Communication Barriers – How To Break Them Down
How to Break Down Communication Barriers gives a method of applying effective communication skills to enhance our lives.
Yes, unfortunately communication barriers do exist. All too often these barriers affect our lives in the most negative of ways. Not practicing effective communication techniques can wreak havoc at work and home. It can cause problems in our relationships with our spouses/partners, children, friends, co-workers and our boss. The build up of these barriers are caused by not getting our message across in clear and concise manner and by not listening to what the other has to say. It’s not that we want these issues to arise. On the contrary, most people want what they have to say to be interpreted correctly. Regrettably we don’t always communicate our ideas very successfully. By the same token we don’t always take the time to listen very well because we are off on the next tangent in our own minds. Communication is a two-way street and it takes both parties to make it meaningful.
What to do about it you might ask? Well let’s take a look at the reason that these barriers hinder or totally eliminate communication between two people.
Basically the barriers to effectively communicating fall into two main categories:
- Sending Barriers – the speaker
- Receiving Barriers – the listener
Keep in mind that we will be viewing the situation from both sides of the table.
Here’s an example of mis-communication:
- Speaker A is trying to convey her feelings and needs in a sincere and earnest manner to Listener B. She has got some issues that she needs to discuss and wants some honest feedback from her friend.
- Listener B is scribbling on a pad of paper and constantly interrupting Speaker A. She rushes the speaker along by saying yeah I know you should have seen what happened to me. Before the speaker gets out her next thought the listener finished the speaker’s sentence with an answer that doesn’t flow with the conversation.
- Speaker A looks at Listener B annoyingly, shakes her head, throws up her hands and walks out of the room.
- Listener B asks where Speaker A is going, she wasn’t through yet, didn’t she want to talk?
Wow! Now that would really make you want to express yourself- NOT!
Has anything like this ever happen to you, or have you been guilty of being a Listener B? Well we are not all perfect in this game of life, but if we want to become better communicators then there are some things that we need to consider.
The following scenario shows a better means of effective communication and how to engage both members in an active and understanding conversation:
- Speaker A invites Listener B to sit down with her at her table and tells Listener B that she has some important things she needs to discuss with her and really wants her feedback.
- The table is cleared of distractions and Listener B becomes attentive because Speaker A has asked for her help.
- Speaker A begins her discussion in clear concise sentences and even asks Listener B if she understands what she is talking about.
- Listener B is making full eye contact with Speaker A, nods her head silently and waits her turn to reply. Her answer flows with the conversation and she even adds a little advice to her friend about the subject.
- Speaker A let’s Listener B know that she appreciates her thoughts and tells her that she had not thought about the point of view Listener B mentioned but that she would take that into consideration in dealing with the matter at hand.
See the difference between the two plots? It is crucial to have both the listener and the speaker to be actively engaged in the conversation. They must feel like that what they have to say is valid, respected and understood. Emotional outbursts are kept to a minimum when each of the people involved know that what they have to say is interpreted well and that the participants mindsets are connected instead of distracted.
The truth is we all have our own personal agendas. We have thoughts, ideas, and feelings that we want to express. What we need to remember is that in order to become an effective communicator we have to be open-minded enough to be a good listener as well as a good speaker.
Communication Barriers can be knocked down when we use the right tools that can effectively get our point across. Try this method for yourself and see if you too can become a better communicator. Life is so much easier when good communication is at play.
