For communication to take place, a message must be sent by a communicator and correctly received by a listener. If the message is not understood, no communication takes place. There is only noise. A lot can go wrong between sending and receiving a message. By definition, there are at least two people involved in a communication, the sender and the receiver. There are certain filters or barriers that determine whether or not the message is actually sent or received.
Barriers may exist between the sender and receiver, such as: B. Cultural differences. Environmental conditions can also create barriers, e.g. B. bad acoustics, conversations of others, outside noise. More common, however, are differences in the frame of reference between the sender and receiver. For example, there may not be a common understanding of the purpose of a particular communication. You can ask me how I feel today. For you, the phrase “How ya doing” is nothing more than a greeting. However, I might think you really want to know, and I can tell you – possibly in a little more detail.
What facilitates clear communication? A good communicator: shares ideas, feelings and values - uses appropriate language, tone, pitch and volume – gives relevant information – uses non-verbal cues to underline and support messages – explains – seeks feedback – listens — responds and reacts — conveys understanding.
Think of yourself as the recipient. Assumptions, attitudes, and sensitivity issues can also create barriers. As a recipient, you can filter or not hear certain aspects (or any aspect) of a message. Why? Because the message may seem unimportant or too difficult. In addition, you can be selective in your attention. For example, you might feel like the sender is redundant or boring, so after the first few words, stop listening and dream instead. Maybe you are busy with something else. Or your filtering or lack of attention may be due to your past experiences with the sender. You may feel like “this person never said anything and never will!” You can spend time preparing a response or interrupting with your thoughts.
Overall, communication is a difficult process to complete correctly. One must find the medium between the sender’s and receiver’s viewpoints in order to convey their message in the most effective manner.
