The Road Bumps in Communication

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."

-George Bernard Shaw

Contrary to what most might believe, communication does not occur when something has been said. As famous Irish playwright, G.B Shaw, aptly points out in the quote above, we cannot simply assume that communication is complete once our message has reached the person with who we are in the midst of communicating. There has to be some form of a reaction to indicate comprehension. Only when this has happened can we deem the process complete. 

Good communication is needed to convey our thoughts wholly. 

Hence, keeping this in mind, we can call communication a process that involves exchange of information between two entities (individuals or groups) such that a bridge of understanding gets built between them. Even when a teacher is giving a lecture in class, he/she has a message which is given out either verbally or non-verbally. This message travels through various mediums depending on the situation and reaches the students. The students listen to or read the message, understand the meaning intended and finally, give feedback in the form of replies, questions, gestures and so on.

Furthermore, communication is categorized into types, the broadest of which allow for classification into two distinct categories –Verbal Communication and Non-Verbal Communication.

Simply put, verbal communication refers to communication that makes use of words or symbols. The message here gets transmitted using words and this can be done either orally or in written format. So, making conversation face-to-face, giving a lecture or a speech, talking on the phone, writing a letter or a note, etc. are all forms of verbal communication simply by virtue of their usage of words. An important aspect of verbal communication is that the two communicators must be able to understand the meaning of the words used in the process. If this is not the case, then language presents a barrier to the process. Since meaning and symbols differ across cultures and languages , it is important to establish a common ground of understanding in terms of language for communication to be successful. Further sections of this post will explore this barrier in further detail.

Non-verbal communication is the opposite of verbal communication in that it is primarily wordless. Visual and physical cues come into play here and take precedence. So, body language, gestures, sounds, volume, facial expressions, silence, physical appearance etc. are all non-verbal in nature but still effective in communication. By themselves, these cues say so much about what a person is thinking. For instance, if, while making conversation with someone, we notice that their hands are folded over their chest, we can understand that they might be aloof. The act of leaning in towards someone who is talking may indicate interest or curiosity. Scrunched up eyebrows may indicate concentration. Some sounds we make when we hurt ourselves can indicate the level of pain as well. Some non-verbal cues are even specific to certain cultures. A side-way tilt of the head in Indian culture could mean a 'yes' or an 'okay' and this gesture would be enough to convey the meaning.

These forms of communication may even aid verbal communication in that we can observe body language and hand gestures to understand what the listener is feeling in the situation. So, non-verbal means often end up conveying much more since they are often unconsciously exhibited and hence, more authentic in nature.

Non Verbal communication constitutes a major chunk of our communication. 

Therefore, we can infer that while both these types of communication differ in some respect, they actually go hand in hand. One aids the other and makes the message richer and thus, the process becomes smoother.  There is a reason why sometimes while we are text messaging someone, we tend to find it difficult to understand their tone or mood due to the absence of non-verbal cues. Hence, emoticons have become popular as indicators of the same. Similarly, non-verbal cues say only so much. Most of what we infer could be pure assumption since we cannot always be a hundred per cent sure about what the other person is thinking. Words can help dispel misunderstanding.

However, there often come times when certain factors pose hindrance to our understanding. These are like road bumps on the road to successful communication. Because of their presence, the process of communication remains incomplete, the consequences of which could even be dire. So, for any reason if you are unable to communicate which wire needs to be cut to defuse a bomb, imagine what could happen!

Hence, it becomes important to recognize these ‘barriers’ to communication and understand how they operate. These barriers may be any one of the following:

1.   Physical: These usually comprise geographical boundaries or technological issues which come in the way of communication. This is the age of constant movement and people are always going from one place to another. In such a situation, distance becomes a barrier when we need to communicate with our loved ones that don’t necessarily live near us. Similarly, technology often becomes more of a nuisance than an aid in communication. When distance already exists, the one thing we can depend on is technology to at least make it seem like those who we love are not as far as we may think. But, glitches in the system can prevent connection and hence, delay communication. These create a physical barrier to communication.

2.  Perceptual: As humans, our experiences tend to give rise to certain notions in our minds which in turn, create a set of opinions and ideas about most things. Misconceptions are so easily formed mostly because what led us to form them was improper communication in the first place. We tend to believe something because the meaning was probably not conveyed appropriately or we failed to understand the message as it was intended. Hence, our perceptions, that come to be guided by our culture and lifestyle, can become barriers in communication too. If an American citizen, going by the kind of information he/she has access to, perceives that India is just a poor country with nothing but slums, garbage and animal worship, then he/she may never truly be able to know what India is all about. The removal of perceptual barriers becomes important to make the truth known. Even where technology is concerned, if someone over 60 perceives technology to be way beyond their understanding and more complex than it actually is, he/she may not be able to take part in the communication that goes on using technology. They may miss out on a lot of messages and not be able to participate like they should.

3.  Emotional: When passions run too high, what and how we communicate may not be in harmony with what is intended. When passions run too low, the message may never even reach the other person. Since most of what we do is guided by our emotions, expressing them adequately can make or break the process of communication. So, if your friend is depressed and going through a tough time, his/her emotional state can become a barrier in effective communication. Their heart might not be in it and this emotional disconnect can make communication difficult. The same may occur on social media. One’s emotional state can distort their understanding of a message shared by someone else. This may trigger a reaction that is born out of misunderstanding. This type of a situation is extremely common today and emotional barriers may have a vital role to play here.

Perceptions and judgements can lead to wrong understanding of the message. 

4.   Cultural: We are all products of our culture and immediate surroundings. Hence, what touching of the feet may mean in one culture may not even be relevant in another. In Asian countries like Japan, it is normal to bow down as a sign of respect towards another person. A person from, say, the West might not be able to comprehend this as he/she cannot relate to that culture. Similarly, nowadays if we, sitting in India, watch television shows or movies that have been made in Korea or the US, the kind of mannerisms the actors exhibit may be new for us. Our unfamiliarity with their culture can affect our understanding of the context. In my opinion, the only way to combat cultural barriers is to read more, observe more, watch more and hence, become more aware. Continuing to grow our knowledge about the world we live in and its diversity can help close the gap that cultural disparity may create.

5.  Linguistic: As a continuation of the point mentioned above, language-an inherent aspect of one’s culture- can also become a barrier to effective communication. When we move to another city, it is vital to learn the local language otherwise communication becomes a huge issue in conducting our daily affairs. So, as a Calcuttan living in Banagalore, it is important that I acquire some knowledge of Kannada otherwise the quality of my life here might be in jeopardy. Who knows when I could land up in an unknown part of the city or even come back home with the opposite of what I intended to purchase!Having good knowledge of a few widely spoken languages also permits access to more content both online and offline. We can read Spanish articles, watch and enjoy Korean series, or even watch Japanese cartoons as they are meant to be enjoyed without having messages getting lost in translation.

Linguistic differences tend to pose a major barrier in understanding.

6.    Gender: It is not a surprise that society, as a whole, tends to favour one particular gender over the others. While it is unfair, it remains a fact that the gender one identifies with may exclude them from certain conversations and important communication. This does not just apply to women but also to people who may be transgender. In a workplace setting, even when a male or a female employee may be at the same level, how the boss communicates with the male may be very different from how he/she communicates with the female. Sexist notions may make them more condescending and be biased in their approach.On social media too, how trolls reply to female celebrities may vastly differ from how they reply to male celebrities or people of eminence. Women often become victims of gender-based hate speech that certainly don’t make communication an enriching process. These act as barriers that our society needs to do away with. Even perceptual and cultural barriers can aid gender barriers to communication as the latter arises out of the mindset that the former create.

7.   Interpersonal: Our own behaviour can pose as an obstacle to how we communicate. So, a lack of desire to contribute to the discussion being held is an interpersonal barrier that we can only hold ourselves accountable for. Being judgemental, having a personal grudge against the communicator etc. are interpersonal issues that affect our involvement. Limited vocabulary, lack of trust and many other personal factors can act as an impediment in how we take part in the process of communication. Human nature by itself becomes the barrier here but it is not something that cannot be worked on with time.

A humourous cartoon depicting how lack of interest can also factor in as a barrier. 

So, if you have managed to survive this long and informative post, I hope that you can also apply this knowledge to your life. If you know there is a barrier that hinders how you communicate, maybe work on it and try to eliminate it from the equation. 

Communication is universal and we need to become better communicators, especially given the fact that technology has shrunk our world immensely. Now more than ever it is important to let our voices be heard and understood. Being mindful and aware helps us go a long way in defining the nature and quality of our communication experience.

That’s all for this post. If you have a funny story about barriers that hindered your communication process, let me know in the comments section!

Sources:

http://www.notesdesk.com/notes/business-communications/types-of-communication/

https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/verbal-vs-non-verbal-communication