you know when you're telling a joke and you get to the punchline and no one
laughs in fact people don't even realize you got to the punchline all eyes are on
you and you're starting to tweak just a little bit trying to remain cool and
come you say get it guys get it someone finally breaks the silence
saying uh was that joke or.. at that moment you feel like a deer in
headlights totally exposed completely embarrassed then your inner voice
screams out I told you no one was gonna get it the struggle is real
so let's swerve that situation as best we can let's talk about barriers to
communication ready to get started
what is up Explearners Mary Daphne here of myexplearning.com where we believe
social skills are the key to the good life what's the good life it's where you
call the shots you have a crew you can count on and you're on a mission you
care about today we're talking about common communication barriers I have a
lot to say on this topic so we'll break it into two videos how often do you say
something to someone only to get a blank stare or confused look if we're
communicating but our message isn't being received it is probably due to one
of the ten communication barriers I'm going to share with you in this two-part
series why is this such an important topic you ask well studies show that
social interaction and community really make us happier it's something to invest
in for our future in an age now where most communication happens over text
email Instagram let's not lose touch with our humanity a great way to do that
is to minimize the possibility of being misunderstood or missing
interpreted if we are cognizant of the potential roadblocks to clear
communication will lower the risk of people not picking up we're putting down
even better if you're on the receiving end and don't understand what the person
is saying knowing these barriers might enable you to help them out and reach an
understanding convinced now okay on to breaking down these barriers number one
inaccessible word choice people love to use jargon and acronyms they think it
makes them feel smart it can also hide the fact that they themselves have no
idea what they're talking about whatever the case it almost never
promotes clear communication in fact it can even alien ate your listener and
cause them to feel inadequate you don't want that so what's the solution know
your audience are you speaking to a fellow med school student in that case
you are a okay to use words like hyperphagia and peristalsis otherwise
use the words you know and they know and if you're using an acronym make sure you
explain what it stands for after you use it use accessible language I promise
they'll think you're smart and even better they'll actually understand what
you're saying - missing context sometimes even when you use accessible
language you may still get a confused look that might be because they simply
don't have sufficient context for what you're saying many times this comes down
to cultural context some concepts are very specific to a certain age group or
a specific TV show for example if I said to my grandmother hey grandma my video
just went viral she'd understand the words I used
but wouldn't have any idea what I meant the same goes for cultural differences
between countries languages and social groups
what's the solution it can be a little harder to spot context based
communication barriers mostly because we ourselves are not aware of when you're
discussing culture specific concepts a good rule of thumb is that if the person
you are speaking to is of a different age from a different country or has a
very different background you should be on high alert for context specific
language if they don't seem to understand what you're saying
consider providing a bit more explanation or scaffolding for the
concept you're trying to convey your goal as a communicator is to transmit
your message as effortlessly and smoothly as possible so don't be afraid
to pause rewind and defined cultural terms unnecessary three nonverbal cues
this one is about being sensitive to the listeners emotions whether or not they
say anything to you remember they're still communicating something the key to
this one is to understand that we are always communicating whether or not
we're speaking that means that when you're saying something to someone else
they are actually responding to you even while you're speaking mainly through
body language if you don't pick up on this nonverbal communication
you may not realize when they are confused or upset so what's the solution
make sure that while you are speaking you remain attuned to your listeners
nonverbals are they crossing their arms raising their eyebrows smiling or
scowling use that nonverbal communication to help frame the way that
you are speaking if they're nodding and leaning in they're probably following
you if they're frowning or aren't reacting at all there's a
a chance but they don't understand you so that's a good time to pause and check
for comprehension and that brings me to our next communication barrier not
listening good communication is predicated on good listening skills
meaning you will not be an effective communicator if you're lacking listening
skills think of it this way if you're engaged in conversation with someone and
all they do is hog the floor to the point where you can't even get a word in
edgewise is that fun for you no way a conversation is a two-way street
it is bi-directional it's a back and forth of sharing and listening if you're
not listening then you're not hearing the message for
the message to get transmitted to you you must open your ears so what's the
solution make a point of really listening this will help you understand
what interests them what they aren't getting and how to better convey the
points that you're trying to make even better when they see that you're
listening to them they in turn feel more willing to listen to you
number 5 speaking too fast this one seems obvious when you speak really fast
it's really hard to understand but you'd be surprised how many people don't pay
attention to how fast they are speaking particularly when they're nervous or
flustered so what's the solution this one's simple slow it down that can be
easier said than done though because when we speak we don't really notice how
fast we're speaking after all we already know what we're gonna say you can train
yourself to speak slower though one way is to record yourself and play it back
how does it sound try adding a half second cause after
every sentence or if you really want to challenge yourself try pausing after
every word just to get the feel for slower speech
speaking slowly helps people better understand you but it also comes with a
few extra advantages such as giving you more time to frame your thoughts before
you say them and also projecting more authority to your audience so give it a
shot first five communication barriers down let's recap one inaccessible word
choice try using simpler language to missing
context make sure the listener has the right frame of reference three nonverbal
cues don't forget to pay attention to body language for not listening
remember conversation is a two-way street so if you're not listening you're
not communicating and five speaking too fast
don't rush slow it down and drive home your point with purpose so that covers
the first five barriers to communication but believe it or not there's more make
sure to tune in next week for the next five barriers and the last one can be
particularly dangerous and unfortunately it's become all too common
but for now add these strategies to your communication toolkit try them out and
make them your own and be sure to check out the blog
article over at myexplearning.com in the blogs section to review the concepts
discussed here today if you enjoyed this lesson like comment and share it really
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I will in the next lesson happy Explearning