Root Causes of Communication Fails

When communication works, both the sender and the receiver interpret the message the same way. If there’s an issue with any part of the communication process—whether it involves the sender, the message, or the receiver - the communication may fail. Explore the list below to learn some of the more common reasons why communication can break down.

The sender is unclear. If the sender delivers an ambiguous, vague, or confusing message, the receiver might leave with the wrong interpretation. For example, consider how you might interpret this message from your boss: “The project is due next week.” If your boss means “Monday,” but you think he means “Friday,” the communication has failed.
The message isn’t delivered through the most effective medium. Depending on your message, different mediums will work better than others. For example, you may intend to add a bit of levity to an email by including sarcasm. However, an email doesn’t convey your tone of voice and body language. As a result, the receiver may misinterpret your playful sentence as something much more serious.
The message simply isn’t delivered. Have you ever had an email delivered to the spam folder by mistake? Or a text message show up two days later? If a message is never received, communication breaks down. That is why important messages should be conveyed in person or over the phone.
The receiver is distracted. Have you ever tried to give instructions to a teenager while they’re immersed in a video game? Or wondered if the coworker who’s staring at her computer screen while saying “uh-huh” is really understanding your directions? Even if your message is clear, the receiver could miss important details (or all the details!) if they’re distracted.
The receiver can’t understand the information. You just received a text message from a coworker, and it’s full of acronyms you’ve never seen before. You conduct a web search to identify the acronyms but come up empty. This moment is a great opportunity for you, as the receiver, to seek clarification from the sender.

M1:S3 - Why Does Communication Fail?

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