NAME OF STUDENT: ____________________________________________ GRADE & SECTION:________________________

ORAL COMMUNICATION 11
QUARTER 1 MODULE 3

STRATEGIES TO AVOID COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN

OBJECTIVE:

At the end of the lesson the student is expected to;

 Uses various strategies in order to avoid communication breakdown.

DISCUSSION:

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN

A communication breakdown is defined as a failure to exchange

information, resulting in a lack of communication.

It is a failure in communication due to different barriers in

communication. These barriers may be related to the sources, message,
medium, and the receiver. There are very many possible causes of
communication breakdown at different levels as hereby noted below:

1. SOURCE/SENDER:

a. Perception of the sender:

Perception is generally how each individual interprets the

world around him or her. All generally want to receive messages which
are significant to them. But any message which is against their values
is not accepted. The same event may be taken differently by different
individuals. So, if the sender does not consider the perception of
the receiver, there can easily be a communication break down
because of this difference in perception.

b. Language choice (Diction):

The linguistic differences also lead to communication breakdown. Some

words may mean different things to different individuals. This brings in
what is called a semantic problem. Semantics is the systematic study
of meaning. For example: consider the word “value”. Depending on
how it is used, it can easily be misinterpreted by the receiver. So,
the sender must take great care not to use words that may mean
something else to the receiver.

c. Vague communication:

Abstract and ambiguous communication is sometimes done

purposefully and sometimes because people lack clarity of
thought. For example, when someone says, “80% of the task is
complete”, often it’s found that there is no systemic way for this
calculation. This results in different people interpreting the same
number differently leading to a dangerous trend. It is imperative
for communication to be specific. If clarity is not attended to,
sometimes communication breakdown is inevitable.

d. Offensive Communication:

It is quite obvious that the offensive style of communication

leads to communication breakdown. It is a rather sensitive point. If
the encoder sends a message in such a way that the decoder
becomes defensive or feels offensive, their relations get strained
and communication suffers. Hence it is absolutely necessary for
the sender to adopt a persuasive style of communication.

e. Lack of Planning:

Communication is not a casual affair. Unfortunately, many

people take it lightly. The result is that the message to be sent
across may not be carefully
 planned hence, communication breakdown. There are innumerable examples
of people who would give an ill-planned, long-winding lecture while a short
presentation with tables or graphs would be sufficient. Such an event would turn
into one of miscommunication or breakdown. In the same way, some people
may not care to choose a suitable time and place that are so necessary for
effective communication.

f. The frame of reference:

This is the way an individual mind is shaped by his or her culture, education,
age, gender, background beliefs, and others. This can lead to communication
breakdown if the sender or the encoder does not consider his frame of
reference and that of the receiver. The sender`s frame of reference may not
be the same as that of the receiver hence affecting the way the
communication is to be effected.

g. Emotions:

Emotions play a very important role in our life. Both encoding and
decoding of messages are influenced by our emotions. A message received
when we are emotionally worked up will have a different meaning for us than
when we are calm and composed. Anger is the worst emotion and enemy of
communication. Communicating under a very strong emotion of anger may
lead to communication breakdown as our message may not be received with
the respect it deserves.

h. Status-consciousness:

The attitudes and opinions, place in society, and status-consciousness arising

from one’s position in the hierarchical structure of the organization, one’s
relations with peers, seniors, juniors, and family background—all these
deeply affect one’s ability to communicate both as a sender and receiver.
Status consciousness is widely known to be a severe communication barrier
in organizations. It leads to psychological distancing that further leads to the
breakdown of communication or miscommunication.

i. Context:

Context is the situation within which one communicates. It is a stimulus that

pushes one to communicate. It includes social, culture, internal or external
factors, and so on. Every communication either written or spoken begins with
a context. Context can also contribute to a communication breakdown if not
utilized well.

j. Sending Irrelevant Information:

Workplace communication needs to be targeted for it to be effective.

When receivers get a bunch of information that doesn’t apply, they simply tune
off. This is a big problem when that information is necessary for receivers to
effectively complete the task at hand. This may lead to communication
breakdown.

2. MESSAGE:

At the message level, communication can break down due to the following
conditions:
 a. Lengthy or disorganized message:

People prefer short and organized messages. Lengthy and disorganized

messages usually put people off track and many people will lose interest in such
messages. This can surely lead to communication breakdown and
disinterestedness in the message sent.

b. Complex or ambiguous language:

The clarity of the message is very vital in any communication. But if the
message is unclear and complex or even ambiguous in nature, the receiver is
most likely to be confused. And once confused, then the message will never
be taken as it ought to have been. Communication is not effected in this
sense, hence breakdown in communication. So the sender of the message
should ensure clarity and avoid ambiguous messages.

c. Inconsistent body language:

In non-verbal communication where sometimes the body language is

used to convey a message, there is a need for consistency in that body
language for the message to be taken properly. If there is inconsistency, it is
true that the message can be taken out of proportion and context, hence
leading to communication breakdown.

d. Noise obstruction:

Noise refers to distortion in any communication process. Noise can take

different forms like; physical noise that is created by physical factors,
misspelling, bad pronunciations. In this case, physical noise is our focus. When
there is noise, the message is distorted and when the message is distorted, there
is apparently communication collapse. Noise blockade, therefore, is one
dynamic that occasions a breakdown at the messages level.

3. MEDIUM

a. Loss by Transmission:

Communication often suffers or gets diluted when messages pass on from

person to person in a series of transmissions. They get diluted on the way. In
most cases, when a message is transmitted this way, communication
breakdown occurs because, by the time the message reaches the intended
receiver, the meaning is lost. Special care has to be taken that the intended
message reaches the person concerned.

b. Poor handwriting:

When the communicator chooses to write down his message, there is

likelihood that communication can easily breakdown especially when the
handwriting of the sender is poor. In the same vein, care must be taken
when writing down the intended communication.

c. Inappropriate choice of the medium:

A wrong medium or an inappropriate medium was chosen for

communicating a message that will act as a barrier to communication.
Complementing one medium of the communication with another
appropriately can help overcome communication barrier caused by the
medium chosen. An oral reminder in person or over the telephone followed
up with a written letter can easily produce the desired response or expected
reaction. In the same way,
 communication to journalism class at UMU cannot be taken to NTV. This can
easily cause a breakdown in communication.

d. Poor communication gadgets:

Many factors have to be considered when choosing a system for

communication. It is generally agreed that poor communication gadgets
(address system) can hinder communication. Care must be taken in the
choice of the communication system in order to enhance but not breakdown
communication.

4. RECEIVER
a. Semantic Problems:

Semantics is the systematic study of meaning. That is why the problems

arising from expression or transmission of meaning in communication are
called semantic problems. Oral or written communication is based on words. It is
always necessary for the meaning in the mind of the sender to be the same
as in the mind of the receiver. Communications breakdown if the meaning in the
sender`s mind does not correspond to the meaning in the receiver`s mind.

b. Emotions:

Emotions play a very important role in our life. Both encoding and
decoding of messages are influenced by our emotions. A message received
when we are emotionally worked up will have a different meaning for us than
when we are calm and composed. Anger is the worst emotion and enemy of
communication. A message received under strong emotion can easily lead to
communication breakdown.

c. Noise:

Noise is the first and foremost barrier to communication. It means

“interference that occurs in a signal and prevents you from hearing sounds
properly.” In a factory, for example, the continuous noise made by machines
makes oral communication difficult. In the same way, some technical
problems in a public address system or a static in a telephone or television cable
will distort the sound signal and affect communication. Adverse weather
conditions or some fault in the ultramodern telecommunication systems may
also spoil the effect. Hence, communication breaks down.

d. Physical disability:

When oral communication is used and the receiver has a physical disability or
challenge especially in hearing, the communication is not taken or
understood. Hence, the intended message does not reach the receiver
because of his disability. This, therefore, causes communication breakdown
at the receiver`s level. Every communicator must take into consideration the
status of the receiver. This will help in knowing what type of communication is
appropriate for the receiver.

e. Information Overload:

Information overload occurs when the information processing demands

on an individual’s time to perform interactions and internal calculations
exceed the supply or capacity of time available for such processing. This
unchecked inflow of information very often becomes another barrier to
 communication leading to a breakdown. It may stifle the senior executive
or bore and frustrate him. When people are bogged down with too much
information they are likely to make errors.

f. Poor Listening:

Poor listening may lead to serious communication problems. Too many

people are interested in talking, and mostly talking about themselves.
They are so much involved with themselves that they do not have the
patience to listen. The result is that they are not interested in the speaker
whose words go waste. Everybody knows about the importance of
listening, but very few actually practice patient, active, and empathic
listening. That is why so many communication problems crop up. Poor
listening accounts for incomplete information and also poor retention. One
may simply not get the desired result if this keeps on happening.
g. Selective Perception:

Most of the receivers of any information have selective perception. It

means that the receivers selectively see and hear depending upon their
needs, background, motivations, experience, and other personal
characteristics. While decoding the messages, most of the receivers
protect their interests and expectations into the process of communication
leading to a particular kind of feedback that may become a communication
problem.

In conclusion, communication is very important in any human relation.

There is a need to always guard against this communication breakdown. We
must therefore be very careful to make sure that our communication is
effective and efficient by avoiding creating a barrier for others or
communicating within a barrier.

STRATEGIES FOR ACTIVE LISTENING

The following strategies are intended to promote active listening or listening

to “develop a clear understanding of the speaker’s concern and also to
communicate the listener’s interest in the speaker’s message” (McNaughton,
Hamlin, McCarthy, Head-Reeves, & Schreiner, 2008, p. 224).

Stop. It focuses on other persons, their thoughts, and feelings. Consciously focus
on quieting your internal commentary, and step away from your concerns to
think about those of the speaker. Give your full attention to the speaker.

Look. Pay attention to non-verbal messages, without letting yourself be

distracted. Notice body language and non-verbal cues to allow for a richer
understanding of the speaker’s point. Remember that “active listeners need
to communicate to the speaker that they are involved and giving the person
unconditional attention” (Weger, Castle, & Emmett, 2010, p. 35).

Listen. Listen to the essence of the speaker’s thoughts: details, major ideas, and
their meanings. Seek an overall understanding of what the speaker is trying
to communicate, rather than reacting to the individual words or terms that they
use to express themselves.

Be empathetic. Imagine how you would feel in their circumstances. Be

empathetic to the feelings of the speaker, while maintaining a calm center
within you. You need not be drawn into all of their problems or issues, as long as
you acknowledge what they are experiencing.
 Ask questions. Use questions to clarify your understanding, as well as to
demonstrate an interest in what is being said.

Paraphrase. If you don’t have any specific questions to ask, you may choose
to repeat back to the speaker, in your own words, what you have taken
away, to allow the speaker to clarify any points (Weger et al., 2010).

STRATEGIES FOR ACCURATE PERCEPTION

Analyze your perceptions. Question your perceptions, and think about how
they formed. Check-in with others around you regularly, and be aware of
assumptions that you are making. Seek additional information and
observations. You may just need to ask people if their perceptions are
accurate.

Work on improving your perception. Increase your awareness of barriers

to perception, and which ones you tend to go. Check-in yourself regularly.
Seek honest, constructive feedback from others regarding their perceptions of
you as a means of increasing yourself awareness.

Focus on others. Develop your ability to focus on other people, and

understand them better by trying to gather knowledge about them, listening
to them actively, and imagining how you would feel in their situation.

STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Focus on the issue, not the person. Try not to take everything personally, and
similarly, express your own needs and opinions in terms of the job at hand. Solve
problems rather than attempt to control others. For example, rather than
ignoring a student who routinely answers questions in class with
inappropriate tangents. Speak with the student outside of class about how
this might disrupt the class and distract other students.

Be genuine rather than manipulative. Be yourself, honestly, and openly. Be

honest with yourself, and focus on working well with the people around you, and
acting with integrity.

Empathize rather than remain detached. Although professional relationships

entail some boundaries when it comes to interaction with colleagues, it is
important to demonstrate sensitivity and to really care about the people you
work with. If you don’t care about them, it will be difficult for them to care about
you when it comes to working together.

Be flexible towards others. Allow for other points of view, and be open to other
ways of doing things. Diversity brings creativity and innovation.

Value yourself and your own experiences. Be firm about your rights and needs.
Undervaluing yourself encourages others to undervalue you, too. Offer your
ideas and expect to be treated well.

Use affirming responses. Respond to others in ways that acknowledge their

experiences. Thank them for their input. Affirm their right to their feelings, even
if you disagree. Ask questions, express positive feelings; and provide positive
feedback when you can.
 Exercise I.
Direction: True or False. Write your answer on the space provided.

1. Sympathetic means as long as you acknowledge

what they are experiencing.
2. Look means to pay attention.
3. Paraphrase is use to clarify your understanding.
4. Question your perception is for you to analyze your view.
5. Focus into others increases your awareness of barriers to perception.
6. Be genuine is for diversity brings creativity and innovation.
7. Valuing yourself is for you to be firm about your rights and needs.
8. Empathize is important to demonstrate sensitivity.
9. Focus on the issue, not the person. Solve problems
rather than attempt to control others.
10. Use affirming responses. Respond to other in ways
that acknowledge their experiences.

Exercise II.
Direction: Classified the strategies according to its category.

Stop Use affirming responses Empathize rather than remain detached. Be Empathetic
Work on improving your perception Focus on others Focus on the issue, not the person
Be genuine rather than manipulative Look
Listen Analyze your own perceptions
Value yourself and your own experiencesParaphraseBe flexible towards othersAsk Question

Strategies for active listening

Strategies for accurate perception

Strategies for effective verbal communication

Evaluation:

1. Direction: Create a Graphic Organizer and write at least three

ideas that you learned about this lesson.
 2. Case Study

Communication Breakdown Case Study

by: Khalid Iqbal, founder Rahmaa Institute

It was 9:30 am when Ahmed got a call from his aunt Karima that uncle
Kamal was rushed to the hospital for severe chest pain and the doctors are going
to perform open-heart surgery. Ahmed was raised by his uncle Kamal and aunt
Karima after the death of his parents at the age of 6. He loves them so much.

Ahmed right away called his wife Sadia. It took a couple of tries for Sadia to pick
the phone. She was still in bed sleeping. Ahmed asked Sadia to call aunt Karima
as he felt being alone in the hospital she needed support. He also asked Sadia to
plan to travel to be with his aunt. When Ahmed tried to give Sadia the number where
she could reach his aunt in the hospital, Sadia responded that she is still sleeping and
will get the phone number after she wakes up in a couple of hours.

Ahmed felt like slamming the phone on his wife.

Discussion questions:

1. Identify the issue.

2. Who is at fault? Ahmed or Sadia or something else?
3. What would you do in this situation?
4. Do you see a systematic problem? If yes, explain what and what you recommend
to correct it?
5. How can Ahmed and Sadia improve their communication?
6. Identify one situation that may result in misunderstanding and
communication breakdown

References

Eison, J (1990). Confidence in the classroom: Ten maxims for new teachers. College
Teaching, 38 (1), 21-25.

McNaughton, D., Hamlin, D., McCarthy, J., Head-Reeves, D., & Schreiner, M.
(2008). Learning to listen: Teaching an active listening strategy to preservice
education professionals. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 27, 223-231.

Weger, H., Jr., Castle, G. R., & Emmett, M. C. (2010). Active listening in peer inter-
views: The influence of message paraphrasing on perceptions of listening skill.
International Journal of Listening, 24, 34-49.
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching- excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-
tips/communicating
students/telling/effective-communication-barriers-and-strategies

https://www.perkbox.com/uk/resources/blog/solving-a-communication-breakdown-5-
steps#:~:text=A%20communication%20breakdown%20is%20defined,in%20a%20lack%20
of%20communication.

https://frlawso.blogspot.com/2018/11/causes-of-communication-breakdown.html

http://www.rahmaa.org/case-studies/communications/case-study-11-communication-
breakdown/
Prepared by:
STEPHANIE ARIAS
Teacher