Communication noise refers to anything that someone received during the communication process, which was not part of the sender’s original message and had an influence on the interpretation of conversations.[1] It can be anything from an internal noise (semantic, physiological, and psychological noise) to external noise (environmental noise). Communication noise makes the message harder to decode correctly.[1] While often looked over, communication noise can have a profound impact both on our perception of social interaction with others and our analysis of our own communication proficiency.[2]
Forms of communication noise include psychological noise, environmental noise, physiological noise and semantic noise. All these forms of noise subtly, yet greatly influence our communication with others and are vitally important to anyone’s skills as a competent communicator.[2]
Psychological Noise
editPsychological noise can also include factors such as one’s current mood and one’s interest in the conversation topic.[3] For example, suppose the receiver has a general liking to the sender in the communication encounter. In that case, the receiver will be more successful in effectively listening to the sender’s message, and he or she will be able to respond effectively. Also, if the receiver is in either a bad or good mood, it will have an impact on how he or she receives the message. Although a positive emotion can increase the possibility of a successful communication encounter, it can also have a negative impact. It is crucial to recognize these emotions and analyze whether they are impacting the message transmission.[3]
Environmental Noise
editEnvironmental noise can be any external noise that can potentially impact the effectiveness of communication.[4] These noises can be any type of sight (i.e., car accident, television show), sound (i.e., talking, music, ringtones), or stimuli (i.e., tapping on the shoulder) that can distract someone from receiving the message.[5] These noises can significantly impact the success of message transmission from the sender to the receiver. For example, two individuals at a party might have to speak louder to understand one another, and it might become frustrating.[6] They are also very distracting, which will have a severe impact on one’s listening abilities - a crucial part of effective communication.[7]
Physiological Noise
editPhysiological noise is caused by any physical injury or illness that might impact one’s ability to receive messages effectively.[3] An individual with the flu might not be able to listen and respond to a message correctly because something is impacting his or her body. Another example of a common physiological noise is stress.[3] An individual that is stressed may not receive a message correctly, which will affect his or her ability to respond successfully. This has a negative impact on communication.[4]
There is also another type of noise that falls under physiological: physiological-impairment noise. This noise includes impairments, such as blindness or deafness. These communication barriers are often not seen as noise, but they impact the success of transmitting a message from a sender to a receiver.[8]
Semantic Noise
editSemantic noise is a noise that is caused by the sender (also known as either the encoder or the source); it is an internal noise that impacts the encoding and decoding processes.[4] Due to the various meanings of the sender’s symbols, not every receiver will understand the meaning of the symbol in the same way.[5] It usually occurs when grammar or technical language is used that the receiver (the decoder) cannot understand, or cannot understand it clearly. For example, if an individual sends a text message full of acronyms, this can be a source of semantic noise if the receiver does not understand what those acronyms mean.[2] When the sender of the message uses a word or a phrase that we don't know the meaning of, or which we use in a different way from the speakers, this can cause confusion and frustration among the sender and the receiver.
References
edit- ^ a b Fiske, John (2011). Introduction to Communication Studies (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. p. 7. ISBN 9781136870187.
- ^ a b c Rothwell, Dan J. (2004). In the Company of Others: An Introduction to Communication. Vol. 1. New York: McGraw Hill. p. 11. ISBN 9780767430098.
- ^ a b c d Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. 2013. 5.2 Barriers to Effective Listening.
- ^ a b c Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. 2013. 1.2 The Communication Process.
- ^ a b Jandt, Fred E. (2018). An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: identities in a global community. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications Inc. p. 83. ISBN 9781506361659.
- ^ Berger, Charles R. (2014). Interpersonal Communication. Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter GmbH. p. 229. ISBN 9783110276428.
- ^ Moulesong, Bob (Dec 19, 2010). "Listening skills are an important part of effective communication". NWI Times. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Boundless. "Communication". Boundless Management. Section 3.5.
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