Human beings are social, which makes communication necessary in almost every aspect. People communicate with each other casually on the way, or at home. Communication also becomes formal in places such as schools and places of work. Most prominently, communication has to be effective for people to understand each other, as well as the message being transmitted. Ineffective communication distorts the intended message, and can even cause conflict or misinterpretation. The objective of this paper is to analyze some of the basic principles of effective communication, provide an illustration of miscommunication, as well as identify one barrier that caused the miscommunication.
The two basic principles of effective communication include respecting others and yourself, as well as acknowledging that your view is only one. Regarding respecting others and oneself, it is essential for an individual to avoid adopting negative perceptions about others. For example, communication will become distorted when an individual perceives another as illiterate or inferior. In that case, the individual who views himself as more superior may use an offensive language, thus communication will not be effective. Respecting oneself means an individual becomes conscious of his language, and communication strategy. Regarding the latter, it is important for an individual to exercise good listening skills because other people have their own opinions. It is important to listen to what they say in order to understand how they reason. They could be having better ideas. People should not conclude that their own ideas are the best without listening to others. This principle is especially best suited to organizations; managers need to listen to opinions or ideas of junior employees before implanting policies.
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A prominent instance of miscommunication was during the 2016 second presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Donald Trump would often walk around the podium and show his back to Hillary Clinton while she was responding to the questions (The New York Times, 2016). Trump would also interrupt during Clinton’s time. The two candidates never agreed on any single thing despite them seeking to lead the same country. Both candidates strongly believed in their opinions and ideas and never compromised. Most of the audience was divided, and the 2016 election is one of the most controversial elections in the United States. Up to this day, people in the United States are divided more than ever especially on matters dealing with politics.
The barrier that caused the miscommunication relates to the idea of the self. The two candidates represented distinct political parties, which had different ideals. For example, Trump was highly against immigration while Clinton called for moderation and voice of reason while dealing with immigration. They also disagreed on taxation issues. Many occasions, Trump would fidget or turn his back towards Clinton while she was talking. The body gesture showed that he was not interested in what Clinton was saying. Therefore, he was convinced that his position was the right one and Clinton was wrong. Clinton would also smile at the audience whenever Trump talked about some issues, possibly suggesting to the audience that Trump was wrong. The failure of both candidates to agree on anything demonstrates that each was obsessed by the idea of the self.
Obsession with oneself made Clinton and Trump to disagree on all issues and subsequently leave the voters divided. Sometimes people did not understand the issues but only enjoyed the drama. The barrier would have been overcome if both candidates listened to each other keenly, and responded to the real questions without veering off to allegations. The debate should have been issue-based and it should not have drifted to a situation where the candidates were attacking each other on the basis of allegations and speculations.
In conclusion, it is evident that the idea of the self and lack of respect of others threatens effective communication. The 2016 United States presidential debate showed ineffective communication between Hillary Clinton and Trump because everyone believed in their ideas and discredited those of the opponent. The barriers would have been eliminated if both candidates practiced effective listening skills, and discussed issues rather than resorting to personal attacks.
Reference
The New York Times. (2016). Second Presidential Debate. YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfq0Yw2sMq0
