COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN

Communication breakdown is failure in communication due to different barriers in

communication. These barriers may be related to: source, message, medium and the receiver. 
It can happen to the best teams or at any place of work despite the fact that it is very vital to the
success of any team in attaining its set goals.
The famous ‘Tower of Babel’ that never reached the point of completion despite the huge
amount of resources and manpower that was committed to it was simply as a result of
communication breakdown.
1. Perceptual and Language Differences: Perception is generally how each individual
interprets the world around him. All generally want to receive messages which are
significant to them. But any message which is against their values is not accepted. A
same event may be taken differently by different individuals. For example : A person is
on leave for a month due to personal reasons (family member being critical). The HR
Manager might be in confusion whether to retain that employee or not, the immediate
manager might think of replacement because his teams productivity is being hampered,
the family members might take him as an emotional support.

2. Information Overload: Managers are surrounded with a pool of information. It is

essential to control this information flow else the information is likely to be
misinterpreted or forgotten or overlooked. As a result communication is less effective.
3. Inattention: At times we just not listen, but only hear. For example a traveler may pay
attention to one “NO PARKING” sign, but if such sign is put all over the city, he no
longer listens to it. Thus, repetitive messages should be ignored for effective
communication. Similarly if a superior is engrossed in his paper work and his subordinate
explains him his problem, the superior may not get what he is saying and it leads to
disappointment of subordinate.
4. Time Pressures: Often in organization the targets have to be achieved within a specified
time period, the failure of which has adverse consequences. In a haste to meet deadlines,
the formal channels of communication are shortened, or messages are partially given, i.e.,
not completely transferred. Thus sufficient time should be given for effective
communication.
5. Distraction/Noise: Communication is also affected a lot by noise to distractions.
Physical distractions are also there such as, poor lightning, uncomfortable sitting,
unhygienic room also affects communication in a meeting. Similarly use of loud speakers
interferes with communication.
6. Emotions: Emotional state at a particular point of time also affects communication. If the
receiver feels that communicator is angry he interprets that the information being sent is
very bad. While he takes it differently if the communicator is happy and jovial (in that
case the message is interpreted to be good and interesting).
7. Poor retention: Human memory cannot function beyond a limit. One can’t always retain
what is being told specially if he is not interested or not attentive. This leads to
 communication breakdown.

FROM: https://www.managementstudyguide.com/communication_barriers.htm
SKILLS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

ACTIVE LISTENING

paying close attention to what the other person is saying, asking clarifying questions, and
rephrasing what the person says to ensure understanding

OPEN-MINDEDNESS

Be open to listening to and understanding the other person's point of view, rather than
simply getting your message across.

CONFIDENCE

Confidence shows your co-workers that you believe in what you’re saying and
will follow through.

FUNCTION OF COMMUNICATION
Communication performs many functions, such as informing and generating awareness,
educating, persuading, motivating, entertaining, etc. Let us examine some of these functions:
Sharing of Information: Information is key to progress in any society. Communication plays an
important role in information dissemination related to any form of human activity, such as social,
political, economic, educational and developmental. Regular exposure to information over a
period of time generates awareness on a given issue, problem or matter of concern. To illustrate,
if you were not informed about global warming or Pluto losing the status of a planet or the latest
technology used in governance, your awareness on these issues would not have been there.
Communication provides us with information about the environment we are placed in. It helps in
moulding our opinions, formulating decisions and in turn making 'informed choices' to safeguard
our interests as well those of the society.
Education and Training: Communication results in sharing of information, which in turn makes
people knowledgeable and thus productive members of the society. Right from our childhood we
are taught by our teachers in the school and elders at home and we thus gain various new
concepts and skills as we grow up. However, we do not cease to learn when we grow up as we
continue to learn throughout our lives. In the modern educational scenario , training of personnel
is an ongoing process and communication plays an important role in orientation and training of
teachers and learners. The degree of learning depends to a great extent not only on the contents
of training but also how effectively the information and skills are shared. As we know,
knowledge can be constructed through interaction between learners and his/her peers and also
with his/ her teachers/sources of information. Hence, effective communication results in
effective teaching and training. We will discuss this function in greater detail in Unit 3 of this
Block.
Socialization : For the well being of the society, nation and culture it is crucial that we are
exposed to different view points so that we understand and appreciate the need for plurality of
ideas and diversity of views. Communication fosters the feeling of oneness in a society by
exposing the various social groups to different views. It develops the need to share and
understand the feelings, emotions, hopes, aspirations and expectations of varied groups in a
social system.
Entertainment : To break the monotony of human life, we need to be exposed to art, literature,
music, films, dance, drama, sports and other modes of entertainment. Communication provides
us with this necessary diversion. Thus entertainment is an equally important function of
communication. However, of late, this element has overtaken other functions especially in
various mass communication media. Some television news channels are found to be biased
towards entertainment value rather than informational content of a news item. . Similarly, cable
and satellite television channels are dishing out inane programmes in the name of entertainment.
There is a need to strike a judicious balance between the different needs of the audience enabling
them to take advantage of the wealth of information on various issues rather than succumbing to
the dictates of cheap entertainment.
Motivation: A motivated individual plays a useful and active role in a society. Communication
motivates and persuades individuals to meet the mutually agreed upon goals. Sharing success
stories of those who have overcome the odds in life and have been able to achieve their goals can
do this. This function of communication, although relevant in all walks of life is more
pronounced in business and industry where communication is being increasingly used as a tool
for motivation.
Persuasion: Yet another important function of communication is to persuade. This may be to
influence us towards a new idea, technique or a product and also to persuade us to buy these
products. The industrial and corporate houses and advertising agencies, while taking messages of
new products to potential consumers far and wide have amply exploited this function. Different
mass communication media are used for this purpose. However, many a time unscrupulous
advertisers tend to exploit the receiver of communication for ulterior motives. In the wake of
globalization and liberalization and the growing competitive environment and consumerist
culture, we need to take great care to understand the motives of the source.
Preservation of culture: Communication helps to preserve the culture and heritage of a nation and
society. Through communication, stories from the epics, such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bible,
Koran, etc. are shared with the younger generation. The transmission of values from one
generation to another has been taking place orally as well as through written texts, over the ages.
In the modern world different mass communication media have taken up this function.
1. What assumptions are present in transactional model of communication? Find an
example of a model of communication in your workplace or classroom, and provide an
example for all eight components.