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Ineffective communication hampers organizational success. Ineffective communication results when the managers are not in regular touch with their employees. There may be miscommunication taking place. Lack of 3 C’s (Clarity, completion, conciseness) also leads to ineffective communication. Often the managers are surrounded with a pool of information. In such case, they tend to ignore the messages or communication of the subordinates. At times, wrong perception also hampers communication, i.e., the employees might perceive the message in different meaning which was not intended by the manager. Thus, there can be a problem in encoding and decoding of message.

Organizational structure can also result in communication being ineffective. The more complex the organizational structure is, i.e., the more are the number of hierarchical levels in an organization, the greater are chances of loss or misinterpretation of messages. Grapevines tend to develop in such an organization which obstructs effective communication. In absence of healthy open door policy, communication may be misunderstood.

Poor listening (i.e. when the receiver is not focused to what the sender of message is saying) also leads to ineffective communication. Emotions like anger and stress may also lead to communication breakdown as messages may be interpreted in wrong manner when a person is angry and frustrated than when he is relaxed. Sometimes, the messages are not carefully planned (For example, the medium of transmission of message and the time of message delivery are not chosen rightfully). This again makes communication ineffective. Linguistic differences are a great obstacle in effective communication. This is perhaps due to ambiguity of language. Managers should try to overcome all the causes for ineffective communication so as to ensure organizational success.

If you want to have open communication lines with your children, you have to do more than just talk. Establishing effective communication with your kids means you have to make sure that whatever it is that you are saying gets through your kids. Effective communication happens when you are sure that your kids understand what you are trying to tell them.

Effective communication between child and parent happens when there is a healthy exchange of thoughts, ideas, and emotions between two parties – between you and your child. Actually, the most stressful part when it comes to building effective communication with children happens when the reach adolescence.

Just because your general relationship with your child has been peaceful over the years does not guarantee that you will not reach a rough patch the moment they become teenagers. In fact, the opposite often happens. That is why most parenting experts suggest that parents prepare for this phase so that they will know how to handle sticky situations in the future.

There are a lot of ways for parents to build healthy communication with their kids. The first one is by starting as young as possible. Even before your child understands speech, express your feelings of love and security. Be consistent and continue doing so until your child grows, that way you are strengthening the communication lines between you and your child. However, it is never easy.

You need to understand that children are always seeking for their parents’ attention. So if one day your child runs to you across the room all excited about telling you something, do not be rude and cut him off with an irritated tone – doing so will crush your child’s enthusiasm. Instead of also taking your child’s statements personally, try to look at the bigger picture.

You have to realize that children are not yet equipped with a good sense of self control. That is why during arguments, if your child tells you something rude, do not take it against you. Kids find it very easy to blurt out hurtful things when they feel stressed or upset. When this happens, remind them to be respectful and to be polite.

By doing so, you are not just correcting your child’s disrespectful behavior but are also setting a good example of self control as well. Yes you do not want your kids to hate you, but you also would not want them to look for guidance and love from other people.

Taking things personally will only make your relationship with your child worse. It weakens the lines of communication and the parent and child relationship altogether. Avoid reading into everything that your child say or do. The best that you can do to help is to understand them as they go through the phase of teen hood.

Being able to communicate effectively at work is so important to your personal success and the success of your team. Good communication in the workplace means ideas can be shared and better yet – executed. Here’s what communication expert Beth Terry had to say about improving communication at work:

You spend the majority of your life with them, at least for a year or two, maybe longer. You see them five and six days a week, 51 weeks out of the year. You know their kids’ names, their struggles with their spouses and teenagers, and you see them at their best and worst.

Who are these people? Your co-workers, bosses, and staff. You may or may not socialize with them, but these people are familiar. And there is the problem.

Communication at work is tricky. We need to get work done. We are paid to keep our promises to our clients and produce results. The closer we are with our fellow workers, the higher the risk we will cross a line. Communication troubles in the workplace start when we are too casual, or take our colleagues for granted. These five rules will keep you out of most difficult situations:

1. Be respectful at all times. Respect your co-workers, respect your boss, and respect the customer. Remembering this will help you keep a snarky comment to yourself on a bad day.

2. Avoid being part of the gossip mill. In a room with three people, human nature dictates two will be talking about the third. You don’t have to participate. Most gossip is speculation; it usually is hurtful; and it will come back to bite you.

3. People can’t read your mind. Think about the information others will need to comply with your requests. Be clear in your requests, and leave the door open for them to ask questions. Take responsibility for making sure they understand your desired outcomes. Be appreciative when they give you what you need. Gratitude is an excellent grease for the wheels of productivity.

4. Understand the WIIFM Rule. In order to motivate someone to step away from their own long list of work, they need to understand “What’s In It For Me?” After you have described your desired outcome, let them know how they will benefit from this. Be appreciative again of their willingness to help.

5. People can’t hear you with their shoulders over their ears. If you put people on the defensive, and they feel they are being attacked, you are talking to a wall. They go deaf, because their brains are processing your attack, not your request. “Why is he/she saying that to me?” “That’s not fair!” “Everybody else is doing it, why me?” When those questions are rattling around in your colleague’s head, you are losing.

Keep in mind that all of you are at work for one specific purpose: to work. Don’t let your rusty or too-casual communication skills get in the way of your success.

Professional leadership speaker, author and communication expert Beth Terry provides advice on leadership and communication in the workplace. Beth Terry is just one of many dynamic keynote speakers on communication that a speaker agency works with.