Using Various Strategies in Order to Avoid Communication Breakdown

(Lesson 5, Oral Com)

Communication breakdown is failure in communication due to various barriers in
communication. These barriers are related to the sender, message, channel, and the receiver.
Communication is very important in any human relation. Every person needs to always guard
against communication breakdown. People should always see to it that their communication is
effective and efficient by avoiding creating a barrier for others.
Two types of communication
1. Verbal Communication
Verbal communication is the use of words in sharing information with other people. It can include
both spoken and written communication. Spoken communication is mostly face-to-face, but
nowadays, technology such as phone and internet allow people to communicate with others
without being at the same place at the same time. The verbal element of communication is all
about the words one chooses and how the receiver interprets it. The purpose of communication is
to convey information to others. Through the choice of written and spoken words, ideas are
exchanged.
Possible barriers to verbal communication:
A. People themselves participating in the interaction can be the barriers. They may have
poor infirmities such as poor hearing or eyesight and others stutter. People have
different opinions and beliefs; they follow cultural mores (values, customs, and
behaviors that are accepted by a particular group); or they adhere to society’s attitudes
toward gender and sexuality, business practices, and religious beliefs. The factors
mentioned above can lead to their inability to deliver, listen to, and respond
appropriately to the message.
B. Opinions and beliefs color our message or our response. The participants, both
speaker and listener have opinions and beliefs that belong to a culture and a gender.
Gender comes into communication when people categorize certain ways of speaking or
using words as being masculine or feminine. Many people do not expect men to be soft
spoken or have a high-pitched voice or women having harsh and a low-pitched voice.
C. Topic may also be a barrier to communication because of its vagueness, complexity,
emotional pull, or hidden agenda. The speaker must avoid these qualities in the topic of
the message so that, instead, it will be clear, simple, restrained, and with no hidden
motives.
D. Communicative Situation is another group of possible barriers to communication.
There may be “noise” in the physical setting and in the participants themselves. The
actual noise from the surrounding may cause the participants to understand one
another. At the same time, the participants may have their own motives for participating,
motives that are not aligned with or support the speaker’s purpose for communicating.
The audience must know whether the speaker is there to entertain or to persuade. The
listener may not have enough knowledge or experience to form a basis for interpreting
and responding to the message.
E. Language Choice also leads to communication breakdown. The linguistic differences
among the participants can be a barrier to communication. Some words used by the
speaker may mean different things to others. Depending on how a word is used, it can
easily be misinterpreted by another person. The speaker must be very careful with the
words he uses.
2. Non-Verbal Communication
Transmitting messages without using words is called non-verbal communication. It is conveyed as
visual cues. Gestures, facial expressions, giving flowers, choosing a color of what to wear, or
putting a forefinger in front of lips are just some examples of non-verbal communication. Although
no word is used, non-verbal communication can effectively communicate many human feelings.
Non-verbal communication includes the following:
A. Language of gestures
Gestures are the most often used type of non-verbal communication. To be more understandable
and interesting to a listener, the speaker must accompany his/her speech with gestures but one
has to consider the culture of the receiver because gestures have different meanings in other
places. In the Philippines and other countries, nodding means yes but it is the opposite in the
Middle East. The following are other examples of gesture:
a. Emblems – clenched fist upraised
b. Emphasizing – “YES” clenched both fists in front of breast
c. Illustrating – “this large” (open hands set apart)
d. Regulating – “shh” forefinger in front of lips
2. Facial Expression
The face plays a very important role in communication. It expresses various types of emotions or
feelings such as joy, sorrow, anger, annoyance, confusion, fear, hatred or surprise. Within the
facial area, eyes are especially effective for indicating attention and interest. However,
interpretations of facial expressions differ from culture to culture.
3. Language of colors
People choose colors based on the meaning of each. Colors have certain meanings based on the
dictates of culture and gender. In the Philippines, most parents prepare everything in blue for baby
boys and pink for baby girls. People wear black when they grieve while others wear white.
4. Language of flowers
Flowers are also used to say what we cannot expressed in words. These meanings are also
influenced by culture and gender. In the Philippines, men send flowers to women. When men give
flowers, it reflects their reference to women as delicate and feminine. It indicates special
treatment. When a man gives a woman flowers, it's a sure sign that she is someone very dear to
him. Using flowers can create conflict if one does not know the culture of a place. In the
Philippines, one will be annoyed if someone gives her plumeria or kalachi. In Hawaii, they give
kalachuchi to welcome guests. Italians send chrysanthemums for special occasions, but Filipinos
generally see them in funeral arrangements.
5. Language of space
Language of space or proxemics is the use of space based on importance. This type of non-
verbal communication is similarly used as chronemics by people who want to show who they are.
In some companies, the one who holds the highest position usually has the biggest office and in
the best location such as on the top floor or penthouse of the building. Distance can express the
degree of intimacy and individual acceptance.
6. Language of time
Language of time or chronemics is the use of time based on position and power. In the
Philippines, time is most often used to convey how powerful a person is. Someone in authority
may show that his/her time is more important than that of the visitors by making them wait.
7. Language of touch
Language of touch also known as Haptics can also be used to expressed what cannot be said. It
is also one of the most powerful of the types of non-verbal communication. Unlike the other types,
in Haptics, there is contact between the sender and the receiver of the message. Touch can
comfort, encourage, dissuade, or aggravate.
Paralanguage
Paralanguage refers to the “how” of saying something other than what is said. The meaning
of words spoken depends on how they are said. Tones, voices, and rhythm must match the
content of the message if the message is to be understood at all; they reinforce the message. The
words with strong points to deliver must be emphasized with strong paralanguage.
8. Posture and Body Orientation
Posture and body orientation are also a type of non-verbal communication. How one stands or sits
tells the people around how one sees oneself as a speaker, how he/she sees the listeners, and his
attitude toward the message. One can communicate numerous messages by the way he walks.
Standing erect, but not rigid, and leaning slightly forward may mean that one is approachable,
friendly, and receptive. Rarely does communication take place without being accompanied or
substituted by any of these types of non-verbal communication. One must always remember that
all of these are culture-bound or specific to some cultures but not in others. Communication
breakdown takes place when culture concepts clash or simply do not meet.