Zahid Matloob

MBA-1st Section “B” (Evening)

Assignment of Business Communication

Differences in Perceptions & their effects on Business Communication

Perception

To make sense out of a message, to determine the meaning to attribute to it, the receiver uses
perception. With perception, the receiver interprets the signs in a communication interaction in
light of his past experience. That is, he makes sense out of the message based on what those
signs meant when he encountered them in the past. A firm, quick handshake, for example, may
signal "businesslike" to someone because in the past he found people who shook hands that way
were businesslike.

If we have good perception about the next person then we will communicate in an effective
manner and if perception is bad then there would not be any good communication.

Why there is difference in perceptions?

Complex, infinite and continuously changing the material world provides a special reality to each
individual. Also human beings sensory perceptions---touch, hearing, smell, taste---are limited,
and each person’s mental filter is unique. We make various abstractions, inferences, and
evaluations of the world around us.

No person sees things exactly the same way as another; each has a unique set of experiences, a
unique perceptual "filter," through which he or she compares and interprets messages. Making up
this filter is the unique blend of education, upbringing, and all of the life experiences of the
perceiver. Even in the case of twins, the perceptual filter will vary from between them. When
communicating, each receiver uses that filter to give meaning to or make sense out of the
experience.

How difference in perceptions affects Business Communication?

The challenge in communication, particularly for managers who need to be understood in order
to get things done: getting the receiver to comprehend the message in a way similar to what was
intended. While the word "communication" implies that a common meaning is shared between
sender and receiver, this is not always the case. Under optimum circumstances, the meaning
attributed to the message by the receiver will be close to what was intended by the sender. In
most situations, however, the meaning is only an approximation, and may even be contrary to
what was intended. The challenge of communication lies in limiting this divergence of meanings
between sender and receiver.

While the wide range of potential experiences make communicating with someone from within
the same culture a challenge, across cultures the possibilities are even wider and the challenge
even greater. What one sign means in one culture might be taken in an entirely different way in
another. The friendly Tunisian businessman who holds another man's hand as they walk down
the street may be misunderstood in the North American culture, for example. Similarly, an
intended signal may mean nothing to someone from another culture, while an unintended one
may trigger an unexpected response.

Understanding the dynamics that underlie perception is crucial to effective and successful
communication. Because people make sense out of present messages based on past experiences,
if those past experiences differ, the interpretations assigned may differ slightly or even radically
depending on the situation. In business communication, differences in education, roles in the
organization, age, or gender may lead to radical differences in the meaning attributed to a sign.

Abstracting:

Focusing on some details and omitting others in a process called is abstracting. In countless
instances, abstracting is necessary. However you should be cautious about slanted statements.

1. Necessary, desirable abstracts

Whether you write or speak, you are usually limited by time, expense, space or purpose.
You need to select facts that are pertinent to accomplish your purpose and to omit the
rest.

2. Slanted Statements

Conscientious communicators, both senders and receivers of messages, should try to

determine whether the facts they are acquainted with are truly representative of the
whole. Slanting is unfair in factual reporting. For example, the news reporter is taught to
include quoted statements in context and to avoid expressions of personal approval or
disapproval of the persons, objects or occurrences being described.

A reputable news reporter would not write, “A small crowd of suckers came to hear the
Governors plan for 1997 yesterday noon in that rundown hotel that disfigures Hong Kong
central.” Instead, the write up might state that between 200 t0 350 people heard an address
yesterday noon by Governor Patton in the auditorium at Central Hotel at Pacific Place”
Not only the language you use but also the type of information you include and exclude can
result in slanting , revealing your own biases. Although total objectivity is not possible, you
should try to not let personal preference influence your factual reporting of information.

Inferring:

Inferring means reaching conclusions on the basis of assumption or available evidence.

Conclusion made by reasoning from evidence or premises are called inferences. Every day most
of us find it necessary to act on some inferences. We make assumptions and draw conclusions
even though we are not able to immediately verify the evidence. Some inferences are both
necessary and desirable other are risky, even dangerous.

Necessary desirable inferences; For business and professional people, inferences are essential for
analyzing materials, solving problems & planning procedures. System analysts, marketing
specialists, advertisers, architects, engineers, designers, and numerous others all must work on
various premises and make inferences after they have gathered as much factual data as possible.
Even our legal procedures allow inferences from experts as acceptable evidence. In our everyday
activities, we make inferences that are necessary & usually fairly reliable.

• When we land on foreign airport we assume we will be treated hospitably.

• When we send a fax to Frankfurt, Germany, we assume it will reach the intended
receiver.

• When we drop a letter into a mail box, we infer that it will be delivered to our intended
reader.

• When we enter an elevator in our building, we hope it will take us to the desired floor.

When we base our inferences on direct observations or on reasonable evidence, they are likely to
be quite dependable, but even so there are disappointing expectations. Conclusion we make
about things we have not observed directly can often be untrue.

Risks of Inferences:

As intelligent communicators, we must realize that inferences may be incorrect or unreliable and
anticipate the risks before acting on them.

Suppose a personnel manager notices that Rafiq Ahmad, a new management trainee, has been
staggering into his office every day for the past week. The manager might assume that the
training has a drinking problem. But if the reason for the unsteady movement is the presence of
Meniere’s Syndrome ( a disease of the inner ear), the manager would be wrong to assume a
drinking problem. Always gets the fact before taking action!
Tell those who may be acting on your inferences or assumptions, which portion of your
statements are mere assumptions. If you are presenting a report on which an important executive
decision may rest, be careful to distinguish clearly among verifiable facts, inferences based on
facts and mere “guesstimates.”

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