Communication is pretty easy for some people, but a hassle for many others. But taking a moment to look at it, you wonder if it should be a problem since it’s something we’ve literally done our whole life.
Shouldn’t communication be simple, and straightforward? What makes it so difficult, and a code that needs to be decrypted to enable it to work for us?
Why do we fall into trouble because of the things we say.
What makes us agree with some people while disagreeing with others?
What is behind the lack of connection in our communication method?.
Most times the real barriers to communication that we witness run deeper than what we perceive on the surface. For healthcare practitioners (and even for anyone who is in the business of interfacing with people) you need to develop the insight to discern the psychology of your patient (or interlocutor). This insight begins with an understanding of the main barriers that could inhibit smooth communication.
Some of these barriers could present themselves in the following ways:
- Cultural barriers: Challenges to cross-cultural communication within an organization.
- Language barriers: Linguistic barriers to communication.
- Physical barriers: Environmental conditions that act as barriers to communication.
- Gender barriers: Misunderstanding in the intended message caused by male and female differences.
- Perceptual barriers: Those Internal mental blocks that we create because of our perceptions of certain people, situations, or events.
- Information overload: Receiving more information than we can take in.
Other forms of barriers could also appear in the form of something deeper like emotional disconnect_ Since we all have different ways through which we see and react to events.
According to Eric Garner in Impact Factory, “One of the chief barriers to open and free communications is emotional.
The emotional barrier is comprised mainly of fear, mistrust, and suspicion.
The roots of our emotional mistrust of others lie in our childhood and infancy when we were taught to be careful about what we said to others…As a result, many people hold back from communicating their thoughts and feelings to others”. In your interaction with patients or clients understand that the essence of communication borders along the lines of the following:
- Building trust
- Providing clarity
- Resolving problems
- And creating a better relationship.
More than any other institution, the healthcare system should strive to achieve a harmonious existence amidst diverse views, opinions, and ideologies. It only requires a conscious effort.
In “Principles for Overcoming Communication Anxiety and Improving Trust”, I detailed approaches you could utilize to achieve that connection you desire in communication.
Let us Improve Trust now for the outcome of our endeavors will outgrow and outlast us to bless future generations.
