
Defensiveness
Filtering
Status block
Resistance to change
Closed mind
Poor communication skills
State of health
3. SEMANTIC NOISE
Semantics is the systematic study of
meaning.
 At times, problems arise in expression and
transmission of meaning.
 In semantic noise, according to DeVito, “the
interference is due to the receiver failing to
grasp the meanings intended by the sender.”
 jargon, technical, or complex terms
are examples of semantic noise.
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3.Language/semantic
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Semantics, or code noise, occurs when the meaning of a
message to the sender differs from its meaning to the
recipient.
Too often, this may be the result of “jargon,” involving
pretentious terminology or language specific to a
particular profession or group.
Unclear message
Faulty translation
Specialists language
Unclassified assumptions
LANGUAGE BARRIERS
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Language barriers occur when people do not
speak the same language, or do not have the
same level of ability in a language.
However, barriers can also occur when
people are speaking the same language.
Sometimes barriers occur when we use
inappropriate levels of language (too formal
or informal) or we use jargon or slang which
is not understood by one or more of the people
communicating
4. Cultural Barriers
Cultural barriers
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We communicate the way we do because we
are raised in particular culture and learn its
language, rules, and norms.
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Different cultures (and sub cultures)may have
different rules and norms.
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Understanding the other's culture facilitates
cross-cultural communication
5.Socio-psychological barriers
1. Altitudes and opinion: Personal, attitude and opinion often act
as barriers to effective communication.
2. If information agrees with· our opinions and attitudes, we tend
to receive it comfortably.
3. It fits comfortably in the filter of our mind. But if information
disagrees with our views or tends to run contrary to our
accepted beliefs; we do not react favorably.
4. Emotions. Emotional states of mind play an important role in the
act of
3.Closed mind. A person with a closed mind is very difficult to communicate with.
He is a man with deeply ingrained prejudices. And he is not prepared
to reconsider his opinions.
He is the kind of man who will 'say, "Look, my mind is made up. I know
what I know. And I do not want to know anything else. So just don/t
bother me."
What can you teach me?"
Such a person is not open to conviction and persuasion. And in all
likelihood, he has not learnt anything in the years he has been in at
University.
6.Wrong choice of Channel
Miscommunication can originate at
three levels: at the level of the
transmitter, of the medium, or of the
receiver.
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7. Perceptual Barriers
Perpetual barriers
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Perceptual barriers of communication
are internal barriers that occur within a
person's mind when the person believes
or perceives that the other person that
they are going to speak with will not
understand or be interested in what they
have to say.
Perpetual barriers contd
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Perpetual barriers often cause communication
problems because the language employed by
the person with the perceptual barrier is often
sarcastic, dismissive or obtuse so the
conversational partner is not going to
understand what the person is saying to them
fully and the person is not going to
communicate anything of substance with the
conversational partner
8. Gender Barriers
9.Information Overload
4.Information Overload
ASSIGNMENT 1
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Using examples from your academic
context discuss any five language barriers
to effective communication and how each
barrier can be overcome.
Total marks :25
Date due:
Assignment should be typed
REFERENCES
Barnlund, D. C. (1968). Interpersonal Communication:
Survey and Studies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Floyd, K. (2009). Interpersonal communication: The whole
story. Boston: McGraw Hill.
Schramm, W. (1954). How communication works. The
Process and Effects of Communication, ed. Urbana:
University of Illinois Press.
Shannon, C., & Weaver, W. (1949). The Mathematical
Theory of Communication. Urbana: University of Illinois
Press.
Towne, N., Adler, R., & Proctor, R. (2011). Looking out
looking in (13th ed.). Cengage Learning.
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The End
Thank you all for
listening