The Art Of Communication Essay Sample

Communication is defined as a medium in which information, ideas, opinions, thoughts, emotions, and feelings are exchanged via speech, signals, behavior or writing. The communication process involves the encoder composing a message after which he adopts a particular communication channel to convey the message to the receiver. The decoder processes the information and then sends an appropriate feedback through a communication medium (Barker, 2010).
The process of communication comprises of integrated components in which the sender conveys the message to the receiver. The process is marked by the urge of the sender to transmit a fact, idea, thought, and opinion to a receiver. The major steps of consists of the sender, message, channel, receiver, and feedback. The sender is responsible for conveying the message while the message consists of the idea, fact or opinion expressed. The Channel is the communication conduit used, and it can include telephone, email, etc. The receiver obtains the message and sends feedback to the sender.
The forms of communication include verbal communication, nonverbal communication, written communication, and visual communication. In verbal communication, communication is enhanced through the word of mouth or a piece of writing. The form of communication is comprised of sounds, words, speech, and language. Verbal communication is subdivided into the following categories: intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, and public communication. On the other hand, non-verbal communication transmits information without using words (Key, 1972). Basically, it applies physical ways of communication like the tone, touch, Expressions and many others. In addition, written communication involves the use of written words to deliver a message. Examples include the use of letters, e-mails, journals, reports, and articles. Lastly, in visual communication, the use of visual aids helps the sender to convey their message to the receiver in the appropriate manner.
Cultural differences are regarded as a barrier to communication. People from different cultures have a problem in communication as revealed in a different context. Apart from the language barrier, hostile stereotypes, behavior differences, and emotional differences are among other factors that act as a barrier to communication (Kutz, 2011). Every culture is associated with certain stereotypes that shape the perceptions between people. As a result, effective communication is interfered. Also, people act in different ways and behave in a manner that makes it hard for people to understand them. The emotional display is treated in a different way in different countries. In some regions, expressing anger and depression is considered inappropriate in the work settings whereas other regions treat the similar situation in a normal way.
Expectations and prejudices are also a barrier to communication. These factors make individuals develop false assumptions and stereotypes that make them biased in judgments. In the process, individuals will capture the message conveyed in line with their perceptions rather than believing in the exact message that is delivered. It becomes difficult to convince an individual to believe in certain information is his mind is already full of assumptions and stereotypes (Kutz, 2011).
Nonetheless, physical barriers to non-verbal communication also contribute to barriers to effective communication. An individual who is not in a good position to apprehend the non-verbal cues, posture, gestures, and body language causes a lot of ineffectiveness in communication. It becomes difficult for people to interpret the messages in good faith and deliver or capture the exact information.
An individual can improve communications skills through the following steps, consider the situation before taking action, assign tasks directly and clearly, and learn from your mistakes. It is important to consider the situation before taking action because our emotions may lure us to make quick responses that may fail to provide the right solution to a particular problem. In workplaces, the managers are expected to think about the aftermath of every decision that is made. It will be suicidal to rush in making decisions that will damage the reputation of a company. Therefore, every person must critically reflect on the problem posed before coming up a decision to solve the situation.
There is the need to assign tasks directly and clearly so that people can be aware of assigned roles and responsibilities. This step will motivate the workforce to deliver their best in line with the goals and objectives set. The best CEO defines the goals and assigns responsibilities to the workforce in an unequivocal manner. During this process, the people assigned to duties will confirm or ask about any unclear issues that need to be addressed. The managers must always be in a position to prove the corrective input to ensure that everybody is focused towards the objectives of the organization. When tasks are assigned directly and clearly, the employees will understand what is expected from them, and this will minimize the conflict of interest.
Lastly, it is also important for individuals to learn from previous mistakes so that they can improve their communication skills. The mistakes done can help a person to come up with the best communication strategies that will tend to avoid similar circumstances in the future. Corrective measures will be instrumental towards crafting communication skills that will develop an understanding between individuals or any conflicting parties.

References

Barker, A. (2010). Improve your communication skills (Vol. 39). Kogan Page Publishers.
Key, M. R. (1972, August). The relationship of verbal and nonverbal communication. In Paper at International Congress of Linguistics, Bologna.
Kutz, K. (2011). Barriers to cross cultural communication.