IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION IN ADULT EDUCATION

1. Good communications minimize the potential of unkind feeling during the process of teaching. For
learning the learner must be attentive toward their teacher during the lecture. Loss (2000), recommended
that teacher communicate in clear and understandable manner.

2. Communication is a dynamic process which need of mind and courage to face the other and convey
his/her massage in effective way. Communication process is successful when we deliver the massage in
clear and understandable way. Effective communication need to convey and accept his/her massage in all
kind of situation and circumstances. Good communication is considered a strong tool `for effectiveness in
the teaching profession (Monika Srivastava, NA)

3. Communication skills involve listening and speaking as well as reading and writing. For effective
teaching a teacher need to be highly skilled in all these areas. Teacher with good communication always
make the things easier and understandable (Freddie Silver).

4. Good communication skills of teacher are the basic need of academics success of students, and
professional success of life. Teacher communicates more instructions orally in classroom to students.
Teacher with poor communication skills may cause failure of students to learn and promote their
academics. Student need to understand that what is right, and what is wrong while it totally depend upon
the communication skills of teachers which he adopt in class-room (Sherwyn P. Morreale, Michael M.
Osborn Judy c. Pearson, 2000).

5. Effective communication skills are really important for a teacher in transmitting of education,
classroom management and interaction with students in the class. Teacher has to teach the students
having different thinking approaches. To teach in accordance with the ability and capability of the
students a teacher need to adopt such skills of communication which motivate the students toward their
learning process (Sng Bee,2012).

WHAT IS NOISE
The concept or term ‘Noise’ was introduced in communication theory in 1940's by Shannon and Weaver
while working on a mathematical model in Bell Laboratories. A Noise or Barrier included anything that
impeded the message from being fully received and understood by the receiver. While, this term was
coined initially as a disturbance in the receptivity of signals by Shannon and Weaver, researchers later
realised that in the field of communication 'barrier or noise' could be external or internal.

"What do we mean by external or internal barriers?", must be the question that has cropped up in your
mind. This chapter will give an answer to this question.

In day to day communication, it is common occurrence to have misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

An individual (a sender) may try to communicate something to the best of one's capacity, however, it is
not necessary that the Recipient (a receiver) has received the message and understood it in exactly the
same way as desired by the sender. There may be something that leads to the receiver not understanding
the message in the same way as sent by the sender. This is Noise. For instance Clementina is very sick,
and she is taking a rest at home. She calls her husband to bring some medicines, and they are interacting
on a mobile phone. At the same time, her daughter Ava is watching television at a high volume.
Therefore, Clementina could not understand what her husband says to her precisely. So, she asks her
husband again to be confirmed. Television sounds are physical noise, and her sickness is an example of
physiological noise.

Noise or Barrier need not only be surrounding individuals. There are elements of noise that can exist
within each individual like the case of Clementina. Therefore, in any communication, a barrier or noise is
that element which interferes with the decoding of messages by a receiver sent over a channel by an
encoder or sender.

Noise / Barrier in communication leads to communication failure or undesirable response to

communication due to the problem in the decoding of the message. The barriers could be physical,
environmental, semantic, attitudinal or psychological.

There are different types of Noise . Many research Scholars categorise Noise into three types: which are

1. Physical Noise
2. Physiological Noise
3. Psychological Noise
4. Syntactical Noise
5. Cultural Noise

1. Physical Noise
Physical noise is the external and unnecessary sound that obstacle to effective communication. It is also a
communication disturbance created by the environment. Therefore, physical noise is also known as
environmental noise in the communication process. Example of Physical Noise are raining sounds,
thunderstorms, horns, outside building sounds, sounds from fans, lights, and windows are the best
example of physical or environmental noise. Apart from that, loud music, barking dogs, noisy conflict
nearby, vehicle sounds are also examples of physical noise.

2. Physiological Noise

Physiological noise is a barrier created by the communicator’s physical condition. Usually, physical
illness and weakness produce physical noise, and this noise obstacle to effective communication.

Example of Physiological Noise

For example, Gladys is having headaches; therefore, she can not concentrate in class. Here, headache is a
physical illness that barrier to the listening process of communication. Apart from that, deafness and
blindness are physical weakness or physiological noise that barriers to listening. Talking too fast or slow
and the high or low temperature in the room also generate physiological noise.

3. Psychological Noise
Psychological noise is also termed as Mental noise at times due to the fact that this noise is caused due to
psychological problems that could stem from stress, fear, tension and emotional distress. Pre-conceived
notions, stereotyping problems and prior assumptions could lead to a noise from within the individual that
prevents the reception or transfer of a message. It could also deal with attitudinal problems that a person
has within. Hence, this is an Internal, Psychological noise.

Example of Psychological Noise

For example, Ela is a Muslim girl, and she does not like to listen to any criticism of Islam. Therefore, she
became distracted when her lecturer was talking about anti-Islam issues. Any sensitive issues like
religious, ethnic, and political are examples of psychological noise. Apart from that, financial crisis,
missing a beloved person, the exhausting schedule may originate the psychological noise.

4. Syntactical Noise
Semantic noise is a communication barrier created from confusion over the meaning of words. Semantic
noise occurred because of different meanings of the message between the sender and receiver. It also
refers to the wrong grammatical sentence that makes the receiver unable to understand the meaning.
Communication scholars term it as a syntactical barrier or noise.

noise is a grammatically wrong sentence in the receiver unable to accomplish the proper meaning. Using
difficult language during computer programming is an example of syntactical noise. It is also in contrast
to syntactic sugar.

Example of Semantic Noise

Clementina is an international student who studies at University Putra Malaysia. She is listening to
lectures from her Malaysian lecturer. In the meantime, her lecturer says, ” I believe SEMUA understand
this topic.” SEMUA is a Malaysian word that means everyone. Ela does not understand the meaning of
SEMUA as she is not a Malaysian student. It is an example of semantic noise.

Additionally, jargon words, mispronunciations, unique words, and grammatically wrong sentences are
Semantic Noise examples.

5. Cultural Noise
Cultural noise is a communication obstacle that results from a misunderstanding of another person's
actions. Cultural noise is similar to semantic noise in that it is formed as a result of misinterpretation of
messages. Nonverbal communication cues such as posture, gesture, eye contact, distance, touch, and
dress-up, in particular, contribute to cultural noise. Nonverbal cues have different meanings in different
cultures and societies. Cultural noise in communication includes conflicting messages.