Discusses ways in which people act when they sense that
communication breakdown is total. Speaking louder as a remedy; Importance
of changing the content of the message rather than volume; Cognitive
effort; Comments from Charles R. Berger, professor of rhetoric and
communication at University of California Davis; Berger's study
results.
By
PT Staff, published on November 01, 1992
COMMUNICATION
When people can't understand what we're trying to say, what do we
do? We say it again-louder. And if we still aren't getting the point
across? We say it even LOUDER. And if we sense that the communication
breakdown is total, we go all out and also repeat the words re
slowly.
It rarely occurs to us to change the content of the message,
reports Charles R. Berger, Ph.D., a professor of rhetoric and
communication at the University of California Davis. Or to pause before
speaking, so as to collect our thoughts clearly. Speaking slower and
louder gives the illusion of effective communication, but it only works
if the other person is hearing-impaired.
We do it, Berger finds, because voice-raising is the default option
of the mind. Cognitively speaking, ft is the easiest fix to make.
It's all a matter of cognitive effort, Berger explains. His studies
show that there are several options message-givers have when
message-receivers don't understand. We arrange the options in a hierarchy
according to how much cognitive effort each one takes. Altering the
content of the message Is at the top of the list, altering details of the
message is near the middle, and speech alterations are st the
bottom.
Most of us zip right to the lower end of the hierarchy. But not
only doesn't it get the message across any better, shouting also tends to
raise our blood pressure.
When Berger had people give each other geographic directions, those
on the receiving end who asked for clarification usually got the same
directions thrown back at them, only louder. Very rarely did
direction-givers change the route. When they did, the response took 8.3
seconds, versus the 3.3 seconds it took to answer only with a
yell.
Do we pick up such patterns from early inter-actions with our
parents, or does the frustration and anger at not being understood prompt
us to shout.? This much Berger will say: It's probably not the latter.
Speech rate usually goes up with anger, and it didn't in his
study.
Tags:
alterations,
clarification,
cognitive effort,
communication,
communication breakdown,
default option,
effective communication,
hierarchy,
illusion,
interaction,
message,
receivers,
rhetoric,
speech,
university of california,
university of california davis,
yell
