Breaking Down Barriers, Hand Gestures and More
Communication is so easy, yet so difficult. How can simple statements have the potential of causing so much harm? How does an innocent hand gesture land you in jail?
Barriers abound that interfere with effective communication. These barriers can be “fixed” and hard to break down like age and gender, or “transient” and easily eliminated like a hand gesture.
Examples of benign American hand gestures that may get you into trouble with non-American cultures include: fingers crossed; thumbs up for encouragement; the peace sign, “V”; okay sign with finger and thumb together; and the “come here” gesture with index finger bending up and down, which can actually land you in jail in the Philippines. If you would like to learn more about these gestures, Hind Jive, is a short video clip that helps to explain the different meanings of the “Top 7 Common American Hand Gestures That Can Get You in Trouble Abroad”.
Another transient communication barrier is the fear of change. This is a biggy and seems to cause the most problems when it comes to rolling out anything new like initiatives, policies, procedures, programs, or anything else that is perceived as different from the norm. In fact, it is such a big deal that there is a process called “Management of Change” that focuses primarily on thorough communication and training throughout the change process to mitigate risk and ensure a successful outcome of that change.
When we are fearful, we tend to react and stop listening, crossing our arms and digging our heels into the ground. When we trust, which usually reduces our fear level, we tend to listen better and are typically more open to new ideas. Trust goes hand in hand with transparency and on-going communication.
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Experience has taught me that the first step to bringing down any communication barrier is to be aware they exist. Once you identify the barrier, then you can come up with a plan on how to bring them down. Understanding what the other person said by clarifying what they mean helps too. The old saying, “you can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes” applies well here. Instead of “walking a mile in their shoes”, you can ask politely and respectfully “I want to make sure I understand what you mean, is this what you are saying…”, especially if what was just said was perceived by you as offensive.
Effective communication is truly an ongoing quest for most of us. Any tips you would like to share that can help us master this skill? Your ideas and input are always welcome!
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.
