Peacebuilding &conflict transformation A ... - Peaceworkafrica

8. Factors influencing the qualityof communicationThe factors below have been identified by many authors as important in influencingthe quality of communication.Time Interactions change over time, especially as people become acquainted witheach other. The way people interact and what they talk about (content, topics)changes with time as they get to know each other.Noise Noise refers to whatever disrupts communication. This may be actual noisefrom what is happening in the surroundings such as music, traffic or blaringhorns that distract speaker and/or listener. Some authors include proceedingsinside a person that hinder or distort the message to be noise as well. A person—speaker or listener —might be preoccupied with thoughts about whatthey need to get done or how to solve a problem. Both kinds of noise interruptconcentration and are part of the noise that disrupts effective communication.Field of experience Individuals interpret messages on the basis of their own experience,moods, culture and background. These elements make up a person’s fieldof experience. The more the fields of experience of people communicatingwith each other overlap, the lesser the misunderstanding in their communication.Contexts The context describes the situation in which the communication takesplace. This includes shared contexts like culture as well as personal contextssuch as family or religion.The concepts of context and fields of experience emphasize how culture and perceptionaffect the way we communicate, how we send and receive messages. These differencescan cause miscommunication and possibly conflict. One must be awarethat fields of experience and context change over time. Everyone accumulatesknowledge and experience every day, and this affects the way we communicate andhow we interact with each other. For example, if you have a negative encounter witha medical doctor, this will colour your next interaction with health staff.8 . F a c t o r s i n f l u e n c i n g t h e q u a l i t y o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n 71