At my workplace, communication is one of the biggest issues we have going on and the
issue is present at nearly all levels of the company. The first problematic experience that
comes to mind is one that happened recently just a couple of weeks ago. A new team lead
position was opening up in my department on first shift (I work second shift) and my boss
notified my team that there would be a new lead position available for us to apply for, but he
did not specify that it was for first shift only. As a result, multiple people on my team
submitted their applications assuming that the position was for second shift, and they were
not notified that it was a first shift position until the interview process had already begun.
Needless to say, most of the people on my team were frustrated with my boss for not being
clear .I believe that psychological noise contributed to this communication breakdown
because my boss assumed that everyone would automatically know that it was a first shift
position .If I could repeat that experience, I would make the communication experience a
more positive one by making sure that everyone was aware that the position was for first
shift only prior to accepting applications. I think that having a thorough understanding of the
communication process is integral to effective communication and credibility. All it takes is
just one mishap or bad experience to leave a sour impression on someone, so having an
understanding of how the process is supposed to work efficiently will help reduce the
likelihood of a breakdown of communication. A very problematic communication
experience from my professional life that I have experienced was When the Store Managers
decided to have a meeting when I was absent, and they had discussed some changes they
wanted to make to certain departments in the store. Unfortunately, I wasn't informed on the
changes they wanted made for my department specifically So when the time came for a
Regional Manager walk-through the changes weren't made to the newer OSHA Codes. The
noise of filters discussed in this section that likely led to this challenging communication
experience was Semantic noise. The manager that informed of the changes they wanted
made felt that while these changes weren't exactly what the OSHA guidelines stated that
these changes would be the best changes for the store and would still not break the OSHA
guidelines. If I could repeat the experience while using the model in figure 2.1 I'd address
the fact that while the Assistant Manager had an idea that he/she felt would suffice The
Guidelines set by OSHA are what we must follow, And that not following these guidelines
can result in hefty fines on top of other punishments that not only will make our store look
bad but our company as a whole look bad. The other thing I'd have done was just request a
copy of the OSHA guideline changes so I could read up on them myself for when I returned
back to work. During the past 20 years, this person was engaged several times. An issue he
found common during these relationships was miscommunication or failed communication.
Had he known what we learned in this class, he would probably be married with children by
now. From failed relationships to failed businesses, one thing he realized is that no matter
what, he would always get back up and try again. For example, let’s look at his most recent
relationship and why he believes it failed. The noise or filters discussed in this week’s
readings about outside influences that affect our communication were many in that
relationship. Some of the noises they experienced in the failed relationship were
physiological, psychological, and semantic noises. Physiological noise due to his health
issues related to a lower back injury causing him to shut down and not be receptive to her
communications. Semantic noise was also a factor when he and his ex-fiancé would
communicate or disagree on a topic due to cultural differences in their backgrounds. He was
raised differently in his household to speak in a cultured way, whereas she would say
anything that came to her mind, without filter. When this would happen, he would shut
down since he found it offensive. Learning about emotional hijacking would have helped
him understand what was happening with her since her emotions would get the best of her,
not allowing rational thinking. For this reason, they were unable to continue their
relationship, even though they tried many times to adjust and understand each other. There
was also psychological noise with her due to past relationship experiences which caused her
to have trust issues (Cardon, 2021).If he could repeat this relationship using what we learned
in Figure 2.1, he would probably apply much more empathy to her. He would likely try and
understand what she was going through at the time. All he experienced during what she was
going through with her personal and professional issues, he knows they were both
experiencing physical, physiological, and psychological noises that caused issues in
communication. Self-awareness and self-management would have played a critical role in
dealing with these communication issues and they would probably have understood each
other better. He knows he needs to improve his self-awareness and self-management
techniques. If this means meditating or working out to relieve stress, he needs to do that
daily. He also needs to write down and investigate what triggers were causing issues with
them communicating with each other successfully, and how to handle it effectively. With a
better grasp of these techniques, he could be better suited to handle a relationship in the
future and be a good listener with effective communication skills for his partner (Cardon,
2021).Finally, if he had truly understood the communication process and applied what we
learned in this class, then he could establish credibility in his communication. People will
trust him when they are aware of his competency and that he has a solid personal history of
success and achievement. Showing he sincerely cares and using terms such as “we” and “us”
instead of an “I” or “me” in the relationship will also help with building trust in the
relationship .A failed communication can be problematic and could ultimately result in
disciplinary actions depending on the information that was sent. Years ago, a friend of mine
worked for a government agency which dealt with pertinent medical information. Because of
HIPPA guidelines, it is imperative individual’s medical information is kept confidential and
handled with tremendous caution and strict protocols.
She received a request and responded to the email by attaching the patient’s medical
documents which was requested. She replied but did not realize she had replied all with the
individual’s medical information. She had only intended to send it to the patient. After
sending the email she realized she had made a terrible mistake by including everyone.For
this experience, she would probably say psychological noise would be the best fit for this
example. The attitudes and emotions of the recipients who received the email that included
information they knew should not have come to them, must have been quite uncomfortable.
Based on Figure 2.1, it was vital that she should’ve encoded the email, so that the
expectation of privacy was upheld and kept separate from the other participants within the
email. Effective communication is extremely important and the people you work with should
have confidence you are trustworthy and will perform an excellent job, by encoding and
decoding an email successfully. A failed communication experience that I seem to stumble
across quite often is not being able to get my point across no matter how much Information
I have to back up my explanation. Time and time again I find myself explaining and
explaining and still no one hearing or maybe even trying to understand my point of view.
That doesn’t mean it is me it could mean that it is the people I am having conversation with
because that’s when it happens the most while talking to the same couple of people. I
believe that is the other persons not being receptable or open minded honestly. It’s like they
only want to believe they’re point and don’t like to see everybody else point of view. To
shift to a more positive response I normally just stop talking although that is not the best
solution but when you’re constantly talking to people who don’t want to see it no other way
but their way it is hard. Understanding the communication process can play a big part
because it helps you have a better understanding on how to communicate between one
another. When talking to my pre-teens I find it difficult to communicate, they are always
wearing some kind of headset or zoned out in an electronic. These devices hold their
attention, and they often mumble when responding to my question or don't hear my question
at all. This communication barrier is called a physiological noise, this is when the there is a
disruption due to physiological factor. Due to constant miscommunication, I now have a
designated area (backyard) where I know that I have their full attention to discuss important
topics. In the past, I used to get really upset and often go in circles trying to get them to
understand how important it is that they do not tune me out. Not only was this a waist a time
but it was draining, After setting a routine for us to have an area where we would not be
disrupted and reduce miscommunications, we find that having this time resulted in getting us
closer and spending more quality time together. I think the main type of problem I have
experienced over the years working at many different jobs would be psychological
interference. Time and Time again I would be told to do something whether it be a task or
just simply a command to obey and almost 90 percent of the time it was attached to a person
with an attitude OR in my case tension/stress. I like to think of myself as a very chipper
person 9/10 but these jobs I was working were grave yard shift and that shift alone tends to
put a damper on the day. For me, I loved this job so it made no difference. I worked with
kids who crossed the border seeking asylum. The kids were great, shy at first but once they
understood we were only there to help it made a world of a difference. Tension is always
high when it is a child's first night. This is when you have to be very vigilant. Study the
child's actions, how he walks, how he talks, how many times he may go to the bathroom.
Identifying a flight risk is never easy but these boys that came to the shelter always managed
to try and run as soon as they got there. This is very stressful; especially when some of the
kids come unexpected and staffing is low. During initial intake the child is given new
clothes to wear along with getting a lice treatment, a full shower, foot soak, and a hot meal
before bed. Most of the children know and understand English but are not able to speak it
fluently. I on the other hand, know some Spanish but do not speak it or practice it. Once the
intake manager found out I was a non-Spanish speaking person to assist in the intake
process, she made belittled me in front of the new intake and continued only speaking
Spanish with my other colleague and to the new intake. If I could go back to change things,
I would definitely let the manager know I was working on my Spanish speaking skills and
that just being involved with the kids was good enough reason for my involvement of the
help that was required of me. I feel my co workers would have accepted and respected me
more if they had known of my struggles but advancement with the Spanish speaking. At the
time I felt foolish, so I didn't speak up on behalf of myself. Kids can sense things like that.
The child I was caring for seemed apologetic to me with his eyes while the staff I continued
to work with just simply acted as if I was not even there. By understanding the
communication process it helps to identify potential mishaps. Being able to read a person
and how to communicate effectively brings credibility to a person. They can diffuse
situations before they occur and interact/communicate smoothly. Utilizing different
strategies and techniques to communicate with people will enhance one's ability to be a
strong communicator, leading to a strong leader. Effective communication is a must no
matter what area of expertise your career goal is geared towards.
