Training and Development 1 Looking at Communication Understanding the Barriers to Good Communication Awareness not Answers

Training and Development 2 Understanding Barriers to Communication How often do you say or think:- It’s quite simple – I’ve already said I’ve told you several times I only said I wish you would listen

Understanding Barriers to Communication Why do people not appear to understand what is being said to them? Please carry out the following instruction:- ‘Codi un llaw yn yr awyr’ What is the problem – is it not clear? Training and Development 3

Understanding Barriers to Communication Now try this instruction:- ‘Raise one arm in the air’ Where can speaking different languages be a problem? Training and Development 4

Understanding Barriers to Communication When we speak we use personal word association to make sense of what we are hearing/seeing. Mix tone and volume of the message, non verbal communication, our personal feeling about the messenger and the message itself, there is a huge potential for misunderstanding both the message and the intent. Training and Development 5

Understanding Barriers to Communication Remove some of those information routes as in phone calls, letters or s, thereby removing some important information and the potential for error increases dramatically. ‘I love you’ can take on a whole different meaning depending on reception and perceived intent. Training and Development 6

Understanding Barriers to Communication Personal Word Association. Training and Development 7

Understanding Barriers to Communication We are now going to carry out an exercise looking at word association. Let’s make some predictions The word is RUN Training and Development 8

Understanding Barriers to Communication These ‘personal associations’ can cause confusion sometimes because we know what we meant to say, others interpret into their own associations. Sign in a New York store: ‘Walk up one floor or down two floors for improved elevator service’ Training and Development 9

Understanding Barriers to Communication There are other factors that also affect our communication. We all have ‘Social Behaviour Styles’. Bolton and Bolton have devised a questionnaire to help us ascertain our own personal style(s) and to recognise the effectiveness of that style. Training and Development 10

Understanding Barriers to Communication Hopefully you will have seen that our communications are not always delivered or received in the way in which they were intended. The results from both exercises are not ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, they simply provide information about the possible outcomes of the methods we use and make us aware that what we say is not always what is heard Training and Development 11

Understanding Barriers to Communication The basis of good communication is about recognition and adaptability, about checking understandings and when you get an unexpected reaction it may be the way you said what you said or it may be the way it was received. Clarification is better than vilification Training and Development 12

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Understanding Barriers to Communication If both parties accept 51% of the responsibility for any communication then the messenger needs to check that the intended message was received and the receiver needs to check that message received was indeed the intended message. Let’s go and start Communicating Effectively Training and Development 14