Running head: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION 1

Effective Communication between Employees and Eliminating Barriers

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Introduction

The definition of communication is the practice of sharing information as well as the

feelings between individuals. Communication is conducted through speaking, writing, or even

the body language. Effective communication requires that the content transmitted is received and

comprehended in the manner intended by the sender. The objectives of effective communication

consist of obtaining accurate information, changing behavior and creating perception that is

common. Effective communication starts with encoding, which defines the expertise in

conveying messages in a clear and direct manner (Brounstein, 2013). Clear and direct relaying of

messages ensures that the receiver accurately decodes the message. Decoding is another vital

constituent to effective communication. It is a competency because it necessitates the receiver to

correctly receive and comprehend the message.

Case 10-A

Mistakes by Sam

Case 10-A shows a scenario where there is unsuccessful communication between Sam

Case and Paul Banks. The inefficiencies in the unit were as a result of Sam’s inability to encode

his message in a manner that Paul would decode correctly. Sam’s request to Paul to ‘get rid of

the problem’ was ambiguous. Case 10-A presented encoding barriers that impeded Sam’s

communication of the message and the desired information was not conveyed to Paul. Encoding

barriers stem from the sender. The encoding barrier presented in this case is the lack of sensitivity

to the receiver. This is because Sam as the sender of the message did not recognize the

knowledge, competencies and the status of the receiver and did not utilize language skills that

supported him to convey the message effectively (Marin.edu, 2014).

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Avoiding such situations

The situation in Case 10-A could have easily been avoided through effective

communication skills. Some of the effective communication skills that Sam would have used

included using clear and distinct specifics to explain how Paul should fix the problem in his

section (Robbins, 2013). Sam should have clarified to Paul that the main objective is to

discontinue the problem after the shift and use preventive maintenance during the shift. In

addition, he should have ensured that Paul comprehended his message. This by asking Paul to

clarify what he had understood as well as inquiring the methods that Paul would use to fix the

situation. For example, Sam should have stated “I want you to replace the automatic control unit

after the shift to avoid any further losses. How do you plan on doing that?”

Paul should also have practiced effective listening skills (Brounstein, 2013). The most

effective active listening skill that Paul should have used is providing feedback to Sam. He

should have asked questions to ensure that he clearly understood what is needed from him. For

example, he could have asked, “Can I replace the automatic control unit during shift?” and Sam

would have clarified that the activity should be done after the shift. He could also have

summarized Sam’s points periodically as well as paraphrasing words with the objective of

reflecting.

Barriers to effective communication

The barriers to effective communication are unavoidable, especially when two

individuals are in pursuit of a common objective. This is because no two persons are identical on

the basis of their backgrounds, expectations, moods or experiences (Marin.edu, 2014). Barriers
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may distort messages and may result to wasting time and inefficiencies as seen in Case 10-A.

Common barriers can be categorized into language,

 Psychological barriers

 Physiological barriers

 Physical barriers

 Systematic barriers

 Attitudinal barriers

Identification of the various barriers to communication means that the sender and receiver

can be able to pinpoint measures that they can utilize to avert the issues that may arise. This

scenario presents Sam and Paul the opportunity to learn of the importance of effective

communication (Robbins, 2013). This will allow them to acquire various techniques and skills to

ensure that information is relayed effectively to ascertain cohesion of objectives. This will make

them better supervisors and communicators.

Case 10-B

Barriers to effective communications

In Case 10 –B, the personnel in General Mills and Pillsbury had various barriers to

communication. The meeting consisted of teams from two companies that had different

organizational cultures. Organizational culture presents a barrier to effective communication,

since the employees in are accustomed to different ways of communicating in their respective

organizations. In addition, there was information overload was a barrier to communication. The
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presence of several employees who presented different ideas inhibited the amount of information

the employees grasped.

Impact of roles in communication

The presence of employees from different levels who had different roles in the

organization triggered anxiety in low-level employees, inhibiting the way they articulated their

ideas. Also the perception could have been a barrier to effective communication, with employees

from one company assuming that some information presented by employees in the other

company is not crucial since they pertain to that company.

Language in functional areas

The employees in the various functional areas have a different language, meaning that

different words have different meanings to the people working in the functional areas. This is

because these areas have certain norms and values that influence their language. Therefore, in

this case, the employees from the different functional areas had different meanings for different

terms, and this could have been a barrier to effective communication (Whitcomb & Whitcomb,

2013).

Suggestions for improving communications

As a supervisor, I would advocate for employees to use words that are not ambiguous and

that they should also avoid jargons (Whitcomb & Whitcomb, 2013). This is because these words

will bring confusion to the members of the team. In addition, the members should feel free to

articulate ideas without being bothered by their level or role in the organization and the team. In

addition, visual and audio tools should be used to ensure all the team members were on track.
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Conclusion

It is important to practice effective communication skills. As it has been seen from the

two cases, ineffective communication leads to inefficiencies and loss of time. For effective

communication to occur, both the sender and receiver have to practice effective communication

skills (Brounstein, 2013). They entail skills for encoding and decoding of the message being

conveyed. However, barriers of effective communication impede the conveyance. It is up to the

sender and receiver to use appropriate techniques to overcome these barriers.

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References

Brounstein, M. (2013). Communicating effectively for dummies. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley &

Sons.

Marin.edu,. (2014). Chapter 1 Lecture: Barriers to Effective Communication. Retrieved 30

September 2014, from http://www.marin.edu/buscom/index_files/Page565.

Robbins, S. P. (2013). Supervision today!. Pearson Education.

Whitcomb, C. A., & Whitcomb, L. E. (2013). Effective interpersonal and team communication

skills for engineers. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons.