Environmental Education and Communication

Definition of Conservation
The word conservation has been derived from the verb to conserve, which is defined as to keep
safe or sound state. It is also defined as a careful preservation and protection of something. It is
planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction or neglect.
Conservation cautions everyone to be a responsible citizen of the planet and being involved with
its protection. The world conservation strategy defines conservation as the management of the
human use of the biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere so that it may yield
greatest sustainable benefits for the present generation while maintaining its potential to meet the
needs and aspirations of future generations.
Significance of Conservation
Conservation came from the realization that natural systems and resources are in danger of being
destroyed and depleted if long term steps are not undertaken. It results from the moral conviction
that we have an obligation to reserve resources because they do not belong to us. We have
borrowed them from our fore fathers therefore the need to conserve them for the future. More so,
conservation is a necessity because nature supports life including human life and it is carried out
in order to achieve the following;-
 Maintain essential ecological systems that enable the earth to serve as a home to man and
other species. These allow food production and maintenance of health
 Conservation is carried out in order to maintain the diversity since diversity is the basis of
our own survival. This can be done at ecosystem level, species level and genetic level.
Every organism is important in its own way and therefore deserves conservation.
 We must conserve with an attempt to ensure sustainability of living resources. The use of
living resources must not exceed their capacity to sustain life. The future generations
should not be denied access to these resources
 We must conserve to maintain the historical recognition of conservation. Conservation is
not a new process or concept. It has only been changing in significance. The concern for
conservation is as old as human civilization. The first idea of conservation would be
traced from a man called Plato. In his work, he talked about the conservation of
landscape in Greece. He based himself on the bare hills in Greece. He said that the Greek
had wiped the environment.

Natural Resource Concepts

Natural resources are naturally occurring resources found either below, above, on the surface of
the earth, in water, in the air or anywhere around the environment. They are materials or
substances occurring in nature which can be exploited for economic gain. Natural resources
include raw materials such as fuels, minerals and metals, soil, water, air, sunlight, land, biomass
and ecosystems. Natural resources also include living (biotic) and nonliving things (abiotic). It
also includes vegetation, human beings, animals and birds with other microorganisms.
Natural Resources Management
Natural resource management deals with managing the way in which people and natural
landscapes interact. Natural resources management also focuses on how management affects the
quality of life for both present and future generations. It brings together land use planning, water
management, biodiversity conservation and the future sustainability of industries like
Agriculture, Mining, Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry. It recognizes that people and their
livelihoods rely on the health and productivity of the landscape.
Importance of Natural Resources
Natural resources are very important for the development of any country. All the living things
are dependent on natural resources directly or indirectly. Without the natural resources, living
things cannot survive. There are different types of natural resources from which living things are
getting benefit from such as
 timber and wood etc from the forest resources,
 irrigation and drinking water, from water resources and,
 minerals for industrial development.
 Other resources like solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy play a very important role in
our daily life.
 fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, petroleum are sources which are used in day to day
life.
 Nature also helps to maintain environmental balance and biodiversity.
 A lot of resources for the production of medicine are derived from natural resources such
as plants, herbs and shrubs.
Natural Resources Classifications
Natural resources are classified into Renewable and Non-renewable resources. Some resources,
such as minerals or oil, exist as finite stocks, which are non-renewable within an economic time
frame. Others, such as timber or solar energy are renewable and, potentially, the flow of services
from these resources can be harvested indefinitely.
Natural resources can be divided into the following types:
1. Biotic: these resources come from living and organic material, such as forests and
animals, and include the materials that can be obtained them. Biotic natural resources
also include fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum which are formed from organic
matter that has decayed. Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere (living and
organic material), such as forests, animals and the materials that can be obtained from
them. The rainforest is an example of undisturbed natural resource. Forests provide
timber for humans, food, water and shelter for the flora and fauna tribes and animals. The
nutrient cycle between organisms form food chains and biodiversity of species.
 Waterfalls provide spring water for humans, animals and plants for survival and also
habitat for marine organisms. The water current can be used to generate electricity and
turbines for hydroelectric generation. Fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum are also
included in this category, because they are formed from decayed organic matter.
2. Abiotic: these resources come from non-living and non-organic material. Examples of
these resources include land, fresh water, air, and heavy metals (gold, iron, copper, silver,
etc.) (Lumen. Nd). Abiotic resources are those that come from non-living, non-organic
material. Examples of abiotic resources include land, freshwater, air, rare earth metals
and heavy metals including ores such as gold, Iron, Copper and Silver
Natural resources are also classified based on their renewability:
1. Renewable natural resources: these are resources that can be replenished. Examples of
renewable resources include sunlight, air, and wind. They are available continuously and
their quantity is not noticeably affected by human consumption. However, renewable
resources do not have a rapid recovery rate and are susceptible to depletion if they are
overused.
2. Non-renewable natural resources: these resources form extremely slow and do not
naturally form in the environment. A resource is considered to be non-renewable when
their rate of consumption exceeds the rate of recovery. Examples of non-renewable
natural resources are minerals and fossil fuels (Lumen, Nd).
According to Kumar (n.d.) natural resources can classified according the source of origin:
1. Biotic resources: these resources come from living and organic material. These include
forests, animals, and microorganisms and include the materials that can be obtained from
them. Biotic natural resources also include fossil fuels like coal and petroleum etc. since
they originate from organic matter that has decayed.
2. Abiotic resources: these resources come from non-living and inorganic material. These
resources include land, fresh water, air, and heavy metals (gold, iron, copper, silver, etc.).
On the basis of their stage of development;
1. Potential resources: these are resources that exist in a region and may be used in the
future. For example, if a country has petroleum in sedimentary rocks, it is a potential
resource until it is actually drilled out of the rock and put to use.
2. Actual resources (Kumar, n.d.); these are resources that have been surveyed, their
quantity and quality has been determined, and they are currently being used. The
development of actual resources is dependent on technology.
3. Reserve resources: this is the part of an actual resource that can be developed profitably
in the future.
4. Stock resources: these are resources that have been surveyed, but cannot be used due a
lack of technology. An example of a stock resource is hydrogen.
On the basis of their occurrence/ownership;
 1. Individual resources: these are resources owned by individuals privately. It includes land
owned by a farmer, urban people own plots, houses and other property, plantation,
pasture lands, ponds, water in wells etc.
2. Community resources: these include resources that are accessible to all the members of
the community like the village grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, public
parks, picnic spots, playgrounds in urban areas are accessible to all the people living
there.
3. National resources: these include all the resources belonging to the nation because the
country has legal powers to acquire even private property for public good. Examples: All
minerals, water resources, forests, wildlife, land within the political boundaries and
oceanic area up to 12 nautical miles from the coast.
4. International resources: there are available to all countries and have no boundaries. It
includes the sunlight, air and the oceanic resources beyond 200km of the Exclusive
Economic Zone belong to open ocean.
On the basis of their utility;
1. Natural resources may be forest resource, water resource, food resource, energy resource,
land resource etc.
On the basis of availability or exhaustibility;
1. Inexhaustible resources: they are not likely to be exhausted by human’s consumption.
Example: solar energy, wind power, rainfall, power of tide, hydro power, atomic energy
etc.
2. Exhaustible resources: they are likely to be exhausted upon their continuous exploitation
as they have limited stock on the earth.
Exhaustible resources may be non-renewable and renewable.
1. Non-renewable resources: they lack ability of recycling or replaced after a very long
time. Ex. - biological species, minerals, fossils.
2. Renewable resources: the resources which can be renewed and reproduced by physical,
chemical or mechanical processes are known as renewable resources, e.g. - water, soil
fertility, natural vegetation, wildlife, aquatic animals, humans etc.

Importance of Natural Resources

There are different types of natural resources from which living things are getting benefits such
as timber, wood from the forest resources, irrigation- water, drinking water from water resources,
minerals for industry development. Other resources like solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy
play a very important role in our daily life. Fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, petroleum are
the resources which are used in day to day life. Natural resources are also important so that
environment will be in balance. If we continuously misuse or overuse the natural resources like
water, fuel, minerals, soils, they can affect the environment and all living things.
All the things we need in our daily life such as food, water, air, fuel, come from natural
resources. Natural resources provide every daily needs to human like shelter, food, clothing.
Land resources are important because human beings live there. Land resources support natural
vegetation, wildlife, transport. Our basic needs like food, cloth, shelter are obtained from land.
About 43% of the land is used for Agriculture. Our daily needs like grains, cereal, pulses are
obtained from agriculture. From mineral resources, rocks are used to build houses, bridge and
other structure. A very important building material is concrete which is made from cement and
cement is made from sedimentary rock known as limestone, glass and other ceramics are from
rocks by treating them with heat. Rocks have been used as tools and weapons from very long
time. Petroleum is used in many ways like it is used as fuel, for motorcars and aero plane.
Petroleum is also distilled into liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) which is commonly used for
cooking food.

The following factors affecting natural resources:

Factors Affecting Natural Resources Development
Natural resources are of crucial importance for social and economic life. In this aspect, the
diversity of nature not only offers man a vast power of choice for his needs and desires, it also
enhances the role of nature as a source of solutions for future needs and challenges of mankind.
These days, due to human pressure on natural resources and development, is greater than before
in terms of magnitude and efficiency in disrupting natural and natural resources(Recast the
sentence). The factors that affect natural resources development include:
1. Intensive agriculture which is replacing traditional farming. This, in combination with the
subsidies of individual farming has had enormous effect on landscapes and continues to
be threats to natural resources.
2. Extensive tourism also affects coasts and mountains. The policies pursued in the transport
industry, transport and energy sectors have a direct and damaging impact on the coasts,
major rivers (dam construction and associated canal building) and road networks.
3. The strong focus of forestry management on economic targets primarily causes the
decline in biodiversity, soil erosion and other degraded effects. Furthermore, natural
resources are also affected by:
4. Human intervention, such as construction of buildings, motorways or railways which
result in the fragmentation of habitats which strongly limits the possibility for contact or
migration among them. In extreme cases, even the smallest, narrowest connections
between habitats are broken off. Such isolation is catastrophic for life in the habitat
fragments.
5. Greenhouse effect: is when sunlight rays are trapped within the atmosphere. Ultraviolet
(UV) rays enter the atmosphere and bounce through the water and land then bounce back
up to the atmosphere until it gets trapped, which creates heat. Greenhouse gases or CO2
emission are the most commonly known of all climate changing factors. These are the
chemicals that are spewed out into the atmosphere when fossil fuels like oil and gas are
 burnt. These chemicals are trapped in the atmosphere just like solar rays from the sun and
get absorbed into all living life on earth which leads to diseases in humans and animals.
6. On earth, there are several processes such as earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides,
floods that affect the existence of living things. Volcanoes alone emit more CO2 into the
environment than many human activities. Itemize the each of the other factors just as
done for greenhouse effect Other factors that affect environment/ natural resources are
over-exploitation of resources, destruction of ecosystem, to air and water pollution
problems. Deforestation , indiscriminate bush burning, land mass clearing for agriculture
or for urban development and mining activities can also lead to soil erosion; flooding and
water pollution.
7. Furthermore, gaseous emission and discharge of effluents from manufacturing industries
can cause serious pollution of air and water.
8. Severe soil degradation in the form of soil erosion can reduce the fertility status of rich
land thereby causing poor agricultural yield while water pollution can negatively affect
fish production in the ecosystem.
9. Discharge of chemicals or using chemicals to kill fishes will change the colour and
chemical composition of the aquatic life thereby making it inhabitable for many aquatic
organisms.
10. Loss of species of fauna and flora: The biodiversity is affected by different species
numbers and the loss of habitats in many regions. Approximately 30% of the vertebrates
and 20% of heterplants are threatened. Threats are linked to loss of habitats due to
destruction, modification and fragmentation of ecosystem as well as hunting and general
disturbance.
11. Reduction and fragmentation of habitats and landscapes in expansion of human activities
into the natural environment, manifested by urbanization, recreation, industrialization and
agriculture. This results in increasing uniformity in landscapes and consequential
reduction disappearance, fragmentation or isolation of habitats and landscapes. The
consequences are decreased species diversity, due to reduced habitable surface area
which corresponds to a reduced species carrying capacity. 
12. The reduction of the habitats also affects the genetic diversity of the species living there.
Smaller habitats can only accommodate smaller populations as a result; there is an
impoverished gene pool. The reduction of genetic resources of a species diminishes its
flexibility and evolutionary adaptability to changing situations. This has negative impacts
on its survival.
Meaning of Sustainable Development of Resources
Sustainable development means ways people use resources without resources running out. The
term used by the Bruntland Commission(Year) defined it as “development with sustainability
that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs”.
 Everyone wants a better place to live. Some people want better homes and housing, while
others may want better schools, more jobs, cleaner sheets etc.
  People need a better environment that means green spaces, play areas, no litter, nice
gardens, decent houses, less noise and pollution. The resources used should renew over
generations.
 A better economy, that means jobs, reasonable prices, cheaper heat and light
 Better social conditions that mean good leisure facilities, lots of community groups
offering sports and arts, friendly neighbors.(Link it to sustainable development of
resurces)
Sustainable development of resources principles include;
1. Reduced dependence on fossil fuels, underground metals and minerals.
2. Reduced dependence upon synthetic chemicals and other unnatural substances
3. Reduced encroachment on nature
4. Meet human needs fairly and efficiently
The goals for sustainable resource development include;
1. Preservation of endangered species extinction
2. Protection of ecosystem and biodiversity upon which all life depend
3. The establishment of nature and biosphere under various types of protection
4. Conservation and sustainable use of scarce resources such as water, land and air
5. Development of alternative, green, low carbon or renewable energy resources
6. Converting of non-recyclable materials into energy through direct combustion or after
cons
Communication
Communication refers to the process of sharing information and understanding between
people. In environmental education, communication refers to the process of sharing
information about environmental issues and solutions, and engaging people in conservation
about these issues. Communication is a two way process and requires both sender and
receiver to be able to understand and respond to the message being communicated. Effective
communication in environmental education should be tailored to the audience and should be
presented in a way that it is accessible, relevant and easy to understand. The goal of
environmental education curriculum is to raise awareness, build understanding and promote
action on environmental issues.
Communication process
The message is sent by one individual to another, passed through a number of stages before it
reaches the intended receiver. The stages constitute the communication process and the six
constituent parts of this process include;
1. Source of communication: Any message must have an origin must have an origin and
the source must think out an idea and turn it into a message.
2. Encoding: This is the stage where the message is turned into symbols i.e spoken or
written words plus body gestures. However, the clarity of the encoded message depends
on a number of things;
a. Skills. The sender must have skills of adequacy and systematically convey the
message in a chosen style for example if one is to send a written message, they
should have the writing skills.
b. Attitude. People normally hold different views of certain things and these will
influence one’s communication because certain views one considers important
may not be so to other people.
c. Knowledge. For one to successfully encode the message they must have sufficient
knowledge being communicated. The sender must be competent of the subject.
However if he has too much knowledge he/she will end up being complicated and
unnecessarily detailed.
d. Culture. People’s culture also influences their ability to encode messages for
example in the African culture men are not allowed to cry so they don’t encode
their grief in a satisfactory way.
3. Message output: This is what a source has encoded. This is what actually one speaks,
writes or the gestures and expressions made with the body parts. The message itself can
be distorted or cause distortion and if the correct combination of words and actions is not
used the message will be poorly transmitted.
4. Channel: The message has to be transmitted to the recipient. The sender must choose the
avenue to use when transferring the meaning. The channel chosen can also cause a
conflict.
5. Receiver: This is the targeted objective of the individual that must understand the
knowledge; therefore the receiver will engage in decoding the message. Before the
message is received by an individual, it must be decoded that is the symbols or words that
were used to encode the message by the source must be interpreted into a form that the
receiver understands. This decoding is also affected by three factors that affect encoding
and these are skills, knowledge, and attitude. As a resource manager, its always important
too note that there is always limited decoding that is people normally do not understand
what one is saying because we have limited information base or their attitudes are biased
towards some people.
6. Feedback: In this case, the source of the message tries to see whether his message has
been understood as originally intended and these can be possible when he gets the
feedback in a form of responses, acknowledgements and other gestures of the body.
Environmental Communication
The field of environmental management requires an effective communicator who will be in a
position to convey messages that will be interpreted to retain their original meaning and as
such diffuse conflicts that might have arisen. There are three ways in which communication
takes place:

Oral Communication
This is the most common form or method of communication and it is also known as face-to-
face communication. It may be in form of direct talk and conversation between the listeners
and the speakers when they are physically present at one place or through telephone or
intercoms system conversation. When one way communication is required, then oral
communication may include public address systems/informal rumors are also popular forms
of oral communication.
Oral communication is particularly powerful because the receiver not only hears the content
of the message but also observes the physical gestures with it as well as changes in tone,
speed, pitch, and volume of the spoken word.
The human voice can impact the message much more forcefully and effectively that written
words and is an effective way of changing attitudes, beliefs and feelings, trust and sincerity
can be much better judged in a face-to-face conversation rather than in written words.
Advantages of Oral Communication
 Its direct, simple, time saving and less expensive form of communication. Allows for
both sight and sound of the sender and receiver, allows for instant interchange of opinion,
views and attitudes.
 It allows for feedback and spontaneous thinking so that if the receiver is unsure of the
message, rapid feedback allows for early detection of the sender and corrections can
immediately be made if necessary. Because the message is conveyed instantly, it helps in
avoiding delays and other formalities.
 It conveys a personal warmth and friendship. It develops a sense of belonging because of
the personalized contacts.
Disadvantages
 There is no formal record of communication so that any misunderstood message cannot
be referred back to what was actually said.
 If the verbal message is passed on a long the hierarchical chain of command, then some
distractions can occur during the process. The more people the message must pass
through, the greater the potential of distortion.
 Lengthy and distant communication cannot be effectively conveyed verbally.
 The receiver may receive the message in his own perception and thus misunderstand the
intent of the message.
 Spontaneous response may not be carefully thought about.
 The spirit of authority cannot be transmitted effectively in verbal communication
(transaction and more or less a different meaning may be conveyed by a manner of
speaking, tone of voice and facial expressions.
Written Communication
This is put in writing and is generally in form of instructions, letters, memos, formal reports,
rules, regulations, policy manuals, information bulletins, posters, brochures, etc. written
communication is very important in natural resource management .e.g. in a routine
information one has to be reminded. Constantly of say job descriptions and work schedules
using a timetable. In written communication, information has to be covered in written for
efficient functioning of the organization.
It is most effective when it is required to communicate information that requires action in
future and also in situations where communication is part of general information nature. It
also ensures that everybody in the organization has the same information.
Advantages
 It serves as evidence of event and procedures.
 It provides a permanency of records for future references. The message can be stored for
an indefinite period of time and if some questions arise concerning the content of the
message, particularly when the message is lengthy and complex, it is physically available
for latter reference.
 It reduces the likelihood of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of information. This
is generally because people are more careful with the written words than the spoken
words thus the written communication is more likely to be considered logical and clear
and also the message can be checked for accuracy before it is transmitted.
 It can save time when many persons can be contacted at the same time.
 It is more reliable for transmitting lengthy statistical data.
 It appears formal and authoritative for action.
Disadvantages
 It can be very time consuming especially for lengthy reports.
 It is at times very expensive.
 There is no immediate feedback opportunity to be sure that the receiver has understood
the message.
 Confidential written material can leak causing disruption in its effectiveness.
 It is difficult to modify the message in case of some immediate changes made.
 It does not favor the illiterates.
Non-Verbal Communication
This is commonly referred to as “not so obvious communication”. It involves body
movements, facial expressions and signs etc. These styles of communication usually
accompany oral communication but they also have a meaning to deliver. No movement is
accidental however; some of these non-verbal communications are done unconsciously.
They are called not as obvious because sometimes they may be misunderstood. When
recognition of both body and oral communication is achieved their meaning is easier to pick
and understand. This however, has implications in natural resources management because
conservation messages can easily be transmitted by a combination of both oral and body
communication. This is why demonstration techniques are usually emphasized.
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMUNICATION
Communication must be interpreted and understood in the same manner as it was meant to be
sent by the sender; otherwise, it will not achieve the desired results and a communication
breakdown will occur.
There are certain external roadblocks to effective communication and these include; poor
training, poor choice of demand, inadequate/unclear information etc which can affect the
proper perception of communication. In addition, there are personal factors which may
interpret the communication not in the same manner as it was intended by the sender but in a
way in which the receiver wants to receive the information depending on the stimuli present,
emotions or prejudices for or against a concept or ideology or personal conflicts so that
instead of interpreting the content of the message, the intent of the sender is interpreted.
Some barriers to effective communication
1. Environmental or physical barriers.
 Noise Barrier: Noise is an external factor which interferes with effective communication.
It may cause interference in the communication process by distracting or blocking a part
of the message or by diluting the strength of communication.
 Poor timing: Messages that require action in a distant future may be forgotten if the time
action is to be taken. Similarly, the last minute communication with a deadline may put
too much pressure on the receiver and it may result in resentment. Therefore, a message
must be sent at an appropriate time to avoid such problems.
 Inappropriate channel: poor choice of channel of communication can also contribute to
misunderstanding of the message. The manager must decide whether the communication
could be most effective if it is in writing or by telephone call or face to face conversations
or a combination of some or all these modes. If the communication has been initiated
through a telephone call, then it may be necessary to confirm this message by putting it in
writing. The face-to-face communication emphasizes the strength of the message
because it is supported by non-verbal gestures such as facial expressions and the tone of
the voice.
 Improper and inadequate information: the information must be meaningful to the
recipient. If must be precise and to the point. Too little or too much information
endangers effective communication. Ambiguity or use of words that can lead to different
interpretations should be avoided.
 Physical distractions. During face to face communication many distractions can interfere
with the process and these include phone calls, people walking in etc.
 Information overload: information overload occurs when individuals receive more
information that they are capable ofprocessing. This could result into confusion or some
important information may be put aside for the purpose of convenience.
2. Interpersonal barriers: There are many interpersonal barriers that disrupt the
effectiveness of the communication process and they generally involve such
characteristics of either a sender or the receiver that cause communication problems.
 Filtering refers intentionally withholding or deliberate manipulation of information by the
sender either because he believes that the receiver does not need all the information or it
could be that the receiver picks what he thinks is important information may be left out
during the filtering process.
3. Semantic barriers: These barriers occur due to differences in individual interpretation of
words and symbols. The words must be interpreted in the same meaning as intended. The
choice of a wrong word can sometimes alter the meaning of the intended message. Many
times we have to explain that “it was not what I meant” or “you understood my
message wrongly” and soon due the poor choice of words that we use.
Accordingly, during face-to-face communication it is advised that if there is any ground
for misunderstanding a message, it should be confirmed by the sender and this is possible
when there is room for sender to verify the feedback. For example, if you want to give
your address to someone on a telephone, it is advisable that the receiver repeats this
address so that the sender can verify it right away to re-assure its effectiveness.
 Perception. This relates to the process through which we receive and interpret
information from our environment and create a meaningful world out of it. Different
people may perceive the same situation differently. Hearing what we want to hear and
ignoring information that conflicts with what we know can totally distort the intent of the
content of the message. Some of the perceptual situations that may distort a managers
assessment of people resulting in reduced effectiveness of the communication are.;
 A manager may perceive people to belong to one category or another known as
stereotyping e.g. he may perceive women to be less efficient managers, old people as less
innovative and lacking creativity.
 The manager may make total assessment of a person based on a single trait known as the
halo effect e.g. a pleasant smile may make appositive first impression.
4. Cultural barriers. The cultural differences can adversely affect the communication
effectiveness especially for multinational companies and enterprises with multiethnic
work force. Different cultures/ethnics have different value systems and as such they
attach different meanings to the different communication systems.
5. Sender credibility. When a sender in the communication process has high credibility
among the recipients the message is taken more seriously ad accepted at face value. On
 the other hand if the sender is not trusted and respected the receiver willsscrutinise the
message heavily and deliberately look for hidden meanings ortricks and may end up
distortthe entire message. Similarly if the source is believed to an expert in a particular
field then the listener may pay close attention to the message unlike when the sender is
believed to lack confidence in a particular field.
6. Emotions. The interpretation of the communication also depends upon the state of the
receiver at the tome the message is received. the same message received when the
receiver is angry, frustrated or depressed may be interpreted differently than when he is
happy. Extreme emotions are most likely to hinder effective communication because
rational judgment is replaced by emotional judgment.
7. Multi-meaning words. Many words especially in English language have many
meanings especially when used in different situations. Accordingly, a manager must not
assume that a particular word means the same thing to all people who use it. For example,
the word” run” can be used in different ways;
 Did you see him run?
 What headlines do you want to run today?
 Who will run for presidency this year? Etc.
8. Feedback Barriers. The final source of the communication process problems is the
feedback or lack of it; feedback is the only way to ascertain as to how the message was
interpreted, it closes the communication loop and it is important for effective
communication. A student who misunderstands a question in an exam but does not have
provision to ask for clarification may end up giving a wrong answer. The omission of
feedback can cause another problem in that the sender may have another message that
depends upon the response of the first message.