Overcoming the communication barriers, 7C’s of Communication and Important Terminologies

Overcoming the Communication Barriers

Overcoming the communication barriers

•      Active listening

•      Use simple language

•      Give timely feedback

•      Be emotionally intelligent

•      Be culturally sensitive

•      Select the right channel

•      Send appropriate non-verbal signals

Ø Active Listening: -

It is a skill that can be acquired and developed with practice. There are both verbal and non-verbal cues that convey active listening. Non-verbal signs include smiling (if appropriate), making eye contact, nodding at appropriate times, and avoiding distractions.

Ø Use Simple Language: -

It’s important to remember the audience that you’re speaking to and use language that can be easily understood. Avoid using medical terminology or jargon when speaking to clients and their families.

Ø Give Timely Feedback: -

Feedback is the receiver’s response to the message without it, the sender cannot know whether the recipient has received the entire message and grasped its intent. Inappropriate or untimely feedback defeats the very purpose of communication.

Ø Be Emotionally Intelligent: -

When people are aware and in control of their emotions, they can think clearly. The emotionally intelligent person looks for the reason behind the behaviour when the message does not bring the desired result.

Ø Be Culturally Sensitive: -

Behavioural patterns differ from culture to culture. A culturally intelligent person recognises different behavioural patterns, has the motivation to act and finally adopts behaviour so that the culturally different person is not offended.

Ø Select the Right Channel: -

The chance of miscommunication can be minimised if an appropriate channel is selected for conveying the message. The selected channel in a particular situation should correlate with the feedback requirements.

Ø Send Appropriate Non-verbal Signals: -

It is important since if there is any clash of verbal and non-verbal symbols, the receiver puts more faith in non-verbal.   

7C’s of Communication

 1.     Clarity

     2.     Correctness

     3.     Completeness

     4.     Concreteness

     5.     Conciseness

     6.     Coherence

     7.     Courtesy

 Ø Clarity

    ·        Clarity demands that the business should be correct and concrete.

    ·        Purpose should be clear (communication).

    ·        Proper punctuation makes the writing clear.

    ·        Choose precise familiar words.

    ·        Construct effective sentences and paragraphs.

Ø Correctness

    ·        Use the correct level of language.

    ·        Include only words and figures.

    ·        There should be proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Ø Completeness

     ·        Message should be completed and bring desirable results.

     ·        Provide all necessary information

     ·        Give something extra when desirable

 Ø Concreteness (Bing specific, relevant, to the point)

     ·        Communicating concretely means being specific and definite

     ·        Use specific facts and figures

  Ø Conciseness

   ·    Business executives are very busy they don't have time to go through unnecessary lengthy messages

    ·        Eliminate wordy expressions.

    ·        Include only relevant material.

    ·         Avoid unnecessary reputation.

    ·        Example: - wordy - at the time

·        Concise – now

 Ø Consideration/Coherence (to think and view from others angle)

    ·        Focus on “you” instead of ‘I’ and ‘we’

    ·        Show audience benefits effectively.

  Ø Courtesy (Being humble, polite)

     ·        Courtesy is more important and advantages in business writing.

     ·        answer your mail promptly.

     ·        Use expressions that show respect.

     ·        Be sincere, tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative.

Important terminologies

•      Intercultural communication

•      Cross-cultural communication

•      Enculturation

•      Acculturation

•      Intrapersonal communication

•      Interpersonal communication

•      Group communication

•      Mass communication

The terms ‘intercultural’ and ‘cross-cultural’ are often used synonymously although there are underlying differences.

•      Intercultural communication: -

Intercultural is used to describe the wide range of communication problems that naturally appear within an organisation made up of individuals from different religious, social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. Apart from languages, intercultural communication focuses on social attributes, thought patterns and the cultures and customs of different groups of people.

•      Cross-cultural communication: -

‘A cross-cultural study of businesses in Western Asia’ would be a comparison of chosen business industry aspects in various regions or countries but would consider each country or region separately and would not suggest any interaction between various business systems. It is a comparison of different phenomena across cultures.

•      Enculturation: -

Enculturation is a process by which a society’s culture is transmitted from one generation to the next and individuals become members of their society. It involves conditioning and programming in the process of communication particular to culture, including perceptual patterns (for example, categorizing people outside of the culture of stereotyping) and verbal and non-verbal language.

•      Acculturation: -

Acculturation is the process of adjusting or adapting to another culture. Usually, this process involves a high level of uncertainty and anxiety that can be decreased by trying to understand the new culture and by being open to differences and similarities. 

•      Intrapersonal communication: -

The internal self and the external self become the sender and receiver in a cyclic process.

•      Interpersonal communication: -

It differs from other forms of communication in that there are two or more persons involved who are near each other. It can occur between people who have known each other for some time or sometimes among strangers also.

•      Group communication: -

The goal of any group communication is to achieve goals through collective and collaborative efforts, such as work done through project teams or committees. There can be big groups, such as clubs, classrooms, and organisations where individuals retain their identity.

•      Mass communication: -

It occurs when the message is intended for a big group of people, for example in newspapers and magazines, radio, television, and film. In this form of communication, feedback is not instantaneous. 

Also, read about:

• Introduction of Communication: its Process and Types of Communication

• Barriers to Communication Process

• 4S’s of Communication, Communication Models and Communication Process and Learners’ Learning Styles

• The Organisational Structure and Communication Process 

• Effective Organisational Communication