Communication Breakdown

Communication is a process of exchanging thoughts, ideas, and opinions in order to

connect with other people. It’s goal is to achieve a clear and effective understanding
resulting to good relationships in the community. However, there are times when this
goal is not reached due to certain factors. When this happens, there is
communication breakdown.

What is It

The elements involved in communication are important in the success or failure of this
process. These very same elements (sender, message, receiver, feedback, etc) can
pose a threat to the efficiency or effectiveness of the process. Communication
breakdown may occur when problems in any of the elements involved arise. They
become barriers to communication.

Simply put, communication breakdown results when the intended message of the
sender is not understood exactly by the receiver. Barriers to communication are
present.

Recognizing the barriers or obstacles to effective communication is important in order

to avoid communication breakdown. Here are some of the barriers that may cause
communication failure.

Barriers to Communication

Physical Barriers are the natural or environmental condition that act as a

barrier in communication in sending the message from sender to receiver.
Examples:
1.
People talking too loud.
2.
Noise from a construction site
3.
Loud sound of a karaoke
4.
Blaring of jeepney horns
Psychological Barriers are called as mental barriers. These refer to social and
personal issues of a speaker towards communicating with others. Examples:
1. trauma
2. shyness, lack of confidence
3. depression
4. fear, stage fright

Cultural Barriers pertain to communication problems encountered by people

regarding their intrinsic values, beliefs, and traditions in conflict with others.

People’s culture affect the way they communicate and relate to others

Examples:

1. different beliefs

2. traditions, and customs

3. manners of dressing

4. speaking

Linguistic Barriers pertain conflicts with regard to language and word

meanings. Because words carry denotative and connotative meanings, they can

sometimes cause confusion and misunderstanding. Meaning of words and

symbols also vary depending on culture.

Examples:

1. difference in language

2. accent and dialect

 3. use of jargon and slang

4. speech defects or language impairments

Verderber (1991) gives a similar idea of barrier when he classifies noise into three
kinds: External, Internal and Semantic noise.
External Noises are the “sight, sound and other stimuli that
draw people’s attention away from intended meaning.”

Examples:
1. noise from vehicles
2. singing at the neighborhood
3. visual aids in front of the classroom
4. the dog barking
5. the sound of airplane

Internal noises are the “thoughts and feelings that interfere with
meaning.”

Examples:
1. confrontation with a friend
2. fear of speaking in front of the class.
3. racial prejudice

Semantic noises are the “alternate meanings aroused by a speaker’s

symbols.” This idea means that a word may have another meaning in
the minds of the students. This is affected by the language in which
they grew and the culture in which they are exposed.

Examples:
1. incorrect grammar
2. using excessive technical jar gon
3. using idiomatic expressions

Various Strategies to Avoid Communication Breakdown

Communication breakdown may at times be inevitable but as a sensible speaker or

sender of the message, we could avoid this. Understanding the concept of
communication breakdown and its causes, will help us realize that failure in
communication may be avoided through certain strategies that we could adapt.

Here is an article entitled 5 Ways to Avoid Communication Breakdown by Ronnie

Peterson.
 5 Ways to Avoid Communication Breakdown
by Ronnie Peterson
Communication breakdown can cause issues or problems at home, school, and
community. There are so many barriers to communication like, physiological,
psychological, cultural, and linguistics.
Sometimes some communication barriers are too difficult to solve and this will
lead to slowing the progress and efficiency.
Here are the possible strategies to avoid communication breakdown:

1. Have Clarity of thought before speaking

Arrange your thoughts before verbalizing them this can help you
communicate much more clearly and succinctly. It's a better idea to say
something like, "I've got a few ideas here. Let me go through them one
at a time. We can treat each one on its own merit."

2. Learn to Listen
As simple as it sounds, you’ll be surprised how many people out there
don’t know how to listen well.

Not understanding those who you are trying to communicate with will
lead to a conversation fraught with misunderstandings. Don’t be afraid to
ask them to repeat or explain further in polite manner once you don’t
understand the point.

3. Take Care of your Body Language and Tone

Keep your emotions in check, try to maintain eye contact, and adopt a
relaxed tone when conversing with others.

4. Build up your confidence by asking for feedback and observing

others Focus on improving your skills by practicing in front of those who
you may feel more comfortable with. You can also ask those whose advice
you value to give you feedback and critique your communication style
after a discussion.

5. Communicate Face to Face on the important issues

Having that face to face dialogue means you can convey your point more
clearly, with your body language as well as your tone of voice.
 It can also help to clear up any misunderstandings or distortion of the
message that could occur through other mediums.
Remember, becoming an effective communicator takes time and practice. Over
time, using these strategies can lead to better communication in your personal
relationships, and more productive workplace environments as well.

A smooth and successful communication transaction may result if we follow the

strategies to avoid communication breakdown. Communication becomes successful if
and only if our communication goal is achieved, that is, an understanding is reached
and a relationship is built or maintained.

Here are some strategies to avoid communication breakdown (Quipper n.d.).

Keep Focused
One way of being focused is to put in mind the purpose communication. As a
speaker identify your purpose for speaking and as a listener find the speaker’s
purpose thru his/her verbal and non-verbal cues.
Speak Intelligibly
Speaking intelligibly or clearly means using the appropriate speaking volume,
pitch rate, proper enunciation, stress, and acceptable pronunciation. We speak
in order to be understood.

Listen with your Ears and Eyes

Pay attention to verbal and non-verbal message. Effective communication

depends on what people say and how they say it.

Minimize Distractions
Look for a place where you can minimize distractions or noise like closed area, empty
room, or quiet places. Lessening the cause for confusion means giving

more room to focus and concentrate.

Be Specific
Use simple and concise words as much as possible in delivering a message. Being
specific means being particular and direct to the point.

Do not Jump to Conclusions

Before you give your comments and judgement, be sure that you have listened
attentively to the speaker. Conclusions should be drawn after a thorough analysis of
point given or information received.

Tips on How to Avoid Communication Breakdown

Broom, Cutlip and Center (2012) listed the 7Cs of Effective Communication in their
book Effective Public Relations. These are Completeness, Conciseness, Consideration,
Concreteness, Courtesy, Clearness, and Correctness.
Completeness
It is important to whole communication process. The speaker should
include everything that the receiver needs to hear, respond, react, or
evaluate properly. S/he should be able to convey all pertinent details so
listener or audience will be able to grasp the intended message.

Conciseness
The message should be direct or straight to the point and should be
expressed in the least possible number of words. Irrelevant information
should not be included.

Consideration
In order to be effective, the speaker should give high regard and courtesy to
audience’s background information such as his/her culture, education, religion, status,
mood, feelings, and needs. This will result in building rapport or connection with the
audience.
Concreteness
Effective communication is backed up by facts, figures, and real-life examples or
situations. This will make the receiver to understand the message better.
 Courtesy
The speaker can show respect to his/her receivers through understanding their
culture, values, and beliefs. The speaker can show respect to the listeners by
demonstrating an understanding of their
beliefs, values, and culture. This implies good choice of words and
language and a consideration of the audience’s perspectives and feelings
on the part of the sender. Showing courtesy helps create a positive vibe
with the audience. This implies good choice of words and language on the
part of the sender and consideration of audience’s perspectives.

Clearness
It implies the use of simple and specific words to express ideas. When the
speaker focuses on specific ideas, it will not confuse the audience.

Correctness
Avoiding mistakes in grammar helps to boost the credibility and effectiveness of the
message, and at the same time it eliminates negative impact on the audience.

Breakdowns in communication may arise because of several factors. But these factors
may be avoided if we follow strategies put forward by experts in the field.
Communication is a transaction that we do everyday. By following the 7 Cs of
communication espoused by Broom, Cutlip and Center (2012), we may achieve
understanding in communicating with others and avoid confusion and
misinterpretations.

Avoiding communication breakdown helps you to be an effective speaker. Below are

some strategies which you can use to avoid breakdown communication. (Quipper n.d.)

Helpful Expressions to Avoid Communication Breakdown

Strategies to Avoid Helpful Expressions
Communication
Breakdown
Use helpful expressions to gain time to “Really”
think “Uhmm”
“Uh-huh”
 “Anyway”
“Tell me more…”
Give positive remarks or comments “”Sounds good”
“I see what you mean”
Ask for repetition “Can you please what you said?”
“What did you say again?”
“What did you mean, when you say
that…”
Check for understanding “So, are you saying that…”
“So, what is your understanding of
this?”