Week 5 assignment

Running head: COMMUNICATION BARRIERS 1

Communication Barriers

Christa Cobb

Institutional Affiliation

Professor’s Name

Course Name and Number

Date

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS 2

Introduction

Miscommunication happens when the intended message is not adequately received or

unable to efficiently address their ideas or thoughts. If the message is miscommunicated between

two or more people, then the interpretation of the actual message becomes different from what

was intended to be said.

Instances of miscommunication

The two girls have an issue of communication because first, the conversation takes place

along a railway where there is much noise, and they cannot hear each other well; this serves as a

kind of distraction between them. The girl addressed is deaf, so she cannot hear what the

addresser says. She uses a communication machine to talk to the other girl, after which she tells

the other girl to text what she would like to say. Unfortunately, the addresser girl does not know

how to use the machine. For instance: hey, I am deaf, if you like, you could use the machine to

text. Could you show me how to use it?

Basic principles of effective interpersonal communication

Effective communication is when communication between two or more parties in which

the intended message is appropriately encoded and delivered using appropriate channels and then

received, decoded adequately and understood well by the recipient (Wood,2020). Six basic

principles ensure that communication is effective; two include acknowledging multiple views.

For instance, when there are several people in either a meeting or just seated discussing casual

topics, it is good to consider every participant's view. Some opinions might be stupid, but

whoever said it might not be aware that, instead of ignoring them, one must explain to them in an

appropriate manner, which does not insult the other person. People have different opinions,

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which is okay but do not reject another person's perception of things just because they are

different from. Instead, one should acknowledge them for effective communication to take place.

Lastly, listen and evaluate the message before responding. Sometimes people do not take enough

time to listen to the message either because they are in a hurry or assume they already know what

the other person has to say. It is a very common behavior among people. Listening to the

message well allows a person to understand the message correctly and interpret it appropriately.

This enables one to respond accordingly, and thus effective communication is achieved.

Following or not following the principles

Although there seem to be barriers to communication between the two girls along the

railway line, they seem to have had effective communication. The first girl addressing the deaf

one is not aware whether she is deaf, but the deaf one informs the other girl, there seems to be an

understanding since they take into consideration this challenge and try to use the appropriate

channel of communication. Although the message is never sent due to the shutdown of the

machine, the first girl acknowledges that the other one is deaf and does nothing to make her feel

bad; thus, the first principle is followed. The second principle, although not intentionally, does

not seem to be followed since there is much noise.

Forms of noise

Environmental noise. The communication takes place near a railway where a train passes

by, which produces much noise. There is also the physical noise heard addressing the people on

the train that everything is okay.

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Overcoming communication noise

If the listener is facing challenges in hearing and understanding the message, they should

move to a place where they cannot be distracted by environmental or physical noise. Another way

of overcoming noise is by speaking louder so the recipient can hear well. Also, both parties should

actively listen to one another.

Conclusion

To achieve effective communication, various communication principles should be applied

to ensure that the sender and recipient do not receive the wrong message and response. People

should communicate in places with no distraction and away from any form of noise.

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References

Wood, R. (2020). The wrong kind of noise: Understanding and valuing the communication of

autistic children in schools. Educational Review, 72(1), 111-130.