week 1 barriers+to+effective+communication
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Barriers to Effective Communication
CJS/304
August 11, 2013
Communication is the process of by which information is exchanged from one person to
another or even a group of individuals through behavior, signs, or symbols. Communication is
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used daily around the clock around the world. There are many observations that indicate the
average person spends between 70 and 80 percents of his or her time communicating while
awake. Communication takes place when one mind so acts upon its environment that another
mind is influenced, and in that other mind an experience occurs which is like the experience in
the first mind, and is caused in part by that experience (Wallace & Roberson, 2009).
Communication consist of three components which are verbal, paraverbal, and nonverbal. In the
criminal justice system formal and informal are the two channels of communication that are
focused upon and play a very important role within the criminal justice system.
Communication is a five step process and all of the steps are important to include an
effective communication process. The first step of the communication process is transmission
which is the formation of thoughts that are needed and wanted to be expressed. The second step
is the medium which determine how one wants to transmit and send the idea which may include
written or oral communication and actions. The third step is receiving the message which is the
reverse of message transmission (audience). The fourth step is to understand the idea which
important because the content has to be made clear and concise so that the receiver understands.
The final step is the feedback to the message sender which ends the communication loop and the
sender receives data indicating the message was understood. Any information or ideas that are
transmitted through the process of communication is done by one of the three components of
communication which is verbal, paraverbal, and nonverbal. Verbal communication is the
common way to communicate which could be face-to-face or by phone. Nonverbal
communication is transmitted through writing and body language, and paraverbal which is
transmitted through tone, pitch, and the pace in which an idea is transmitted.
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Listening and hearing are also important aspects within communicating which can easily
be misunderstood. Hearing is defined as a process or part of listening in which sound waves by
detected by the ears and then processed to the brain for interpretation then once that part is
completed thats where listening occur. One of the most important factors in listening is not
being distracted during the hearing process so that the brain can process the information
transmitted to the brain; however, because the thought process is quicker than the speed of which
an individual can speak it is much easy to be distracted.
In the criminal justice system organizations there are formal and informal channels of
communication. Formal channels of communication are typically used by a term or phrase called
chain of command. Chain of command is the communication within an organization through
formal orders, directives, and written memorandums which maintains the security and
organization within law enforcement agencies. Formal channels may appear to be an ideal
channel of communication through a chain of command but it has its cons. Informal channels of
communication is the opposite of formal channels and presents the cons for formal channels.
Informal channels of communication are the unofficial routes of communication within law
enforcement agencies. For example, an informal channel that may occur within an agency is the
interaction between detectives and patrol officers whom may question a report or statement
written by patrol officer. Although the two channels of communication may be different and
informal channels of communication may not be the typical ideal way to communicate, informal
channels could be convenient and save time in some instances.
To have effective communication there are four barriers to overcome which includes
ineffective listening, emotional barriers, physical barriers and semantic barriers. All of these
barriers can have a negative influence in the effectiveness in communication for the sender and
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receiver. Emotional barriers can be present within the sender or receiver and could affect the
communication process because of the fear of rejection, stress, which can transform the
communication process and end with ineffective communication. Physical barriers are the aspect
of an environment that makes communication more difficult which may include equipment
malfunctions, not having the amount of staff needed to run an organization, or to simplify the
meaning, anything that may slow down the flow of information. Semantic barriers are defined as
the inability to agree on the meaning of certain terms, with a resulting loss in the ability to
communicate clearly (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). For an example, if a word or phrase is not
made clear, the receiver could and possibly misunderstand the intent of the message. Ineffective
listening, the last barrier and just as important as the others is the failure to hear or receive
information from the sender. Infective listening almost always leads to something bad and
especially within the criminal justice system. For example, a lieutenant at a prison tells an officer
to call a certain inmate up to the intake building for release and to verify his DOC number before
changing into his clothes; however, because there are over 600 inmates on the unit an officer
assumes the inmate is the right inmate and dont verify his or her DOC number but later realize
there were two inmates with the name Chris Brown. Barriers is a structure such as a fence or any
material that can block a passage and in the criminal justice system or simply communication, it
would be considered a message which has been blocked.
In the attempt to overcoming communication barriers, there are several strategies that can
be used. One way to overcome communication barriers is to focus on what is being said rather
than physical appearances and distractions. Being consistent with verbal and nonverbal cues
meaning, trying not to distract the receiver with facial expressions and hand gestures. This means
understanding and being aware of the situation and its seriousness. The last strategy is trying to
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understand others even if there is a cultural, religious, sex, creed, and race difference which
means being considerate to others.
Communication may sound simple and easy to do, but its not when being used in the
criminal justice system or even in a professional environment. To have effective communication,
it must first and always go through the four steps: transmission, medium, receiver, and
understand. Effective communication is important in the criminal justice system so that the
organization could operate properly and it is also important that formal and informal channels of
communication barriers are overcome as it has its contributions to success.
References
Wallace, H., & Roberson, C. (2009). Writtenand Interpersonal Communication: Methods for
Law Enforcement(4th
ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
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