breakdown of communication

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1Breakdown of Communication

DR. RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA

NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

2014-15

FINAL DRAFT

ENGLISH

BREAKDOWN OF COMMUNICATION

Under Guidance of: Submitted by

Mrs. ALKA SINGH SHOBHIT S. AWASTHI

Assistant Professor (ENGLISH) SEMESTER1ST

Dr. RML National Law University ROLLNO. 130


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Acknowledgement

I express my gratitude and deep regards to my teacher for the subject Mrs. Alka Singh for

giving me such a challenging topic and also for her exemplary guidance, monitoring and

constant encouragement throughout the course of this thesis.

I also take this opportunity to express a deep sense of gratitude to my seniors in the college

for their cordial support, valuable information and guidance, which helped me in completing

this task through various stages.

I am obliged to the staff members of the Madhu Limaye Library, for the timely and valuable

information provided by them in their respective fields. I am grateful for their cooperation

during the period of my assignment.

Lastly, I thank almighty, my family and friends for their constant encouragement withoutwhich this assignment would not have been possible.


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Index

Introduction

Communication: Itsmeaning.......................................................................

The Process of Communication.

Importance of Communication..

Noise..

Breakdown of communication: meaning...

Barriers to Effective Communication....

Semantic Barriers.

Breakdown of Communication due to Semantic Barriers

Psychological Barriers...

Breakdown of Communication due to Psychological Barriers..

Personal Barriers

Breakdown of Communication due to Personal Barriers..

Measures to Overcome Barriers.

Bibliography......


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Introduction

The process of interpersonal communication cannot be regarded as a phenomena

which simply 'happens', but should be seen as a process which involves participants

negotiating their role in this process, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Senders and receivers are of course vital in communication. In face-to-face communication

the roles of the sender and receiver are not distinct as both parties communicate with

each other, even if in very subtle ways such as through eye-contact (or lack of) and

general body language. There are many other subtle ways that we communicate

(perhaps even unintentionally) with others, for example the tone of our voice can

give clues to our mood or emotional state, whilst hand signals or gestures can add to

a spoken message.

In written communication the sender and receiver are more distinct. Until recent

times, relatively few writers and publishers were very powerful when it came to

communicating the written word. Today we can all write and publish our ideas on

the Internet, which has led to an explosion of information and communication

possibilities.

In this project all queries with regard to communication are explained. Terminologies

such as barriers to communication and process of communication are also discussed.

The project also plays special heed to the need or usefulness of communication in

our life . The project ends with a brief note with the case study of situations where

there has been a severe breakdown in communication.


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Communication is derived from the Latin term commnicre, meaning "to share"

is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts,

messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior. It is

the meaningful exchange of information between two or more living creatures.

Pragmatics defines communication as any sign-mediated interaction that follows

combinatorial, context-specific, and content-coherent rules. Communication is an

inherently social interaction, and communicative competence is the ability to

engage in inter subjective interactions.

Definitions

According to Keith Davis , Communication is the passing information and

understanding from one person to another, it is essentially a bridge of meaning

between people. By using the bridge of meaning the person come safely across

the river of misunderstanding.

Louis A. Allen believes that, Communication is the sum of all the things one

person does when he wants to create understandings in the minds of another. It

involves a systematic and continuous process of telling , listening and

understanding.

William Neman says, Communication is an exchange of facts , ideas , opinions

or emotions by two or more persons.


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Roger emphasises that , Communication is the process by which people create

and share information with one another in order to reach common understanding.

Process of Communication or Elements of Communication

The process of communication is a complicated process consisting of various steps. Each

of the steps plays a vital role in establishing an effective communication. Communication

cant happen in the absence of any of the following elements

1.

Sender

A person who conveys the message is known as the sender or

communicator. He may be a speaker, writer or an actor. He initiates the process of

communication and is the source of it. The speaker is the first step towards an

effective communication.

2. Message

It is the subject matter of communication. It may consist of facts, information,

ideas, opinions etc. The first message is sent by the sender. The message exists

in the mind of the sender.

3. Encoding

The sender will translate the message into words, symbols, gestures which he

understands that the receiver will understand. This is known as encoding the

message.


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4. Channel or medium or media

The encoded message is transmitted through some medium which is known as

the communication channel. E.g. speaking, writing or event movement of body

parts could be a medium.

5.

Receiver

The person who receives the message is called the receiver. The listener may

be a listener or a viewer. The receiver of the message may or may not be the

intended person to which the sender wants to send the message.

6. Decoding

On receiving the message from the sender the receiver tries to decode the

message. This process of the receiver of interpreting the message is known as

decoding. The receiver may or may not interpret the message in the desired

way.

7. Feedback

The receiver sends his response to the sender of the message. Such response

is known as feedback. When the feedback is received by the sender, the

process of communication is complete. Transmission of feedback involve the

same steps as in the case of the senders message. Therefore from this we can

conclude that that the process of communication is a circular process.


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The diagram above shows the process of Communication from the sender to the reciever

The above diagram shows the process of feedback from the receiver to the sender.

Sender

Message

Encoding

MediumReceiver

Sender

Feedback

Reciever


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The process of communication can be illustrated with an example. The managing

director of a company sends a notice to the factory manager asking him to send

a report of the performance of the previous month. The factory manager sends the

required report.

Here the managing director of the company is the sender, the message being a

request to forward him the performance report and the factory manager is the

receiver. The report which the factory manager sends to the managing director is

the feedback.

Importance of Communication-

Communication is an indispensable part of the process of management. No

organisation can survive without an effective system of communication.

Communication is used by persons to express themselves in an understandable

manner.

Sound communication offers the following benefits

1. Serves as a basis of planning and decision making

Communication is essential for decision making and planning in todays world.

The quality of decision making depends on the amount and quality of

information available in the organisation. Realistic planning and sound decision

making is not possible without the transfer of information through

communication. Effective communication is also helpful for the proper

implementation of plans and policies of management.


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2. Smooth and effective operation

An effective communication system serves as a lubricant in transfer of ideas,

information, opinion etc. The favourable understanding of the message by the

receiver is the primary motive of the sender and it is only through

communication that he is able to achieve it. In a company, it is through

communication that a manager issues orders and instructions and regulates the

behavior of his subordinates in a desired direction. Effective communication

enables management to clarify tasks and responsibilities, and to obtain

acceptance of organisational rules by employees.

3. Facilitates co-ordination

If we consider an example of a organisation, the work that is to be done

there is divided among different departments and sections. The activities and

efforts of different individuals and groups must be coordinated. Communication

is the best means of creating cooperation and coordination. Exchange of ideas

and information helps in bringing about unity of action in pursuit of a

common purpose. Communication binds people together. Communication is the

root in every group activity.

4. Creation of motivation and morale

Through communication the sender can make sure that the receiver is fully

informed about the plans, job and other important information. If we take an

example of a political party, the motivation and morale of the party worker

tend to be high when they clearly understand what they are supposed to do.

Sharing of information with them by the party leaders on matters of common


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interest provide satisfaction to the workers. In the same example it will be

through communication that the workers will bring suggestions, grievances and

difficulties to the notice of the leaders , which ensures greater work

satisfaction and stimulates workers enthusiasm and loyalty towards the party.

It gains commitment of the workers to the objectives of the party.

5.

Soul of a sound democracy

Effective communication helps to create mutual understanding and trust

between the various departments in the government. It enables the government

to come into close contact with the civilians. It serves as a bridge between the

government and the citizens. Communication is an essential for peoples

participation in governance and also very helpful in the delegation and

decentralisation of authority . The process of leadership itself depends upon


6. Maintaining Relations

Communication is an indispensable means of developing a favourable relation.

It is only through communication that people can keep cordial relations.

NOISE

Sometimes the process of communication is disturbed by noise. Noise in

communication means the disruption or interference in the process anywhere along

the way. It can occur in any step throughout the process. Some examples of noise

are as follows


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a. Use of ambiguous symbols resulting in faulty encoding.

b. A poor telephone connection.

c. An inattentive listener

d. Attaching wrong meaning to a message i.e. faulty decoding

e. Gestures and postures which distort the message

f. Prejudice causing poor understanding of message.

Barriers to Communication

Recognizing barriers to effective communication is a first step in improving communication

style. One can recognize these barriers from their own personal and professional experience

Encoding Barriers - The process of selecting and organizing symbols to represent a

message requires skill and knowledge. A barrier to communication is something that keeps

meanings from meeting. Meaning barriers exist between all people, making communication


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much more difficult than most people seem to realize. It is false to assume that if one can

talk he can communicate.

There are many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the

communication process. Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you

therefore risk wasting both time and/or money by causing confusion and misunderstanding.

Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and

concise message. Some of the barriers or obstacles to effective communication are given

below-

Semantic Barriers-

Semantics is concerned with the meaning of words and symbols. Semantic barriers arise in

the process of encoding and decoding a message. The intended meaning is not conveyed.

These barriers can further be classified as follows

a.

Badly Expressed Message

Use of wrong words, omission of necessary words and inadequate vocabulary results in

badly expressed message. The intended meaning is not conveyed.

b. Technical jargon

Specialists often use technical language which common man does not understand.

Patients often do not understand many words used by the doctors.

c. Unclarified Assumptions

A message may be understood when the sender does not clarify the assumptions behind

it. For example the Sales manager may instruct his staff, Make any effort to achieve the

sales target. He may mean that the sales are to be increased but without increasing the

rate of discount. But the staff may interpret that any effort means any discount.

d.

Faulty Translations

When the translator does not proficient in both the languages involved in the translation,

the meaning of the message may get distorted.


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e.

Symbols with different meanings

The same word may have different meanings to different persons. For example, the word

cost may mean one thing to the production department and the other to the sales

department.

f.

Body Language

A message may be wrongly interpreted when the body movements of either of the

communicators do not match with what they want to convey.

CASE STUDY

We take an example where there are two communicators. Both of them are from two different

countries namely India and Japan. The language shall be one of the biggest barriers in this

case. Due to a lack of any common language if not so then the difference in their accents

shall be the most probable cause of a badly expressed message.

They can also have said to have assumed that the policies of each others government to be

same. The same symbol in the two countries can have different meaning and can hinder the

path to effective communication. Moreover the body language which the Japanese follow

may not be the same as that of the Indians.

Psychological Barriers

The state of mind of both the sender and the receiver affect the process of communication.

For example a worried or angry person cannot communicate effectively. Some of the

psychological barriers are given below-

a. Lack of attention


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When the receivers mind is pre-occupied, he fails to listen what is said. For example a

worker explains some problem to his superior and the supervisor is preoccupied with

his cell phone, he would not be able to grasp the message.

b. Premature evaluation

Communication is likely to fail if the receiver evaluates the meaning of the message

before the sender completes the message. Such pre-mature evaluation may occur due

to pre-conceived notions or prejudice against the communicator.

c.

Poor Retention

The receiver who cannot retain the information for a long time may fail to understand

it. Poor retention may be due to lack of interest.

d. Distrust

When the sender and the receiver do not believe in each other, the message may not

be understood in its original sense.

CASE STUDY

We take a case of two people who are communicating with the help of video chat through

the internet as both of them are from different cities. Here the attention of either of the

communicators shall play an important role in determining the effectiveness of

communication. For an effective communication each of them should not have diversions in

their mind. Poor retention of the receiver and the sender or initiator shall play an important

role. Moreover if the sender does not trust the person on the other end he shall not

communicate freely and let the other side know all the relevant information which is

mandatory for establishing an effective communication. Retention shall also play a very

important role in determining the level of communication.


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Personal Barriers

Personal characteristics of both the sender and the receiver play an important role in

the process of communication. Either of the two are capable of affecting the path to an


a.

Fear of challenge to authority

A superior is likely to withhold or suppress a message if he perceives that it will

adversely affect his authority.

b.

Lack of willingness to communicate

A subordinate will not communicate with his superiors if he perceives that it will

affect his interests.

c.

Lack of confidence in the other person

A person who does not have confidence in his counterpart is not likely to seek their

advice and suggestions.

d. Barrier of status

A status minded person might not communicate in an effective way to whom he

considers as subordinate.

CASE STUDY

Here we assume the case of communication within an organisation. For the

senior to freely communicate with his subordinates he should be free of the fear of

challenge to his authority. If not so then he shall not communicate without hesitation.

Moreover a subordinate will not communicate with his superiors if he perceives that it

will affect his interests. He shall hence lack the willingness to communicate. The

superior on the other hand should not bring the factor of ego in between. We can from

this case conclude that effective communication is possible only if the above stated


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barriers are overcome. The senior here play a very vital role in the establishment of an

effective communication channel in the organisation.

Measures to Overcome the Barriers

It is only after one overcomes these barriers that they will be able to

communicate in an effective manner. Some measures for making communication

effective are given below-

a. Clarify the ideas before communicating

The message which is to be made should be clear in all aspects. It should

be analysed in depth and stated in precise and simple words.

b. Know and understand the receiver

The communicator should know the level of understanding of the receiver.

The content, language and the tone of the message should be adjusted to

suit the education and intelligence of the receiver. The language used in

the message should not offend the sentiments of the receiver.

c. Consult others before Communicating

It is better to involve others in developing the message to be transmitted.

Involvement and participation of subordinates will help to get acceptance

and commitment.

d.

Convey helpful and valuable things

The message will evoke the desired response if it contains something useful

for the receiver. Therefore design the message according to the needs and

interests of the receiver.

e. Be a good listener


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Attentive and patient listening on one end shall encourage the other end to

communicate freely.

f. Attention

Careful listening is essential for effective communication. The communicator

should try to secure the undivided attention of the other end. Emphasising

listening and open mind are necessary for this purpose.

Conclusion

Language is a powerful vehicle of communication. Sometimes however, owing to

a number of factors successful or effective communications do not take place.

Some of the more prominent factors leading to breakdown or failure in

communication are : psychological, personal and semantic. Of course there are

equally effective means through which these barriers can be overcome, thus

resulting in effective communication. To cite Francis T. Bergin, communication, in

order to succeed must be correct, clear, complete, concise, concrete and candid.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gupta, C.B. , communications , sultan chand and suns , XI edition, 2009.

Gupta ,O.P , business studies , Geeta Publishing house , 2011

www.communicationsabt.com

www.communicationqueries.org
http://www.communicationsabt.com/http://www.communicationsabt.com/http://www.communicationsabt.com/

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