309I_SUKHDEEP KAUR_S27792

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

1.Michael works as a sales representative in the north South Wales showroom and warehouse of the wood panel division of a large Australian company , Woodstone. Senior buyers for a large kitchen joinery firm based in Queensland and Victoria visit the New South Wales showroom and show a keen interest in the new products. Michael is able to make further contact with this client firm by letter, telephone or personel visit.
a.Outline the advantages and disadvantages of the three possible channels of communication.
b.Decide which of them Michael should use for the first follow – up contact with this potential client . Give reasons for your choice of channel.
Ans. (a) Letter - A written or printed communication; a message expressed in intelligible characters on something adapted to conveyance, as paper, parchment, etc.; an epistle.
Advantages :
1. Easy to keep record as letters are in a written form.
2. Helps in proper understanding of the message as we are able to provide details in letters.
3. It also contain detailed information such as figures.
Disadvantages:
1. It may take lot of time to deliver.
2. Sometime it goes to wrong address.
3. It may lost, if is not properly stamped.
(b)Telephone - It is an electronic device which enable us to communicate with other who are far away from us. An instrument that converts voice and other sound signals into a form that can be transmitted to remote locations and that receives and reconverts waves into sound signals.
Advantages:
1. It allows you to keep in contact with your friends and family.
2. it is quicker than sending or receiving letters.
3. it Helps us to avoid delay in messages.
.Disadvantages:
1. It annoying sales people calling.
2. We are unable to contact with peoples who are in rural areas.
3. Sometimes it may create misunderstandings between sender and receiver.
(3)Personal visit: It is the most effective way of the communication as we are able to know about the effects of our communication while talking.
Advantages:
1. Effective communication as both can see each other, while talking.
2. It gives pleasure to people.
3. It makes the situation easier to understand .
Disadvantages:
1. People may get bore, if not interested in communication.
2. Problem may occur regarding appointments.
3. Not effective media in shortage of time.

(b) According to my point of view, Michael should use telephone as the first follow up contact with this potential client because:
• The message will be delivered easily.
• It saves his time also.
• He sends the message to their client very quickly.
• He also gets the feedback from their client at the same time.

2. a. ‘One of the most important skills that any person in an organization needs is the ability to communicate . without communication your other skills are less useful.’ Explain the meaning of this statement.
b. Should an organization train its staff in workplace communication ? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. a. Communication is an interactive process. While working in any organization we have to communicate with other in order to know what we have to do or how to do the assigned job. So communication is the most important skill that any person in an organization needs as without communication we are unable to make the proper use of our other skills. Good communication skills can help you to avoid conflict and to solve problems. On the other hand, Poor communication often creates tension and bad feelings within relationships.
b. Yes, an organization should train its staff in workplace communication so that organization will get the proper use of its staffs and other skills.

3. Working in groups of three :
a. List three statements that you have written or spoken (or observed) that were insensitive to the receiver’s feelings.
b. Discuss the sort of communication barriers caused by each of these statements.
c. Re-state, to the people you are working with, each of your three statements in a more sensitive way and ask them if they think the new version would be more effective.
d. Discuss three ways in which communication barriers can effect interpersonal communication.
Ans- a 1. Oae! Come here
2. Give me some chocklates .
3. You are a very uncivilized person .

B 1. Different thinking and attitude .
2. Misunderstanding the point of view .
3. Dismissing other’s concerns or point of view.

C. 1 Please ! come here.
2 Please give me a some chocklates.
3 Its not good for you to do this as you are a very nice person.
Of course now these statements would be more effective than before.
d. Three ways in which communication barriers can affect the interpersonal communication are:
1. Different attitudes and values- people often form different interpretation.
2. Dismissing other’s concerns or point of view- the receiver may withdraw.
3. Differences in perception- people often see and interpret the same event in a different way.

4. In a group discussion present your point of view on the following.
a. Why is good communication so important in the workplace?
b. What is the relationship between the message and the channel?
c. How is feedback transmitted in nonverbal communication?
d. What are two factors that influence a person’s perception of the message?
e. How does ‘noise’ affect communication ?
f. ‘Communication is a learned behaviour.’ Do you agree or disagree? why?
g. Why is it important for both the sender and receiver of a message to have empathy for the other person?
Ans: a. Good communication is important in the workplace because it is essential for effective functioning in every part of an organization. Although marketing, production, finance, personnel, and maintenance departments may receive direction from corporate goals and objectives, communication links them together and facilitates organizational success. The importance of effective communication for managers cannot be overemphasized for one specific reason: everything a manager does, involves communicating. Communication is needed to increase efficiency, satisfy customers, improve quality, and create innovative products.


b. Relationship between channel and the message: The channel is the vehicle for the message. The channel is the technique used to convey a message. The channel effects the meaning of the message so its very important to choose appropriate channel to convey the message.

c. Feedback is an essential part of communication process. In Nonverbal communication, feedback is transmitted through facial expressions, body language, and even style of dress. Physical elements such as buildings, office furniture, and space also convey messages. Office arrangements convey status, power, and prestige. A message can be given meaning only in a context, and cues or signals are easy to misinterpret.
d. The two factors that influence a person’s perception of the message are experience and a range of acquired skills or expectations.
e. Noise interrupts the communication. Noise which interrupts the message between sender and the receiver can lead to misunderstanding or ambiguous communication. Which result as communication barrier. Even when communication barriers occur, something is communicated but the noise distroys the intended message.
f. I agree that communication is a learned behavior because we have to learn our language and related skills of interaction before we can have good communication with others. Many people may afraid of speak to other people, but that's not the way of learning. " Speak your mind, even your voice is shake." That is what we should do all the time. If people don't share, all of them will confine in a small area of knowledge. That's why teachers encouraged group work and presentations.
g. “The quality or process of entering fully, through imagination, into another's feelings or motives." In the fullest sense, it implies putting yourself into the other person's shoes, or even getting into his or her skin, so that you really understand and feel his pain, fear - or more positively -his joys. Lack of empathy can create a barrier between the sender and receiver. You can transmit a better message if you can put yourself in the receiver's place and analyze the message from his viewpoint. Lack of empathy can create a barrier between the sender and receiver.

5. Two colleagues, Mary and David , meet in David’s office to discuss the introduction of the new software package on the agenda at tomarrow’s staff meeting . as they talk through the procedure to introduce this package to other staff:
a. David’s answer and deals with a telephone call and then contributes the conversation with Mary;
b. Another person enters David’s office and interrupts the conversation to ask Mary to solve a problem in the delivery times for stock;
c. When Mary has provided the solution , Mary and David resume their discussion;
d. Mary looks at her watch and exclaims that it is time for her next appointment;
e. As they rush to finish their plans they discuss who will present the software procedures at the staff meeting. When that item comes up , Mary expects David to present the procedure ; David believes Mary is to present it.
a. Identify the communication barriers that occurred and explain briefly in two paragraphs how they contributed to the misunderstanding between Mary and David.
b. List two sources of noise at the intial planning meeting.
c. How could Mary and David have dealt with the noise or interference in their planning meeting? The checklist on page11 can be used to evaluate your answers.

a. Noise is the communication barrier that occur, which result as interruption in the discussion of both Mary and David. After being interrupted by the another person who wants to ask about solution of the problem in the delivery times for stock, Mary and David forget about their discussion about the new software package.
As Mary was in hurry for her next appointment they finish their plan. They are not sure about who is going to represent the procedure to introduce this package to other staff.

b. The two sources of noise at the initial planning meeting are:
1. Telephone Call
2. Knocking at the door

c. Mary and David have dealt with the noise or interference in their planning meeting when the another person enters David’s office and interrupts their conversation and asks Mary to solve his problem regarding delivery times for stock. And secondly, when David deals with a telephone call and continues their conversation.

6.Checking what the other person said
a. Work in groups of three(A,B and C).
• Person A and B are to discuss a topic of interest by taking opposite sides. Person C is the observer.
• Person A opens the discussion. person b gives feedback to person a by summarizing what person a has said before giving an opposing view. Person a summarises what Person B has said before person a continues with their opposing view .
• Continue this for 10 minutes . when person C believes that either person A or B has not summarized the other person’s point of view accuarately person C can give feedback to both A and B.
b. After 10 minutes discuss the advantages gained by checking what the other person said.
Ans: a. Third person (person c) gained that either Person A and Person B has not summarized the other person’s point of view accurately.
b. Person C can give feed back to both A and B on the behalf of their observation.