Miscommunication - and how to avoid it!

The following blog post is a summary of the TED-Ed lesson by Katherine Hampsten called "How miscommunication happens (and how to avoid it)". As a language school, we experience and witness miscommunication on a daily basis - both hilarious and serious - and wanted to share this blog post and original source as a resource for our community. 

Communication

Human communication is incredibily complex. The transactional model explains communication as illustrated by a game of catch:

• We communicate a message with another party
• We receive feedback from the other party
• We create meaning together

Why does miscommunication occur?

Complications can arise, however, because we send and recieve messages through our own subjective lenses. Our perceptial filters can shift meanings and interpretations based on a slew of variables such as:

• knowledge 
• past experience
• age
• race
• gender
• ethnicity
• religion
• family background
• relationship with the person

Add emotion, external stimuli, and more people to the conversation to the mix and our messages can turn quickly into a mush of miscommunication. 

Best Practices to Avoid Miscommunication

1) Passive Hearing vs. Active Listening

Engage actively with verbal and non-verbal feedback of others.

2) Listen with Your Eyes, Ears and Gut

Communication is more than just words!

3) Take the Time to Understand

It is easy to forget that communication is a two-way street. Be open to what the other person might say.

4) Be Aware of Perceptual Filters

Be aware of your personal perceptual filters. Your personal experience, such as culture, community and family, influence how you see the world. Don't assume your perception is the truth for someone else. Share a dialog with others to reach a common understanding together. 

ÜBER open-minded

Together we can be open-minded and communicate in ways that leads to positive interactions, new ways of understanding, and a close-knit community!

Citation: How Miscommunication Happens (and How to Avoid It). By Katherine Hampsten. Dir. Andrew Foerster. TED-Ed. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Aug. 2016. <http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-avoid-miscommunication-katherine-hampsten>.