NUST COLLEGE OF ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL

ENGINEERING, RAWALPINDI

ASSIGNMENT # 1

Group Members:

PC Sikander Khan Sherpao

Ns Muhammad Haseeb Javed

Ns Sarmad Zahid

Ns Shahzaib Butt

Ns Basharat Ali

Class/Syndicate:

De-36 Mech-B

Date: 13TH Oct, 2015

Submitted to: Asst Prof. Ali Anwar

Body Language:

Research shows that two-third of all communication is non-verbal. So what you say is

important but “HOW” you say is more important. A major part of non-verbal

communication is body language and most of us take it for granted, maybe because it

comes naturally but unknowingly there are several ways in which body language can

create barriers in communication that could lead to wrong interpretation of your

message.

One example is crossing of arms, one crosses his arms usually because they feel

comfortable in that stance but it might come as shock to many that behavior specialist

classify it as “defensive” mechanism. This would surely cast a skeptical shadow on

nervousness or judgmental attitude over whatever you are trying to communicate.

Second example is “eye contact” which is a very powerful way to communicate and

shows a certain level to confidence in the speaker. However it’s a double-edged sword,

on one hand avoiding eye contact gives negative impression in a way that it conveys

disinterest, discomfort and shows that speaker is anxious. But on the other hand too

much eye contact can show intimidation or aggressive behavior. So one has to find the

sweet spot in between in order to overcome this hurdle.

Heads down is also an example of body language that shows the dis-interest of speaker

even though it might not be the case, but to a professional observer can read into that.

Information Overload:

Information overload occurs when the information that observer receives far exceeds

the processing capacity of that person’s cognitive capacity. So it is likely when this

overload occurs it makes the situation ambiguous, it causes problem in organization

and evaluating the data and consequently decreases the quality of the decisions made

by observer or increases the time needed to understand the situation. Duplication is one

of the major causes of this problem especially in case of written communication. It can

be easily coped proper time management and correct filters to categorize the

information entering the system.

Cultural Effect:

“What is Culture”? The ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or

society. Culture has a much impact upon communication. Effective communication with

people of different cultures is especially challenging. Cultures provide the people with

the ways of thinking, ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world. Thus the same

words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even when they talk

the "same" language. When the languages are different, and translation has to be used

to communicate, the potential for misunderstandings increases. For example in Urdu

“keena” means “Malevolence” where as in Pashto it means “to sit”. Similarly in in Urdu

“kaam” means to work where as in English it is “calm”.

Background :

To communicate or to understand someone, one should also know the background. A

background can be a folk tale, a proverb, a joke or any character. For example if

someone says like “You have conquered Kashmir by passing the CSS examination.

Now if the other man knows the importance of conquering Kashmir he would

automatically know his achievement. Similarly if someone says “you are disappeared

from here like donkey’s head horn power” .So the next person could only understand

this if he knows that there are no horns on the head of donkey. So knowing the

background is very important to communicate.

Status Difference: Among the many factors affecting communication, one of the important one is status difference. It not just applies to an individual group of people but also to the level of organization. It is quite important to address this factor, yet also most challenging. Social status refers to the relative rank or standing that an individual has in the eyes of others. Position in the organization's hierarchy, background, education, reputation, and power all contribute to those perceptions of prestige. There are two elements of social status—those attributes we are born with and those we achieve. Ascribed status is determined at birth and includes characteristics such as age, race, ethnic group, and family background. Achieved status is what an individual acquires as a result of the exercise of knowledge, ability, talent, skill, and/or perseverance. Employment and occupation are primary factors in social status, and one's role in an organization is especially relevant within the boundaries of that organization. There can be many types of status differences, like: social status, organizational status etc.

Effects of Social Status on Communication

People often have difficulty with status differences when trying to inform or persuade others. To many, social status is an indicator of credibility and legitimacy, and this effects how seriously others take what one communicates. Key elements that are involved in an audience's evaluation include title, reputation, and the extent to which

people can identify with the communicator's motives and objectives. Status differences can create a bias against those with the perceived lower status. Take the example of our rural areas. Where the village is dominated by the local landlord and the rest of the village (ranging from the peasant class to the local sheriff and mayor) is at his disposal. He gets to make any changes he likes in nearly of walks of rural life. While the ruled ones have to cope with his wishes. This status difference though can’t be eliminated but equal power to express can be given by the state. Organizational Status: In any corporate sector, one’s status is all the difference it makes in getting what you want. For example a mid-level manager and a janitor want to go on holiday. The manager will get the leave while the janitor won’t. Why??? Because of their status difference. The manager being more important to the business than the janitor. Managers with good skills are difficult to find and employ them. Compared with the janitor whose easy job deprives him of many benefits. Let’s take another example: A junior or lower-level employee asked to make a presentation to a group of more senior upper-level managers may have difficulty keeping their attention at first even if his information and presentation skills are solid. Outsider status can also be a challenge in communication. This is commonly experienced by salespeople, vendors, and even potential employees.

Physical Distraction:

Distractions and noise come in two broad types: internal and external.

Physical (external) distractions often come in the form of physical noise in the physical

environment. Auditory and visual distractions are often the most easily identifiable types

of external distractions. Loud or extraneous noises can inhibit effective listening, as can

unnecessary or excessive images.

In some cases, you can control your physical environment, such as by taking a

colleague into a meeting room. Other times, you must communicate in the midst of

distractions. Background noise is a common and disturbing physical communication

barrier. Loud or piercing noises make it difficult to hear, and may contribute to

miscommunication, uncomfortable sitting and unhygienic room. Bad lighting, which

blocks nonverbal gestures, limits the ability of a receiver to interpret a message. Other

people or distracting images in the environment can affect message delivery or receipt

as well. Static on a phone line affects telephone conversations. Poor grammar, spelling

or word choices in an e-mail impact electronic communication

Conflicting Messages:

Messages that cause a conflict in perception for the receiver may result in incomplete

communication. For example, if a person constantly uses jargon or slang to

communicate with someone from another country who has never heard such

expressions, mixed messages are sure to result. Another example of conflicting

messages might be if a supervisor requests a report immediately without giving the

report writer enough time to gather the proper information. Does the report writer

emphasize speed in writing the report, or accuracy in gathering the data?

Before speaking, people should think carefully about the points to be made. Written

talking points can be useful in this regard. If there are multiple messages to convey

(perhaps some positive and some negative messages), it may be better to present them

on separate occasions or in different environments. Conveying only one message at a

time can help avoid confusion and misunderstanding.

Meta-linguistic Language:

Purity of language is nothing. If a person wants to communicate in an effective manner

then he should be meta-linguistic. He should allow the words of other languages to

incorporate in his language. The best example of metalinguistic language is Urdu. It was

formed so that people from different parts of the world can communicate properly. It has

words from different languages of the world. In Pakistan also this metalinguistic

language is a way of communication for different groups of people. Infact metalinguistic

language is not only a language but it is a bond between different people. The

metalinguistic character of language gives long life to language as well. It introduces

new words for different objects. Therefore by using these words a person can

communicate more effectively.

Insufficient knowledge of the subject:

The most important factor for communication is the knowledge of subject over which

you are communicating. If you are not clear about your subject then you cannot

communicate properly. The knowledge is the key for everything. If you have insufficient

knowledge you cannot predict whether the other person is saying is right or wrong. For

example if a person need to communicate with other person on intelligence agencies

and he don’t know about them then he will be going to disaster. The perception of other

persons about him can be effected. His confidence level can be affected by it.