• Thought: First, information exists in the mind of the sender. This can be a concept, idea,
information, or feelings.
• 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 he or she can understand.
During the transmitting of the message, two processes will be received by the receiver: content
and context. Content is the actual Words or symbols of the message which is known as language
- the spoken and written Words. We all use and interpret the meanings of Words differently, so
even simple messages can be misunderstood. And many Words have different meanings to
confuse the issue even more.
Context is the way the message is delivered and is known as paralanguage - it includes the tone
of voice, the look in the sender's eye's, body language, hand gestures, and state of emotions
(anger, fear, uncertainty, confidence, etc.) that can be detected. Although paralanguage or
context often causes messages to be misunderstood (as we believe what we see more than what
we hear); they are powerful communicators that help us to understand each other. Indeed, we
often trust the accuracy of nonverbal behaviors more than verbal behaviors.
Some leaders think they have communicated once they told someone to do something, "I don't
know why it did not get done...I told Jim to do it." More than likely, Jim misunderstood the
message. A message has NOT been communicated unless it is understood by the receiver
(decoded). How do you know it has been properly received? By two-way communication or
feedback. This feedback tells the sender that the receiver understood the message, its level of
importance, and what must be done with it. Communication is an exchange, not just a give, as all
parties must participate to complete the information exchange.
Barriers to Communication
"Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood." - Freeman Teague, Jr.
Anything that prevents understanding of the message is a barrier to communication. Many
physical and psychological barriers exist:
• Culture, background, and bias - We allow our past experiences to change the meaning of
the message. Our culture, background, and bias can be good as they allow us to use our past
experiences to understand something new, it is when they change the meaning of the
message then they interfere with the communication process.
• Noise - Equipment or environmental noise effect clear communication. The sender and the
receiver must both be able to concentrate on the messages being sent to each other.
• Ourselves - Focusing on ourselves, rather than the other person can lead to confusion and
conflict. Some of the factors that cause this are defensiveness (we feel someone is attacking
us), superiority (we feel we know more that the other), and ego (we feel we are the center of
the activity).
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• Perception - If we feel the person is talking too fast, not fluently, does not articulate clearly,
etc., we may dismiss the person. Also our preconceived attitudes affect our ability to listen.
We listen uncritically to persons of high status and dismiss those of low status.
• Message - Distractions happen when we focus on the facts rather than the idea. Our
educational institutions reinforce this with tests and questions. Distractions occur when a
Word is used differently than you prefer. For example, the Word chairman instead of
chairperson, may cause you to focus on the Word and not the message.
• Environmental - Bright lights, an attractive person, unusual sights, or any other stimulus
provides a potential distraction.
• Smothering - We take it for granted that the impulse to send useful information is automatic.
Not true! Too often we believe that certain information has no value to others or they are
already aware of the facts.
• Stress - People do not see things the same way when under stress. What we see and believe
at a given moment is influenced by our psychological frames of references - our beliefs,
values, knowledge, experiences, and goals.
These barriers can be thought of as filters, that is, the message leaves the sender, goes through
the above filters, and is then heard by the receiver. These filters muffle the message! The way to
overcome filters is through active listening and feedback.
Active Listening
"I think one lesson I have learned is that there is no substitute for paying attention." - Diane Sawyer
Hearing and listening are not the same thing. Hearing is the act of perceiving sound; it is
involuntary. Listening is a selective activity which involves the reception and the interpretation
of sound. It involves decoding the sound into meaning.
Listening is divided into two main categories: passive and active. Passive listening is little more
that hearing. It occurs when the receiver or the message has little motivation to listen carefully,
such as music, story telling, television, or being polite.
People speak at 100 to 175 Words per minute, but they can listen intelligently at 600 to 800
Words per minute (WPM). Since only a part of our mind is paying attention, it is easy to go into
mind drift - thinking about other things while listening to someone. The cure for this is active
listening - which involves listening with a purpose. It may be to gain information, obtain
directions, understand others, solve problems, share interest, see how another person feels, show
support, etc. It requires that the listener attends to the Words and the feelings of the sender for
understanding. It takes the same amount or more energy than speaking. It requires the receiver
to hear the various messages, understand the meaning, and then verify the meaning by offering
feedback. The following are a few traits of active listeners:
• Spends more time listening than talking.
• Does not finish the sentence of others.
• Does not answer questions with questions.
• Are aware of biases. We all have them...we need to control them.
• Never daydreams or become preoccupied with their own thoughts wh
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