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Name: Dainea Williams Russell Course: Administration in Education Date: February 29, 2016 Assignment # 1 Question 1 (a): Examine the communication process of your school/organization and discuss its effectiveness. (2 marks) Olga James-Reid (2014. pg. 34), states that communication is the process of exchanging verbal or non-verbal messages. It is a continuous process and is inevitable in any educational organization. In my school community, communication is a two way process that is transmitted both verbally and nonverbally to students, parents, colleagues and all other stakeholders involved. For example, as a staff we meet on a weekly basis to plan, organize, and also implement strategies to meet our daily goals. Notices and other written messages are sent around to remind both administrative and ancillary staff of duties and important dates. Notices are placed on notice board to allow students and the general public to become aware of and have access to important information. Communication also takes place with parents and other stakeholders through face to face contact, written letters or telephone conversations. In some areas, this is very effective, however, in other areas the communication process needs significant improvement. For example, as teachers in the classroom we have to be skilled at not only explaining things clearly but also listening to our students. This will ensure that communication is effective at all times, so that teaching and learning is successful. In many instances, we may have miscommunicated with the students or even our own co-workers which leads to misunderstanding and may give the wrong feedback. In such instances the communication process is not effective and as such needs to be improved. Question # 1 (b): Identify at least three barriers to effective communication within your school/organization and outline 3 measures you would put in place to remove such barriers in order to improve the communication process (8 marks). Messages are communicated twenty four hours; every day of the week. However, not all our verbal messages are interpreted the way we intended it to. This is because in the communication process, there are many barriers that hinder effective communication. Three major barriers to effective communication in my institution are: language differences, cultural differences, and barriers to listening. One of the major barrier to effective communication is language. Even when we are communicating in the same dialect, the terminology used may act as a barrier if it is not fully understood by the recipient. In the classroom sometimes we use language that the children may not understand. Because of this they often do not grasp certain concepts that we teach thus hindering learning. Sometimes too, teachers or principals may use terms or jargons to parents, staff members or other stake holders which may not be interpreted in the intended way and as such does not get the correct feedback. To remove such a barrier, we must always think carefully when communicating to the students and ensure that we use simple language and terms that they can easily relate to. In addition to this, when communicating to parents or other stakeholders, we should ensure that we do not use jargons that we would normally use with our colleagues but make our messages clear, concise and to the point. Culture is a powerful source that affects the behaviour of the organization. However, because each individual in the organization has her own believes, norms and way of thinking, it can become a barrier to effective communication. For example, some principals, senior teachers and other colleagues believe that their way is the only way and sometimes is the best way of doing something. This may lead to a breakdown in communication and can affect the success of the institution. In order to correct this, we must be open minded and have a clear understanding that there are other ways of doing things. We must also learn to respect the opinions of others as different people behave and believe differently. In addition to language and culture, there are some barriers to listening that hinders effective communication. Some of these barriers are: lack of attention, interest, distractions or relevance to the receiver. This is quite evident in the classroom when students become uninterested or unenthusiastic about their school work. Here is where the teacher must plan interesting lessons that will have students engaged and actively participating in the lesson. These lessons must be stimulating and technology based as this will encourage classroom communication. On the other hand, there are many things that can get in the way of listening when communicating o our colleagues, parents or other stakeholders. These include lack of interest in the message being communicated or the topic discussed, feeling sick or tired, being prejudiced or bias and sometimes too, we might be preoccupied with our own issues that we fail to listen. In order to improve on the barriers to listening we must be brief when conveying our thoughts, respect the other person for his or her knowledge or skills irrespective of his or her background. Also, we must always maintain eye contact when the person is speaking. In conclusion, effective communication is essential in any institution as it helps in achieving success and help to maintain a strong working relationship at all levels of the institution. We should therefore try to break down barriers that hinder effective communication so that the day to day running of the institution is successful.