Business Communications: Communication Channels - Activity 3-1

1.    Consider the following verbal and non-verbal barriers to communication. Which

barriers are associated with which components of the communication discussed

above? Write your answers in the table below:

Components of communication	Barriers to communication that may be associated with each component
Stimulus	Non-verbal Barrier/s c) Inappropriate emotions It is generally more effective to depend on logic instead of emotions when communicating. For example, being overly enthusiastic about what you are saying can alienate some audiences. Or allowing your emotions to run away with you (e.g. not reining in your sadness or anger) can embarrass both you and your audience, or worse, result in a communication breakdown (e.g. excessive anger can create such an emotionally charged environment that reasonable discussion is not possible). d) Distractions Any environmental or competing element that restricts one’s ability to concentrate on the communication task hinders effective communication. Such distractions are called noise. Note that ‘noise’ in communication is not always something auditory (i.e. heard with the ear); it can be anything distracting such as the room layout or the way people are dressed or what they are doing (e.g. using their smartphones while someone is making a presentation).
Filter	Verbal Barrier/s a) Inadequate knowledge or vocabulary Before you can even begin to think about how you will communicate an idea, you must have sufficient knowledge about the topic to know what you want to say. b) Differences in interpretation Sometimes senders and receivers attribute different meanings to the same word or attribute the same meaning to different words. When this happens, miscommunication can occur. Non-verbal Barrier/s b) Differences in perception This may be influenced by people’s differences in orientation, exposure or experience, knowledge, values, and the like.
Message	Verbal Barrier/s e) Over abstraction and ambiguity An abstract word refers to an idea or feeling instead of to a concrete object or something that can be seen or touched. For example, ‘communication’ is an abstract word, whereas ‘memorandum’ is a concrete word. Abstract words are necessary in order to communicate about things you cannot see or touch. However, communication problems result when you use too many abstract words or when you use too high a level of abstraction. The higher the level of abstraction, the more difficult it is for the receiver to visualize exactly what the sender has in mind.
Medium	Verbal Barrier/s c) Language differences This includes the nuances of the same language. For instance, the English language may have different pronunciation, terms, expressions depending on whose English (e.g. American English, Australian English, British English, Filipino English, Singaporean English) is used. d) Inappropriate use of expressions Examples include slang, jargon, and euphemisms. Slang is a highly informal expression, often short-lived, that is identified with a specific group of people. Jargon is the technical terminology used within specialized groups. Euphemisms are expressions used in place of words that may offend. Non-verbal Barrier/s a) Inappropriate or conflicting signals When we say one thing — for example, that we are pleased to meet someone — but our actions, posture, or expression suggests a contradictory message, others will usually believe what we do rather than what we say.
Destination	Verbal Barrier/s f) Polarization At times, some people act as though every situation is divided into two opposite and distinct poles, with no allowance for a middle ground. What you say and do not say might create or lead to polarization. For example, when you congratulate only one of the three people who took part in making a company presentation, how would the other two presenters feel, even though you said nothing negative about their performance?

2. Recall situations when you experiences any or some of these verbal and non-verbal

barriers to communication. As a communicator, what can you do to minimize these

barriers to communication?

I would normally experience ‘Distractions’ during trainings.  As the trainer (communicator) I get easily distracted with my trainees borrowing calculators from one another reasoning out that they failed to bring one (despite the fact that the training is Basis Statistics and the course outline includes descriptive statistics computation).  To avoid or minimize such incidents, I will include the phrase ‘BRING A CALCULATOR’ in every email that I will send to the participants and every memo that I will post in the bulletin boards.

You might also want to see my answers on:

Business Communications: Communication Channels SAQ 3-1
Business Communications: Communication Channels SAQ 3-2