What is communication theory and how does it impact conflict?

Communication occurs between two individuals when a message is prepared and sent by the sender and the message is received and processed by the receiver.  Accurate communication depends on a number of factors:  the method of encoding the message (that is the particular form and style used for the message content), the channel or medium used to send the message (such as voice, hard-copy, electronic, etc.), noise or interference anywhere along the way, and the ability or willingness of the receiver to interpret the message.

Consider a husband speaking to his wife in the early morning.  Basically, the communication path looks like this:

1. Sender -- Prepares a message (“I’ve got a frog in my throat.”).
2. Sender -- Encodes the message (using his vocal cords).
3. Channel -- Sends the message (sound waves travel by air).
4. Receiver -- Decodes the message (using her ears to understand the sound).
5. Receiver -- Interprets the message (sound signals sent to brain for processing).
6. Receiver -- Acknowledges the message (“What’s a hog doing in your boat?”).

Interference is a big concern for accuracy in communications.  The wife obviously did not receive the message intended by her husband.  What went wrong?  The frog in the husband’s throat prevented the proper encoding of the message.  Therefore the message sent over the channel was incorrect from the start.  Similarly, interference could have occurred in the communication channel itself (in this case air waves).  The wife may have been using a blow dryer, which would mask or alter the message as it travels over the channel.  Or the wife may have had wax in her ears and would be unable to decode the message in its entirety.  In interpreting the message, suppose the wife was thinking about a problem her son was having in school.  The husband’s message about a frog may have so interrupted her train of thought that she blocked it out and could not understand it.  Interference can take many forms and happen at just about any point along the way.

In view of conflict situations, the point has been made many times that communication is crucial to understanding and resolving the problems involved.  Because of the impact of emotions in conflict situations, it is imperative that accurate communication takes place between individuals to prevent additional conflict from developing.  Interference, in all its forms, must be minimized to facilitate good communication between the different parties.

What types of interference can occur in conflict situations?  From the sender’s perspective interference can occur in formulating the message content, encoding the message, and in the medium or channel used to send the message.  The sending party may not choose their words carefully.  As a result, harsh or inflammatory words may prevent the receiving party from listening to the message at all.  The sending party may choose the wrong medium -- “I left you a message on your voice mail at work.” to which the receiver replies, “I wasn’t at work today so I didn’t get the message!”  A message may also become garbled when it goes over the channel or medium such as a phone line developing static, too many people talking at the same time (I’ll never forget a classic picture snapped at a Lariscy family reunion where four of my aunts were talking to each other.  All of them had their mouths open at the same time!), or a copy machine that leaves out a critical page while copying.

In the case of the receiving party, interference can occur in decoding and interpreting messages. In conflict, a bad attitude or high emotional state may make an individual unwilling to listen to anything the other party says.  A person taking medications may be unable to listen or comprehend no matter how hard they try.  An individual’s belief system may cause them to misinterpret a communication.  This often occurs in witnessing situations with cultic groups like the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Because of their belief system, they think something entirely different when they hear the word “Jesus” even though, as the sender, I communicated Jesus to them as He is presented in the Bible.  In effect, their decoding of the message used a different set of codes than the encoding of the sender.

Communication under the best of circumstances can be easily misconstrued.  In conflict situations, it can be purposely miscommunicated out of malice.  The only way to be sure the message was communicated and understood is for the sender to provide feedback or acknowledgment to the sender.  It seems that in many of my own conflict situations, the only acknowledgment I expected (when I even allowed for one) was a nodding of the head meaning “OK I heard you.”  But as has been discussed, the message can be heard and not understood or accepted.  So in conflict situations, it is critical that the receiver acknowledge to the sender what was understood about the message rather than just acknowledging its delivery.  This way both the sender and the receiver can be assured that they understand and are being understood by one another.
 

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Copyright 6/4/2001, Randy Lariscy.