The 18 Most Frequent Communication Problems And Errors
The vast majority of conflicts between people (or companies) are found in communication Even though we all communicate with other people or groups, we don’t always do it the right way.
Whether with your partner, friends or with our company employees, communication errors can arise at any time, so it is important to detect them.
Communication problems occur in all interpersonal relationships, and if not resolved properly, they can trigger endless battles and bad relationships, for example, with your partner or co-workers. Communication includes at least two people, and although this seems basic, we do not always take it into account.
The importance of communication is such that even psychologists teach their patients social and relational skills, since the origin of conflicts often lies in these skills. Likewise, a company may see its results reduced due to poor relationships between co-workers or by not being able to communicate their needs to workers.
The most frequent communication errors
Now, what are the main mistakes that human beings can make when it comes to communication? What communication problems are the most common? In the following lines I explain it to you in detail.
Some basic communication problems
Some problems that can occur in different areas of daily life (in relationships, among friends, at work, etc.) are the following.
1. Hear or listen?
It often happens that we think we are listening to a person and what we are actually doing is listening Hearing and listening are not the same. In order to listen, you must use active listening, which not only pays attention to the words a person says, but also to their body language and non-verbal and emotional communication in general.
Active listening improves interpersonal relationships because it improves communication.
2. Say what you think without taking others into account
In these situations in which active listening is not used, it is common for people to say what they have in mind instead of paying full attention to what the other interlocutor is saying. That is why active listening is important, because it puts us in the other person’s shoes, allows us to understand their true emotions and capture the message appropriately. This also helps the other person understand that we are interested in what they are saying
On the other hand, there are many situations in which individuals already know what they are going to say even before the other interlocutor has finished speaking, either because of their prejudices or because they both have a conflict, are defensive and They want to be right at all costs. In this way, it is impossible for good communication to flow and for constructive debate to appear.
3. Speak or say?
Whether in written or spoken language, speaking is not the same as saying: The important thing is not to speak or write a lot but to do it with brevity and precision It is not about using many words but about using the appropriate intensity and depth, about communicating something interesting.
4. Lack of trust
Lack of confidence can cause us to not appropriately express what we want to say and, in many cases, can lead to lack of assertiveness not being able to express one’s opinions correctly, not putting limits on relationships and, therefore, on the proper functioning of communication.
5. Lack of credibility
Just like the lack of trust, the lack of credibility is also important when communicating with other people, whether with our partner, in a company or when making a public speech.
Credibility helps the other interlocutor feel comfortable and, consequently, trust increases between both.
6. Lack of empathy
Empathy is a basic social skill that is necessary to be able to live with others. It is closely related to the fact of not only expressing what one thinks, as it allows one to understand the other interlocutor and their point of view. It is key to being able to send a clear and precise message.
Emotional validation is a concept that is increasingly used, and is possessed by those people with high emotional intelligence. It consists of accepting and giving feedback to others not only with words, but also with non-verbal language.
It promotes good communication, since the other individual understands that he is being understood, recognized and understood, and, consequently, his verbalization increases.
8. Poor nonverbal language
It is common for us to pay a lot of attention to words and forget non-verbal language. According to the results of an investigation carried out by Albert Mehrabian, the verbal component is 35% and more than 65% is non-verbal communication This includes body posture, eye contact or gestures.
This should happen naturally, but in some cases, for example when we are not relaxed, our non-verbal language does not allow us to convey what we are trying to say.
9. Bad verbal language
The tone of voice, that is, not speaking too loudly or softly, slurring your words, or using too many filler terms such as “ah”, “eh” or “um” can cause the message with the interlocutor to lose strength. Vocalizing correctly, A good ability to improvise and, ultimately, saying correctly what we want the other person to hear improves communication.
10. Problems when reading and writing
Good reading and writing skills are extremely important in some contexts For example, in the digital world: when writing a blog and sending a company’s message to a potential client or when sending an email to a recruiter to seduce him and make him see that we are the best candidates..
Not reading well or writing well clearly affects the understanding and expression of the message in these contexts.
11. Lack of respect
People open themselves more to others when they respect us, so respect is a basic communication skill that we must take into account when communicating effectively. It is just as important as showing credibility. In a relationship, for example, a sign of affection or a nice gesture shows that we respect our loved one and, consequently, improves closeness, trust and communication with that person.
12. Poor persuasion and negotiation skills
Persuasion allows us to transform ideas, beliefs, behaviors and attitudes, thus satisfying the needs of both interlocutors. It is key in the business environment, but also in everyday life.
Persuasion is key in negotiation which, in turn, is key in interpersonal relationships. Negotiating and reaching agreements so that the needs of both are, at least in part, covered improves interpersonal relationships and fluidity in communication between actors.
Communication skills when speaking in public
To speak in public it is also necessary to master a series of communication skills that allow you to captivate the audience and keep them entertained and attentive.
The most common mistakes that can occur when speaking in public are:
1. Lack of initial rapport
Rapport is a phenomenon in which two people feel in tune both mentally and emotionally. It is key to bring the person closer and connect with the message, especially when the two people do not know each other, as usually happens in a talk or public presentation. When this connection does not exist, there will not be good communication either.
2. Lack of sense of humor
In a context such as public speaking, One of the best ways to connect with your audience is to use a sense of humor Thanks to the sense of humor, the listener’s attention span and retention of information increases.
When the talk or presentation is too serious, it is generally boring and does not help communication flow.
3. Rigidity in the use of body language
When a person feels nervous, which is something that can happen when someone faces an audience, they usually express that nervousness through body language. Lack or excess of gesticulation, poor posture, and poor eye contact are some examples
4. Excess information and too intellectual content
This can occur especially in oral presentations, when the person giving the presentation is not very precise and concise and does not connect emotionally with the audience since the information is too intellectual.
Excess information becomes boring and it is a very common mistake when the needs and interest of the audience are not taken into account.
5. Stage fright
Stage fright negatively affects communication in different ways, both in non-verbal and verbal language. When someone does not have enough confidence in themselves, the audience will notice it and, therefore, a good emotional connection with them will not occur.
6. Inappropriate use of silence
Silence can be a great tool when speaking in public, it is an element of communication in itself, whose value can be equated to that of words; however, When the person uses it incorrectly, it can become boring and ruin the flow of a talk, conference or oral presentation
