Importance Of “Connecting” To Your Respondents

Importance of “connecting” to your respondents' frame of reference and perceptions.

Understanding is the result of communication effectiveness. The more overlap between the meaning of the sender and the meaning of the receiver, the more effective the communication transfer will be. The ideal is to achieve some form of an overlap of meaning. A total overlap in meaning and understanding may be difficult due to different frames of reference and perceptions.

Frame of reference and perception have a distinct influence on the way in which messages are perceived or interpreted by individuals.

Frame of reference is shaped by your background, language proficiency, cultural background, intelligence, status, ego, emotions, beliefs, attitudes and values. Your frame of reference is not static and can change through life due to experiences over a lifetime. No two people have identical frames of reference. Perceptions are closely related to a person’s frame of reference.

Perception is the process of selecting and organising information gained through the senses in such a way that it makes sense. It is a way of giving meaning to the world around us. A person bombarded with information has to select what is appropriate to him/her by filtering out unnecessary information. Because perception is selective, no two people will experience or remember a certain situation exactly the same.

The processing of received information takes place with lightning speed and usually subconsciously. It is therefore imperative for a leader to keep other people’s frame of reference in mind and adapt communication accordingly to prevent breakdowns and misunderstandings.

Frame of reference and perception factors that can cause communication breakdowns:

Past experience: Perception is learnt and shaped through experience. No two people have the same experiences throughout their life. People will therefore perceive the same experience in different ways. If a person had a near drowning experience as a child he will view water in a different light than everybody else. Water rafting as a team building exercise will definitely not be a good idea with this person.

Selection: A person selects or attends to what he/she likes or is familiar with. If a topic interests the person or is relevant to his work, he will attend to what is being said and accept and file the information into his reference system. He will in other words remember what was said or discussed.

Needs: A person is influenced by his physical and psychological needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of universal human needs (1953) are still relevant today. If a person’s basic needs are not fulfilled how can you expect the person to reach his full potential? If a person is hungry he will think about food instead of the task at hand or if he feels he cannot trust the organisation he will definitely not be open in his communication with his superiors. A good communicator strives to meet the needs of the receiver so that unfulfilled needs do not become barriers.

Education and environment: The education and the environment in which a person grow up shape the person’s perception. People from different backgrounds and education may perceive a situation totally different e.g. a doctor and a person driving a tow truck will perceive the scene of an accident totally different.

Language: To be able to understand a verbal message the person receiving the message has to be conversant in that language. Even if a person understands the code of the particular language people still perceive language differently. If a manager uses high language that is not in the vocabulary of the receiver of the message their can be no mutual understanding.

For example: “I don’t want you to sit on it” can be interpreted in different ways by the person receiving the message. The manager meant: “I want the report immediately”. The worker just ready to sit down, interprets the message as: “Do not sit on that couch”.

Intercultural Barriers: People from the same culture share values, beliefs, certain rules and language. People are subjected to other cultures on a daily basis because the world is shrinking due to instant global communication. People need to be informed about the different cultures that they are dealing with. South Africa itself has a diverse population consisting of different cultures and ethnic groups. Each group has its own uniqueness and cultural characteristics although we share some common characteristics such as geography and laws.