240 / UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Overcoming barriers
Unblocking your communications
The information we receive about the world comes from our
senses. It is possible, however, for our senses to be impaired
or for the source of the message to provide inadequate
information to be reliably decoded. In sending messages
to others, we must be sensitive to the fact that they may
not see, hear, touch, taste, or smell in the same way we do.
Why do attempts at communication often fail? Broadly speaking, there
are two barriers that keep us from communicating successfully: the
operations of our bodies and our minds, and our assumptions that other
people understand and react to the world in the same way that we do.
Overcoming barriers
to communication
Be aware that different
backgrounds, education,
and experience give people
different expectations. Your
way of seeing the world is
not the only one.
Never make a judgment
before knowing the
facts about a situation.
Acknowledge that you
are usually working with
incomplete data.
CONSIDER CULTURE
BANISH PREJUDICE
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Ensuring understanding
Communication is more than sending
and receiving messages; if the message
has been delivered but not understood, no
communication has taken place. Everything,
from the culture in which we live to the norms
or standards of the groups to which we belong,
can influence how we perceive the messages,
events, and experiences of everyday life.
Even individual mindsets, such as holding
stereotypes, can set up barriers, affecting
what we understand and how we react to
outside stimuli.
Learn to recognize the barriers likely to
block your communications, and focus on what
you can do to overcome them. When speaking
to someone, for example, constantly monitor
their reactions to confirm that you are being
fully understood.
Don’t assume that
all members of a
group share the
same characteristics.
Put aside any
stereotypical views
you may have; treat
each person as
an individual.
Try to present your
arguments rationally
rather than
emotionally, and
accept that other
people may have
strong feelings
about a subject.
Recognize that
language has
different levels of
meaning. People will
respond differently
to the same words,
especially if the
words are vague
or general.
In sending messages
to others, we must
be sensitive to
the fact that they
may not see, hear,
touch, taste, or
smell in the same
way that we do
FIGHT
STEREOTYPES
CONTROL YOUR
FEELINGS
WATCH YOUR
LANGUAGE
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