Communication SkillsWeek 3

Barriers of effective communicationPhysical

SemanticPsychological

What is an organization?Goals and kinds of organization

BY WARDAH AZHAR

Psychological Barriers

• Every person has his/her own way to look at the world, at people, at events and situations. A way of thinking of a person many times takes a shape of strong base of communication. No two persons possess accurately similar frames of reference. Following are the psychological barriers –

Cont…

• (a) Unjust Assumptions: It creates a lot of misunderstanding. A manager, for example, incorrectly assumes that the subordinates understand the technical terms he adopts to give the instructions.

• (b) Barrier of Knowing it All: Certain people think that they know everything about a subject. Usually they are not prepared to accept that they could be mistaken. Many make the generalized statements like women can not become superior to men or insincerity is the base of business. An attitude of “know it all” is an outcome of biased approach.

Cont…• (c) Snap Reactions: Some listeners tend to pass remarks or criticize

the communicator even though his communication is not completed. Hurried interpretations are not needed. Audience needs to be patient enough to let the communicator finish his speech.(d) Apathetic Listener: One who is psychologically dead and indifferent to speaker. Receiver’s apathy is an intolerable condition, when the communicator tries to carry out effective communication.(e) Sophisticated Role: The receiver is not willing to learn from the communicator. That means he/she isun-teachable. In such situations the communicator should try to create right impact.

Cont…

• (f) Defensiveness: Humans always tries to justify themselves. they think that admitting the mistake means a loss of face. Therefore, they tends to rationalize the mistake that they commit. This type of attitude of the communicator is a great hindrance in the effective communication.(g) Fear: A fear gives rise to slow and narrow thinking. It is clearly destructive to communication. So the primary objective must be to eliminate fear.

Semantic Barriers:

• Connotation: meanings of words – Choose the correct and precise word depending on context and the receiver’s felicity in the use of language.

• Fluency: Communicating with someone whose native language is not the same as yours may present barriers in the form of inappropriate or incorrect word choice

Cont…

• Jargon or Slang: Professionals often use industry jargon to communicate, and that jargon is all but foreign to those outside the industry.

• High- or Low-Level Vocabulary: Even when people share a native language, vocabulary differences can be vast. Someone with a large vocabulary may choose to say, "He is certainly loquacious" rather than "He talks a lot." People who don't know the word's meaning may feel left out or ignorant and cease communication altogether

Environmental and Physical barriers:

• (a) Time – adopt appropriate fast channels of communication

• (b) Space – maintain the distance in the communication exercise as determined by the situation

• (c) Place – Avoid overcrowded incommodious and ill-lit, ill- ventilated places to achieve effective communication

• (d) Medium – Choose the appropriate medium oral / written (sign (audio/visual) medium

WHAT IS AN ORGANIZATION?

Definition: • Social entity• Goal directed• Designed as deliberately structured and

coordinated activity systems• Linked to the external environment.

Organization

• A social unit of people, systematically structured and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals on a continuing basis. All organizations have a management structure that determines relationships between functions and positions, and subdivides and delegates roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out defined tasks. Organizations are open systems in that they affect and are affected by the environment beyond their boundaries.

GOALS OF ORGANIZATIONThose ends that an organization seeks to achieve by its existence and operation.Goals are predetermined and describe future results toward which present efforts are directed.

FORMAL GOALS

• reflect the actual intention of an organization. They describe the concrete steps to be taken to achieve the organization's purpose. They often don't correspond with official goals.

INFORMAL GOALS

• are the general aims of an organization as expressed in the corporate charter, annual reports, public statements and mission statements. Their purpose is to give the organization a favorable public image, provide legitimacy, and justify its activities.

Kinds of organizationOrganizations are basically classified on the basis of

relationships.

Formal organization• Formal Organization - This is one

which refers to a structure of well defined jobs each bearing a measure of authority and responsibility. It is a conscious determination by which people accomplish goals by adhering to the norms laid down by the structure. This kind of organization is an arbitrary set up in which each person is responsible for his performance. Formal organization has a formal set up to achieve pre- determined goals.

Informal organization• It refers to a network of personal and

social relationships which spontaneously originates within the formal set up. Informal organizations develop relationships which are built on likes, dislikes, feelings and emotions. Therefore, the network of social groups based on friendships can be called as informal organizations. There is no conscious effort made to have informal organization. It emerges from the formal organization and it is not based on any rules and regulations as in case of formal organization.