Essay on Human Differences that Influence Communication

Human differences have a significant impact on communication and understanding in interpersonal communication. Identifying the nature and existence of the human differences promotes communication and understanding. The human discrepancies that influence communication include;

Sex and gender

Sex and gender create differences can influence communication due to the biological differences that can affect how people communicate and share information. Further, socially learned notions of sexuality could influence how people from different sexes interact with each other due to male and feminine differences. People from different genders can find it difficult to communicate due to gender-based biological and psychological characteristics. For instance, in a supermarket or hospital people find it more comfortable communicating to the attendants who are of the same sex.

Sex orientation

Sexual orientation is a private issue that individuals can conceal at their convenience. However, sexual orientation significantly influences communication due to diverse views and cultural implications of one's sexual orientation. During interpersonal communication, people look for cues that can be identified to specific sexual orientation. Therefore, people can use voice, non-verbal behavior, and facial expression to determine one's sexual orientation. For instance, in an interpersonal communication when a straight person identifies clues that the other person is gay through nonverbal cues such as self-touching and the amount of self-distance can affect their communication.

Race and ethnicity

Race and ethnicity can cause a communication barrier due to the differences in beliefs practices and expressions that vary from one religion, race, or ethnicity. For instance, communication between a Muslim and a Christian can be difficult because of their different beliefs and religious teachings.

Age

Age difference leads to a communication barrier due to the different stereotypes that create the possibility of conflicts and misunderstanding during a conversation. For instance, the baby boomers and the millennial could have a difficulty understanding each other due to the differences in values, lifestyles and technological know-how which results in communication difficulties.

Social class

Social class refers to the relative rank that an individual possesses in the eyes of others and can be created through one`s educational background, power, and position in the community. Social status can affect how people communicate regarding the words which affect interpersonal communication.

Interpersonal Interaction Application

In school, I have identified that social class, age, sexual orientation and gender as significant hindrances to communication. This objective has increased my understanding of the causes of communication breakdown which can be resolved if one is already aware of the factors causing communication problem. Understanding and appreciating the differences that exist between individuals can be used to promote interpersonal communication in the school where there are a people from different backgrounds.

List and describe barriers that inhibit effective intercultural communications.

Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism is a significant barrier to effective intercultural communication which occurs due to individual bias that results from judging other people and community from one`s cultural or ethnic values and standards. Ethnocentrism results from the view that one`s culture is superior to other person culture.

Diverse communication codes

Verbal and non-verbal codes vary from one ethnic or cultural group to another which is a significant barrier towards intercultural communication. For instance, a verbal code can mean something different from another ethnic group verbal code which could lead to a misunderstanding during a communication.

Stereotyping and prejudice

Stereotyping and prejudice refer to the commonly held notions regarding a certain community or ethnic group and can pose a communication barrier in that people are different from the common held upon beliefs. On the other hand, prejudice occurs due to views that one`s culture is superior to that of others. Such prejudice poses a communication barrier because of individual opinions that are established before establishing the real facts or background of an individual. For instance, the white people are prejudiced to conclude that all African Americans are gang members or use marijuana.

Assuming similarities and differences

Differences and similarities between individuals and ethnic groups exist which causes a communication barrier due to erroneous assumption that people hold same values or have different values. Therefore, assuming differences or similarities result in biases and misunderstanding.

Intercultural Communication Application

Understanding the barriers to intercultural communication can significantly improve communication between people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Judging people as individuals and not generalizing people using the characteristics, values, and standards of their culture can help avoid prejudice, assumptions and ethnocentrism which hinder intercultural communication especially in a school setting.

Chapter 5

Define listening, and describe five elements of the listening process.

Listening is the process through which one deduces sounds to create meaningful information after which one can remember the context, the information and also respond accordingly. Listening is an integral part of intercultural communication which ensures that people can converse and understand each other.

Elements of the Listening Process

Selecting

Selecting refers to choosing a specific sound and meaning from a wide range of sounds that seeks the attention of the ears.

Attending

Attending occurs after selecting and refers to the act of giving attention towards a specific sound or message in a conversation.

Understanding

Understanding is the process through which one can assign specific meaning to specific sounds which leads to the passing on of a message from one person to another.

Remembering

After hearing messages, they are stored in the memory of the brain after which the message can be recalled in the future.

Responding

In a conversation, after perceiving the specific meaning of sound or message one is required to respond to the other person which is an indication of understanding or agreement with the message.

Interpersonal Communication application

Listening plays a significant role in every communication; good listening skills are required to deduce meaning which prompts an individual to respond accordingly. In this case, listening is the basis to any meaningful intercultural communication. Being keen during a conversation can promote the ability to apply the elements of the listening process which improves communication and understanding. Taking note of every element of listening improves understanding and eliminates possible misunderstanding especially in intercultural communication.

List and describe barriers to effective listening.

Being self-absorbed

Being self-absorbed refers to a listening barrier that is caused as a result of the high focus of a listener to individual preferences by putting personal agendas fast while letting individual expectations, prejudice and stereotypes take preference in deciphering what the speaker said.

Unchecked emotions and Criticizing the speaker

Individual state of emotions can affect their ability to listen through in a conversation. Emotional arousal can hinder the ability of a listener to listen. On the other hand, critical and judgmental sentiments from other people can also hinder the ability to listen because of pre-established perception of the message and the speaker.

Differing speech rate and thought rate

Speaking and thinking differences can hinder the ability to concentrate and perceive the message of the speaker. Therefore, there is the need for a rhyme between the speech and the thoughts to ensure that everything that is said by the speaker is perceived and interpreted accordingly.

Information overload and External noise

The environment in which the communication takes place can also be a listening barrier if there are noise and multiple speeches taking place. External noise can hinder concentration and also can lead to the wrong perception of the message being passed on.

Listener apprehension

Apprehension refers to the understanding of the spoken message and is very vital in a conversation. However, apprehension differs due to cultural and language codes differences as well as the overall experience of an individual in spoken speech.

Intercultural Communication Application

Perceiving the listening barriers promotes intercultural communication and understanding. Identification of the listening barriers promotes comprehension in a communication. Anticipating possible listening barriers such as noise and prejudice can help promote intercultural communication. Self-analysis to get rid of self-absorption can ensure good listening and promote intercultural communication.

Chapter 6

Describe how words create meaning.

Words create meaning by acting as symbols that represent an object or a concept that is being referred to by the speaker. Through hearing of the words, one can create thoughts that are triggered by a symbol carried within the words. Meaning is created through a series of events that begin in the brain as thought, and it is passed to another person informed of a word which is again converted into a symbol or referent in the brain of the listener. Therefore, words create meaning through the use of referents and symbols which are held in the brain by the individual through social learning. Words are both connotative and denotative. Therefore, denotative words have distinct meaning or definition whereas connotative words are the individually created association of the word. This means that words can mean different things to different people depending on their experience and level of education in a particular culture. Words represent objects that are concrete and abstract at the same time. Words create meaning because they are culture-bound creating symbolic meaning that can be identified from culture to culture. The ability of words to create perceptions help to different label experiences and create the meaning of the experience which can be used to create meaning.

Intercultural Communication Application

Words can influence thoughts, and they are linked to the process of hearing and seeing which arouse specific thoughts as symbols in the brain. Upon hearing words, one can create meaning through the triggering of symbols of objects in the brain. This concept also applies when one speaks or sees words which attach meaning to words and promotes communication.

Identify and describe word barriers that lead to misunderstandings.

Word barriers can lead to misunderstanding and cause intercultural communication to fail. Amongst the notorious word barriers include;

Bypassing: Bypassing is a word barrier that is caused by the fact that different words can mean different things to different people. When words mean different things to different people is a significant source of misunderstanding in intercultural communication.

Malapropism: This refers to the misappropriation of the word usage especially when a word is used out of its context, wrong grammar or when words are not put in the right order to create meaning.

Indexing: Indexing is a word barrier that can cause a misunderstanding because of generalized words that can be used to mean different ideas in different situations or person depending on their culture.

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