What barriers interfered with effective communication?

Communication is very important in any setting as communication ensures that information, suggestions, comments and any other kind of message is passed on. However, only effective communication will guarantee that the message is passed on in the most appropriate and positive manner. This is the reason why it is necessary that all necessary steps are taken that will make certain that the message is conveyed in the most constructive manner. The scenario that was being studied describes one particular setting where communication takes place between an employer, Marge Scott, and the employee, Jerry Mac.
There were many barriers that interfered in effective communication. Firstly, the attitude of both, Jerry and Ms. Scott, was a barrier that hindered effective communication. Ms. Scott was not willing to listen to what Jerry had to say. She was not understanding to Jerry’s position and her approach was not courteous. Jerry’s attitude on the other hand was incorrect be he had expectations from before. This was the reason why he got all defensive when he was given the result. This resulted in decreasing the effectiveness of the communication that took place.
Secondly, the lack of time was also a barrier. Because of this, Ms. Scott was not able to concentrate on the interview and give time to any query that Jerry might have had. If there was time, she would have appreciated Jerry’s work before giving him the result. Also, she would have been more patient in listening to what Jerry had to say. Another barrier that was present was an individual barrier on Ms. Scott’s part. She had a hectic morning because of which she was probable in a very irritated and frustrated mood. This could have been the reason why she was getting upset at whatever Jerry was saying.

What could Marge have done differently? How about Jerry? There are a lot of things that could have been done differently by Marge. First of all, in my opinion, she should have rescheduled the interview to some other time if she was getting late. This would have made sure that she had enough time to answer to all the queries that Jerry might have. This would have also allowed her to concentrate more on the interview. If however this was not possible, she should have praised Jerry’s performance before he was given the result.
This would have made Jerry feel better about the hard work he had put in. This praise would have also put her in a better position to explain the ‘average’ performance rating once the result was given. Jerry would not have gotten as upset because he would have realized that his hard work was being appreciated. Besides that, she should have given more importance to the opinions and queries that Jerry had. Her attitude made her appear too superior which might have been discouraging for Jerry, therefore she should have changed that.
Although Jerry handled the situation more sensibly compared to Ms. Scott, there were some things that could have been done differently. First of all, when Jerry found out that Ms. Scott had to be at a meeting at 11, he should have accepted the ratings and requested for a better time to discuss it in detail. He should have also avoided having any expectations before the result was given to him. Lastly, he should not have acted the way he did about the result. He got all defensive because of which the supervisor got irritated. Jerry should have accepted criticism more positively. Read about Factors that Hinder Effective Communication