Communication Barriers 1 Communication and Its Barriers Star Student Com 200: Interpersonal Communication Instructor Who? Enter Date Communication Barriers 2 Communication is one of the most basic and essential parts of being a living creature. Every living thing must communicate is some way to survive. For humans, it is essential to feel Commented [KC1]: For this letter, you are addressing a specific audience, so be sure to include a “Dear John and Jane,” and direct your comments and advice specifically to them. connected to the world around us. Both internal communication and communication with others can affect how we view ourselves and the world. Understanding the basic principles and barriers to communication is one of the best ways to communicate effectively. It is also important to know that there are many things that can change the way we communicate with each other such as culture and gender. As we begin to understand these differences, we can then be more affective in the way we approach and react to them. The are many things that go into good communication and understanding them will help you overcome obstacles and barriers. Understanding communication is very important for being effective while Commented [KC2]: There is good sentiment here. But as an introduction, you also need a clear thesis that is the heart of your paper and a preview of what you plan to do in the paper. I struggled a bit finding those. communicating. According to Bevan and Sole (2014) communication is “a process where two or more individuals strive to create shared meaning using verbal or nonverbal messages in a variety of contexts.” This is a large definition, but that is because communication requires a lot to be Commented [KC3]: Don't forget to include a page or section number with all quotes. effective. There is a lot that goes into relaying meaning. An important part of relaying a message is to ensure shared meaning. It is important that both people involved in communication understand what is being said. If speaking to someone who does not understand the language of the speaker, the message will not be relayed effectively. All parties involved in communication need to be on the same page about what is being shared. It also important to understand that the speaker’s view of a situation is only one view. Every person involved has their own unique idea about the ideas and thoughts being presented (Bevan and Sole 2014). It is important to recognize that the ideas being shared are not the only ones that matter. When one can consider the ideas and opinions of those being communicated with then the message will be able to be delivered more effectively. Commented [KC4]: Nice detail on how shared meaning might not happen. Communication Barriers 3 There are many examples of barriers to communication. Miscommunication can happen for many reasons, including the two discussed here. A good example of a time that miscommunication occurred was an incident that I had recently with my son. My son and I were visiting his care team to decide on a health plan for treating his chronic illness. My son’s doctor was going over the options that were available to us. The doctor began to explain the different medications available and discussed corticosteroids. My son was upset at the mention of these medications and began to refuse their use. The doctor asked my son why he would refuse these medications but my son refused to list his reasons. Without understanding why my son would refuse the medications, the doctor prescribed them and sent us home with the medications. When we were home, my son was distressed to find out that we had been sent home with the very medications that he did not want. There were a couple of things happening in the example. The first issue is misperception. Commented [KC5]: You can use this for the final, but remember that you will have a specific audience in mind either a group of co-workers or a couple. You want to relate this to them so it is meaningful. Misperception is “the most frequent and broadest challenge of interpersonal communication (Bevan & Sole, 2014).” There are many reasons for misperception. Emotional conflicts, personal distress, and even noise can cause misperception. In the example given here, my son was in emotional distress over the idea of having more medications and this caused him to not be clear with doctor about his reasons for not wanting the suggested medication. There was also destructive communication occurring. Bevans and Sole (2014) describe destructive communication as “negative and harmful messages that include hostility, insults, and shouting or yelling”. This kind of communication can occur during conflict as was the case with my son. Rather than yell or scream, he engaged in destructive communication by not expressing his needs to his doctor to be understood. Instead, he allowed his distress to lead his communication and refused to participate in a dialogue with the doctor to find a solution. Another concern about the Commented [KC6]: Nice detail. I think more than destructive, he was "avoiding." We'll cover that idea in week 4. Communication Barriers 4 interaction in the example is that the doctor and my son did not have shared meaning. They were not able to be on the same page due to misperceptions. Because my son was not able to explain his thoughts, the conversation did not allow the doctor to see the other point of view in this communication. Bevan and Sole (2014) explain that it is important to “try to take the perspective of other people and consider how their point of view makes sense to them.” The doctor was not Commented [KC7]: Great direction connection between your experience and the text! able to understand my sons point of view which created an ineffective communication about the medications offered. AS you try to communicate effectively with one another, it is important to slow down and reflect not only on your emotions, but also the emotions of those around you. By doing this, you will be better able to achieve shared meaning and avoid misperception. Another very important thing to remember when communicating is that self-image, selfconcept, and self-esteem can greatly affect not only the way you communicate, but the way others communicate with you. Self- concept is how you see yourself based on information that you have received from the world around you and how you process that information. Bevan and Sole (2104) say that “Though self-concept is an internal process, it is learned, maintained, and can change through interpersonal communication.” I believe the authors used this statement to reflect the importance of how our self-concept can change based on how we process the input we receive as well as how society changes over time. Self-image “is a more general, broad view of yourself (Bevan & Sole, 2014, 2.1).” Your self-image includes both how you see yourself and how others see you. It can be affected by your environment and is more permanent that your selfconcept. Self-esteem is a larger sense of how you see yourself overall and how happy you are with yourself. Self-esteem can be directly affected by your self-image. All three of these components contribute to how you communicate. Commented [KC8]: You only need the year the first time you cite a source. :) Communication Barriers 5 It is widely accepted that psychology has a big impact on the way you communicate. Your self-image, self-concept, and self-esteem are directly affected by the psychology of your life. In the article “The 4 Primary Principles of Communication” by Dan Mager (2017), discusses this issue by saying “The message sent may not be the message received because it must pass through a filtering system of thoughts and feelings – for both the sender and the receiver.” This is a great illustration of how our messages can be received but also how they can be delivered. If you are used to your significant other disregarding what you say, you may deliver your message with some hostility. If your significant other hears your message as an attack on them, they may respond with hostility toward you. Before you know it, you are having an argument where a discussion could have been had. The way that people view themselves can have a huge impact Commented [KC9]: Great example as this really shows how important our mindsets are in how we send and receive messages. on the way they communicate. It may be something that a person id not even aware they are doing. This can be a hard thing for a couple to overcome. It is always a good idea to step back and reflect rather than communicate in anger. It can also be helpful to take a personal inventory of the things that may affect your communication and be aware of them when interacting with your significant other. Sharing this personal inventory with your significant other can be helpful as well. Commented [KC10]: Nice advice! Self-disclosure and emotional intelligence are important things to master to have affective communication in a relationship of any kind. Self-disclosure is defined as “the intentional act of sharing private and personal aspects of you with other people (Bevan &Sole, 2014, 7.4).” When you share pieces of yourself with others, you expose yourself to being viewed and treated differently based on what you have shared. When someone else self-discloses pieces of themselves to you, it will require you to use your emotional intelligence. According to Bevan and Sole (2014), emotional intelligence is “the ability to monitor, regulate, and discriminate Commented [KC11]: For the final paper, be sure to explain why this is so beneficial. Communication Barriers 6 among your own and your partners feelings to guide your thoughts and actions.” In an ideal situation, both parties involved can self-disclose and be met with good emotional intelligence. As you receive good emotional intelligence form others, you can begin to develop your own emotional intelligence. As you begin to self-disclose to others, it is important to understand and differentiate between what is acceptable to disclose. It is also important to understand that there are certain times and places to disclose information. How much you disclose and where can be measured by how appropriate the information is. For example, it may not be a good idea to discuss intimate details about your spouse on social media. When you are in a relationship, selfdisclosure is a very important process. It is acceptable and crucial to share intimate details of yourself with your significant other. By developing good emotional intelligence, you will create a safe space for your significant other to self-disclose and create a foundation of trust. It is important to recognize that gender and culture can have a great impact on the way Commented [KC12]: For the final, explain this just a bit more and connect with the value of self-disclosure. But I love that you recognize that we have to think through our reactions and remain calm and respectful. Think through what we will do in the future if we don't get that reaction. we communicate. By understanding both factors, we can recognize the differences that can act as communication barriers. Culture is “a relatively specialized set of traditions, beliefs, values, and norms, or standards of behavior that have been passed down from generation to generation by way of communication (Bevan & Sole, 2014, 3.1).” This is another broad definition because it encompasses so much of our lives. Our culture can also affect how we communicate based on Commented [KC13]: List and explain a few here and then transition into gender. our gender. There is a distinction between sex and gender that is important to be aware of. Sex is the biological component of whether we are male or female. Gender is the all the social and cultural distinctions that separate the sexes. An example of this would be a look at the Chinese culture. Boys are valued more highly than girls. As a girl in this culture, you may be expected to do more around the home whereas a boy would be encouraged to go to school and eventually work outside the home. This cultural norm defines your gender based on your biological sex. Commented [KC14]: Great example and I love that you connected to communication later. Excellent work! Communication Barriers 7 Let’s continue with this example and illustrate how this might affect the way that genders communicate in this culture. A female in this culture may not speak up for herself as much because she is used to being quiet. This can affect how she communicates her needs to her husband, coworkers, and friends. A male in this culture may be much more driven as more is expected of him. He may be outspoken about his needs and verbalize those needs above those of others. It may create an environment within his relationships where emotional intelligence is not found and self-disclosure does not occur which can lead to discontent within these relationships. When trying to communicate with others, you may not be aware of these cultural and gender differences right away. However, by being aware that the differences exist, we can allow communication to be filtered in a way that is less harsh because it takes the possible differences into account. This is especially important in a relationship. When you have self-disclosed, it is easier to be aware of these gender and cultural differences. Taking these differences into account makes communication with your significant other much smoother and more effective. When we understand the basic principles and barriers to communication, we can communicate with one another effectively. There are so many things that can become barriers to good communication. Once we are aware of them, we can overcome them. Considering gender and cultural differences, our own self-image, self-esteem and self-concept, and creating on our own emotional intelligence we can create clear bonds and be effective when speaking to others. Commented [KC15]: I love that you are illustrating how all of these themes are connected. Not everyone does this. Communication Barriers 8 References: Bevan, J. L., & Sole, K. (2014). Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication (2nd ed.) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/ Communication Barriers Mager, D. (2017). The 4 Primary Principles of Communication [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/blog/some-assemblyrequired/201702/the-4-primary-principles-communication 9 Commented [KC16]: You will need five total for the final paper and two you must find on your own. You needed two here as well but it was only a small deduction.
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