Employability Skills III: Methods and barriers of communication

Hello students, welcome to Kwickprep. A teacher announces a test on Monday, but the class is noisy and half of them hear Sunday. Nobody lied, so what went wrong? Today we learn the methods of communication and the barriers that block a message, and how to remove each barrier.

Communication means sharing ideas, facts or feelings so that the other person understands them. The sender is the person who starts the message. Encoding means putting the idea into words, signs or pictures. The channel is the path the message travels on, like a phone call, an email or a face to face talk. Decoding means the receiver works out the meaning. Last, the receiver replies, and this reply is called feedback.

There are three main methods of communication. Verbal communication uses words, spoken or written, like a phone call or a letter. Non-verbal communication uses the body and the tone of voice, like a smile or a nod. Visual communication uses pictures, signs, charts and colours, like a traffic signal.

A good communicator chooses the method that suits the message. If a message is urgent and simple, speak or make a call. If you need a record for later, write an email or a letter. If you want to show numbers, like monthly sales, use a chart or a graph. If people speak many languages, as at a railway station, use signs and symbols.

Now the second half of our topic. A barrier is anything that stops a message from being received or understood correctly. A barrier can sit with the sender, in the channel, or with the receiver. The result is confusion, delay, or even a quarrel.

Board questions often ask you to name and explain these five barriers. Physical barriers come from the place, like noise, distance or a weak mobile network. Linguistic barriers come from language, like difficult words or a language the listener does not know. Interpersonal barriers come from feelings, like anger, fear or not trusting someone. Organisational barriers come from rules and many levels of seniors, so a message changes as it passes down. Cultural barriers come from different beliefs and customs, where the same gesture can mean different things.

Let us look at each barrier with a fix. Noise from fans, traffic or loud music can hide your words. Distance and closed doors also block a message. In online classes, a poor network or a bad microphone breaks the sound. The fix is simple: move to a quiet place and check the connection before you start.

Linguistic means related to language. A barrier appears when you use words the listener does not know. Jargon means technical words of a field, like RAM or bandwidth, used with people who are not experts. A different language or a strong accent can also confuse. The fix is to use simple words and ask, did that make sense?

Interpersonal means between two people. When someone is angry, afraid or nervous, they may not hear the message properly. Some people stop listening, or judge the speaker before the speaker finishes. If there is no trust, even a good message is doubted. The fix is to stay calm, listen fully and speak with respect.

Organisational barriers happen at work and in schools. When a message passes through many levels, it can change on the way, like the whisper game. Strict rules can stop juniors from asking questions. Cultural barriers happen because customs differ, for example in greetings, gestures and dress. The fix is shorter chains, managers who welcome questions, and respect for every culture.

Pause and predict. You are on a video call, the network drops, and your friend hears only half a sentence. Which barrier is this? It is a physical barrier, because the problem is in the channel, not in the language or feelings. Now go back to our opening story, where half the class heard Sunday. The noise in the classroom was a physical barrier too.

Let us revise what we learned today. The communication cycle has a sender, a message, a channel, a receiver and feedback. The three methods are verbal, non verbal and visual. Choose the method that suits the message and the listener. The five barriers are physical, linguistic, interpersonal, organisational and cultural, so learn all five names. And every barrier has a fix, so remove it before you speak.