ME3101 / ME3102Mechanical Systems DesignChapter 3Practice Good Communication

Communications 101The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place --George Bernard Shaw--

Communication is not so much the transmittal of a message. It encompasses elements such as:

•Delivery of message

•Receiving of message

•Decoding (Understanding) a message

•Responding to a message

*Many major accidents in history are due to miscommunications.!*

Communications 101In a standard model of communication, communications does not distinguish the roles of sender and receiver.

Both people in a conversation are placed in the role of a sender and receiver at the same time.

One problem that might hinder the effective process of communication is noise. Which is anything that interrupts the receiver in getting the message or misconstrues the original meaning. Examples of noise are:

•Physical Noise – Such as background conversations etc.•Psychological Noise – Concerns or disruptive day experiences the receiver might have•Physiological Noise – Physical Fatigue, hunger or illnesses

Did you know?

References::http://www.publicspeakingtoolkit.com/ethnic-theory-of-plane-crashes.html

It has been recorded that a large number of plane crashes happen due to miscommunication rather than technical difficulties or due to the pilot’s incompetency. In many of the cases, it was found that the miscommunication was due to…

•DIFFERNCE IN CULTURE

•POWER DISTANCE

Did you know?

Examine the following conversationCaptain: Advise ATC we don’t have fuel.First officer: Climb and maintain 3 thousand and, ah, we’re running out of fuel sir.Air Traffic Control: I’m gonna bring you about fifteen miles northeast and then turn you back onto the approach. Is that OK with you and your fuel?First officer: I guess so. Thank you very much.

Five minutes later the plane crashed because it ran out of fuel 

•Air traffic control understood “ ah, we’re running out of fuel” as standard comment, and not an emergency.

•First officer is from Columbia, a high power distance culture, while ATC is from a low power distance culture. Thus the First office is less forceful in speech and mannerism.

•The state of emergency wasn’t conveyed to the ATC that the plane needed to land IMMEDIATELY.

What happened?!

Moral of the story

1. Pay attention to cultural differences and respect it

2. A message is delivered not only through the words used, but also the tonality and speed of delivery

3. Practice effective listening techniques

Some barriers to communication

•Noise

•Selective attention

•Rebuttal Tendency

•Closed mindedness

•Competitive Interruption

NoiseNoise in this case does not refer to only the background noise or competing sounds.

As mentioned earlier it can be:•Physical Noise•Psychological Noise•Physiological Noise

Communicators should seek to eliminate all these sources in order to focus attention onto the communication partner.

If it is too distracting and cannot be removed, either seek to change the location or reschedule.

Selective Listening

Selective listening occurs when a person is seemingly paying attention but the focus is somewhere else.

Most of the message does not get across and this often frustrates the speaker when the listener is exposed.

Rebuttal Tendency/ Close Mindedness

A rebuttal tendency occurs when a listener forms a counter argument in his mind prior to a speaker finishing the message.

This causes most of the message to be lost and time wasted trying to clear the miscommunication caused.

Also this might sometimes be due to the listener’s close-mindedness, developing a behavior to not listen to things he/she disagrees with, thus eliminating many options /useful information in the process.

Competitive Interruption

Competitive interruption occurs when the listener often hijacks the speaker’s air time to speak. While most interruptions are not competitive in nature (some are expressions of support), they still do break the speaker’s train of thoughts and momentum. Try to avoid interrupting another person’s speech and let him/her finish communicating the message. You turn will come eventually.

Active Listening

To become a better listener, practice the following:

•Paying Attention

•Maintain Eye Contact

•Show affirmation/acknowledgement

•Feedback

•Respond Appropriately

Paying Attention

Paying attention is as simple as it sounds:

1. Eliminate distractions

2. Focus on your speaker

3. Listen to and digest his message

4. Double check with him if you are unsure (Eg. So what you are saying is…?)

Eye contact

Establishing eye contact in a conversation is important. It signifies that you are paying attention to the speaker and encourages him in the delivery of the message.

Also, for added measure, you could adjust your body direction to face the speaker.

Show Affirmation/Acknowledgement

To allow the speaker to know that you have received and understood what he/she was saying, you could:

•Nod your head to demonstrate acknowledgement

•Use verbal cues such as “Uh-huh” or “Ok” or “Sure”

FeedbackAnother method of active listening is to feedback to your speaker. In between pauses or during the conversation, you could reconfirm if the message he/she is saying is the same as the one you have received.

“So am I right in saying that..”

Alternatively, you could also paraphrase the speaker, to let him/her know that you are listening. This also helps the speaker smoothen their train of thoughts and understanding

Respond appropriately

The last step of active listening is to respond appropriately to the listener.

Taking into consideration differences such as culture etc. react to the speaker’s message.

Treat the speaker as you would like to be treated.

In conclusion

Communication is a two way process and requires effort from the source and the receiver.

Pay attention to what each other have to say and respect each other’s opinions and differences.