Skip to main content

Faulty Communication: What Goes Wrong?


How often it has happened that you wanted to say or mean something and it was totally misunderstood by the listener/reader? When you meant something and something else was conveyed.

#FaultyCommunication #BarriersToCommunication #CommunicationFailure

Different types of barriers distort communication and twist its purpose. Let's see what they are.

The following kinds of barriers generally occur:
  • Situational barriers or barriers in the process of communication
  • Barriers in the mind of the receiver or perception barriers
  • Barriers in sending or transmitting the message

The barriers are explained below:

#Perception is the ability to comprehend reality. Each person’s perception is different, so the interpretation of communication will be very different in each person’s mind. Further, negative emotions such as envy, anger, hurt, attitudinal and behavioral problems colour and distort communication. Hence, extra effort should be taken to make sure the message is properly understood, and comprehended by the recipient. Taking feedback from the listener/recipient is one way to ensure the message goes home. Clarifying the message and using simple language also helps.
#BodyLanguage or non-verbal cues, signals, and gestures play an important role in complementing the spoken word. If body language is not appropriate, the impact of the message is lost. 

Similarly the space and time of communication is important. 

 #SituationaBarriers can also arise out of difference in formal position or role of the sender and receiver.
#CommunicationMedium, i.e., faulty telephone or internet lines, disturbed voice message recording, noise and physical disturbances also bar communication effectiveness.

One of the main barriers to communication is a distracted or preoccupied mind and lack of concentration on the message.


#InformationOverload or too much information can also harm communication. The listener gets confused and the message gets lost. Using too many technicalities or specialized terms in language also distort the effectiveness of communication.




The barriers that block communication or distort it may situational or semantic, physical or psychological in nature. These can be minimized by continuously working on improving  our own #CommunicationSkills, which we all must practice doing.


I will continue in the next post on what tricks or hacks can improve verbal and non-verbal communication.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Enough! No more rape!

The recent horrifying, stomach-churning incident in Kolkata is not a one-time aberration. It keeps occuring in our country. And we women are also responsible for this stinking rot in society. Ask yourself these uncomfortable questions. How many of you protest when a girl wearing "revealing clothes" is cat-called?  Did you show your support for our wrestlers protesting against a habitual offender? Did your blood boil when you saw pictures of our sisters in Manipur paraded naked?  When rapists are released from prison or routinely escape punishment, do you raise your voice? How many of you have tolerated violence or even casual sexism in your own home? Do you turn the other way when transgenders are leered at? Do you grin and bear it when the men in your family crack obscene jokes? Do Kathua and Hathras ring a bell? And lastly, how many of you thronged cinema halls to make misogynistic horrors like Animal and Kabir Singh blockbusters? I have asked myself and am distinctly feeli...
Post a Comment
Read more

All We Imagine as Light- Lyricism on Celluloid

When an Indian film makes it the prestigious Cannes film festival, the world sits up and takes notice! And the lovely ladies swinging on the stage is a recent memory that brings a sense of pride. I had the good fortune to catch this film on screen recently. A review of such work is unnecessary, but still am bursting to say a few words. Right from the scintillating background score, to the events that unfold like pages fluttering in an open book, to the effortless performances, it's a masterpiece all right! The first half romances Mumbai- in the rains, at night, in the bazaars, in dingy rooms, in the local trains. Image source: Wikipedia  The second half shows what light truly is, brilliant sunshine, crashing waves and salty air in a small coastal village in Maharashtra. You can feel the taste of salt, the breeze in your hair and the touch of sand under your feet, the cinematography is so real. Payal Kapadia masters the art of holding back, of showing beauty in the mundane. The hosp...
Post a Comment
Read more

Laapataa Ladies - the Unfortunate Story of Lost Women

Laapataa Ladies is a deceptively simple, yet extremely thought-provoking satire couched in a simple story of exchanged brides. Image Source: IMdB This is the unfortunate story of countless ordinary women living under the veil, in the shadow of uncaring men. Who can't remember any details of their husband or the sasural they are married into. Who are trained only to obey their husband, do their duty in the kitchen, and follow orders of in-laws. Who don't have the liberty to study or do something for their own betterment. What can we expect for such women, except a lifetime of slavery? If the husband happens to be good, then there's some ray of hope. If he's a rascal, then God save her. Thanks to Kiran Rao for addressing the woes of 80% of Indian women living in nameless villages. And thanks for calling out the "greatest fraud" - the fraud of getting ready for marriage and domesticity. Where you can make the perfect kalakand, but you can't find your way...
Post a Comment
Read more