Problems with communication can pop-up at every stage of the communication process (which consists of the sender, encoding, the channel, decoding, the receiver, feedback and the context
- see the diagram below). At each stage, there is the potential for misunderstanding and confusion.
Removing Barriers at All These Stages
To deliver messages effectively, the communicator must commit to breaking down the barriers that exist within each of these stages of the communication process.
Let’s begin with the message itself. If a message is too lengthy, disorganized, or contains errors, the message is likely to be misunderstood and misinterpreted. Use of poor verbal and body language can also confuse the message.
Barriers in context tend to stem from senders offering too much information too fast. When in doubt here, less is oftentimes more. It is best to be mindful of the demands on other people’s time, especially in today’s ultra-busy society.
Once one understands this, he needs to work to understand his audience’s culture, making sure he can converse and deliver his message to people of different backgrounds and cultures within his own organization, in his country and even abroad
To be an effective communicator and to get the point across without misunderstanding and confusion, the goal should be to lessen the frequency of problems at each stage of this process, with clear, concise, accurate, well-planned communications. We follow the process through below:
1. At the Source
As the source of the message, one needs to be clear about why he is communicating, and what he wants to communicate. One also needs to be confident that the information he is communicating is useful and accurate.
2. On the Message
The message is the information that one wants to communicate.
3. While Encoding
This is the process of transferring the information to be communicated into a form that can be sent and correctly decoded at the other end. The success in encoding depends partly on one's ability to convey information clearly and simply, but also on the ability to anticipate and eliminate sources of confusion (for example, cultural issues, mistaken assumptions, and missing information.)
A key part of this knows one's audience: Failure to do this will result in delivering messages that are misunderstood.
4. On the Channel
Messages are conveyed through channels, with verbal channels including face-to-face meetings, telephone and videoconferencing; and written channels including letters, emails, memos and reports. Different channels have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, it's not particularly effective to give a long list of directions verbally, while one can quickly cause problems if he gives someone negative feedback using email.
5. While Decoding
Just as successful encoding is a skill, so is successful decoding (involving, for example, taking the time to read a message carefully, or listen actively to it.) Just as confusion can arise from errors in encoding, it can also arise from decoding errors. This is particularly the case if the decoder doesn't have enough knowledge to understand the message.
6. At the Receiver
The message is delivered to individual members of your audience. No doubt, the sender has in mind the actions or reactions he hopes his message will get from this audience. One should keep in mind, though, that each of these individuals enters into the communication process with ideas and feelings that will undoubtedly influence their understanding of the message, and their response. To be a successful communicator, one should consider these before delivering the message, and act appropriately.
7. On the Feedback
The audience will provide feedback, as verbal and nonverbal reactions to the communicated message. One should pay close attention to this feedback, as it is the only thing that can give confidence that the audience has understood the message. Should there be a misunderstanding, at least one has the opportunity to send the message a second time.
8. On the Context
The situation in which the message is delivered is the context. This may include the surrounding environment or broader culture (corporate culture, international cultures, and so on).
francis1897 answered the question on
March 15, 2023 at 11:04