Communication Pitfalls/ Barriers

1. Communication Pitfalls/ Barriers Unit I

2. Introduction • Each person is a unique organism who responds to unique stimuli in his or her own unique environment in a unique manner. This says to us that communication at its very best, involves a compromise of meaning between individuals.

3. Introduction cont’d. • Language is symbolic and symbols have varied meanings between and among individuals, hence, communication barriers or pitfalls will occur where symbols are misunderstood or misrepresented.

4. Polarization • Polarization occurs when a person fails to distinguish between a true dichotomy and an artificial one. • A true dichotomy exists when there are in fact only two alternatives, or two values, to describe a situation. • Artificial dichotomies, however, imply the existence of only two alternatives or values, when, in fact, there may be several alternatives or gradations between polarized values

5. Polarization cont’d. • Polarization implies a limitation of choices: if you regard your way of handling a problem as the “right” way, then another person’s way of handling the problem must be the “wrong” way. • Polarization creates unnatural rifts between people and may foster antagonism and irrational hostilities.

6. Look at the following dialogue: • Mother: Anyone who appears on the streets of a city like Kent with long hair, dirty clothes or bare feet deserves to be shot. • Reporter: But you had three sons there. • Mother: If they didn’t do what the guards told them they should have been mowed down. • Psychologist: Is long hair a justification for shooting someone? • Mother: Yes. We have got to clean up this nation. • Psychologist: Would you permit one of your sons to be shot simply because he went barefooted?

7. Mother: yes • Psychologist: Where do you get such ideas? • Mother: I teach at the local high school. • Psychologist: Do you mean that you are teaching your students such things? • Mother: Yes. I teach them the truth. That the lazy, the dirty, the ones you see walking the streets and doing nothing ought all to be shot!

8. Bypassing • Communication fails because word meanings bypass each other. At the root of the problem is the assumption (consciously or unconsciously) that words themselves have meaning. But the words are not the things themselves; they are symbols of things. So my use of the word ‘catty’ in a conversation may not convey the image I had intended. You may have learned the word under different conditions than I had.

9. PERCEPTION.

10. Perception • This is the process of imputing meaning to experiences. Physiological, psychological, and experiential factors all impinge on people’s perceptions. No two people will perceive the same stimuli in exactly the same way.

11. Check out this video! • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u64HDXoKVM&feature=related

12. Selective Perception • Receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background and other personal characteristics. For e.g., the employment interviewer who expects a female job applicant to put her family ahead of her career is likely to see that in female applicants, regardless of whether the applicants feel that way or not.

13. Filtering • This refers to the sender manipulating information so that it will be seen more favourably by the receiver. For example, when a manager tells his Boss what he feels his boss wants to hear, he is filtering information.

14. Defensiveness

15. Defensiveness • When people feel that they’re being threatened, they tend to react in ways that reduce their ability to achieve mutual understanding. Hence, when individuals interpret another’s message as threatening, they often respond in ways that retard effective communication.

16. Inconsistent Cues • Sending inconsistent cues between verbal and non-verbal communications will confuse the receiver. If one’s facial expression does not reflect one’s words, the communication will contain noise and uncertainty. The tone of voice and body language should be consistent with the words, and actions should not contradict words.

17. Organizational Barriers

18. Status Differences • Low power people may be reluctant to pass bad news to senior staff, thus giving the wrong impression to upper levels. High power people may not pay attention or may feel that low-status people little to contribute.

19. Differences across departments • These differences refer to the needs and goals which interfere with communication. Each dept. perceives problems in its own terms. The production department is concerned with production efficiency and may not fully understand the marketing department’s need to get the product to the customer in a hurry.

20. Internal Barriers • Psychological noise refers to mental hindrances in the communication process. For example, depression, stress and other psychological influences.

21. External Barriers • Those arising from the environment include: •   - Distractions  - Disturbances  - Diversions  - Discomfort