Perception and Communication

Perception is described as ‘the mental function of giving significance to stimuli such as shapes, colours, sounds, feelings’ (Mullins, 2010) and is the process of selecting and organising such information, from the environment around us, to ‘provide meaning for the individual’. Thus, perception can be defined as the development of sensory-based observations to form initial personal impressions.

However, these initial impressions can often be incorrect, as although humans regard their individual perceptions as reality, this does not mean that personal assumptions are correct. As Mullins (2010) insinuates, perceptions are based on ‘our previous experiences and learning,’ and are therefore biased and distorted to fit in with our personal opinions.

One example of when my own initial perceptions were incorrect was when I first entered the disability department at secondary school. Having been previously of the (mistaken) opinion that people with disabilities were dependant and unable to lead full lives like able-bodied people, my initial perceptions of the other students were based on these preconceptions. I was predominantly influenced by the visuals of what I could see, primarily, children in wheelchairs, others with disproportionate limbs, and was also influenced by the speech patterns of some of the students (or lack thereof).

However, within moments of communicating with them, I was aware that my initial perceptions were misguided and completely incorrect, and those I spoke to were confident, and not only as ‘normal’ in personality as I perceived ‘regular’ schoolchildren to be, but talented and obviously unconcerned and largely unaffected by their physical disabilities. The experience of communicating with the other pupils, also altered my perception of myself, and, in turn, eradicated the stigma I attached to myself in regards to personal abilities and what I was and wasn’t capable as a result of being labelled a ‘disabled’ child.

Therefore, I feel my experience illustrates that perceptions are not only based on our previous experiences, but also altered by new knowledge and learning, as the understanding I gained from my encounter allowed me to alter my perception of people with disabilities. As a result, in order to ensure I won’t make such incorrect judgements again, it is clear from the experience mentioned that the way to form balanced perceptions is through balanced communication, and in future I will undertake this before making judgements.

In turn, communication is also a key part within organisations, such as between employees within the workplace, or between companies and customers, suppliers etc. and is an extremely important aspect of ‘the efficient running of the organisation,’ (Beardwell, Holden, Claydon, (2004), allowing the company to run effectively and at optimum level.

The article ‘Improving Staff Communication’ (PeopleManagement.co.uk, 2010), primarily states seven main points for effective communication within an organisation:

-          Having a shared purpose – i.e. creating shared goals to unify fellow employees and enhance teamwork

-          Convincing leaders/ managers – maintaining constant communication with leaders or managers to ensure the required tasks are being completed and goals met effectively and efficiently

-          Engaging peers – motivating fellow employees i.e. through portrayal of personal commitment, involving peers in decision-making etc.

-          Considering various communications channels i.e. evaluating the most effective and accessible method of communication, for example, team meetings versus emails.

-          ‘Keeping the personal touch’ – i.e. maintaining face-to-face communication to ensure employees feel valued

-          Working collaboratively –i.e. enhanced teamwork and working with staff to share a wealth of skills in order to achieve company goals effectively and efficiently.

-          Measuring results- i.e. undertaking surveys and such as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of internal communications, and improving upon areas where good communication is felt to be lacking.

Using these recommendations, it is possible to identify many ways in which organisations can improve communication. For example, Bucks University could undertake various routes in order to improve communication with its students. For one, they could utilise the article recommendation made to consider all potential communication channels in order to determine the best possible way in which to communicate with students. For example, although the university operates a service whereby students are sent information and updates via their email, many students are not regular email users, preferring instead to communicate via mobile phones. Therefore, Bucks could take advantage of this by communicating information via phone services, such as texting, rather than email.

In turn, the university could also improve communication by allowing more informal communication between staff and students, i.e. following the article’s recommendation of ‘keeping the personal touch.’ This would not only maintain face-to-face communication, allowing students to feel valued, but would allow staff to be more accessible and relatable to students.

Furthermore, measuring the effectiveness of communication between students and staff would allow the university to evaluate where good communication is lacking and react accordingly, in order to ensure a strong communication process within the organisation.

In conclusion, my findings have not only allowed me to understand the process by which individuals create perceptions, but that unfair judgements are eradicated through balanced communication, allowing one to form unbiased opinions. In turn, good communication has been proven to be a key part of any organisation, in order for the company to run efficiently and effectively.

References

Beardwell, I; Holden, L; Claydon, T. (2004). Human Resource Management. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Mullins, L J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson

PeopleManagement.co.uk [15 July 2010] Improving Staff Communication [online]. Available from: http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2010/07/how-to-improve-staff-communication.htm [Accessed 30 April 2011]