In: Economics
List at least three breakdowns in communication that can occur to result in the receiver not obtaining the desired message from the sender.
The goal of communication is that the exact message which is in the mind of the sender gets delivered to the receiver who then decodes it in a similar manner and understands the exact context in which the message was sent and its meaning remains the same.
Communication can become distorted at times which leads to the message not reaching the desired recipient in a proper and organized manner. The following are some of the key reasons why a breakdown of communication may take place. These are also at times referred to as barriers to communication.
(1) Physical Barriers or Reasons for Communication Breakdown:-
When transferring a message from one to another, it is important to know the physical surroundings of the person delivering the message and the target audience. In a noisy room or one which has high level of noises from outside which could range from traffic to loud music etc., the message being delivered does not reach the end user as it is distorted and the noise changes the meaning of the message due to incorrect interpretation and decoding by the receiver. As a result physical barriers are those type in which an obstruction while delivering the message prevents it from being sent to the receiver.
These include examples like loud noises, internet breakdown, traffic etc.
(2) Cultural Barriers & Breakdown
At times, cultural issues are also a reason for breakdown of communication between two or more people. When the perception of the sender and the receiver of a message are different due to a gap in their cultural belief. For example a person in the United States giving a tip to a waiter is considered as good. However if the same happens in Japan it is considered as disrespectful this causes a breakdown in terms of the wrong message reaching the receiver due to his cultural differences.
(3) Linguistic Breakdown:-
When the receiver and the sender are not aware of each other’s language, communication breakdowns and cannot take place appropriately. Even when there is some knowledge yet the receiver and the sender may not find themselves receiving the correct message at the stage of interpretation. This poses a challenge to the communication process and the channel of communication breaks down.
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