Perceptual And Language Differences

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Introduction

Communication is defined as any act by which one person gives information to or receives from a person about that person's needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge or affective states. It may be intentional or involuntary, involving orthodox or unconventional signals, taking verbal or non-verbal forms (Valenzuela, 2012).

For a manager, communication is essential as it enables the business organisation to be efficient and smooth functioning. It is difficult to conceive an organisation without communication, as it is only through it that a manger can develop authority and status structures. If any kind of disturbance occurs in the process of communication, the message will be distorted. Due to such disturbances, managers of an organisation face severe problems. Thus the managers must locate the barriers of communication and take steps to get rid of them.

This report shall also focus on providing ways of how managers can improve their communication skills within their business organisations.

Process of Communication

The process of communication is a sequence of events in which a sender transmits a message to a recipient. The message can be verbal or nonverbal as long as the recipient is able to understand it. It takes place in six phases which link the sender to the receiver (Roebuck, 2005).

(Source: Own)

The phases are listed below:

The sender has an idea. (also known as generation of idea)

The idea is given a structure that is it is encoded into a message.

A medium is selected for the message and it is sent.

The receiver gets the message and decodes it.

The receiver interprets the message, giving it a meaning.

The receiver reacts to the message and sends a feedback to the sender.

The first step in the process of communication is called encoding. This is when the message is transformed from a thought to a form that can be understood by others. The message can be written, spoken, or wordless (such as gestures or pictures). Once the message has been encoded, it is in a form that is arranged to be received and understood.

The next part of the process of communication is known as the medium of transmission. In this step, the sender selects the best method for sending and transmitting the message. For example, a written message in a business organisation may take the form of an e-mail or a business report that is printed out and delivered. A verbal message may be telephone conversation or an oral presentation during a staff meeting. A non-verbal message such as a picture may be transmitted by posting it on the company’s notice board.

Once the message has been transmitted, it requires to be decoded. This occurs once the recipient gets the message, examines and interprets it using prior knowledge and experience. Eventually the recipient develops an understanding of the meaning of the message which is partially based his own background. Lastly, feedback is the last part of the process where the recipient reacts to the message, in so doing he indicates what he has understood.

For communication to be efficient, consider the table below:

Sender

Receiver

Decide what action/response you want.

Give the message your whole attention.

Choose most suitable language and combination of written/spoken/non-verbal communication for the message.

Check that the medium suits your needs. (That is knowing how you should read it)

Choose best medium for the message.

Check for references and ask for explanations if necessary.

Put yourself in receiver’s position. (Will he understand?)

Check for underlying meanings and implications. (Hidden message)

Make sure that there is no misunderstanding. (Make the message clear.)

Make sure you provide sufficient and appropriate feedback.

Check for feedback.

(Source: Own)

Barriers of Communication

There are several barriers that affect the flow of communication in an organisation. These barriers interrupt the flow of communication from the sender to the receiver, thus making communication ineffective. Communicating can be more of a challenge than we usually think, when we realise the many things that can stand in the way of effective communication.

These include filtering, selective perception, information overload, emotional disconnects, lack of source familiarity or credibility, workplace gossip, semantics, gender differences, differences in meaning between sender and receiver, and biased language. It is therefore essential for managers to overcome these barriers. Noise as a barrier was already identified in the process of communication, the main barriers of communication are discussed below.

Perceptual and Language Differences

Perception is generally how each individual interprets the world around him. We all generally want to receive messages which are significant to us but any message which is against our values are not accepted. A same event may be taken differently by different individuals.

For example: A person is on leave for a month due to personal reasons (family member being critical). The Human Resource Manager of the company might be in confusion whether to retain that employee or not, the immediate manager might think of replacement because his team’s productivity is being hampered while his family members might take him as an emotional support.

The linguistic differences also lead to communication breakdown. The ame word may mean different things to different individuals. For example: consider a word "value".

What is the value of this Laptop?

I value our relation?

What is the value of learning technical skills?

"Value" has different meanings in different sentences. Therefore there is a distortion in the message if there is wrong perception by the receiver. (n.d,2013)

Turpin (2004), analysed the case of Ashton Mechanical Ltd in their journal. The company which is Canadian based has as chief executive officer, Mrs Patricia Alien. The latter admitted that at present, none of Ashton's 13 technicians speaks any language other than English. Ashton Mechanical usually gets at least one call a week that involves a customer who does not speak English well. Using a little English, as well as drawing pictures, pointing at things, or gesturing usually allows the technicians to figure out what the problem may be. If there is a bigger communication issue, customers may have to resort to calling someone who can act as an interpreter.

"I believe that having a technician who speaks Chinese would be an asset," said Alien. "While it is not a problem having no one from our firm speak it - somehow we always muddle through - I believe it would open up a broader market for us."

Filtering

Filtering is the distortion of information to manage a person’s reactions. Some examples of filtering include a manager who keeps his division’s poor sales figures from his boss, fearing that the bad news will make him angry. The old saying, "Don’t shoot the messenger!" illustrates the tendency of receivers to vent their negative response to unwanted messages on the sender.

A gatekeeper (in this case may be a secretary) who does not pass along a complete message is also filtering. The vice president may delete the e-mail announcing the quarter’s sales figures before reading it, blocking the message before it arrives.

As we can see, filtering prevents members of an organisation from getting a complete picture of the way things are.

Since people have a habit of filtering bad news during upward communication, it is also useful to remember that those below us in an organisation may be cautious of sharing bad news.

Guo and Sanchez (2009), argue that some of the reasons that individuals may use when deciding whether to filter a message or pass it on are:

Past experience: Was the sender rewarded for passing along news of this kind in the past, or was he criticised?

Knowledge and perception of the speaker: Has the receiver’s direct superior made it clear that "no news is good news?"

Emotional state and involvement with the topic: Does the sender’s fear of failure or criticism prevent him from conveying the message? Is the topic within his realm of expertise, increasing his confidence in his ability to decode it, or is he out of his comfort zone when it comes to evaluating the message’s significance? Are personal concerns impacting his ability to judge the Message’s value?

Once again, filtering can lead to miscommunications in a business organisation. Each listener translates the message into his or her own words, creating his or her own version of what was said.

Poor Listening

Previous chief executive officer of Chrysler, Lee Iacocca bewailed, "I only wish I could find an institute that teaches people how to listen. After all, a good manager needs to listen at least as much as he needs to talk." Research shows that listening skills are related to promotions. A sender may strive to deliver a message clearly but the receiver’s ability to listen effectively is equally vital to effective communication. The average worker spends 55% of her workdays listening. Managers listen up to 70% each day but listening does not lead to understanding in every case as it takes practice, skill, and concentration (Kinicki,2008).

Professor Phillip Hunsaker (2013) from the University of San Diego said, "The consequences of poor listening are lower employee productivity, missed sales, unhappy customers, and billions of dollars of increased cost and lost profits. Poor listening is a factor in low employee morale and increased turnover because employees do not feel their managers listen to their needs, suggestions, or complaints."

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Source: (Royal Quantity Surveying Society, 2013)

Starbucks spokesperson, Alan Gulick, puts better listening to work in pursuit of better profits. If every Starbucks employee misheard one $10 order each day, he calculates, their errors would cost the company a billion dollars annually. To teach its employees to listen, Starbucks created a code that helps employees taking orders hear the size, flavor, and use of milk or decaf coffee. The person making the drink echoes the order aloud.

Semantics

Semantics is the study of meaning in communication. Words can mean different things to different people, or they might not mean anything to another person. For example, companies often have their own acronyms and buzzwords (called business jargon) that are clear to them but impenetrable to outsiders.

For example, at IBM, GBS is focusing on BPTS, using expertise acquired from the PwC purchase (which had to be sold to avoid conflicts of interest in light of SOX) to fend other BPO providers and inroads by the Bangalore tiger. This does not make sense for the average person.

The official website of IBM (2013) explains the company’s vision as follows: IBM’s Global Business Services (GBS) division is focusing on offering companies Business Process Transformation Services (BPTS), using the expertise it acquired from purchasing the management consulting and technology services arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which had to sell the division because of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX, enacted in response to the major accounting scandals like the Enron). The added management expertise puts it above business process outsourcing (BPO) vendors who focus more on automating processes rather than transforming and improving them. Chief among these BPO competitors is Wipro, often called the "Bangalore tiger" because of its geographic origin and aggressive growth.

The huge amount of messages that we send and receive on a daily basis, encourage us to try to find a way to communicate in codes, also known as shortcuts which is also known in business organisations as jargon.

The jargon is the language of expert terms used by professionals. It is common shorthand among experts and if used sensibly can be a quick and efficient way of communicating. Most jargon consists of unfamiliar terms, acronyms, and abbreviations. Every profession, trade, and organisation has its own dedicated terms. A jargon seems like a good thing as it is a quicker way to establish an effective communication. That is not always the case though. Jargons can be a hurdle to effective communication, causing listeners to distort the message in a particular conversation.

Differences in Meanings

Differences in meaning often exist between the sender and receiver. "Mean what you say, and say what you mean." It is an easy thing to say but in a business organisation, what do those words mean? Different words mean different things to different people.

Age, education and cultural background are all factors that effect on how someone may interpret words. The less we consider our audience, the greater our chances of miscommunication will be. When communication occurs in the cross-cultural context, additional attention should be given to the different words that will be interpreted differently across cultures. This is because different cultures have different norms regarding non-verbal communication.

Rao (2010) explains in her book that we summon a bearer in a restaurant with a signal of the hand. We blink our eyes when we do not understand what the other person is talking about. We raise our left eyebrow indicating our surprise and disbelief. All these actions are nothing but non-verbal communications. Communication can never be complete and effective without non-verbal communication. That is why if they are wrongly interpreted, they may cause distortions in the communication process.

The next table shows different gestures that can mean different things around the world. So, the manager should be cautious while using gestures in a meeting or when communicating with employees on a general basis as they may get confused, leading to misinterpretation of the message.

Gestures around the globe

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"V" for victory.

This gesture is to be used with caution. While in North America it signs victory or peace, in England and Australia it means something closer to "take this!"

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The "OK" gesture.

While in North America it means things are going well, in France it means a person is thought to be worthless, in Japan it refers to money, and in Brazil, Russia and Germany it means something really not appropriate for the workplace.

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The "thumbs up".

It means one in Germany, five in Japan, but a good job in North America. This can lead to confusion.

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"Hook ‘em horns."

The University of Texas rallying call looks like the horns of a bull. However, in Italy it means you are being tricked, while in Brazil and Venezuela it means you are warding off evil.

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Waving your hand.

In much of Europe waving your hand indicates a disagreement. However, in North America it is routinely used as a way to signal greetings or to get someone’s attention.

Biased language can also offend or stereotype others on the basis of their personal or group affiliation. The figure below provides a list of words that have the potential to be offensive in the left-hand column. The right-hand column provides more neutral words that you can use instead

Avoiding Biased Language

Source: (Rao, 2010)

Effective communication is clear, accurate and goal-oriented. It is also courteous. Referring to a person by one adjective (a brain, a diabetic, an invalid) reduces that person to that one characteristic. Language that belittles or stereotypes a person poisons the communication process.

Language that insults an individual or group based on age, ethnicity, sexual preference, or political beliefs violates public and private standards of decency, ranging from civil rights to corporate regulations.

Hewlett Packard inform on their official website (2013) that they offer to new employees written guides on standards of speech and conduct. These guides improved by common sense and courtesy, are solid starting points for effective, respectful workplace communication.

Tips for appropriate workplace speech include but are not limited to:

Alternating the use of "he" and "she" when referring to people in general.

Relying on human resources–generated guidelines.

Remembering that terms that feel respectful or comfortable to us may not be comfortable or respectful to others.

Ways to Improve Managers’ Communication Skills

Communication impacts virtually every aspect of our lives. We can link it to almost every business organisation. Many managers do not know where to start and how to rectify their deficits. Workplace communication runs the scale: writing important emails, lettering a proposal, discussing issues, running a staff meeting, delivering difficult messages or maybe giving a speech in front of investors. (Keystone, 2008)

The personal skill that has the greatest impact on your job satisfaction, promotion potential and career success is your ability to communicate effectively with others. By improving your communications skills at work, your ability to be successful increases and your successes are noted, getting yourself the promotions you deserve. Here are things you can do to improve your communications skills, as a manager. (Allan, 2011)

Listening

The most effective managers know when to stop talking and start listening. This is especially important in situations when emotions are high, in team situations and when employees are sharing concepts.

Listening is critical when emotions are high. According to Joelle Jay working for Pillar Consulting Ltd, dangerous emotions, such as: anger, resentment and excitement, deserve attention from an individual and a business perspective. On a personal level, people feel acknowledged when others authenticate their feelings. Managers who ignore feelings can produce detachment between themselves and their employees, corroding the relationship and ultimately affecting the working environment.

In a business organisation, emotions can also hamper with clear thinking. It allows employees to address their emotions beyond the situation at hand in an effective way and get back to business. Managers can develop stronger relationships with their employees while enhancing productivity simply by listening to their employees when emotions are high.

The second most important time to listen is in team situations. Team environments involve several personalities, complex forces at work and competing agendas. By listening carefully, managers can ensure that everyone is working toward the same goal. Listening also helps managers identify and address conflicts early, as well as facilitate healthy working relationships among team members.

Lastly, listening is needed when employees are discussing ideas. When managers stop listening to ideas, employees stop offering them. That means managers are essentially cut off from the creativity and expertise of the people on their team, and leadership becomes an illusion.

In almost any situation, the advantages of listening make it worth doing well. The basic fundamentals of good listening include the following:

Attending closely to what is being said, not to what you want to say next.

Allowing others to finish speaking before taking a turn.

Repeating back what you have heard to give the speaker the opportunity to clarify the message.

With these fundamentals, managers can clearly communicate that they care about what the speaker is saying and want to help (Jay, 2012).

Disagree Without Being Disagreeable

We are all self-satisfied every so often. We do the things we enjoy, as we like doing it and we are able to do it easily. That is why we tend to surround ourselves with people who agree with us and think like us.

Many managers and their companies fail for the reason that they rely too much on people like them and screen out those who disagree with them. In fact a company needs people from all backgrounds to be more versatile. That is why a smart manager encourages his staff to challenge him, suggesting alternative solutions.

It is a manager’s responsibility to be honest with others, to tell them what he really thinks, even if they disagree, especially if they disagree. The manager and his colleagues need to discuss issues openly, frankly and with the best interests of the business organisation. He needs to give the boss as much information as possible without being afraid to contest for what he believes to be right.

Conversely, once the superior has made a decision, the discussion must stop. Once the decision has been made, the manager has an obligation to support his supervisor. After all, your supervisor is looking after the greatest interest of his entire business organisation, not just your part of it. The manager should recognise the traits of negotiation involved, remember that he will be working with these people again in the future. For those reasons it is imperative that he disagrees without being disagreeable.

Assessing oneself

An assessment will help the manager identify areas that need development. If someone complains about his presentation abilities or his one-on-one/small group interactions, he will learn to deliver difficult messages well. Throughout the assessment, it is also important get opinions from others. This can be asking a trusted colleague to give constructive criticism about one’s communication abilities.

For instance, if you need to improve your presentation skills, your colleague can help you target where to start: stronger introduction, effectively engaging the audience and so on. Once you have completed your assessment and know which skills need sharpening, you can then focus on improving your techniques.

(Note that a sample of the questionnaire is available in the Appendix section.)

Here is a six-fragment structure to consider when developing an effective communication strategy:

The audience

Are you speaking to board members, colleagues at a staff meeting, new clients, the entire organisation or an external audience? There is a vast difference between a one-on-one meeting, a small group or a speech in front of thousands. Know your audience and what they are looking for as communication is not one-size-fits-all, but should be customised for each specific group.

The goal

What are you trying to accomplish with this communication? Are you giving a report, trying to start a dialog, answering questions or asking them? Are you brainstorming ideas, trying to solve a business issue? Think about what you need as an end-result as a way to frame the communication.

The messages

You may want to convey one main message or numerous. It is important to be concise and to have a deep understanding of your messages so you can get your point through successfully. If you are not able to clearly articulate your messages to another person, without stumbling, you need to improve them further.

The content

The content is the concrete information you will include in the communication. Think about how you will structure the information, format and sequence. Consider the technologies you will need and identify if you can master them.

Sources of feedback

Reach out to others for feedback and know where your communication style needs strengthening. Inquire if the messages are clear enough. Also if information needs to be added, removed or detailed.

Refining it

Use the information gathered from your feedback sources to polish your communication. This is a tricky step in the process. You need to spend enough time fine-tuning your work, but not so much time that you overwork while possibly weakening it.

Conclusion

Effective communication is vital to being a successful leader. Nevertheless, we have at least one area of communication where we could use improvement. If we identify that area and follow this framework for sharpening our skills, we can turn ourselves into a better manager by becoming a more efficient communicator. Improving communication skills can help build more effective teams, organizations and careers.

Communication is also one of the most critical aspects of leadership. Without good communication, managers can fail to gain commitment from employees, fail to achieve business objectives and fail to develop affinity with their team. In brief, they can fail as leaders no matter how good their intentions may be. Managers can enhance their communication skills with commitment and practice using key strategies that will determine what, when and how to communicate effectively.

References

Books

Valenzuela, Julia Scherba. (2012). National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities. p.2

Deborah B. Roebuck. (2005). Improving Business Communication Skills. 4th edition. p. 30

Guo, K. and Sanchez, Y. (2009). Workplace Communication. In N. Borkowski (Ed). Organizational Behavior, pp. 71-101.

Kinicki, A and Kreitner, R. (2008). Organizational Behavior: Key Concepts, Skills and Best Practices. 3r Edition. McGraw-Hill.

Subba Rao. (2010). Management and Organisational Behaviour. Global Media Publications. p.388

Journal

Turpin, Joanna R. (2004). Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News: Overcoming Barriers To Communication

Phillip Hunsaker. (2013). Principles of Management: Communication Barriers. University of San Diego

Leslie Allan. (2011). Journal of Employee Engagement, Coaching & Mentoring. Managers Need To Improve Communication Skills: Study Reveals

Joelle K. Jay, PhD. (2012). HR Magazine. Communicate Well: Five Strategies to Enhance Your Managerial Communication Skills

Website

Management Study Guide 2013

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/communication_barriers.htm [online]

Accessed on: 5th April 2013

IBM Software Vision 2013

http://www-01.ibm.com/software/analytics/vision/ [online]

Accessed on: 7th April 2013

HP Official Site (2013). DIVERSITY & INCLUSION: Vision and Strategy www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/diversity/vision.html [online]

Accessed on: 10th April 2013

Keystone. (2008) Building Communication Skills to be a More Effective Manager

http://www.camdenconsulting.com/documents/file/Communicating%20Effectively.pdf [online]

Accessed on: 13th April 2013