One example of a communication barrier that the article mentions is filtering and ambiguity.
Filtering occurs when individuals selectively choose which information to share or withhold, leading
to incomplete or inaccurate communication. Ambiguity can arise when individuals use vague
language or leave out important details, leading to confusion and misunderstandings.
At my last job, this was a constant issue. We were not told things until it was almost too late. We
were always under prepared and were then scolded when important tasks took too long to
complete. One such example, the firm I worked for was purchasing another smaller firm and we
had to import 300 new clients into our system and process the client’s paperwork for tax season.
Upper management gave us less than a 24-hour notice of the buyout. While I understand that we
did not need to know all the specifics of the deal, we could have better prepared by bringing in
temps to help with the workload. Instead, we were given little information and then expected to
work 50-60 per week until all the clients were imported. When we tried to bring this up to our
supervisor and COO, we were told in a professional way to deal with it and appreciate the
overtime. This was just one example of over eight years of being with that company.
The staff was angry much of the time and had the partners been made aware of potential barriers
and taking steps to address them, we could have improved the communication, understanding, and
collaboration with partners and co-workers/staff.
A workplace situation that I have experienced while working in retail banking involved differences
that emerged from an employee who found it difficult to communicate effectively with other
colleagues. The situation unfolded in the aftermath of the employee’s promotion to a senior
position that required close collaboration with colleagues from different departments. Because this
was her first experience in a managerial position, she experienced difficulties in communicating
their ideas resulting in misunderstandings in the team. This prompted deeper inquiries which
revealed that the underlying issue involved a language barrier as this worker did not speak English
as her first language. As a result, she experienced some challenges in interpreting cultural cues and
nuances used in the office that prevented her from expressing herself clearly and confidently. These
subtle differences in cultural cues resulted in different perceptions of the ideas that she attempted
to convey to her colleagues. Overall, the barriers to communication at play in the scenario are
closely tied to cultural differences between employees who spoke English as their first language
and the employee who spoke English as a second language. These barriers affected productivity
and the employee’s morale as she discharged her duties in the workplace and in turn the
relationship that she was able to cultivate with her peers (Wienclaw, 2021). This just goes to show
the importance of effective communication skills in the workplace and the contribution that this
makes to the smooth operations of a banking operation. Resolving issues with communication and
language barriers in the workplace allows employees to reach their full potential and create a
supportive working environment.
"Jargon: Technical language, acronyms, specialized language, or other words or phrases that are
unique—or uniquely interpreted—to a given group or organization that are not in wide acceptance
outside that group" (Wienclaw, 2021).
A new assistant manager came over and started scolding the other person for not answering. The
manager had no clue as to why the other associate would not answer her. The manager began to
raise her voice and that did not help the situation. I turned to the manager and informed her that
raising her voice would not help. The person I was working with was deaf. In order to communicate
with her she would either need to write a note or use sign language. The manager did not know
any sign language and would not communicate directly with her. This led to the other associate
having a bad view of that manager. The manager would give me her tasks for the day. If it was
something we have done together before I would let her know in sign language (which she taught
me). If it was something new, I would write it down or we would send instant messages back and
forth. She is still with the company and does a great job. The manager went onto another venture.
While learning a "new language" is not easy it has helped me in the way I communicate with others
and how I listen. We no longer work in the same department, but if she needs help with something
she will come to me to see if I can help her. She has a new team lead and he is quickly learning how
to communicate with her and when there are barriers, he will ask me how I would present the
information to her so they are both on the same page. a a
References
Wienclaw, R. A. (2021). Communications in the Workplace. Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2021. 8p.
