Lesson 3 (Part 2): Functions and Features of Effective Communication | Oral Communication in Context

Summary

This lesson delves into the barriers that impede effective communication, categorizing them into physical, semantic, and social-psychological barriers. It discusses how factors like faulty organizational structures, physical noise, time and distance, and information overload can disrupt communication. Semantic barriers include language challenges such as homophones, homographs, and homonyms, as well as connotations and denotations. Social-psychological barriers encompass inattention, closed-mindedness, and cultural differences. The lesson emphasizes the importance of understanding and overcoming these barriers for successful communication.

Takeaways

• 😀 Effective communication is crucial but achieving perfect communication is challenging due to various barriers.
• 🏗️ Physical barriers such as faulty organizational structures, noise, time zones, and distance can disrupt communication.
• 📚 Information overload, where too much data is presented, can hinder effective communication by overwhelming the receiver.
• 🔍 Semantic barriers involve language difficulties like homophones, homographs, and homonyms, which can lead to misunderstandings.
• 🌐 Connotations and denotations in language use can create barriers as words can carry different emotional associations and literal meanings.
• 🗣️ Language barriers can arise from differences in languages, unclear speech, overuse of jargon, and lack of specificity in messaging.
• 🧠 Social psychological barriers include inattention, closed-mindedness, differing fields of experience, and group identification that affect communication.
• 🤔 Self-image and attitudes can influence how individuals communicate and may create barriers if not managed properly.
• 🌐 Cross-cultural barriers are significant and include differences in language, values, social relations, time perception, and personal space.
• 🔑 Overcoming communication barriers is essential for successful interactions and can be achieved by understanding and addressing these various factors.

Q & A

What are the different features that make communication effective according to the lesson?

The lesson does not explicitly list the features that make communication effective but focuses on the barriers that hinder effective communication.

What are the categories of barriers to communication mentioned in the lesson?

The lesson mentions physical barriers, semantic barriers, and social psychological barriers as the categories of communication barriers.

Can you provide an example of a physical barrier to communication mentioned in the script?

A faulty organizational structure, physical noise, time and distance, and information overload are examples of physical barriers to communication.

What are semantic barriers and can you give some examples?

Semantic barriers are difficulties in using language due to its features. Examples include homophones (words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings), homographs (words that are spelled the same but have different pronunciations and meanings), and homonyms (words that have the same spelling and sound but different meanings).

What is the difference between denotation and connotation as explained in the script?

Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word as found in a dictionary, while connotation refers to the emotional associations and feelings attached to a word, often influenced by cultural context.

How do language differences contribute to communication barriers?

Language differences can lead to ineffective communication when people do not understand each other due to speaking different languages or using words with different meanings in their native languages.

What is the role of clarity in speech in avoiding language barriers?

Clarity in speech is important to ensure that the message is easily understandable and audible for the listeners, thus avoiding misunderstandings that can arise from unclear speech.

How can the use of jargon create a barrier in communication?

Jargon, being specific words used within a particular group, can create a barrier when used in conversations with people outside that group, leading to misunderstandings as they may not understand the jargon.

What are some social psychological barriers to communication discussed in the lesson?

Social psychological barriers include inattention, closed-mindedness, differences in fields of experience, group identification, self-image, distrust, poor retention, attitudes and opinions, and emotions.

How can cultural aspects like values and social relations act as cross-cultural barriers?

Cultural aspects such as differing values, social relations, concepts of time, personal space, and understanding of gestures can act as barriers when they are not aligned between the communicating parties, leading to misinterpretations and misunderstandings.

What is 'Filipino time' as mentioned in the script, and how does it differ from the concept of time in other cultures?

'Filipino time' refers to the cultural norm where being late is considered normal and acceptable. This contrasts with cultures like the Japanese, where punctuality is highly valued, and being on time is expected.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Communication Barriers Overview

This paragraph introduces the concept of communication barriers, emphasizing that effective communication is rarely perfect due to various factors that can disrupt the process. It outlines physical barriers such as faulty organizational structures, noise, time and distance, and information overload. The paragraph also touches on semantic barriers related to language use, including homophones, homographs, and homonyms, which can lead to confusion and misunderstandings.

05:01

📚 Semantic Barriers in Language

This section delves deeper into semantic barriers, focusing on language-specific challenges. It explains homophones as words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings, homographs as words with the same spelling but different pronunciations and meanings, and homonyms as words with the same spelling and sound but different meanings. The paragraph also discusses the concepts of denotation and connotation, highlighting how connotations can alter the perceived meaning of words based on cultural associations and personal experiences.

10:01

🌐 Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

The third paragraph explores social and psychological barriers to communication, including inattention, closed-mindedness, and differing fields of experience. It also addresses group identification and self-image as factors that can hinder communication. The concept of 'Filipino time' is introduced as an example of a cultural practice that can create misunderstandings in a cross-cultural context, emphasizing the importance of cultural awareness in communication.

15:01

🤔 Social Psychological Barriers

This paragraph continues the discussion on social psychological barriers, adding distrust, poor retention, and differing attitudes and opinions to the list. It also considers the impact of emotions and the tendency to filter or distort messages, which can lead to miscommunication. The paragraph highlights the role of status differences in communication, suggesting that perceived social hierarchies can impede open dialogue.

20:04

🌍 Overcoming Communication Barriers

The final paragraph summarizes the various barriers discussed and emphasizes the importance of overcoming them for effective communication. It suggests that understanding and addressing these barriers is crucial for clear and successful communication. The paragraph concludes with a reference to sources and a thank you note, indicating the end of the lesson.

Keywords

💡Communication Barriers

Communication barriers refer to the various factors that can disrupt, limit, or hinder the communication process. In the video, these barriers are categorized into physical, semantic, and social-psychological barriers. They can lead to distorted messages, confusion, and misunderstanding, which are central themes of the video as they directly impact the effectiveness of communication.

💡Physical Barriers

Physical barriers are tangible factors that interfere with communication. Examples from the script include faulty organizational structures, noise, time and distance, and information overload. These barriers can make it difficult for messages to be transmitted clearly, thus affecting the overall communication process.

💡Semantic Barriers

Semantic barriers pertain to difficulties in using language effectively. The video discusses homophones, homographs, and homonyms as examples of semantic barriers. These linguistic elements can cause confusion due to their multiple meanings or pronunciations, which is a critical point in the video as it illustrates how language itself can be a barrier to clear communication.

💡Homophones

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. The video uses 'pale' and 'bale' as examples. Understanding homophones is crucial for clear communication because misinterpretation can occur if listeners do not grasp the correct spelling and meaning.

💡Homographs

Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and pronunciations. The video gives the example of 'polish' used as a verb to make something shiny and as a noun referring to furniture from Poland. Clarifying homographs is essential to avoid confusion in communication.

💡Homononyms

Homononyms, or homonyms, are words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings. The video uses 'bark' to illustrate this, where it can refer to the sound a dog makes or the outer layer of a tree. The concept is important for understanding how context is key to deciphering meaning in communication.

💡Denotation and Connotation

Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word as found in a dictionary, while connotation involves the emotional associations or cultural implications a word might carry. The video explains that 'cheap' has a denotation of being inexpensive but a connotation of low quality. This distinction is important for understanding how words can have layered meanings in communication.

💡Social-Psychological Barriers

Social-psychological barriers are internal or psychological factors that can hinder communication. The video mentions inattention, closed-mindedness, and personal experiences as examples. These barriers are significant because they can affect how individuals process and respond to messages, impacting the communication's effectiveness.

💡Cross-Cultural Barriers

Cross-cultural barriers arise from differences in cultural practices, values, and norms. The video discusses language differences, varying concepts of time, and personal space as examples. These barriers are crucial to understanding because they can significantly affect how individuals from different cultures communicate and interpret messages.

💡Filipino Time

The concept of 'Filipino time' refers to a cultural practice where being late is considered normal and acceptable. The video contrasts this with the punctuality emphasized in Japanese culture. Understanding such cultural time perceptions is vital for effective cross-cultural communication, as it can influence scheduling and punctuality expectations.

💡Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication includes gestures, facial expressions, and body language that convey messages alongside or instead of verbal communication. The video cautions that certain hand gestures can have different meanings across cultures, which can lead to misunderstandings if not interpreted correctly. This concept is important for recognizing the full spectrum of communication beyond just words.

Highlights

Communication barriers can distort messages and cause confusion and misunderstanding.

Physical barriers include faulty organizational structure, noise, time and distance, and information overload.

Noise can be physical, such as loud music or construction, hindering effective communication.

Time zone differences and physical distance can affect the dynamics of communication.

Information overload can occur when too much data is presented in a short time, making comprehension difficult.

Semantic barriers involve difficulties in language use, such as homophones, homographs, and homonyms.

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.

Homographs are words with the same spelling but different pronunciations and meanings.

Homononyms are words with the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings based on context.

Denotation refers to the literal dictionary meaning of a word, while connotation involves emotional associations.

Language barriers can arise from differences in languages, unclear speech, and the use of jargon.

Social psychological barriers include inattention, closed-mindedness, and differing fields of experience.

Group identification and self-image can influence communication and create barriers.

Distrust and poor retention can hinder effective communication.

Cross-cultural barriers include language differences, varying social relations, and differing concepts of time.

Cultural aspects such as personal space and gestures can lead to miscommunication.

Effective communication requires overcoming these barriers for smooth and successful interactions.

Transcripts

[Music]

on part one of this lesson we learned

about the different features that make

communication effective

however it is important to note that

there is no such thing as perfect

communication more often than not there

are certain factors that limit disrupt

or hinder the communication process

these factors are what we call barriers

there are many barriers to communication

and these may occur at any stage in the

communication process

these may also lead to distorted

messages and may cause confusion and

misunderstanding

now let's talk about those barriers to

communication what are these things

factors elements that hinder disrupt the

communication process there are actually

several categories to the barriers of

communication there are certain barriers

to communication that we can categorize

as physical barriers okay first one for

example is a faulty organization

structure so take for example when you

are working in an office or in working

in an organization or an institution

then if your organizational map is

faulty already then it's gonna be

difficult to communicate within and

among the members of the system all

right so that could resolve to

miscommunication misunderstanding within

the organization within the institution

itself aside from that of course we have

noise the physical noise that we hear

loud music loud talking all right if

there's construction going on outside

your room for example and you're talking

to someone or you're just basically in a

physically noisy environment meaning

your ears are affected in some way of

processing and receiving the information

then that could be referred to as noise

or physical noise time and distance are

also categorized under physical barriers

for example if you are on a different

time zone then communication might be or

the dynamics of communication might be

different okay um distance as well will

affect it because if you're far from

someone even if it's just a short

distance take for example a few meters

and you're already far it's very

difficult to communicate with that

person you already have to shout or

scream or say it out loud whatever it is

you are trying to say which of course

would be harmful to us as speakers and

of course unbeneficial for the listeners

as well another physical barrier may be

having too much information this is very

particular to students or people who are

trying to study absorb a lot of

information in a limited amount of time

or in a short amount of time so it

results more often than nato information

overload there is way too many

information that is being absorbed being

learned or being taken into account for

which makes it even more difficult for

you to understand them because there's

way too many you're having difficulties

processing it in your mind even in the

physical sense if you have way too many

papers in front of you it's very

difficult to go through them so that

could be information overload another

category in classifying barriers to

communication are semantic barriers when

we say semantic barriers these are

simply barriers that pertain to

difficulties in using a language because

there are certain features there are

certain elements in the language itself

that makes it hard for us to even relay

the information in the manner that we

want to relate to the english language

for example we have what we call

homophones homographs homonyms of course

the concepts of connotations and

denotations okay so we will go at that

one at a time when you encounter similar

sounding words words that sound the same

okay we call them homophones so simply

put if you are going to be

more specific about it if it has the

same pronunciation it sounds the same

when you say it or when you hear it okay

it has the same pronunciation however

the spelling is different and the

meaning is different as well we refer to

it as homophones some specific examples

include pale and pale outer and altar

rain and rain and by and by again

homophones are words that share the same

pronunciation okay same sound but

different in meaning and different in

spelling on the other hand there are

also words that have multiple

pronunciation okay and this are words

that we refer to as homographs to be

specific homographs are words that have

the same spelling meaning they are they

contain the same letters all right

however the pronunciation and the

meaning of those words are actually

different from one another so take for

example this one we must polish the

polish furniture okay so the word the

first word polish simply refers to us

wiping it down making it clean making it

presentable or right whereas the second

word which is capitalized polish simply

refers to furniture or describes

furniture that came from poland okay the

country poland so this one is a great

example of homographs another example is

this one the bandage was round around

the wound okay wound is the past tense

of wine or trying to put it around okay

whereas one refers to what we get when

we get when we get into an accident okay

another example is he could lead if he

would get the lead out aside from the

first two there are also words that have

multiple meanings if a while ago they

have different sounds okay but same

spelling

same spelling but different sounds all

right this time we have words that have

the same spelling same sound however

multiple meanings so depending on the

context of the sentence they could have

different meanings

and these words are what we refer to as

homonins again they have the same

pronunciation they sound the same they

share the same spelling they are

containing the same letters but the

meaning of these words would vary

depending on the context of the sentence

where you used it so take for example

this one close the window before the b

gets too close so the first clause

refers to

shorting it okay shutting the window

whereas the second close

the next word close is referring to

distance okay minimizing the distance

between you and the b all right so there

another good example is this the dog

barks at the trees bark so you would

notice that these they are the same they

sound the same they are composed of the

same letters but the first word bark

refers to the sound that the dog makes

whereas the second word bark refers to a

part of the tree in using language as

well we have these two concepts and

these two concepts are unavoidable

because sometimes these two concepts are

culture-bound it's attached to our

culture it's attached to how language is

used in the society these two concepts

are what we refer to as the notation and

connotation okay so when we say

denotation let's try to differentiate

the two when we say denotation this is

the literal meaning of a word meaning

when you look this word up in the

dictionary the meaning that you can find

in the dictionary that is your

denotation okay so how do you describe

it how do you um how do you define the

word itself all right so that is your

denotation your dictionary meaning okay

however there's this concept that is

what we refer to as connotation

connotations are emotions and certain

associations that we connect to a

particular word okay so more often than

not this is because

we attach certain feelings certain

emotions or certain experiences to a

certain word

that we gladly accept that it is the

meaning because of those experiences

those emo shots okay so those were um

those associations those attached

meanings to particular words could be

referred to as connotations okay so take

for example the word sheep okay if

you're going to look up the word cheap

in the dictionary you would notice that

it's denotation or its literal meaning

okay is something that is inexpensive so

when you describe something as cheap it

is inexpensive it doesn't cost too much

all right however there are certain

connotations attached to the word sheep

all right so take for example when you

tell someone oh you look cheap that

doesn't mean that that person doesn't

cost much all right we are not talking

about the price of that person we are

referring to how he or she must be

behaving or how he or she must come off

as okay if it's cheap meaning it's low

quality the connotation that is usually

attached to the word cheap is that it is

of low quality it's not something that

is good to look at all right so it's not

something that is reliable it doesn't

necessarily have to be inexpensive for

it to be called cheap connotations such

as that one um could also be a form of

barrier because sometimes people would

take the word point black they would

take it based on its literal meaning all

right but they are not aware that

certain connotations are attached to the

particular word already so another good

example of this one is the word salvage

in the philippines when we say salvage

there is a negative connotation to it

however if you are really going to look

up salvage in the dictionary even if you

do it right now and you look up salvage

the word is actually positive in meaning

the word is positive in its literal

definition or its definition okay it

means to save however in the philippines

so when we say salvage or when we hear

the word salvage there is a negative

connotation to it because more often

than not it was used to refer to people

who were killed the negative

connotations stayed all throughout the

years other forms of language barriers

aside from those technical aspects to

language use okay there are also other

form of language barriers so take for

example different languages could

already result to ineffective

communication okay so take for example

if i'm a filipino and i don't really

understand english that much remember

that you are not always communicating

using your first language or your native

language so differences in language the

languages that we use could also result

to ineffective communication there are

certain words that you can say therefore

the meaning also changes or the other

party could not understand it anymore

another language barrier is there's no

clarity in speech so when we say there's

no clarity in speech it's not clear the

way that you are projecting the words

out of your mouth the way that you are

saying it may not be as easily

understandable or on the ball for your

your listener so you have to make sure

that when you talk it's clear okay it's

not as if you are eating your words so

there's a there's an expression for that

do not eat your words okay say them out

loud say them in a manner that you know

would um be effective and would be

easily understandable and audible for

your listeners another language barrier

could be when someone is using jargons

all right so jargons are words that are

very specific in a particular group of

people so this particular group of

people are using these words and when

it's used outside that group other

people might not understand it when we

use jargons we have to be careful are we

talking to people who would be able to

understand it when there is too much use

of jargons in a conversation especially

if it's just a normal regular

conversation and you came from two

different groups of people

then that could be already be a barrier

misunderstanding will definitely ensue

remember that when you are also not

being specific meaning you are not

really pointing out what it is that you

want to say what it is that you want to

deliver then that could be a form of

language barrier as well you are um what

do you call this um in english they

refer to it as delhi dalian so you are

beating around the bush you are not um

going straight to the point you are not

being very clear and being concise about

your message another category in

understanding barriers is social

psychological barriers and this is very

important because these are barriers

that sometimes or more often than not we

do not see so we really do not know how

we could get past these barriers okay

because sometimes it happens within a

person okay or it happens in the mind of

a person inattention is included as a

social psychological barrier inattention

is simply not paying attention to a

speaker okay they could be distracted in

some way so that's why they're not

paying attention another thing is having

a closed mind when your mind is boxed in

a certain belief or a certain ideal then

understanding other people especially

their points of view might be difficult

for you another specific example of

social psychological barriers are your

fields of experience remember that

people hail from different backgrounds

we came from different families

different religions different

experiences so our fields of experiences

also vary all right so what you have

experience or what you may have

experienced may not have been

experienced by someone already group

identification could also affect

communication or could hinder or disrupt

the communication process especially for

example if you identify in a certain

group because

that particular group when you identify

to a certain group of people you know

already that there's a culture in that

group and that culture might also be

different from the culture of other

groups so

that in itself could hinder

communicating with other people aside

from those things the way that you view

yourself your self-image could also

hinder disrupt or affect the

communication process it's how confident

you see yourself do you see yourself

worthy of certain um certain

opportunities and so on and so forth so

you have to be very careful with how you

see yourself when you communicate as

well or how you consider yourself a new

community there's also this problem with

distrust when we say distraught it's

simply not having trust when the source

of the information or whoever it is that

you are talking with you are doubtful of

who they are what are their intentions

okay and so on and so forth so that

could cause a problem as well when you

talk to someone there is also this

problem with having poor retention

especially right now at this time and

age where everything is easily

accessible for people okay our attention

spans have shortened um so you have to

consider that one as well in terms of

communicating or effectively

communicating attitudes and opinions or

differences and attitudes and opinions

can also affect the way that we

communicate even your own attitude and

your own opinion could affect the way

that you communicate of course your

emotions are part of social

psychological barriers there are also

instances wherein we can't help but

filter and distort certain parts or the

messages that we send when we filter and

when we distort messages we are trying

to manipulate the content of the message

that we are sending so sometimes that

might result to miscommunication as well

differences in status in terms of status

in the society could also affect the way

that we communicate it could hinder it

could disrupt the way that we

communicate so take for example there

are certain people who believe that they

are above other people so of course they

will not talk to people who they believe

are below them all right so for example

if you are someone who is rich and you

believe that um the rich doesn't have to

go down the level of the poor so you

would only talk to people who are rich

okay you will not be going around

talking to other people who you consider

are poor it is also important to note

that there are certain features or

aspects of our culture that may hinder

disrupt the communication process so we

refer to these things as cross-cultural

barriers an example of this is language

since language is one of the main

aspects of culture okay so different

cultures may have different languages so

it could be considered differences in

languages could be considered as

barriers the values that we have for

example the values that we have as

filipinos they might be different from

the ones that americans have or the ones

that japanese people have or koreans

have our social relations could also

affect the way that we communicate how

do we relate how do we communicate with

other people how do we foster that

relationship with them how we value

these connections between and among

people in our society so there are

differences in that as well that may be

considered as

barriers to communication aside from

that our concepts of time also differ

from one culture to another a very good

example of this is um the concept of

filipino time all right so if you

compare it to the concept of time of the

japanese people japanese people believe

that if you are late then that means on

the clock you are actually on time so

for example if your meeting is at eight

o'clock and you come in at eight o'clock

on the dot eight o'clock that means that

you are late if you come in ten minutes

before eight o'clock that means that you

are um on time okay however in the

filipino concept of time okay or what

we're afraid to normally refer to as

filipino time when you come late that's

normal that's very typical and it's

acceptable in our culture not a lot of

people will bat an eyelash on that one

all right so it's primarily acceptable

but for other cultures such as the

japanese culture and even the korean

culture and chinese culture at that or

east asian culture in general they're

very particular with how you value time

okay but in philippines um we are not

very particular with that one we do

respect other people's time however the

concept of filipino time has been

generally acceptable so um it's been

known all over the world that if a

filipino comes late then it's just

natural it's typical filipino quality

there's also this um concept of space

that we have to consider other people

will be comfortable or other cultures

are comfortable expressing themselves um

in close contact with another example

even if it's a stranger all right so

it's okay for them to be communicating

it

at a close range however there are other

cultures who are very particular with

their concept of personal space so you

have to respect that when you

communicate with them their instances

were in

miscommunication ensues because our

concepts of space differ from one

another of course there are also um

differences in dress shorts or how we

understand how we view chess shorts okay

so just shores might differ from one

culture to another all right so there

are certain things that you can do with

your hand for example the peace sign or

the okay sign or this sign the thumbs up

sign that might be interpreted

differently among different cultures so

you have to be careful with that as well

or else it could be a barrier to

communication

effective communication involves

overcoming these affirmation barriers

there are many ways in which you can do

this and it is essential that we deal

and cope up with these barriers to

ensure smooth and successful

communication

here are my sources and references for

this lesson thank you for joining me