Reducing Communication Barriers
Respond to your fellow students’ posts with your response to some of the examples they offer along with any ideas or suggestions to improve communication. 40-50 words response.
Thomas Johnson:
Communication is a process of transmitting information through a medium. Communication is only productive if the message is received and interpreted as intended. Barriers to communication are items that prevent the correct interpretation. Some of the most common barriers to effective communications are language, physical barriers, attitudes, emotions, stereotypes, and cultural differences.
Language barrier is a major concern with intercultural communication. According to Farnen (2017), “words don’t necessarily translate from one language to another in a clean one-to-one correspondence. The same English word may have different meanings to people from different cultures. Care should be taken to speak slowly and clearly with common, uncomplicated terminology that may be easily translated.
Physical barriers result when communication recipient cannot see non-verbal communications, posture, and body language. Many studies have concluded that most communication is non-verbal. Conference calls lose some effectiveness when communication recipient does not receive eye contact, see facial expressions, or posture. Important meetings or introductions should be personal to provide non-verbal communication, particularly when conducting intercultural business.
Attitudes, emotions, and stereotypes can be problematic. Humans tend to jump to conclusions, only decoding information they expected to receive. Attitude and emotion cause difficulty in concentration and expression in current and future communication. Holmes (2008) stated stereotypes are assumptions based on identity characteristics. There are blatant and hidden stereotypes, which make communication ineffective. Methods to minimize stereotyping: avoid assumptions, practice compassion, research stereotypes and how to avoid.
Culture encompasses languages, behaviors, beliefs, traditions, and other items that mold individuals. Cultures hold unique beliefs, behaviors, word meanings, and communication styles. Cultures view and value laws, rights, tangible items, and success differently. Some cultures communicate through short, direct means, while others may value casual conversation and indirect methods. Consider cross cultural communication as an opportunity to learn new ideas and views.
References
Farnen, K. (2017). Six Barriers to Intercultural Communication. Retrieved September 11, 2017, from http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/six-barriers-intercultural-communication-7024.html
Holmes, T.A. (2008) The 3 Barriers to Effective Multicultural Communication: Part 1. Retrieved September 11,2017, from https://doctortyrone.wordpress.com/2008/08/15/the-3-barriers-to-effective-multicultural-communication-part-1/
Reginald Bell:
There are numerous techniques that can be used to verify that communications were received and understood but I will talk about only one of them. In Chapter 2 of our textbook the Interaction Model is a tool that is discussed. This technique can be used and is very effective because the sender ensures that the receiver not only receives whatever message is given but the sender is also able to describe the message in detail. This is very beneficial for the receiver because he/she may be the type of learner that needs to have a demonstration.
In order to overcome the barriers dealing with communication the sender and receiver have duties and responsibilities that they are charged with. Chapter 2, Table 2.7 and 2.8 talks about some of the charged duties of the requirements for both. It is upon the sender and receiver to understand that one of the communication barriers is that of culture. In my opinion, cultural difference may be in a tie as being the number one barrier communication. I say this because a word as simple as “sweetheart” in the southern culture can be taken out of context in the northern culture. Another is that of stereotyping. Stereotyping has been around for a while but it has grown greatly over the last few years. Stereotyping is a barrier that either we all have been a victim of or we have been the abuser. If this type of barrier is not understood then it can be labeled as emotionally harmful and a person may never get over this.
Baack, D. (2012). Managerial communications. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Justin Hawks:
When communicating with other people, one of the best tried and true ways to ensure someone received and understood your communication, is eye contact. Engaging in conversation with someone, but looking around and not making full eye contact, is a sure way to assume that they got the message as it was intended. When you look someone in the eye, communicate to them directly, you can see if they understand the message, or if they need a little more clarification. This also helps eliminate the distractions that are around you. When you look away from someone and start to look at other things, you loose the grasp on the conversation you started with. Ensure proper eye contact is happening, first and foremost, as a way to ensure someone is receiving the message as intended.
As the text states: “Anger and sadness are two of the more commonly mentioned emotions that affect communication”. (Baack, 2012 P.G. 2.2). Identifying that someone is down in the dumps, or just upset, is a good way to reduce the likelihood of barriers between the sender and the receiver. Trying to relay a work message, ignoring the obvious signs that are present, and moving on with your day, is not the way to convey a message. If you see someone struggling with their emotions for that day, ask them what is wrong. Be polite and respectful because we never know what they went through the previous day.
Communication can be easy, it is not something that we need to put our whole effort into. Getting to know someone and speaking to them on their level that makes both them, and you, comfortable, now that is something that we need to put our whole effort into. Create the bonds between you, and the people you speak to, that will result in positive listening and the message being received correctly.
Reference
Baack, Donald. 2012. Management Communication.[Electronic Version]. Bridgepoint Education Inc. Retrieved from: https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUBUS600.12.2/sections/copyright
Intercultural Communication Competence: 40-50 words response.
Suzanne Trader:
My level of intercultural communication is very different. I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI. I have not traveled much out of Michigan but have family that lives in other states. Understanding others people culture and intercultural communications is something I need to practice on and learn. I work at a property management company and we have different cultures that live on our properties. Each person that lives on our properties has their own way of life and language. To speak with someone that has different intercultural communications is very difficult sometimes. This is because “language and slang differ among cultures” (Baack, D. (2012). This is why it is important to achieve some level of intercultural communications competence. Not everyone speaks the same and not everyone comes from the same cultural. Because our world is so diverse anywhere you go it is important that you have some level of intercultural communications, especially when running a business and hiring new people. I think learning intercultural communications would help me better understand the tenants that live on our properties and their way of life. Maybe then it would be easier to understand why they do and say certain things. It is also important in school too because again we all have different cultures and beliefs. Because of this in school, each person perspective on a discussion will always be different and worded different, no two people are alike. Understanding that will help your intercultural communications understanding. This will also help me too in school and at work.
Reference:
Baack, D. (2012). Management communication [Electronic version].
Retrieved from https://ashford.content.edu
Larry Cunningham:
I believe that it is very important to achieve a certain level of intercultural communication competence. You cannot be close minded and shut yourself off from the rest of the world. The United States is truly a melting pot. There are people from all types of backgrounds and cultures throughout our country. These same people are our supervisors, co-workers and subordinates. This is why it is very important to achieve a certain level of intercultural communication competence. You do not want to offend anyone by not know anything about their culture.
Over the years intercultural communication competence has helped me tremendously. Serving in the Military for over 20 years I have had to pleasure of working with a great number of people from every type of background that you can imagine. I also had an amazing opportunity to travel to other countries. The Army provided mandatory culture awareness classes or every Solider that was deployed overseas. The class went into great detail of the “do’s and don’ts” of the culture of the area that we were going to deployed to. Not just in the Military are these classes given, but many firms offer culture sensitivity training as well (Baack, 2012).
Academically it is absolutely necessary to have intercultural communication. At any level of education it is important to be aware of your classmates and your instructor for that matter. It doesn’t take that much extra effort to take some time to learn something about someone else’s culture. I think there are quite a few Americans that think that it is on other cultures to take the time and “educate” themselves to American culture since they are in America. By all means, I am not saying they we have to learn to be fluent at a second language, but how hard is it to learn how to at least learn a greeting or two of a different language?
Baack, Donald. 2012. Management Communication.[Electronic Version]. Bridgepoint Education Inc. Retrieved from: https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUBUS600.2.4/sections/copyright
Thomas Johnson:
Intercultural teams often contribute unique solutions obtained from their diverse experiences. Corporations benefit significantly from intercultural groups innovation. According to Amadeo (2017), “Each year, DiversityInc selects the 50 most diverse companies. The 43 that were public corporations were 24 percent more profitable than the S&P 500. They made up just 7 percent of the Fortune 500 but generated 22 percent of its total revenue.” The US workforce is ever diversifying, and intercultural communications skills are increasingly important.
I feel my intercultural communications competence is adequate, but can benefit professionally from improvement in this area. I work in the wireless telecommunications industry, which is very culturally diverse. I procure voice and analytic services from vendors all over the world. I frequently negotiate contract details with Mexican, English, German, and Indian counterparts. Knowing how to interact with each culture can be beneficial. I try to avoid stereotypes, so I treat each individual unique while being conscious of typical cultural norms, work styles, dietary preferences, negotiation styles, and similar items.
I am actively working on personal intercultural competence. We recently moved from the Dallas, TX area to Baton Rouge, LA area. I have family in the Baton Rouge area, and visited several times a year. However, living in the community I can attest the culture is quite different from Dallas. Comedic movies exaggerate the language barrier, but there are occasions where accent and jargon have caused conversations to slow down. We are making conscious efforts to inject ourselves into the culture, attending community events, cooking more local cuisine, and visiting localities to learn more about the history.
Reference
Amadeo, K. (2017, June 10). Cultural Diversity in the Work Place How Diversity at Work Makes More Money for You. Retrieved September 13, 2017, from https://www.thebalance.com/cultural-diversity-3306201