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ORAL-COMMUNICATION11 Q1 Module3

The article discusses 5 strategies to avoid communication breakdown: 1) Have clarity of thought before speaking, 2) Learn to listen, 3) Take care of body language and tone, 4) Build confidence by asking for feedback, and 5) Communicate face-to-face on important issues. The barriers to communication mentioned include physiological, psychological, cultural, and linguistic barriers. The easiest strategy is taking care of body language and tone while the most difficult is learning to listen well.

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187 views4 pages

ORAL-COMMUNICATION11 Q1 Module3

The article discusses 5 strategies to avoid communication breakdown: 1) Have clarity of thought before speaking, 2) Learn to listen, 3) Take care of body language and tone, 4) Build confidence by asking for feedback, and 5) Communicate face-to-face on important issues. The barriers to communication mentioned include physiological, psychological, cultural, and linguistic barriers. The easiest strategy is taking care of body language and tone while the most difficult is learning to listen well.

Uploaded by

Muzically Inspired
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson

Various Strategies to Avoid


2 Communication Breakdown

What’s New
Communication breakdown may at times be inevitable but as a
sensible speaker or sender of the message, we could avoid this. Understanding the
concept of communication breakdown and its causes, will help us realize that failure
in communication may be avoided through certain strategies that we could adapt.

Here is an article entitled 5 Ways to Avoid Communication Breakdown by Ronnie


Peterson.
5 Ways to Avoid Communication Breakdown by
Ronnie Peterson
Communication breakdown can cause issues or problems at home, school, and
community. There are so many barriers to communication like, physiological,
psychological, cultural, and linguistics.
Sometimes some communication barriers are too difficult to solve and this will
lead to slowing the progress and efficiency.
Here are the possible strategies to avoid communication breakdown:

1. Have Clarity of thought before speaking


Arrange your thoughts before verbalizing them this can help you
communicate much more clearly and succinctly. It's a better idea to say
something like, "I've got a few ideas here. Let me go through them one at
a time. We can treat each one on its own merit."

2. Learn to Listen
As simple as it sounds, you’ll be surprised how many people out there
don’t know how to listen well.

Not understanding those who you are trying to communicate with will
lead to a conversation fraught with misunderstandings. Don’t be afraid to
ask them to repeat or explain further in polite manner once you don’t
understand the point.

3. Take Care of your Body Language and Tone


Keep your emotions in check, try to maintain eye contact, and adopt a
relaxed tone when conversing with others.

4. Build up your confidence by asking for feedback and observing


others Focus on improving your skills by practicing in front of those who
you may feel more comfortable with. You can also ask those whose advice
you value to give you feedback and critique your communication style
after a discussion.

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5. Communicate Face to Face on the important issues

Having that face-to-face dialogue means you can convey your point more
clearly, with your body language as well as your tone of voice.

It can also help to clear up any misunderstandings or distortion of the


message that could occur through other mediums.
Remember, becoming an effective communicator takes time and practice. Over
time, using these strategies can lead to better communication in your personal
relationships, and more productive workplace environments as well.

Answer the following questions based on the article above.


1. What are the barriers to communication mentioned in the article?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

2. How can communication breakdown be avoided?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

3. In your opinion, which strategy is the easiest to do? Which one is the most
difficult to do? Why?

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

What is It
A smooth and successful communication transaction may result if we
follow the strategies to avoid communication breakdown. Communication becomes
successful if and only if our communication goal is achieved, that is, an
understanding is reached and a relationship is built or maintained.

Here are some strategies to avoid communication breakdown (Quipper n.d.).

Keep Focused
One way of being focused is to put in mind the purpose communication. As a speaker
identify your purpose for speaking and as a listener find the speaker’s purpose thru
his/her verbal and non-verbal cues.
Speak Intelligibly
Speaking intelligibly or clearly means using the appropriate speaking volume, pitch
rate, proper enunciation, stress, and acceptable pronunciation. We speak in order to
be understood.

Listen with your Ears and Eyes

Pay attention to verbal and non-verbal message. Effective communication depends on


what people say and how they say it.

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Minimize Distractions
Look for a place where you can minimize distractions or noise like closed area, empty
room, or quiet places. Lessening the cause for confusion means giving more room to
focus and concentrate.

Be Specific
Use simple and concise words as much as possible in delivering a message. Being
specific means being particular and direct to the point.

Do not Jump to Conclusions


Before you give your comments and judgement, be sure that you have listened
attentively to the speaker. Conclusions should be drawn after a thorough analysis of
point given or information received.

Tips on How to Avoid Communication Breakdown

Broom, Cutlip and Center (2012) listed the 7Cs of Effective Communication in
their book Effective Public Relations. These are Completeness, Conciseness,
Consideration, Concreteness, Courtesy, Clearness, and Correctness.
Completeness

It is important to whole communication process. The speaker should include


everything that the receiver needs to hear, respond, react, or evaluate properly. S/he
should be able to convey all pertinent details so listener or audience will be able to
grasp the intended message.

Conciseness

The message should be direct or straight to the point and should be expressed in the
least possible number of words. Irrelevant information should not be included.

Consideration
In order to be effective, the speaker should give high regard and courtesy to
audience’s background information such as his/her culture, education, religion,
status, mood, feelings, and needs. This will result in building rapport or connection
with the audience.
Concreteness
Effective communication is backed up by facts, figures, and real-life examples or
situations. This will make the receiver to understand the message better.

Courtesy

The speaker can show respect to his/her receivers through understanding


their culture, values, and beliefs. The speaker can show respect to the listeners by
demonstrating an understanding of their beliefs, values, and culture. This implies
good choice of words and language and a consideration of the audience’s perspectives
and feelings on the part of the sender. Showing courtesy helps create a positive vibe
with the audience. This implies good choice of words and language on the part of the
sender and consideration of audience’s perspectives.

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Clearness
It implies the use of simple and specific words to express ideas. When the
speaker focuses on specific ideas, it will not confuse the audience.

Correctness
Avoiding mistakes in grammar helps to boost the credibility and effectiveness of the
message, and at the same time it eliminates negative impact on the audience.

Breakdowns in communication may arise because of several factors. But these factors
may be avoided if we follow strategies put forward by experts in the field.
Communication is a transaction that we do everyday. By following the 7 Cs of
communication espoused by Broom, Cutlip and Center (2012), we may achieve
understanding in communicating with others and avoid confusion and
misinterpretations.

Avoiding communication breakdown helps you to be an effective speaker. Below are


some strategies which you can use to avoid breakdown communication. (Quipper n.d.)

Helpful Expressions to Avoid Communication Breakdown

Strategies to Avoid Communication Helpful Expressions


Breakdown
Use helpful expressions to gain time to “Really”
think “Uhmm”
“Uh-huh”
“Anyway”
“Tell me more…”
Give positive remarks or comments “”Sounds good”
“I see what you mean”
Ask for repetition “Can you please what you said?”
“What did you say again?”
“What did you mean, when you say
that…”
Check for understanding “So, are you saying that…”
“So, what is your understanding of
this?”

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