In my experience on the subject of formal or informal communication, I have observed that

1) Most communication failures occur due to misunderstandings

2) And misunderstandings happen when communication is out of context

Communication is always “contextual,” whether formal or informal, verbal or nonverbal. Being aware of the contextual part of communication is everyone’s responsibility to think before sending or receiving. It means always bringing to the image the recognition of the immediate environment of a given theme or issue that is being communicated.

When we are faced with a communication failure, the question we should always ask ourselves is: “What is the context in which this communication situation takes place?”

As in a book where the text is the actual group of words that are read, the context is the information that surrounds it, the details, the story, the places, the characters, etc.

So where is the conversation within the context of the problem? Is the problem occurring at the sender’s end of the communication or the receiver’s end? Where is the misunderstanding? So focus your communication recovery there.

Communication is never independent of context, be it formal or informal.

The three levels of verbal communication.

Before we can improve verbal communication and increase its effectiveness, we need to understand how it works and where players fit into that communication.

First, when we communicate, there is always a sender (speaker) and a receiver (listener).

Second, the communication itself contains 3 elements:

A) the Information being communicated, such as issue, subject, instruction, opinion, etc.

B) the Means by which this information is being communicated (verbal, non-verbal, written, by telephone, face to face, letter, book, etc.)

C) the way the information is being communicated (how we use our words, tone of voice, writing style, organized or disorganized manner, etc.)

Both parties have three levels of Active Responsibility to process the activities used in the communication:

Level I:

This is where the actual communication exchange between the sender and the receiver takes place, which contains all three of the above elements.

Level II:

This is where the Translation and Interpretation of that communication occurs. This is done through the thought processes of each sender and receiver according to their experiences and framework.
of references in their various spheres of life (business, personal, moral, ethical, etc.).

This is where the biggest complications of communication (good or bad connection) arise. If everyone thought alike, saw things in the same way, or reacted in the same way, communication would be
straight. However, it doesn’t happen that way.

Tier III:

This is where we get and give Feedback, Understanding and Awareness:.

Comment:

Both parties are responsible for ensuring that the communication has been sent and received as intended. This is identified by asking the right questions at the right times. “Can you repeat the steps to close the shop, to make sure I didn’t forget anything?” “Let me go over the requirements as I understand you’ve outlined them.” Both parties solicit feedback when necessary.

Comprehension:

Effective communication requires a common understanding between the communicating parties. The Issuer Transmits with Understanding to the Receiver. The Receiver Interprets with the Sender’s Understanding.

Awareness:

Finally, each side requires an awareness of the many interferences that are also occurring, such as cultural differences, linguistics, diction, clarity of speech and expression, verbal, non-verbal parts, etc.

Whether we are in Formal or Informal Communication, we are all subject to and vulnerable to failure. Understanding this and the 3 Levels of Verbal Communication that we can monitor will help us improve and refine our own communication as much as we can as well as help others communicate better. /dmh