ASSIGNMENT NUMBER FOUR

Q1. What does communication mean to you?

For me as a teacher, it is not just important to give a quality lecture but it is more important for
the presentation of a lesson or lecture in class. Communication skills for me are thus as important
as their in-depth knowledge of the particular subject which they teach.

Teachers should be aware of the importance of communication skills in teaching. As a teacher I

realize that all students have different levels of strengths and weaknesses. It is only through
communication skills that a I can introduce creative and effective solutions to the problems of
the students. Thus, a teacher can enhance the learning process.

Following are some of the communication skills that a teacher must possess so that they interact
properly with the students –

Positive Motivation This is one of the important things that a teacher must possess. In a class,
students always have different kinds of taste and preferences over subjects. So it is my job to
create enthusiasm and interest in the minds of the students towards a subject. My role is also to
remove any fear and inhibitions that a student may have towards a subject.

Effective Body Language This is the most powerful communication skill that a teacher must
possess. Good presentation skills include a powerful body language supported by verbal skills.
This can create a long lasting impression in the minds of the students. Thus, my lectures will
inevitably become more interactive and interesting for the students. Besides, I should maintain
the volume, tone and rhythm of my voice during a lecture.

Sense of Humor The importance of this factor has been regularly underestimated. A good sense
of humor keeps the students active and interested in the teachers class. A teacher who is not
interesting and lacks humor doesn’t contribute to the overall well being of the students.

Understanding the Students As a teacher I consider it highly important to encourage students

to communicate openly. There should be emphasis on cultivating a dialogue rather than a
monologue. So while solving any kind of problems in the classroom, it is always wise to hear the
opinions of the students also.

Team Formation In my experience this is a good method where a teacher can divide the
classroom into small teams and ask them to solve different problems or complete assignments.
This practice increases not only the interaction among the students but also among the teacher
and students.
Technical Skills I believe that it is also important for me to be up to date with all the latest
teaching aids like computers and especially the use of internet. This will also help the students to
keep up their interest in the learning process.

Students are the future of every nation. That is why my role of a teacher is so important to the
society. It is through a teacher that generations of youngsters are deeply influenced. Overall
improvement in a student can be expected when communication skills for teachers is given due
importance. Thus, it is important that communication skills become an important ingredient of a
teachers professional competency.

Q2. What does communication mean to students?

Communication means to students that they understand each other when working together and
they understand what is being told to them by their teachers. Students understanding each other
don’t mean they only understand each others words, it includes gestures and body language as
well.

When we are talking about students, let’s say a group of teenagers, for them communication
means understanding and putting forward the ideas to others and receiving their ideas through
verbal and nonverbal means. The most important thing which they are frustrated about is what
they are thinking and perceiving they are unable to get it through to the their elders, and what the
elders are saying is not coming through to them as they are presenting it. In this challenging
context, communication for the student will be that a thought is relayed in a manner that is
understandable to them. This requires for the teacher/ adult to come down to their level and then
deliver what he or she wants to communicate.

In order for the communication process between the teacher and the student to complete itself
efficiently, effective listening is required on the part of the student which probably the most
essential communication skill for learners. Listening is the highest level of skill. Usually people
confuse listening with hearing. Listening means hearing with meaning. The students are
normally distracted or focused on things other than what their focus should be during classes.
This is because there are too many stimuli impinging on them. They are sitting with their peer
group which is more important to them than what an outsider is trying to convey to them that
stimuli is not as important to them as the stimuli they are receiving from their peers so they tune
it out. A student should be more open to the stimuli being sent to them by their teacher who is
someone who is trying to explain something to them. Until and unless they quit hearing and start
listening they will not be able to learn. Sometimes it happens that the listening is with breaks, as
a result the message that gets to them is all confused because the message is broken and the
pieces are missing. This in turn results in their lack of understanding and lack of written
communication.

The teacher has to find the level one which the student is communicating and use the same
methods for communicating. Some students pay more attention to the body language and
gestures other than the spoken word. If a teacher wants to get the attention of a student, they need
to use all means of communication while delivering. This includes words, gestures, tonal
variation, facial expressions, eye contact, written communication e.g. whiteboard, charts, cards
handouts, pictorial sources. One size does not fit all and every student is not respond equally
efficiently to each method. If the methods of communication are varied the students will be
attracted more to it. If only one mode of communication is used the students will lose interest
quickly.

Q3. Can we communicate without words?

Yes, and we are communicating without words all the time. Communication in general is
process of sending and receiving messages that enables humans to share knowledge, attitudes,
and skills. Although we usually identify communication with speech, communication is
composed of two dimensions - verbal and nonverbal.

Nonverbal Communication has been defined as communication without words. It includes

apparent behaviors such as facial expressions, eyes, touching, and tone of voice, as well as less
obvious messages such as dress, posture and spatial distance between two or more people.

Everything communicates, including material objects, physical space, and time systems.
Although verbal output can be turned off, nonverbal cannot. Even silence speaks.

Nonverbal communication skills are developed at a very young age. Young children know far
more than they can verbalize and are generally more adept at reading nonverbal cues than adults
are because of their limited verbal skills and their recent reliance on the nonverbal to
communicate. As children develop verbal skills, nonverbal channels of communication do not
cease to exist but rather they become entwined in the total communication process.
Humans continue to use Nonverbal Communication for lots of reasons, including:

Words have limitations: There are numerous areas where nonverbal communication is more
effective than verbal (describing the shape of something, or providing quick direction, for
instance).
Nonverbal messages are likely to be more genuine: because nonverbal behaviors cannot be
controlled as easily as spoken words.

Nonverbal signals can express feelings inappropriate to state: Social etiquette limits what can be
said, but nonverbal cues can communicate thoughts.
A separate communication channel is useful to help send complex messages: A speaker can add
enormously to the complexity of the verbal message through simple nonverbal signals.

Basic Properties of Language and Nonverbal Communication:

Listed below are some basic properties of language and non-verbal communication:

Some basic properties of language:

Language contains propositions that can be proven false

Propositionality
Discreteness Words have discrete, agreed-upon meanings (e.g., dictionary definitions).
Displacement Language can refer to things removed in time and space.
Structure Language must adhere to grammatical rules.

Some basic properties of Nonverbal Communication:

Universality Some forms of nonverbal communication are common everywhere.

Simultaneity Several nonverbal messages can occur at the same time.
Spontaneity Nonverbal communication can occur mindlessly and automatically.
Iconicity Nonverbal signs may resemble the thing(s) they are referring to.

Q4. What are voice attributes?

Loudness of Volume:
Some people speak too loudly. At the other extreme are those who can barely be heard. Voice
loudness or volume should be appropriate in strength and intensity and should be varied in order
to add emphasis and dramatic impact to your speeches. Inaudibility is different from speaking
softly with vocal support. A whisper is air without sound; air must vibrate against your vocal
cords to produce audible sound. A fading voice is first cousin to a whisper; a sentence or phrase
may begin well enough, then collapse into unintelligibility. If you want to communicate with
your audience, you must project your voice.

Pitch:
When you speak about something, does your voice convey life, color, and melody, or do your
sentences come out flat, wooden, and without variety? Do people find your vocal range pleasant?
Good speakers vary their speech to express emotion and conviction. The highness or lowness in
the sound of your voice is known as pitch. If your voice is squeaky, guttural, shrill, or flat, then
you should work on your pitch. The desired speaking pitch sounds low, clear, full, and varied.
Voice Quality:
The essence of your speaking sound is your voice quality. It expresses emotional color. Your
voice coloring is what you use to convey your feelings, and these feelings should be positive
when you address an audience. Your thoughts are a form of energy that you transmit to others.
Through the quality of your voice, you actually establish the tone of your relationship with an
audience or with an individual to whom you’re speaking. If your voice is full, clear, mellow, and
enthusiastic, you can create an unbreakable bond of friendship and acceptance. On the other
hand, if your voice quality is nasal, breathy, harsh, or lifeless, you should concentrate on
improving it.

Articulation:
The term articulation refers to how distinctly you formulate your words when you speak. It
includes both how you pronounce individual words and how clearly you create speech sounds.

Rate:
The rate at which you speak is closely associated with your personality. Consequently, rate is
difficult to change because it relates to how you think and behave – how you live your life. Yet
you should avoid speaking either too slow or too fast because either can distort your articulation,
limit changes of pitch, and alter your voice quality. A slow speaker may not realize how listeners
must struggle to pay attention. People think at a much faster rate than the flow of speech, and
overly slow speech encourages listeners to daydream. In addition, it often results in sound
distortion and lack of variety, which can make what you say incomprehensible. Talking too fast
creates similar problems. When information is spewed forth at a rapid rate, listeners become
frustrated and stop paying attention. A fast speaker also may shorten sounds and fail to vary
intensity, volume, and pitch. The most effective speaking rate is between 120 to 160 words per
minute. You can easily keep within this optimum range by speaking rapidly enough to avoid a
boring drone, yet slowly enough to be understandable. By varying your speaking rate during a
talk, you can also reflect changes in emotions and mood, as well as emphasize critical points.

Vocal Variety:
People speak in musical notes. A good speaker may use as many as 25 different notes to convey
variety and meaning. A one-note speaker is tedious to an audience and promotes inattention and
boredom. Vocal variety is the way you use your voice to create interest, excitement, and
emotional involvement. It is accomplished by varying your pitch, volume, and timing
SPEECH PROFILE
This profile has been designed to help a speaker determine what is right and what needs
improvement with their voice. Before using it, please read the section entitled “Your Speech
Profile.” Instructions for using the profile appear on the previous page.

Negative 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Positive
Loudness of Volume: Loudness of Volume:
Too quiet • • • • • • • Good projection
Inaudible • • • • • • • Easily heard
Flat • • • • • • • Vibrant and dynamic

Pitch: Pitch:
High • • • • • • • Low
Shrill • • • • • • • Full
Monotonous • • • • • • • Varied

Voice Quality: Voice Quality:

Nasal • • • • • • • Open
Breathy • • • • • • • Clear
Harsh, raspy • • • • • • • Mellow
Lifeless • • • • • • • Enthusiastic

Articulation Articulation
(Word Usage): (Word Usage):
Slushy • • • • • • • Clear
Lazy lips • • • • • • • Crisp
Tangled tongue • • • • • • • Controlled
Tight jaw • • • • • • • Open mouth
Mumbling • • • • • • • Projection
Mispronunciation • • • • • • • Pronunciation
Timing or Rate: Timing or Rate:
Jerky • • • • • • • Smooth
Slow, plodding • • • • • • • Fluent
Unvaried • • • • • • • Varied, exciting
Hesitant • • • • • • • Deliberate

Vocal Variety: Vocal Variety:

Emotionless • • • • • • • Conveys emotion
Unfriendly • • • • • • • Genial
Strained • • • • • • • Natural
Dull • • • • • • • Vital

Q5. How do physical attributes affect communication?

More than half of all human communication takes place nonverbally. We are constantly sending
nonverbal messages – even when reading these words.
When you speak in public, your listeners judge you and your message based on what they see as
well as on what they hear. Here’s how various physical attributes such as body language,
gestures, postures, facial expressions, and body movement affect communication and the
message one is trying to deliver.
Body Language. When you speak, you send two kinds of messages to your audience. While
your voice transmits a verbal message, a vast amount of information is being visually conveyed
by your appearance, your manner, and your physical behavior.
Research shows that more than half of all human communication takes place nonverbally. When
one speaks before a group, the listeners base their judgment of the speaker and their message on
what they see as well as upon what they hear.
When speaking, your body can be an effective tool for adding emphasis and clarity to your
words. It’s also a most powerful instrument for convincing an audience of sincerity, earnestness,
and enthusiasm.
However, if your physical actions are distracting or suggest meanings that do not agree with your
verbal message, your body can defeat your words. Whether your purpose is to inform, persuade,
entertain, motivate, or inspire, your body and the personality you project must be appropriate to
what one says.
To become an effective communicator, one must understand how their body speaks. One can’t
stop sending your audience nonverbal messages, but one can learn to manage and control them.

Gestures. A gesture is a specific bodily movement that reinforces a verbal message or conveys a
particular thought or emotion. Although gestures may be made with the head, shoulders, or even
the legs and feet, most are made with the hands and arms.
Hands can be marvelous tools of communication when speaking. But many inexperienced
speakers are unsure what to do with their hands. Some try to get them out of the way by putting
them in their pockets or behind their backs. Others unconsciously relieve nervous tension by
performing awkward, distracting movements. A few speakers over-gesture out of nervousness,
waving their arms and hands wildly.
A speaker’s gestures can suggest very precise meaning to an audience. The Indians of North
America devised a sign language that enabled people with entirely different spoken languages to
converse. Sign language has also made it possible for deaf people to communicate without
speaking.
The use of gestures in communication varies from one culture to the next. In some cultures, such
as those of Southern Europe and the Middle East, people use their hands freely and expressively
when they speak. In other cultures, people use gestures less frequently and in a more subdued
way.
The specific gesture we make and the meanings we attach to them are products of our cultural
training.
Just as cultures differ, so do the perceived meanings of gestures. For example, nodding one’s
head up and down signifies agreement or assent in Western cultures – but in some parts of India
this gesture means the exact opposite. A common gesture used in the United States – that of
making a circle with the thumb and forefinger to indicate approval – is considered an insult and
an obscenity in many areas of the world.
To be effective, a speaker’s gestures must be purposeful – even if they’re performed
unconsciously. They must be visible to the audience. They must mean the same thing to the
audience that they mean to the speaker. And they must reflect what’s being said, as well as the
total personality behind the message.
Posture. How a speaker positions their body when speaking communicates its own set of visual
messages to an audience.
More than anything, it reflects the attitude, telling listeners whether the speaker is confident,
alert, and in command of yourself and the speaking situation.
Good speaking posture has other benefits to a speaker. It helps you to breathe properly and
project your voice effectively. It also provides a good starting point from which to gesture or
move your body in any direction. And by helping the speaker to feel both alert and comfortable,
it helps decrease nervous tension and minimize random, distracting movements.
Facial Expressions. People watch a speaker’s face when they speak. Politeness, of course, is one
reason for this, but equally important is the need to obtain visual data that will make the
speaker’s message more meaningful.
Facial expression is often the key determinant of the meaning behind a message. Here’s an
example. If a friend were to smile warmly at you and say, “You’re crazy,” would you feel
insulted? Probably not; in fact, you might even take it as a sign of endearment. But what if this
statement were accompanied by a contemptuous sneer? The verbal message would be the same,
but your reaction would no doubt be drastically different.
When speaking, the face communicates attitudes, feelings, and emotions more clearly than any
other part of the body. According to behavioral psychologists, people can easily recognize –
simply by observing a speaker’s facial expressions – such distinct feelings as surprise, fear,
happiness, confusion, disgust, interest, disbelief, anger, and sadness.
To an audience, the face serves as a barometer for what’s inside you. The listeners will watch the
speaker’s face for clues about sincerity, their attitude toward their message and their earnestness
in sharing their ideas with them.
A speaker should remove expressions that don’t belong on their face. These include distracting
mannerisms and unconscious expressions which are unconnected to your feelings, attitudes, and
emotions. Both types of unwanted facial expression usually are manifestations of nervousness.
Just as nervous speakers exhibit distracting gestures and body movements, they also may release
excess energy and tension by unconsciously moving their facial muscles. Examples of random
facial expressions include licking or biting the lips, tightening the jaw, raising the corners of the
mouth and making twitching movements of any part of the face.
Body Movement. Body movement – changing one’s position or location when speaking – is the
broadest, most highly visible kind of physical action that a speaker can perform. Because of this,
it can be either a tremendous asset or a tremendous liability to their delivery system.
When a speaker moves their entire body in a controlled, purposeful manner when speaking, they
can benefit in three ways. To begin with, body movement can support and reinforce what they
say. And, of course, motion will almost always attract an audience’s attention. Finally, using
body movement is the fastest, most effective means of burning up nervous energy and relieving
physical tension.
All of these characteristics, however, also have the potential to work against the speaker. One
rule for making body movement their ally and not their enemy is this: Never to move without a
reason.
The eye is inevitably attracted to a moving object, so any whole body movement the speaker
makes during a speech invites attention. Moving for a reason in league with the verbal message
stimulates the alertness and attentiveness of the audience while simultaneously enhancing what
they say. Watching a stationary object is tedious, so the speaker shouldn’t want to glue
themselves to one spot while speaking.
On the other hand, body movement should be governed by moderation. Too much body
movement – even the right kind – can become distracting to an audience. Ideally, the speaker
should seek a middle ground that consists of enough movement to keep their listeners’ attention,
yet not enough to divert attention away from what they’re saying.
Just as purposeful movements beckon for attention, so do random movements. The body will do
almost anything to rid itself of tension. Inexperienced speakers commonly perform such body
movements as rocking, swaying, and pacing without being aware of what they’re doing.

Q6. What is better, verbal communication or non verbal communication?

Both verbal and non-verbal methods are employed to communicate. Communication is defined
as the process of interchanging information, ideas, feelings and opinions, with (verbal
communication) or without (non-verbal communication) the use of words. In order to
understand the nature of these two forms of communication, let’s look at their definition;

Verbal communication is the use of auditory language to exchange information with other
people. It includes sounds, words, or speaking. The tone, volume, and pitch of one's voice can all
contribute to effective verbal communication.

Non-verbal communication is communication between people through non-verbal or visual

cues. This includes gestures, facial expressions, body movement, timing, touch, and anything
else that communicates without speaking.

Importance and structure

Different cultures have developed language and words through centuries into what it is today.
This has made communication easier and reliable. This is why verbal communication is
important.

Verbal communication is a structured communication as it has grammar rules and gives clear
messages.

Non-verbal communication is not structured; it does not have specific patterns. It can be
interpreted as anyones wish. however, non-verbal communication is important as it supports
verbal communication by adding flavor to it. But, it does not happen the other way round.

Uses of Verbal and Non-verbal Communication

The major use of verbal communication are to inform or impart knowledge, as words are very
powerful. It can be used as a tool of persuasion. It is used to have debates, discuss and show
creativity. It can also be used to establish relationships as words are used to express feelings. It is
needed for social situations.

Whereas, non-verbal communication like touch and eye contact express closeness and emotions.

For example: Putting a hand on someone’s shoulder is more powerful than saying “I am sorry for
your loss”. Non-verbal communication modifies speech, replaces speech, controls
communication, conveys personality and expresses emotions. It also helps in maintaining
interpersonal relationships, supporting verbal communication and perform.

So, we can say verbal and non-verbal communication does not always have to be different. It
also has many similarities and goes hand in hand.

The Significance of Understanding Nonverbal Communication

One study at UCLA indicated that up to 93 percent of communication effectiveness is

determined by nonverbal cues. Another study indicated that the impact of a performance was
determined 7 percent by the words used, 38 percent by voice quality, and 55 percent by the
nonverbal communication.

If you want to mask your feelings or your immediate reaction to information, pay close attention
to your nonverbal behavior. You may have your voice and words under control, but your body
language, including the tiniest facial expressions and movement, can give your true thoughts and
feelings away. Most people are really open books, especially to a skilled reader of nonverbal
cues.

Peter Drucker, widely regarded as the father of modern management thinking is famously known
to have stated, “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said”. Popular
sayings are commonly referred to in everyday life since they have been acknowledged as
universal truths and have stood the test time. Hence the saying “Actions speak louder than
words” is a testament to the importance of non-verbal communication as well.

Q7. Does personal presentation make a difference to the way we are perceived?
Whether you like it or not, your clothing communicates — and it can have a serious effect on
your ability to achieve success.

"Let's be clear: In the big picture of ultimate reality, what you wear neither defines who you are
as a person nor determines your value as a human being," says Darlene Price, president of Well
Said, Inc., and author of " Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results."
"However, in the temporal realm of mere mortals, fair or not, people judge us by the way we
look and that includes the way we dress." Especially in the workplace, clothing significantly
influences how others perceive you and how they respond toward you, she says.
Research shows that your appearance strongly influences other people's perception of your
financial success, authority, trustworthiness, intelligence, and suitability for hire or
promotion.

And, because perception is often reality, what you wear not only communicates who you are in
the minds of others, but also influences your level of career advancement.

Research has also found that when you combine your appearance with communication skills, not
only is others' perception of you affected, but their behavior toward you is also influenced.
"Clothing plus communication skills determine whether or not others will comply with your
request, trust you with information, give you access to decision makers, pay you a certain salary
or fee for contracted business, hire you, or purchase your products and services," she says.

Q8. What can we do about personal presentation? Do we have to look bland and boring?

Here are five tips to ensure that you make a positive impact with your personal presentation:

Don't wear wrinkled clothing. Heard of an iron? Use it. You'll look neat and way more put
together.

Wear clothes that fit you well. "Tailoring is a simple way to make clothes way more flattering,"
writes BI's retail editor Ashley Lutz.She says it'll give you a polished look, and those around you
will perceive you differently. So, stay away from clothing that is too tight or too baggy.

Always follow the dress code (or dress one step above). Knowing how to dress for wherever
you are going is extremely important. One obviously should not show up in shorts for a wedding
or in jeans for a job interview. Conversely, showing up a formal suit for a cricket match would
be downright silly.

Even more subtle dress code variations can make the difference between getting a job or not. For
example, if you are interviewing for a position at a company that requires closed-toe shoes, and
you show up in sandals, the interviewer might instantly evaluate you based on that one thing.

Wear appropriate shoes and accessories. Don't wear jewelry that is too flashy or obnoxious —
and always wear comfortable shoes that are appropriate for work. Also, if you wear makeup,
don't overdo it.

Don't wear shorts. Although this might be acceptable in some workplaces in the west, in a local
context men should steer clear of showing up in shorts at the workplace.

"To achieve career advancement, avoid an unprofessional image that may enslave your career to
others' misperceptions," Price says. "Instead, choose clothing that accurately reflects your
credibility and ensures you 'sell for what you're worth.' Make sure your 'exterior' earns you a
'silent recommendation,'" she concludes.

Respecting the occasion and demands imposed culture and environment, especially formal
workplaces, definitely does not imply that formal attire as a rule is bland and boring. Color and
tasteful fashion, with the exception of being too loud or over the top, is definitely permissible at
the workplace. However, one definitely needs to reserve their flashiest wardrobe for weddings
and parties only!

Q9. What is the process of effective communication skills?

1. The sender has an

idea

8. Audience provides 2. The sender encodes

feedback to the sender the idea as a message

7. The audience 3. The sender produces

responds to the the message in a
message medium

4. Sender transmits
6. The audience
message through a
decodes the message
channel

5. The audience receives

the message
1. The sender has an idea. Whether a communication effort will ultimately be effective starts
right here. For example, if you have a clear idea about a procedure change that will save your
company time and money, the communication process is off to a strong start.

On the other hand, if all you want to do is complain about how the company is wasting time and
money but don’t have any solutions, you probably won’t communicate anything of value to your
audience.

2. The sender encodes the idea as a message. When someone puts an idea into a message —
which you can think of as the “container” for an idea—he or she is encoding it, or expressing it
in words or images.

Much of the focus of this course is on developing the skills needed to successfully encode your
ideas into effective messages.

3. The sender produces the message in a transmittable medium. With the appropriate
message to express an idea, the sender now needs a communication medium to present that
message to the intended audience.

As you will study in later classes, media for transmitting messages can be divided into oral,
written, visual, and electronic forms.

4. The sender transmits the message through a channel. Just as technology continues to
increase the number of media options at your disposal, it continues to provide new
communication channels you can use to transmit your messages.

The distinction between medium and channel can get a bit murky, but think of the medium as the
form a message takes and the channel as the system used to deliver the message. The channel can
be a face-to-face conversation, the Internet, another company—any method or system capable of
delivering messages.

Mediums (plural: Media) are the stuff that is used to manifest or deliver information (e.g. record
tapes, disks, screens, voice, surface of cave paintings).

Sometimes this is synonymous with the channel of delivery (e.g. radio), sometimes it's not (e.g.
the Internet is not a medium, it's a channel). Channels are what delivers media.

5. The audience receives the message. If the channel functions properly, the message reaches
its intended audience. However, mere arrival at the destination is no guarantee that the
message will be noticed or understood correctly.

Many messages are either ignored or misinterpreted as noise.

6. The audience decodes the message. After a message is received, the receiver needs to extract
the idea from the message, a step known as decoding .
7. The audience responds to the message.

By crafting messages in ways that show the

benefits of responding, senders can increase the chances that recipients will respond in positive
ways. Whether a receiver responds as the sender hopes depends on the receiver

(a) remembering the message long enough to act on it,

(b) being able to act on it, and

(c) being motivated to respond.

8. The audience provides feedback to sender. In addition to responding (or not responding) to
the message, audience members may give feedback that helps the sender evaluate the
effectiveness of the communication effort.

Feedback can be verbal (using written or spoken words), nonverbal (using gestures, facial
expressions, or other signals), or both.

Q10. What individual factors could affect the way a person sends or receives messages?

A person’s interpersonal life is dependent on that person’s facility for making his or her
thoughts, feelings, and needs known to others and on that person’s receptiveness to the attempts
of others to share similar data with him or her. Communication, a multifaceted phenomenon, is
the result of efforts by individuals toward this end. Communication can be considered in
simplistic terms as the sending and receiving of messages, as both elements must be present for
communication to take place. However, the fundamental transaction of message sent and
received does not presuppose that communication has occurred. Often, it has only partially
occurred or has been aborted entirely as a result of the circumstances surrounding the occasion
when the communication attempt was made. Although circumstances may be environmental,
emotional, verbal-skill oriented, phenomenological, a major contributing factor in most
situations results from a host of conditions present within the individuals who are attempting to
relate.

Some of the individual factors that affect the way a person sends or receives messages can be
labeled and examined in light of their impact on effective communications:

■ emotional blocks

■ hostility

■ charisma

■ past experiences
■ hidden agendas

■ inarticulateness

■ stereotyping

■ defensiveness

■ relationships

■ status

Emotional blocks. This is a condition where an emotional block occurs to the to the direction
that the message is taking. Words may have become charged with emotion for a person, possibly
due to that person’s conditioning in childhood or to current circumstances in his or her life at the
time the communication attempt is made. An example might be of the well-intentioned but
unaware adult pashtun male, who, in speaking to an adult male from Makran, makes reference to
“you black boys.” Similarly, a woman who is having difficulty in conceiving a child may not be
able to discuss Yasmin Kahala’s comment, “Now that you and Fazal have been settled for a few
years, it would be nice to start a family”; or she may find herself responding irrationally to a
lecture on population control.

Hostility. Hostility may create refraction of messages. This can occur when communicating with
a person with whom you are angry, or it may be a carryover from a recent experience. It may
also be the subject matter that arouses hostility. When two people are engaged in a hostile
confrontation, each often distorts messages from the other in such a way that provides fuel for
further venting of hostility. a woman may come home from just having had a confrontation with
her boss and may carry over her hostility to her family by overreacting to her husband’s
messages concerning the day’s irritations, or she may simply filter out all messages and respond
in monosyllables to any attempts at communication. The subject matter being dealt with may
engender hostility and thereby distort the message.

Charisma. The charisma of the sender of a message may affect how the message is received.
Political candidates are often chosen more for their possession of this quality than for their other
attributes. A charismatic person can often make tired, trivial messages seem new and important
to the recipient; however, this too can become detrimental to communication, as the receiver of
the message is less likely to question or ask for clarification of the message.

Past experience. Our experience can predispose us to refraction. If our weekly staff meetings
have always been a waste of time, we may come into each succeeding meeting expecting not to
give the messages that are sent much consideration or to hear them as having no relevant
implications. Staff meetings may also nurture another kind of condition that may create message
refraction.
Hidden agendas. A person with a special interest, that is, a hidden agenda, may hear all
messages only in reference to his or her own needs or may not be able to hear messages that do
not relate to his or her own interest. If the hidden agenda is in competition with the message of
another employee, he or she may reject all suggestions made by that other employee or may
attempt to manipulate others into distorting the other employee’s messages. The person with the
hidden agenda might make such comments as “Of course, Fiza has no real expertise in this area”
or “We all know that the administration will never buy that, Fiza.” He or she may dismiss an
excellent idea from someone with a fresh perspective.

Inarticulateness. Simple inarticulateness, or lack of verbal skill, may distort the intention of the
sender. As clarity is essential for the true message to be received, a person may never be able to
communicate effectively if he or she has never developed verbal skills. If the receiver of the
message is unaware of the sender’s difficulty, he or she may dismiss the messages or distort
them. Verbal patterns that are culturally determined may also hinder communication, as they
could function as lack of skill when the message is received. A person from a minority culture
may be quite articulate within his or her peer group but may fail to get messages through when
speaking to a person from another culture.

Stereotyping. Culturally determined verbal patterns may lead to another type of communication
distortion—stereotyping. A type of stereotyping that causes adjustments in a person’s perceptual
prism is that of the visual impact of the speaker. A very conventional person may “hear” all
attempts at communication as radical if the speaker has an unconventional physical appearance.

Defensiveness. This leads to continual refraction of messages received. The insecurity of the
person tends to distort questions into accusations and replies into justifications. A wife may ask
her husband if he happened to pick up a loaf of bread on his way home from work. Her intention
is informational, that is, she is planning to go out anyway and will pick up some bread at the
same time, if he has not already bought some. The issue is duplication of effort. The insecure
husband, however, may respond as if the issue were his ability to meet her needs. “No, I didn’t. I
can’t think of everything you know, when I’m busy with a huge project at work. I suppose you
think my buying a loaf of bread is more important than concentrating on my job!”

Relationships. When we are attempting to communicate with another person, we are giving out
two sets of messages simultaneously, content and relationship. The other person may be so
preoccupied with hearing any cues about the latter that the content is lost or seriously refracted.
For example, a boss tells her secretary that she has a set of instructions for her and that she wants
her to be sure that she gets them right. If the secretary is insecure in her relationship with the
boss, she may hear an implication that she is being evaluated negatively. Consequently, the
secretary may distort her hearing of the boss’s instructions.
Status. Perhaps the most difficult condition to overcome in communications is that of status, as
it encompasses most of the elements that have already been discussed. A person in a position of
high status may find communication difficult with most of the people with whom he or she must
interact, as his or her perceived power differentially affects various people. One person may be
preoccupied with impressing the source of power, while another may be defensive, feeling that
his or her job or status is threatened by the powerful person. In addition, any high-status person
must deal with the hostility of the envious, the stereotyping of the power worshiper, the past
experiences with other high-status individuals that people may be generalizing from, and the
emotional elements generated by all of these conditions.