Peacebuilding &conflict transformation A ... - Peaceworkafrica

the listener is expected to clearly understand something that has not beenclearly expressed, the communication cannot be mutual.Some possible reasons for the use of vagueness are to:▶ deceive the listener,▶ conceal part of the truth,▶ manipulate the listener’s opinion,▶ use others for the speaker’s gain,▶ keep own motives and feelings secret,▶ protect oneself,▶ keep the listener at a distance…Double message One might say ‘yes’ on the one hand and mean ‘no’ on the other.Usually one of the messages expresses what one really wants to transmit, evenif the sender is not consciously aware of this. The other message just serves as acover. Double messages frustrate the listener, confuse them and can elicit agreat deal of conflict between people.Possible reasons why a sender uses double messages are that they:▶ are not sure about their own position on an issue,▶ are trying not to hurt the listener,▶ think they know what the listener wants to hear,▶ want to confuse the listener,▶ aim to provoke in a conflicting situation…Additionally, when there is no agreement between verbal and non‐verbal communication,when they don’t merge and blend into a single message, effective communicationcannot take place. Sometimes body language can differ from or even contradictthe verbal messages sent.Additional obstacles to communication from participants in several training sessionsinclude: distance between people, different educational levels, overcrowding(no public address system), different languages, topography (hills prevent drumbeats from being heard), poor orator (lack of speaking skills), poor perception of theaudience, wrong manner of approach, lack of interest, poor sense of hearing, wronginterpretation, wrong context or wrong timing.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 73