ENG315 - WEEK 1 - DISCUSSION 1

"Business, Interpersonal, and Group Communication and Interference"

Communicating in the workplace provides us with opportunities to both listen and express ourselves effectively or ineffectively. As the the video titled “A Failure to Communicate” (2 min 28 s) located at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ox5LhIJSBE demonstrates, it only takes a few seconds to initiate a communication breakdown. From the e-Activity, discuss the major interferences that can cause workplace miscommunications. Consider topics from your readings this week, including ethnocentrism, kinesic messages, and role perceptions.

First of all the purpose of communication is to inform, persuade, interact verbally or non-verbally and also to relay and exchange entertainment.  As with all communicative excursions the purpose is to always obtain a mutual understanding and therefore having a diverse cultural basis is a challenge but necessary to accommodate the populace.  With that in mind the major interferences  that can cause workplace miscommunications are inclusive of differing levels of educational competency, exposure to differing cultural outlooks, receptibility of the receiver and sender, experience as to life and work, complexity of coded messages or ability to decode.

Further in concept the physical interference are also a factor that contributes to miscommunication and interpretation that can be due to resentment, bias, cultural conflict, heritage, upraising, personality clashes, levels of emotional difficulties, noisy environments, deliberate verbal and non-verbal manipulations, preoccupation and poor reception.

Also, further barriers that hinder the communication process are alienation and personal desire, poverty, fear, hate, discrimination and prejudice.  In relation to ethnocentrism hindrance occurs because each race does things differently and therefore this contributes to conflict as well as stereotypes.  Delayed and presented kinesic messages and role perceptions are also facilitators to misinterpretation, confusion and miscommunication.

Describe a situation where you personally experienced (or became aware of) communication interferences that had a negative consequence.

A situation that occurred for myself when a matter of miscommunication happened was when I relayed that an order I placed was incorrect.  The response I received was not in accordance with my complaint and I had to contact them and verbally discuss the situation to clear up the misunderstanding.  This reflects that an interference had occurred which could be due to lack of competency, educational deficit or the inability to understand my request.  Although the experience was negative, the exchange became a positive because I explained in detail what I needed to occur.

Thank you.

Felicia

RESPONSE TO CO-STUDENT

I agree that the communication channels are indeed a fascinating and challenging endeavor but with patience, kindness, tolerance and will it is possible to learn and allow the merge of two avenues of communication to work in compliance to obtain the goal.

The goal is peace and harmony and goodwill to allow the communicative link to occur and live to progressively allow channels of goodwill to prosper and grow.  Further I like the same page it is always gracious and helpful in any occurrence.

Things happen and sometimes confusion occurs but the good thing is that you were there for your son and life is so short that even a little mistake is wonderful because you are there and he is safe and life has so much to offer that it is minuscule.

Thank you.

Felicia