COMMUNICATION

BREAKDOWN AND NOISE

 Breakdowns in communication happens from time
to time.
A breakdown in communication occurs when the message
or the feedback is not sent or received properly–at least in
the way that the sender intends–or is not received by the
concerned party altogether.
An example of communication breakdown is when your
phone conversation is cut off just as you are about to tell
the important details of your message. Another example
of communication breakdown is when you cannot clearly
understand the lesson that the teacher is explaining
because your seatmates are distracting you.

Many of the causes of communication breakdown can be

classified as noise. Noise is the technical term used to refer
to all the possible barriers to effective communication.
Physical Noise
 comes from the environment

Ex. Unbearable weather, talking

classmates, a distracting visual aid
Psychological Noise
originates from the emotional state,
mental state, and psychological makeup
of a person

Ex. Depression, anger, suspicions,

paranoia, anxiety, biases, etc.
Physiological Noise
 “bodily conditions” that compromise
the ability of a person to send, receive,
or understand messages

Ex. Hunger, stomach ache, etc

Semantic Noise
refers to anything related to the
meaning of words that distorts or masks
a message and confuses the listener

Ex. Use of foreign language, a listener’s

limited vocabulary, differing
interpretations of the meaning of a word
 Consider the classroom scenario in which you and
your classmates are listening to a lecture of your teacher.
Physical noise may be the voices of your classmates
chatting with one another, while psychological noise may
be the other things you might be thinking about while
listening to the lecture.
Physiological noise, on the other hand, is the bodily
condition that make you lose concentration like being
hungry. Semantic noise refers to the language and how
your teacher talks, and how well you understand it.
 1. Disliking the speaker
Identify 2. Being near a busy construction site
the type 3. Missing someone
of each 4. Headache
noise 5. Noise from moving vehicles
listed: 6. Speaker using unfamiliar vocabulary
7. Being excited to do something else
8. Grumbling of the stomach
9. Poor ventilation in the venue
10. Talking among seatmates
11. Lack of interest in the topic
12. Unclear pronunciation of words
Situation:
As a member of the student council/student government, you
are tasked to take part in the high school freshmen orientation.
You are assigned to give the freshmen tips on how to
effectively hurdle their freshmen year.
About 10 minutes before the program, the air-conditioning
system in the venue breaks down. If the organizers decide to
call repairmen, it would take them an hour to fix the problem,
which would mean that the orientation will stretch on until past
noon. Moreover, rain has started beating down the roof and
windows of the function room and shows no sign of letting up.

Pair up. Identify the possible noises that can cause communication
breakdown in the following situation. Then describe how communication
breakdown may occur. Afterward, propose a strategy to avoid or remedy
the breakdown. Be ready to present your strategy in class.
 By groups, interview 15 other students (JHS or GS- belonging to one
Performance
Task: class only), and ask them:
What three things usually make it difficult for you to understand a lesson?
Students will list down the answers and classify them according to
the type of noise previously discussed.
Then, research or think of ways to overcome each noise mentioned.
Synthesize, as a group, the information you have gathered and then
make a final list of suggestions.
The following format may be used:
Common Types of Noise that Affect Listening Ways to Overcome Noise
Comprehension
Noise Type

Come up with suggestions on how students can better comprehend

lessons from classroom lectures and discussions.