Barrier Among Communicators example essay topic

Language, experience, maturity and adaptability are all barriers that affect our ability to communicate well with others. Working in the United States, more than any other country in the world, we encounter people who speak many different languages. We also encounter many who have varying degrees of experience. Each person is at a different level of maturity and also displays diversity in their ability to adapt. During the course of this essay, I plan to focus on these four barriers as I have personal experience associated with each. Before I share some of my experiences, I must define how these terms will associate with my experiences.

First of all a barrier is defined as any natural obstacle which stops or obstructs passage, defends from foes, prevents access, or produces separation; a separating boundary-line (Online source). Communication is defined as the imparting, conveying, or exchange of ideas, knowledge, information, etc. whether by speech, writing, or signs (Online source). When you put these two together you understand that natural obstacles obstruct the exchange of ideas, knowledge and information. Language as a barrier is very common in the United States. The most common language barrier I encounter is between communicators of the English and Spanish languages. There are also encounters with people who speak Punjabi, Pilipino and Korean.

When I realize that the common bond I share with these people, beyond humanity, is the ability to communicate; I Collom 2 realize how important it is to attempt to communicate with them. Working in the insurance industry, it is very common to come into contact with those that do not speak English. The people I work with have had different experiences in their professional and personal lives. Some may have been with the same company for 30 years. Others have been hired right out of college. Some have had numerous experiences with other work environments.

Others understand only a small number of work environments. All personal circumstances are unique. All these experiences, or lack of, contribute to any communication barriers that may exist between coworkers. Maturity levels among communicators can also affect how communication is perceived.

An older person may misinterpret how a younger person responds to something said. A younger person may take something very personal, not yet experiencing a common response or action by someone else. Lack of control in temper can also produce a barrier among communicators. Because maturity does nft necessarily have to do with age, people of all ages can contribute to maturity being an obstruction. A person with adaptability is one who has the quality of being adaptable; capacity of being adapted or of adapting oneself; potential fitness.

Adapt means to alter or modify so as to fit for a new use (Online source). Not everyone we come in contact with is able to adapt the same way I do. Sometimes when I communicate with others I can assume that they have the same ability to accept and appreciate any challenge that may come up. This can create resentment and frustration between people trying to communicate.

Collom 3 Now that I have defined some of these barriers I will discuss the presence of such in my communication with others. As a claims associate and customer service clerk, I come into contact with people on a daily basis that do not speak much English, if any. Many of my non-English speaking customers speak Spanish. I do not. Instead of being stubborn and set in my ways I have attempted to learn a few key phrases such as, g fecha de accident eh which means, gate of accident, or, greclamo de numero h which means, g claim number. Ifve learned to communicate a little bit with someone that I could not communicate with at all a few years ago.

I find that even in my attempt to communicate with those who do not speak English, I encounter those who have no desire to attempt to communicate with me. There are those who still shake their heads and say, g noh even when my attempts are genuine. With these types I not only encounter a language barrier, I also encounter the lack of adaptability barrier. People with different levels of experience are also present throughout the company I work for. Being a clerical employee, I am considered the low person on the totem pole.

I have worked in the insurance claims industry for over 12 years and know the claims business quite well. The problem I encounter is the pious attitude of newly hired employees with degrees. They have never handled claims and some of them have not even held a full-time job. They always seem to come in with this attitude that they know more than the clerical staff. It seems that the employees with the most experience in claims acknowledge and depend on the clerical for their assets.

It apparently takes years of experience to appreciate each role involved in claims handling. When someone acquires knowledge but lacks experience they can come off a little pretentious in trying to appear qualified. Conversely someone with experience can become complacent, not Collom 4 performing at their highest levels. In either case, both attitudes can create an atmosphere lacking in communication. The pretentious are afraid to ask for help and the complacent are unwilling to provide help. Maturity is another barrier that we all have to encounter.

I find that my most frustrating confrontation with this barrier involves my 14-year-old son Matthew. He thinks he is quite the adult. He has the audacity to claim his rights yet has not done anything to earn them. Where we used to communicate quite well because he respected my position as an adult, we now cannot even talk without some sort of conflict. He claims he is an adult.

Without the experience that provides him with maturity he is unfounded is these claims. He lacks respect for my position as an adult because he thinks he is my equal. Commonly a conversation will begin with a simple question about his day. It quickly ends with an argument about how to make dinner or why the homework was nft done. Once Matthew begins to mature our ability to communicate with each other will improve. A number of people are quite set in their ways.

My mother is one of them. She has had the same hairstyle since 1977. She has the same way of eating breakfast and lunch. The same weekend routines. She has had the same job since 1980. She believed that she would drive the same car and live in the same house for years to come.

This past year was a year of growth and change for my mom. She was tested in every area of her life. The year began with very severe car problems. She intended to keep her car for another 5 years. Because of some of the problems she was having with her car, I encouraged her to consider trading it in now.

We had a number of conflicts over this car. I was frustrated. She resented my involvement. Ultimately she ended up spending over $5,000 on repairs in about 6 months. The car was worth about Collom 5 $3,500. The turning point came when my mom was driving her car and it caught on fire.

The insurance company paid for repairs and she finally traded it in. She now has a new car and I feel much better. Her lack of adaptability caused a lot of tension between us and cost her a lot of money. I can only pray I wont be as stubborn when my kids try to advise me. In summary, Ifve defined four different barriers present when trying to communicate with others, language, experience, maturity and adaptability. Ifve shared personal experience in relation to each.

I also have provided ways to deal with breaking down some of these barriers.

Bibliography

Online Posting. Oxford English Dictionary. February 9, 2002. web.