This is why people who come from very different social and economic situations than their audience must work extra hard to say exactly what they mean to avoid confusion. The more similar people are in lifestyle, experience, culture, and language, the more similar their mental filters are likely to be and the less distortion should occur. Each message has to pass, therefore, through at least two sets of filters. A message sender sees the world through one set of filters (experiences and values) and the receiver sees it through a different set of filters. Personal and particular experiences color how people view the world and how they communicate. Fortunately, with some awareness and advance planning, physical barriers to effective communication are some of the easiest to overcome. Finally, it may be lunchtime or too close to quitting time to keep people focused. Outside activities may be a distraction to those with a view out windows. A room may be so hot or so cold that people can’t get comfortable and cannot pay attention. Or the general level of background noise can be so intense that it is hard to focus for long on one particular voice. Sometimes “noise” is just exactly that-loud or distracting sounds that make it impossible to hear or concentrate. How many of these examples can you remember affecting your conversations with friends, classmates, or coworkers? Physical Conditions Even though the setting is informal, can you identify some signs that indicate that good communication is taking place? Check your ideas with the author’s list at the end of this section.Ĭommon sources of noise are explained in this section.