Effective Communication Pamela Clark

Morreale Communication is a two-way process that takes practice and time to be fully effective and is very important in every aspect our personal and professional lives. We communicate every day of our lives both verbally or nonverbally. The process of verbal communication is the exchanging information by transmitting an idea, send that idea, receive feedback, understand the idea and the feedback and provide feedback to the person who sent the message.

The main components of communication are context, encoder, message, medium, decoder, and feedback. The context could be social, chronological, cultural, or physical. The individual sending the message will communicate within a context. The encoder is the sender of the message. The medium, or message, is the key idea in which the encoder is trying to communicate. The decoder is the target person or audience of the message. Feedback allows the encoder to ensure the accuracy of the message (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). Listening and hearing are two steps in communication.

These two words do not have the same meaning but both are important to have effective communication. Hearing occurs when a person’s ear picks up sound waves and then transmits the message to the brain. Listening is the second part of this process and is an active process. An active listener evaluates the message before responding, and they are thinking of a response as the speaker relays a message to them. Listeners thought speed is much faster than the speaking speed, which could result in a delay between the two processes and could lead to daydreaming and not listening (Porter, 1969).

To overcome day dreaming, a listener must concentrate on the message do that they may become an active listener and be successful in the communication process. I have heard, “When you are talking, you are not listening. ” I did not understand what that saying meant until reading the text for this course. The traditional communication method in any organization is usually formal or informal. Formal communication is the channel that usually follows the chain of command. This chain is often ran by formal orders, detectives, and written memorandums.

In the police organization these forms provide a sense of order and security. Using excessive or exclusive communications however have certain disadvantages. One disadvantage in strict adherence to formal channels can be both time and personnel consuming. Memorandums must be drafter carefully ad must go through the chain of command for endorsements and then must be forwarded to the correct personnel according to departmental policy. Another disadvantage of formal channels is what effect this can have on free flow of information.

Using formal channels will require a written record and many people hesitate to put their thoughts in writing because they are intimidated, afraid of losing their job, etc. , which restricts the flow of information. However, using formal communications makes it possible for the officers to receive new directives and information concerning crimes rather quickly. Formal communication is less confusing and establishes a paper trail for legal purposes, if the need arrives (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). Informal channels are the unofficial route of communication within an agency.

Informal communication has also been labeled as “gossip” and should not be taken seriously until verified. Using informal channels when time is critical actually can save time. Instead of going through the chain of command in a formal channel, an informal channel allows officers to cut across lines of authority and pass information on quickly. If there was a robbery that was committed and the crime resulted in a homicide, the robbery and homicide departments would be working together to solve the crime.

Using the informal channels as an alternate method would be the best way to receive information that involves the case. Informal channels enhance the effectiveness of the organization making the communication network responsive to the goals of the department (Porter, 1969). The four types of barriers to effective communication are emotional barriers, physical barriers, semantic barriers, and ineffective listening (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). Emotional barriers can be present in either the sender or the receiver and may be based on personal experiences or expectations.

Physical barriers are considered to be an obstruction in which it makes it difficult to allow free flow of information. For example, a physical barrier can be an officer reporting information regarding a crime or equipment malfunctions to a supervisor. A semantic barrier is the study of the development and meaning of words. In the Criminal Justice system officers can interpret a term, such as “juvenile delinquent” in different ways. This can mean that the juvenile is hard core and under age youth or a youth acting out.

Having the ability to understand the meaning of these terms can result in bad communication for the organization. Ineffective listening is the failure to hear or receive the speaker’s message. I have found that causes of ineffective listening are uninteresting topics, critiquing of the speaker, emotional involvement, and failure to adjust to distractions and emotional content or offensive words. Effective listening requires an environment and training to be conductive to concentration of the speaker and receptiveness of the receiver.

Strategies that can be implemented to overcome barriers are addressing emotional problems by implementing and encouraging people to reach out to peer support systems, encouraging officers to work together in order to solve a problem. Do not allow physical barriers to slow down or impede flow of information that may overcome communication barriers, guard against semantic barriers by agreeing on the meaning of certain terms, and encouraging clear communication. Improving communication and listening skills is the key to a productive legal system that proves time after time that their community can count of them to keep them safe.

In conclusion, I believe that by suing these strategies will help the Criminal Justice system overcome all of their barriers and communication will improve. There are already certain departments that have implemented terms for what they mean, and this way there is no error in communication. In some institutions, such as prisons or mental health facilities, there is no room for error in communication. There could be deadly consequences for not having the help needed because of communication issues. When performing our job do your best to keep the communication lines open and always be receptive to what you hear. The term “communication” is based on a form of a systematic process that involves the exchange of information. Effective communication can mean the difference between life and death, in most cases.