communication

Communicating with others involves three primary steps:[4]

Communication (from Latin commnicre, meaning "to share" [1]) is the
activity of conveying information through the exchange of ideas, feelings,
intentions, attitudes, expectations, perceptions or commands, as by
speech, non-verbal gestures, writings, behavior and possibly by other
means such as electromagnetic, chemical or physical phenomena and
smell. It is the meaningful exchange of information between two or more
participants (machines, organisms or their parts).[2][3]
Communication requires a sender, a message, a medium and a recipient,
although the receiver does not have to be present or aware of the
sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus
communication can occur across vast distances in time and space.
Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of
communicative commonality. The communication process is complete
once the receiver understands the sender's message.[citation needed

Thought: First, information exists in the

mind of the sender. This can be a concept, idea, information, or feeling.

Encoding: Next, a message is sent to a

receiver in words or other symbols.

Decoding: Lastly, the receiver

translates the words or symbols into a concept or
information that a person can understand.

There are a variety of verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. These

include body language, eye contact, sign language, haptic communication,
and chronemics. Other examples are media content such as pictures,
graphics, sound, and writing. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities also defines the communication to include the display of
text, Braille, tactile communication, large print, accessible multimedia, as well as

written and plain language, human-reader ,augmentative and alternative modes,

means and formats of communication, including accessible information and
communication technology.[5] Feedback is a critical component of effective
communication.

Barriers
There are many reasons why interpersonal communications may fail. In
many communications, the message (what is said) may not be received
exactly the way the sender intended. It is, therefore, important that the
communicator seeks feedback to check that their message is clearly
understood.
The skills of Active Listening, Clarification and Reflection may help but the
skilled communicator also needs to be aware of the barriers to effective
communication and how to avoid or overcome them.

There are many barriers to communication and these may occur at

anystage 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.

Communication: Common Barriers to

Effective

The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms.

Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may find it difficult to express their
emotions and some topics may be completely 'off-limits' or taboo.

Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver. (See our

page Barriers to Effective Listening for more information).

Differences in perception and viewpoint.

Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties.

Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Not being able to see the nonverbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can make communication less
effective.

Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents.

Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or

stereotyping. People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually
said and jump to incorrect conclusions.

Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different

cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of
personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings.

A skilled communicator must be aware of these barriers and try to reduce their impact
by continually checking understanding and by offering appropriate feedback.

A Categorisation of Barriers to
Communication
.

Language Barriers
Language and linguistic ability may act as a barrier to communication .
However, even when communicating in the same language, the terminology used in a
message may act as a barrier if it is not fully understood by the receiver(s). For example, a
message that includes a lot of specialist jargon and abbreviations will not be understood by a
receiver who is not familiar with the terminology used.

Regional colloquialisms and expressions may be misinterpreted or even considered

offensive.

PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERSThe psychological state of the

communicators will influence how the message is sent, received and percieved.
For example, if someone is stressed they may be preoccupied by personal concerns and
not as receptive to the message as if they were not stressed.
Stress management is an important personal skill that affects our interpersonal
relationships. Anger is another example of a psychological barrier tocommunication,
when we are angry it is easy to say things that we may later regret and also to
misinterpret what others are saying

More generally people with low self-esteem may be less assertive and
therefore may not feel comfortable communicating - they may feel shy about
saying how they really feel or read negative sub-texts into messages they
hear.Physiological barriers may result from the receivers physical state.
For example, a receiver with reduced hearing may not grasp to entirety of a spoken
conversation especially if there is significant background noise.

Physical Barriers
An example of a physical barrier to communication is geographic distance between
the sender and receiver(s).
Communication is generally easier over shorter distances as more communication channels
are available and less technology is required. Although modern technology often serves to
reduce the impact of physical barriers, the advantages and disadvantages of each
communication channel should be understood so that an appropriate channel can be used to
overcome the physical barriers.
.

ATITUDNAL BARRIERS

Attitudinal barriers are behaviours or perceptions that prevent people from

communicating effectively.

Attitudinal barriers to communication may result from personality conflicts,

poor management, resistance to change or a lack of motivation. Effective
receivers of messages should attempt to overcome their own attitudinal
barriers to facilitate effective communication.

SEMANTIC
Semantics is related to meanings of words. To be more exact, it is related to connotative
and denotative meanings of words and its study. Every word has a direct meaning called
the denotative meaning. In addition to its exact or lexical meaning, words also acquire
implied meanings called connotative meanings. Connotations are understood based
only on an individuals experience. If the encoder and decoder do not share the some
connotative meaning for a word, miscommunication occurs.
We have already seen how bimonthly can mean two different concepts to two different
people even at denotative level. Similarly, examine the word cheap as an adjective. You
will enjoy a cheap holiday because you spend less than the real cost. Industries desire
cheap labour to reduce the over all cost of production. These connotations of cheap as
an adjective are different from the connotations in expressions like cheap popularity
and cheap joke. If the receiver does not understand the connotation attributed by the
sender, miscommunication takes place. But when words are used for denotations
alone, not much damage will be done. To overcome the semantic barrier to
communication, the communicator should choose the precise and exact word that will
carry the same meaning for the receiver in the given context.The meaning of the word is
related to context at the connotational level. A complimentary expression may derive a
connotative derogative meaning which will ruin the communication process. If you
examine the word fellow, you will find so many connotations to it. The word used with
adjectives such as nice and lousy change the complexion of the word fellow. A nice
fellow and a lousy fellow are poles apart. If you call some one a fellow scholar, he is
your contemporary. A fellow traveller is simply your co-passenger on a train, but in
another context he is a sympathizer or a secret member of the communist party.
Fellowship simply means companionship / friendliness. However, in special contexts it
can have different connotations. You can be a scholar with UGC (University Grants
Commission) getting a fellowship.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal communication is the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless
(mostly visual) cues between people. It is sometimes mistakenly referred to as body
language (kinesics), but nonverbal communication encompasses much more, such as use of voice
(paralanguage), touch (haptics), distance (proxemics), and physical environments/appearance.
[1]

Typically overlooked in nonverbal communication are proxemics, or the informal space around the
body and chronemics: the use of time. Not only considered eye contact, oculesics comprises the

actions of looking while talking and listening, frequency of glances, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation,

and blink rate. This subject is diverse in meaning, relative to culture and not limited to these definitions
specifically
Even speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, rate,
pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation, and stress.
Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of
words, or the physical layout of a page. However, much of the study of nonverbal communication has
focused on interaction between individuals,[2] where it can be classified into three principal
areas: environmental conditions where communication takes place, physical characteristics of the
communicators, and behaviors of communicators during interaction.

Nonverbal communication involves the processes of encoding and decoding. Encoding is

the act of generating the information such as facial expressions, gestures, and postures.
Decoding is the interpretation of information from received sensations from previous
experiences.[2]
Culture plays an important role in nonverbal communication, and it is one aspect that helps to
influence how learning activities are organized. In many Indigenous American Communities, for
example, there is often an emphasis on nonverbal communication, which acts as a valued means by
which children learn. In this sense, learning is not dependent on verbal communication; rather, it is
nonverbal communication which serves as a primary means of not only organizing interpersonal
interactions, but conveying cultural values, and children learn how to participate in this system from a
young age

ADVANTAGES

OF

NON-VERBAL

COMMUNICATIONThe

advantages
of
non-verbal
communication
are:
1) You can communicate with someone who is hard of hearing of deaf.
2) You can communicate at place where you are supposed to maintain silence.
3) You can communicate something which you don't want others to hear or listen to.
4) You can communicate if you are far away from a person. The person can see but
not
hear
you.
5) Non-verbal communication makes conversation short and brief.
6) You can save on time and use it as a tool to communicate with people who don't
understand your language.

DISADVANTAGES OF
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
The disadvantages of non-verbal communication are:
1) You can not have long conversation.
2) Can not discuss the particulars of your message
3) Difficult to understand and requires a lot of repetitions.
4) Can not be used as a public tool for communication.
6) Less influential and can not be used everywhere.
7) Not everybody prefers to communicate through non-verbal communication.

8) Can not create an impression upon people/listeners.

well non verbal communication is as important as verbal communication
because there is a famous proverb saying that " Actions SPeak Louder than
woords", so your gestures , postures , eye contact....each play a major role

KINESIS
GESTURES

A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication or non-vocal communication in which

visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction
with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body.
Gestures differ from physical non-verbal communication that does not communicate specific
messages, such as purely expressive displays, proxemics, or displays of joint attention.
[1]
Gestures allow individuals to communicate a variety of feelings and thoughts, from
contempt and hostility to approval and affection, often together with body language in
addition to words when they speak.
BODY LANGUAGE- Body language refers to various forms of nonverbal communication,
wherein a person may reveal clues as to some unspoken intention or feeling through their
physical behavior. These behaviors can include body posture, gestures, facial expressions,
and eye movements. Body language can also vary depending on the culture. There are a set
of universally recognized gestures but many are influenced by our social settings.[1] Although
this article focuses on interpretations of human body language, also animals use body
language as a communication mechanism. Body language is typically subconscious

behaviour, and is therefore considered distinct from sign language, which is a fully conscious
and intentional act of communication.

EYE CONTACT- Eye contact occurs when "two people look at each other's eyes at
the same time."[1]
In human beings, eye contact is a form of nonverbal communication and is thought
to have a large influence on social behavior. Coined in the early to mid-1960s, the
term has come in the West to often define the act as a meaningful and important
sign of confidence and social communication.[2]The customs and significance of eye
contact vary widely between cultures, with religious and social differences often
altering its meaning greatly.
FACIAL EXPRESSIONA facial expression is one or more motions or positions of themuscles beneath
the skin of the face. These movements convey theemotional state of an individual to
observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a
primary means of conveying social information between humans, but they also occur
in most other mammals and some other animal species.

STRESS AND EXPERIENCEOur choice of color, clothing, hairstyles, and other factors affecting appearance are also
considered a means of nonverbal communication. According to what people see when they
first set their eyes on you, judgments about your personality and abilities are going to be
concluded.
"Quality is more important than quantity" - This really applies here as well.
It is really pivotal to dress up properly for any business or job offer we may encounter. One
shouldn't focus on wearing too much accessories, jewellery and make up. What is very vital
is the physical appearance and the proper hairstyle.
Appearances also include:
* Body cleanliness
* Clean Nails
* Shiny shoes
*No tattoos
*Being appropriately dressed

SILENCE-