Bringing down the barriers
Featured in the Listening Skills training manual
By Jessica Madge
Category: Communication Skills
Credit price: 3 download credits (Single user)
In many work situations, two-way conversations fail to be effective because barriers exist. Some of these barriers are environmental. For instance, it is hard to hold a conversation about anything if you are standing near a pneumatic drill. Other barriers are to do with the way people are thinking. They are making an assumption, perhaps, or they are feeling emotional. Other barriers are to do with behaviour. If someone is jingling their car keys and repeatedly looking at their watch, this tends to discourage talkers. It is easy to cast the finger of blame and deem that one person is fully responsible for a failure of communication. This is rarely the case. Both parties in a conversation make choices, and the outcome is a joint effort. Every working day, in every sector of industry, time, goodwill and ideas are wasted due to these barriers to listening. As workloads and pressure to meet targets increase, the tendency for these barriers to pile up might also be on the rise. It is therefore more important than ever to be aware of barriers and our responsibility to remove them. This training activity looks at the barriers, and how we can get rid of them.
This training activity starts with the participants analysing a written scenario from office life. They then work individually and identify barriers to communication. In the next phase, participants again work individually, identifying what could be done to remove the barriers or reduce their effect. Participants move into small groups and discuss their conclusions. Then, an exercise is set up in which the two roles in the scenario are played out, debating the issue of responsibility for barrier removal. Next, there is an exercise which focuses on barriers that can occur during telephone conversations. Participants work in pairs and try to replay the conversation to achieve a better outcome. Then, they symbolically destroy one of the ways in which they often put up a barrier to communication. Finally, participants discuss conclusion and make links to their business needs.
Who is it for: This training activity is intended for use by trainers to help participants recognise barriers to communication and how to remove as many as possible in conversations.
- Themes:
- Basic listening skills,
- Dealing with complaints and aggression,
- Fault diagnosis,
- Management and supervision,
- Interviewing,
- Appraisals,
- Absence,
- Performance management,
- Client handling,
- Selling,
- Negotiating,
- Influencing,
- Assertiveness,
- Emotional Intelligence,
- Counselling,
- Mediation,
- Meetings,
- On the telephone,
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 20 |
| Typical Duration: | 02:40:00 |
| No of Pages: | 16 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Additional resources: Clipboards for participants (optional), Rubbing bin (ideally metal), Matches (optional).
Purpose: This training activity can be used as a part of a basic training course in communication or supervision. It could also be incorporated into courses such as interviewing, appraisal, managing performance, listening to grievances and problems, meeting clients, dealing with complaints, assertiveness and negotiation.
Download the training activity, Bringing down the barriers as featured in the Fenman training manual; Listening Skills