Effective communication
Communication is primarily an exchange of information, ideas, or thoughts. This paper will focus on the process of verbal and nonverbal communication as well as the components of each. It outline the formal and informal channels of criminal channels. This paper will also list the different barriers to effective communication within a criminal justice organization. Finally it will cover strategies that can be implemented to overcome communication barriers within criminal justice organizations.
Verbal and nonverbal communication
Wallace and Roberson (2009) stated that communication is "a process involving several steps, among two or more persons, for the primary purpose of exchanging information" (p.15 ).
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Both formal and informal means of communication help facilitate the transfer of important information within a law enforcement organization.
Barriers to effective communication
There are four basic barriers that hinder effective communication, emotional barriers, physical barriers, semantic barriers, and ineffective listening. All of these barriers separately or combined can contribute to a lack of effective communication.
To communicate successfully one must express thoughts and emotions clearly. Sometimes the emotional barriers can hinder one 's ability to effectively communicate. Physical barriers are the facets of the surroundings that obstruct the flow of information. This could be radios which are not working correctly and prevent the officer from transmitting his communications. Anything that prevents or slows down the progress of the giving or receiving of information is considered a physical barrier. Semantics is another form of communication barrier, which results in the inability to communicate clearly. Semantic problems occur when there is a failure to agree on the connotation of certain expressions (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). The meaning of certain terms may not be interpreted the same by different people.
Ineffective listening is the final barrier to effective communications. This can be described as not receiving what the other person is relaying. The person on the receiving end of a
1.) The course covered areas that are critical for justice to be served. Much of the text highlighted the need for correct, reliable, complete, and understandable language required from law enforcement. The first chapter was about writing correctly by organizing, understanding confusing words and phrases and using proper sentences. This chapter also laid out ways and means to improve your verbal and written communication. This led us into Chapter 2 where the differences between oral and written records are discussed. It emphasized the importance of written documentation for permanent records which are used in the future for all types of references. Chapter 3
A. There are many potential barriers to communication such as language barriers, it can be hard to communicate with someone who does not understand your language or vice versa. Also cultural differences may be a problem as different communication aids such as touching, eye contact, or tone, which may be acceptable in one culture may not be
5. The struggle to communicate with clients or workers because English is not their native language.
There are many purposes for communication within the very diverse criminal justice departments and agencies. Communication is a means of connecting people or places together and if not conveyed just right could be misunderstood and misinterpreted. The purposes for communication between the sender and receiver are to solicit information, to train, explain, or inform, to educate, mediate and persuade and last but not least to problem solve. Those were only a few modes or purposes of communication, the list goes on and on. Communication can be in the form of verbal, written, electronic, or something as simple as body language. Whatever conveys a message to a receiver is a form of communication. However it is conveyed or interpreted is another story and sometimes miscommunication leads to bad decisions. It is very important for a sender to take time and make sure the receiver understands all the information as well as if the receiver does not understand something questions need to be asked to obtain the correct information. In the criminal justice field it is imperative that all information is received and understood in the manner in which it is meant to be, if not it could actually be the difference in a life and death situation. Communication is often defined as a sharing or exchange of information, via a medium, between a sender and a receiver. (Collins & Stohr, 2014). There are two types of communication and that is formal which is verbal presentation or document intended
For example, a barrier to communications would be if you are having a phone call with someone and you are not talking clearly enough. It is not difficult to tweak your tone or volume on the phone ant it could make a big improvement in communication between you and the person you are communicating with over the phone. Another barrier of communication is the use of jargon. Using jargon when it is not necessary is not just disrespectful for the recipient as it can also be taken as patronising to them not understanding what you are talking to them about. It could then also cause confusion, guessing and misunderstandings to occur. This could then cause many issues, which could have been easily avoided. It is always easier and safer to be clear and professional with all correspondence. Lastly, another barrier of communication could be your emotional state. When you are talking to an individual not located within your business they expect a level of professionalism throughout the conversation but this can be affected if you are not in a good mood emotionally at the time. For example, if I was having a discussion on phone with a client and I was in a very distressed upset state, the emotions would come out in my voice tone without me even noticing it and affecting the way that phone call went as well as emotions of the recipient. Another
The second communication barrier is semantics, which is words, jargon, phrases and acronyms used at the various locations that may not be widely known outside of a specific area or group of people.
Not only is it important to be a great communication in our daily life but it is crucial within the Criminal Justice Field because most of the professions require strong written and oral communication skills. Law Enforcement is one of many that require strong written skills due to a great amount of time used preparing and completing the necessary paper work. Such as arrest report with the probable cause, Incident report that’s used to document events in an emergency situation. For example is a Police report on an investigate not detail oriented it can cause a delay the investigation process of a case. This may lead to disciplinary actions toward the officer. A well written report is the first impression an officer makes and a poor written report
There are several barriers that affect the flow of communication in an organisation. These barriers. Interrupt the flow of communication from the sender to the receiver, thus making communication ineffective. It is essential for managers to overcome these barriers. The main barriers of communication are summarised below. Interrupt the flow of communication from the sender to the receiver, this making communication ineffective. It is essential for managers to overcome these barriers. .
Depending on the situation, there are formal and informal communication styles, thus at the Daly City Police Department, you can expect to have meetings, informal talks or notes, written declarations, and group discussions. Though some communication styles overlap and get messy, there are room for improvement, thus allowing managers or leaders to find innovative ways to communicate with their workforce. In order to create a better communication dynamic, the department would benefit from 3 improvements: 1. Communicate clear and concisely to the intended audience. 2. Make sure all necessary personnel are informed at once. 3. Create the ability to find
The skill of communicating is one of the most underrated yet crucial aspects of any job. Whether in law enforcement or any organization people, in general, are becoming less able to communicate effectively and efficiently. As our generation moves more and more towards modern technological communication, face to face communication skills are severely diminishing.
Ref: Written and Interpersonal Communication: Methods for Law Enforcement, Ch. 8, Pg. 125, 5/e by Wallace &
1. Physical Barriers: such as background noise, poor lighting, temperature and the device you are using to communicate.
In addition, emotional barriers happen if the receiver does not have mood to be objective and to listen.
Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver. (See our page Barriers to Effective Listening for more information).
In order to create any written document (guidance, interpretation, or formal policies/procedure) the techniques and skills of effective communication in the law enforcement workplace must be present and the cognitive and technical