IntroductionTwo of the most basic principles of communication include taking responsibility as a sender and receiver of messages, and cultivating respect for others and the self. From these two principles, other aspects of effective communication can flow more freely. However, human beings are fallible and occasionally revert to emotional states that impede understanding, harmony, or respect. In this example, miscommunication occurred as a result from not taking responsibility and from not remembering to practice the principle of respect. Analysis of the example reveals several barriers to communication including the presence of noise, and also self-concept. In the future, the barriers of noise and self-concept can be effectively removed with greater self-awareness and a compassionate frame of mind.

The Situation

It was nine o’clock in the evening and neither my partner nor I had eaten dinner yet. He had just returned home from work and I had been taking care of a sick child all day. The kitchen was a mess, with unwashed dishes piled up not only in the sink but also on the counter. “What’s for dinner?” my partner asked.

I responded with a raised tone of voice. “How should I know?! I haven’t even done the dishes yet. I have no idea how you can stand this. I can’t stand this! Get out of here and let me...

Noise is not necessarily literal noise, although it could be. For example, if I had been playing music loudly or if the child was crying, that would have constituted physical noise. In this case, the noise was both visual and semantic. Noise in miscommunication refers to “anything that interferes with, corrupts, or changes the communication signal as it travels through a channel,” (Bevan & Sole, 2014, p. 8). The clutter in the kitchen was visual noise, which cluttered the field and prevented me from actively seeing and tuning into my partner who was standing there. More complex in this situation is the semantic noise resulting from a number of complex issues including my high-strung emotional state, concern about the child, and feeling tired, hungry, and burned out. I also felt angry that my partner did not bring dinner home, even though I had never asked for him to do so. The noise came from my emotional state and my unrealized expectations.
Barrier Two: Self-Concept

According to Bevan & Sole (2014), “self-concept is a complex mix of how we see ourselves, what others have told us about ourselves, and what society says we should be,” (p. 12). Self-concept is a barrier to communication in this scenario because I was…