Download Barriers to Effective Communication

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OYE-EKITI
REGISTRY DEPARTMENT
TRAINING WORKSHOP
ON
BARRIERS TO
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
SPEAKER:
Mr. O. O. TAIWO
Senior Assistant Registrar
Head, Academic Affairs Unit
Objectives of this training are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
To
understand
the
meaning
of
communication.
To understand the barriers to effective
communication.
To understand the possible ways to
overcome listening barriers.
To know the types of listeners.
To know how to improve your listening
skills.
Participants of this training are expected
to appreciate the essence of the training.
2
DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION
Communication is a process: a transfer of
information,
ideas,
thoughts
and
messages. It involves a sender, a receiver,
a code and, a language that is understood
by both the sender and the receiver. In
other words, communication process
involves
actions,
reactions,
and
interactions. – Communication is the
exchange of information.
To be continued..
3
DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION
Harper (2013) traces the etymology of
communication to Latin – COMMUNICARE
MEANING TO SHARE. Communication can
also be described as the activity of conveying
information through the exchange of
thoughts, messages or information. The
information can come inform of SPEECH,
VISUALS,
SIGNALS,
WRITING
or
BEHAVIOUR.
To be continued..
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DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION
Communication can only take place if
you have sender and receiver. Today
telephone conversation, voice mail,
video conferencing allow people in
different locations to exchange
messages quickly and conveniently.
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MODE OF COMMUNICATION
All correspondence is expected to be routed
through your head of department to the
appropriate office for further directive and
necessary action by the receiver. It should be
noted that it is out of place to write directly
to a more superior officer without routing
such letter(s) through your head of
department. The standardized format of
communication must be strictly adhere to.
Registrar
Academic
Affairs Officer
Council Affairs
Officer
Personnel
Affairs Officer
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TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
Communication can take different means, forms
and directions as indicated below:
a)
Downward Communication
This is the flow of information from the
superior level to the subordinate level. For
example, from the head of department to
the subordinate staff.
Registrar
Academic
Affairs Officer
Council
Affairs Officer
Personnel
Affairs
Officer
To be continued..
7
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
b) Upward Communication
c) Horizontal Communication
This
is
the
flow
of
This is the flow of information
information
from
the
among people in the same
subordinate level to the
level. For example, between two
superior level. In most cases,
heads
of
department,
or
upward
communication
between two Deans.
communicates
results,
observations, requests, etc.
from the subordinates to
superior officers.
Registrar
Academic
Affairs Officer
Council
Affairs Officer
Registrar
Personnel
Affairs Officer
Academic
Affairs Officer
Council
Affairs Officer
Personnel
Affairs Officer
To be continued..
8
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
d)
Crosswise
or
diagonal
Communication
This is the flow of information from
one level to any other level in the
organisation without reporting the
relationship. For example, flow of
information between the cleaner in
the Bursary Department and the
Faculty Officer in the Faculty of
Engineering and Technology. The
cleaner in the Bursary Department
who is a lower level staff does not
have any reporting relationship with
the Faculty Officer in the Faculty.
Bursary
Department
e) Verbal Communication
This is the use of human voice to
send and respond to ideas,
thoughts,
information
and
emotions. In the University
system, verbal communication
takes place in such forums
during
meetings,
Seminars,
Lectures, face-to-face or one-onone communication, etc.
A
Member
Cleaners
Cleaners
Cleaners
Cleaners
Cleaners
9
Member
Faculty Officer,
Engineering
Cleaners
THIS IS NOT ALLOWED IN A UNIVERSITY SYSTEM BUT
WHERE IT IS IMPORTANT, YOU MUST ROUTE SUCH
LETTER THROUGH YOUR HEAD OF DEPARTMENT/UNIT
Member
INFORMATION
Member
Member
To be continued..
9
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
f) Non-verbal Communication
This is a type of communication
without the use of words but
through
gestures,
body
language, facial expression, eye
contact, touch etc. For example,
if you shake your head to a
report is a clear indication of
the rejection of such report
while nodding of the head
indicates the acceptance of the
report.
D
C
A
B
g) Formal Communication
A formal communication is the
communication
that
flows
through the OFFICIAL chain
command.
This
includes
official memos, letters and
reports.
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OYE-EKITI
OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR
Internal Memorandum
To:
Ref.:
From:
Date:
SUBJECT HEADING
…………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………
THE REPORT
………………….………………………………………………
Signature of the writer
Name of the writer
Position/Rank of the sender.
To be continued..
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TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
h)
Non-Formal Communication
The non-formal communication
system is a system that does not
depend on the organisational chain
of command or hierarchy. This is
not acceptable in the style of
communication in a University
system. It is common in club
meetings, expression of emotions
and personal interactions.
i) The Grapevine
This is an informal communication in
a workplace where certain official or
personal matters are revealed or
discussed without any approval
“Confidentially”. It is an avenue for
some workers to spread rumours or
blackmail co-worker. Some would say:
 Please do not say I told you
 It is for your ears only
 Please keep this information,
nah secret matter o!
Within few hours/days/months the
information that is called “secret”
is already everywhere in the
workplace.
j)
Written Communication
Written communication in most
University administration takes
such means like Circulars, Emails,
Reports,
Notices,
Memoranda, etc,
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COMPONENTS OF
COMMUNICATION
SENDER
REAL/ACTUAL MESSAGE
MESSAGE TRANSMISSION
FEEDBACK
RECEIVER
MESSAGE INTERPRETATION
= NOISE
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BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Communication process involves actions, reactions,
and interactions. - Communication is the exchange
of information. Where such information/message is
not received exactly the way the sender intended; it is
important that communicators seek FEEDBACK to
check that their messages are clearly UNDERSTOOD.
The skill of listening clarification and reflection may
help but the skilled communicator also needs to be
aware of the barriers to effective communication.
It should be noted that barriers to communication
may occur at any stage of the communication
process. Barriers in communication leads to
distortion of information processes and miss
understanding of message.
To be continued..
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BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
WRONG
TARGET
UNCLEAR
MESSAGE
USE OF
JARGON
WRONG
FORMAT
TECHNICAL
BREAKDOWN
BARRIERS
POOR
TIMING
NO
FEEDBACK
RECEIVER
UNABLE TO
UNDERSTA
ND
ATTITUDE
TOWARDS
SENDER
WRONG
CHANNEL
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BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
To enjoy effective communication, you must overcome
those barriers and convey a clear and concise message.
Barriers in communication are categorized into:
1.
Presentation of Information
2.
Psychological Factors
3.
Physical Barriers
4.
Organizational Barriers
5.
Physiological Barriers
6.
Attitudinal Barriers
7.
Language Barriers
8.
Poor technological or outdated equipment
1. Presentation of Information
Ensure you present your information to the receiver to
avoid been mis-represented by the receiver. The
presentation of your message is very important to the
receiver.
To be continued..
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BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
The communicator has to consider audience
before making the communication. It is advisable
for communicator to present his/her information
in a simplify form by using simple and correct
language and not necessarily using big
vocabularies to allow his audience understand
the message.
The knowledge of the sender on the subject
matter is equally important. He needs to
understand the content as well as the
technicalities and jargon related to the message.
A good communicator must understand the use
of communication skills, style and body language.
To be continued..
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BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
2. Psychological Factors
This is the state of mind of both the encoder and decoder. The
state of mind will influence how the message is sent and
decoded. An encoder who has personal worries may
concentrate on the personal problems rather than the
message he/she is sending. Other psychological problems
that may affect the effective communication are;
 Stress - This may affect effective listening.
 Anger - When we are angry we may say things
we ought not to have said. Also, it may cause
misinterpretation of what others are saying.
 Less assertiveness – Generally, people with low
esteem may be less assertive and therefore may not be
comfortable communicating. As such, they may feel shy in
expressing how they really feel correctly or read messages
they heard negatively.
To be continued..
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BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
 Emotional distraction – This is another psychological
barrier to effective communication. This may include
thinking about personal problem(s). The emotional
distraction may influence how one sends or interprets a
message.
3. Physical Barriers
The nature of the environment may cause physical
barriers in communication. A physical barrier may be as a
result of geographical location. E.g. If the staff members of
an organisation are located in different buildings or towns,
this may as well cause communication problem. In other
words, communication is easier over a shorter distance
because less technology is required.
 Environment. E.g. During raining period.
 Physical disabilities.
To be continued..
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BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
4. Organizational Barriers
When an organization structure is not clearly defined, it may
cause confusion about who to communicate with. Where
roles are duplicated, this could slow down the pace of work
and decision making. Similarly, organizational barrier could
be inefficient or inappropriate information systems and a
lack of supervision or training. Inadequate information or
clarity in the roles and responsibilities of members of staff
can often lead to confusion of what is expected from each
officer. In addition, when there are changes in the policies
and where such policies are not properly documented and
communicated
appropriately,
it
affects
effective
communication.
5. Physiological Barriers
A receiver of message with hearing impairment may not get
the spoken conversation especially if there is a serious
background noise.
To be continued..
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BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
6. Attitudinal Barriers
Attitude, actions, inactions, reactions, perceptions or
behaviour
of
individuals
may
hinder
effective
communication. Examples are;
 Personality conflict which may make people refuse to
communicate.
 Poor management (lack of motivation and insufficient
training to enable them perform on the job)
 Resistance to change.
Individuals must identify his/her attitudinal problems
and attempt to overcome them in order to ensure
effective communication.
7. Language Barriers
The language differences in Nigeria is major barrier to
effective communication. Different interpretations of words
To be continued..
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BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
or expression can misunderstandings that will have a negative
influence on the communication processes. The cultural diversity
is a barrier. In communication, words that have same sound but
different meaning should be avoided as much as possible. Words
that are wrongfully or poorly explained are misunderstood. As
such, such words or messages can result in confusion or
misinterpretation of the message. E.g
• Yara/Iyewu
= Room
• Okinni/Abere = Needle
8 Poor technological or outdated equipment
The use of poor and outdated equipment can cause barrier in
effective communication. Other examples of physical barriers
are mechanical failure, background noise, lighting or an
environment which is too hot or cold can negatively affect
people’s morale and concentration. For example the landline of
NITEL of 1970’s when compared with the present technology
in GSM services, message(s) may be truncated while
communication is in progress.
To be continued..
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HOW TO OVERCOME BARRIERS IN COMMUNICATION
 Avoid
Intermittent listening/Wandering mind during
communication.
In most cases during communication, many so called
listeners do not always pay attention. For example,
participants at workshops/seminars do not pay attention.
Though, they may be there physically but their minds in
most cases are far away from the speaker. As such, to
overcome barriers in communication, ensure that your mind
in concentrated on the discussion.
 Put into consideration your listeners.
The sender must put the audience into consideration when
preparing his speech, as this will guide his choice of words and
the treatment of the contents. The speaker/writer must not
rely on the qualifications, experience and age of the listeners
as this may affect their concentration. For example, a
speaker/writer who is a Medical doctor should avoid the use of
difficult medical terms as much as possible in his speech.
To be continued..
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HOW TO OVERCOME BARRIERS IN COMMUNICATION
 Avoid Pre-jugdment.
The writer/speaker and the receiver/listener should not
engage in pre-judgment in their communication. The
encoder must not under assess the decoder either in
terms of academic background or experience on the job.
On the side of the decoder, the decoder must set aside
bias mind about the presenter either because of his/her
appearance or his method of presentation.
 Avoid Selective listening.
Listeners should avoid been selective in listening during
communication. The participants must listen to the
presentation and select the most useful points raised.
Random sampling in the selection areas of interest in
communication may affect effective communication. As
such, total attention/concentration should be given by
both the speaker/writer and the listener.
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TYPES OF LISTENERS
 Non-listeners
These
set
of
so
called
“listeners”
are
physically
present at the venue of
discussions BUT WILL NOT
FOLLOW the trend of the
discussion.
At times, they choose to
contribute but will eventually
draw back the trend of the
discussions or events. Listeners
under this category closes their
minds to discussion or events
around them. Mostly, their
lackadaisical attitudes affects
the purpose of the discussions.
To be continued..
24
TYPES OF LISTENERS
 Marginal Listeners
The people under this category are the
unserious listeners. They may choose to
listen intermittently by shorting their minds
to discussion at intervals.
When you call their attention to
issues, they only get less than 100% of
the discussion.
To be continued..
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TYPES OF LISTENERS
 Evaluation listeners
A listener under this category concentrates and treat
each point raised on its merits. He/she will base
his/her contribution(s) on the merit of the
presentation(s) while making his/her judgment on facts
before him/her.
 Active listeners
The listener under this category
participates fully both physically and
mentally in the discussion. He/she has
an independent reaction on the issues
discussed and receives every detailed
information discussed.
Active listening is good for both the
sender
and
the
receiver
during
discussion. Importantly, it is good for
students.
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WAYS TO OVERCOME LISTENING BARRIERS
1. Concentrate On The Speaker’s Message
A good listener will look directly into the
face/mouth of the speaker when speaking. This
is only possible when you face-face discussion. It
is important that a listener remains focused
when listening to a conversation or speech or
lecture.
A
Ensure you pay attention during communication.
Do not allow the spirit of wandering diseases to
have control over you during your discussion.
B
2.Control Noise.
Noise is a serious barrier to effective listening. As such, efforts
should be made to eliminate noise as much as possible. There
are two basic kinds of noise, viz:
A)
Internal noise: This comes from oneself. Preoccupation
with other thoughts. Others are: Distractions, pain,
fatigue, worry, over joyous, personal conflict with the
speaker. This may hinder listening and understanding.
To be continued..
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WAYS TO OVERCOME LISTENING BARRIERS
A)
External noise: Noise from radios, television, conversations,
vehicles on motion, e.t.c.
CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLE NOISE LIKE:
Noise from radio/car radio and television. Have adequate rest to
control distraction that results from fatigue. Barking of a dog - This
can be controlled.
A
Have adequate rest to
control distraction that
results from fatigue.
B
Send away the dog and
avoid the noise.
C
Reduce the volume of the
Noise from car radio and
television or radio.
Listeners must strive to avoid the noise they can control and manage the ones
they cannot control.
To be continued..
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WAYS TO OVERCOME LISTENING BARRIERS
3.
Resist Talking Instead of Listening
A listener should resist the urge to interrupt a
speaker. It is better to wait until the speaker has
finished making his point(s) then the listener can
respond appropriately. Learn to listen and talk less.
When you are taking, you will not be able to listen
attentively. This implies that it is impossible to be a
sender and receiver at the same time.
4.
Avoid Bias and Stereotypes
Do not preempt your speaker. A good listener will
not allow his ideas to interfere with the ideas of the
speaker. Ensure you listen to a speaker even when
your own views do not agree with that of the
speaker. When you listen to the views of your
speaker, his views may enhance your chances for
or against his ideas more effectively. To be continued..
29
WAYS TO OVERCOME LISTENING BARRIERS
5. Listen with a Positive Attitude
A good listener is expected to listen to the speaker with
open mind and with the intention that the speaker has
something to offer. For example, the purpose for which
a student attends lectures is to learn and if actually a
student wants to learn, such a student should listen
with utmost attention.
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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING SKILLS
 You should know that spoken words cannot be recalled.
As a listener, ensure you listen actively to be able to
cover the conversation appropriately. Listeners should
pay attention to speeches because they can hear faster
and accurately than the speaker can speak.
 Some listeners listen to only the part of conversation
that interests them. To improve your listening skills,
ensure you actively listen to everything that is said or
discussed. In the process, you should jot down some
important points to enable you review after the
conversation.
 If you have ear problem, you are advised to consult
your doctor for medical advise to enable you improve on
your ability to listen correctly and interpret
appropriately.
To be continued..
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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING SKILLS
 It should be noted that it is not humanly possible to
listen attentively to speeches all the time because you
might want to think about the message. The topic under
discussion and of course how it relates to you in the
process may allow you take a break mentally or
physically to enable you put yourself back to the active
mode in order to listen properly and take appropriate
decisions.
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EVALUATION OF OUR LISTENING SKILLS
It is important to evaluate our listening skills regularly.
This is to enable listeners determine how effective we are
in our listening ability. The evaluation may take the
following by answering the following questions;
1) What attitude do you have towards learning from
other?
• Positive ( )
• Negative ( )
2) Do you allow wandering of your mind because of your
non-interest in the message of the speaker?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
3) Do you ever refuse to listen because you do not agree
with the speaker’s ideas or approach to issues or when
you do not like his/her appearance?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
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EVALUATION OF OUR LISTENING SKILLS
4) Do you ever have to ask the speaker to repeat some
important information if something is unclear or when
you cannot remember what was said?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
5) Do you ever think thoroughly what to say next while
another speaker is talking?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
6) Do you sometimes stop listening because of your noninterest in the discussion?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
7)
Do you have hearing problem? If yes, have you done the
medical test?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
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EVALUATION OF OUR LISTENING SKILLS
8)
Do you interrupt speakers during discussion?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
9) Do you filter out both external and internal noise when
you are listening to your speaker?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
10) Do you pay attention or concentrate on the discussion
when your speaker is speaking?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
11) When your speaker is talking, do you always look at the
speaker’s face?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
35
EVALUATION OF OUR LISTENING SKILLS
12) Do you listen with the hope of gaining from your
speaker?
• Yes ( )
• No ( )
36
TOOL FOR SUCCESS
Determine
“NOT TO FAIL”
and be ready
“TO LEARN”
37
WORDS OF ELDERS
 You
can change your world by changing your
words....... Remember, death and life are in the power
of the tongue.
 Truthful
words are not beautiful; beautiful words are
not truthful. Good words are not persuasive;
persuasive words are not good.
A
man's character may be learned from the adjectives
which he habitually uses in conversation.
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“SURELY, I WILL CONTRIBUTE TO
FUOYE
;
I CANNOT AFFORD TO FAIL”
THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING
39