Today, The Grandma has been readingabout noise and hearing loss, two of thebig problems four our health in big cities.
Loud
noise at work can damage workershearing. This usually happens
graduallyand it may only be when the damagecaused by noise combines
with hearinglossdue to ageing that people realize howimpaired their
hearing has become.
Why is dealing with noise important?
Noise
at work can cause hearing damagethat is permanent and disabling. This
canbe gradual, from exposure to noise overtime, but damage can also be
caused bysudden, extremely loud, noises. Thedamage is disabling in
that it can stop people being able to understand speech, keep up with
conversations or use the telephone.
Hearing
loss is not the only problem. People may develop tinnitus (ringing,
whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears), a distressing condition
which can lead to disturbed sleep.
Noise
at work can interfere with communications and make warnings harder to
hear. It can also reduce a person’s awareness of his or her
surroundings. These factors can lead to safety risks – putting people at
risk of injury or death.
How can employers assess if they have a noise problem?
Employers will probably need to do something about the noise if any of the following apply:
-the
noise is intrusive – like a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded
restaurant, or worse than intrusive, for most of the working day;
-their workers have to raise their voices to have a normal conversation when about 2 metres apart for at least part of the day;
-their workers use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour a day;
-their
sector is one known to have noisy tasks, e.g. construction, demolition
or road repair, woodworking, plastics processing, engineering, textile
manufacture, general fabrication, forging or stamping, paper or board
making, canning or bottling, foundries, waste and recycling;
-there
are noises due to impacts (such as hammering, drop forging, pneumatic
impact tools etc.), explosive sources such as cartridge-operated tools
or detonators, or guns.
Situations where employers will need to consider safety issues in relation to noise include where:
-they use warning sounds to avoid or alert to dangerous situations;
-working practices rely on verbal communications;
-there is work around mobile machinery or traffic.
How can employers control noise?
There
are many ways of reducing noise and noise exposure. Nearly all
businesses can decide on practical, cost-effective actions to control
noise risks.
First,
employers can think about how to remove the source of noise altogether,
for example housing a noisy machine where it cannot be heard by
workers. If that is not possible, they can investigate:
-using quieter equipment or a different, quieter process;
-engineering/technical controls to reduce at source the noise produced by a machine or process;
-using screens, barriers, enclosures and absorbent materials to reduce the noise on its path to the people exposed;
-designing and laying out the workplace to create quiet workstations;
-limiting the time people spend in noisy areas.
Choosing quieter equipment and machinery
Employers
should consider noise alongside other factors (e.g. general
suitability, efficiency) when hiring or buying equipment. They should
compare the noise data from different machines, as this will help them
to buy from among the quieter ones.
When should personal hearing protection be used?
Hearing protection should be issued to workers:
-where extra protection is needed above what has been achieved using noise control;
-for short-term protection, while other methods of controlling noise are being developed.
Employers should not use hearing protection as an alternative to controlling noise by technical and organizational means.
Workers to whom you provide hearing protection should receive training in how to use it.
Detecting damage to hearing
If
the risk assessment indicates that there is a risk to health for
workers exposed to noise, they should be placed under suitable health
surveillance (regular hearing checks).
Today, The Grandma has been reading about noise, one of the big problems four our health in big cities.
Loud noise at work can damage workers hearing. This usually happens gradually and it may only be when the damage caused by noise combines with hearing loss due to ageing that people realize how impaired their hearing has become.
Why is dealing with noise important?
Noise at work can cause hearing damage that is permanent and disabling. This can be gradual, from exposure to noise over time, but damage can also be caused by sudden, extremely loud, noises. The damage is disabling in that it can stop people being able to understand speech, keep up with conversations or use the telephone.
Hearing loss is not the only problem. People may develop tinnitus (ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears), a distressing condition which can lead to disturbed sleep.
Noise at work can interfere with communications and make warnings harder to hear. It can also reduce a person’s awareness of his or her surroundings. These factors can lead to safety risks – putting people at risk of injury or death.
How can employers assess if they have a noise problem?
Employers will probably need to do something about the noise if any of the following apply:
-the noise is intrusive – like a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant, or worse than intrusive, for most of the working day;
-their workers have to raise their voices to have a normal conversation when about 2 metres apart for at least part of the day;
-their workers use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour a day;
-their sector is one known to have noisy tasks, e.g. construction, demolition or road repair, woodworking, plastics processing, engineering, textile manufacture, general fabrication, forging or stamping, paper or board making, canning or bottling, foundries, waste and recycling;
-there are noises due to impacts (such as hammering, drop forging, pneumatic impact tools etc.), explosive sources such as cartridge-operated tools or detonators, or guns.
Situations where employers will need to consider safety issues in relation to noise include where:
-they use warning sounds to avoid or alert to dangerous situations;
-working practices rely on verbal communications;
-there is work around mobile machinery or traffic.
How can employers control noise?
There are many ways of reducing noise and noise exposure. Nearly all businesses can decide on practical, cost-effective actions to control noise risks.
First, employers can think about how to remove the source of noise altogether, for example housing a noisy machine where it cannot be heard by workers. If that is not possible, they can investigate:
-using quieter equipment or a different, quieter process;
-engineering/technical controls to reduce at source the noise produced by a machine or process;
-using screens, barriers, enclosures and absorbent materials to reduce the noise on its path to the people exposed;
-designing and laying out the workplace to create quiet workstations;
-limiting the time people spend in noisy areas.
Choosing quieter equipment and machinery
Employers should consider noise alongside other factors (e.g. general suitability, efficiency) when hiring or buying equipment. They should compare the noise data from different machines, as this will help them to buy from among the quieter ones.
When should personal hearing protection be used?
Hearing protection should be issued to workers:
-where extra protection is needed above what has been achieved using noise control;
-for short-term protection, while other methods of controlling noise are being developed.
Employers should not use hearing protection as an alternative to controlling noise by technical and organizational means.
Workers to whom you provide hearing protection should receive training in how to use it.
Detecting damage to hearing
If the risk assessment indicates that there is a risk to health for workers exposed to noise, they should be placed under suitable health surveillance (regular hearing checks).
Today, The Grandma has returned to Gavà to continue her communication course.
Communication is the base of human relationships. There are lots of things that difficult a good communication and TheGrandma wants to talk about it. Barriers in communication, culturalaspects and noise are elements that make communication a little bit complicated.
Barriers to effective communication can retard or distort the message or intention of the message being conveyed. This may result in failure of the communication process or cause an effect that is undesirable. These include filtering, selective perception, information overload, emotions, language, silence, communication apprehension, gender differences and political correctness.
This also includes a lack of expressing knowledge-appropriatecommunication, which occurs when a person uses ambiguous or complex legal words, medical jargon, or descriptions of a situation or environment that is not understood by the recipient.
Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment. An example of this is the natural barrier which exists if staff is located in different buildings or on different sites. Likewise, poor or outdated equipment, particularly the failure of management to introduce new technology, may also cause problems. Staff shortages are another factor which frequently causes communication difficulties for an organization.
System design faults refer to problems with the structures or systems in place in an organization. Examples might include an organizational structure which is unclear and therefore makes it confusing to know whom to communicate with. Other examples could be inefficient or inappropriate information systems, a lack of supervision or training, and a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities which can lead to staff being uncertain about what is expected of them.
Barriers in communication
Attitudinal barriers come about as a result of problems with staff in an organization.
These may be brought about, for example, by such factors as poor management, lack of consultation with employees, personality conflicts which can result in people delaying or refusing to communicate, the personal attitudes of individual employees which may be due to lack of motivation or dissatisfaction at work, brought about by insufficient training to enable them to carry out particular tasks, or simply resistance to change due to entrenched attitudes and ideas.
Ambiguity of words/phrases. Words sounding the same but having different meaning can convey a different meaning altogether. Hence the communicator must ensure that the receiver receives the same meaning. It is better if such words are avoided by using alternatives whenever possible.
Individual linguistic ability. The use of jargon, difficult or inappropriate words in communication can prevent the recipients from understanding the message. Poorly explained or misunderstood messages can also result in confusion. However, research in communication has shown that confusion can lend legitimacy to research when persuasion fails.
Physiological barriers. These may result from individuals' personal discomfort, caused -for example- by ill health, poor eyesight or hearing difficulties.
Bypassing. These happens when the communicators (sender and the receiver) do not attach the same symbolic meanings to their words. It is when the sender is expressing a thought or a word but the receiver takes it in a different meaning. For example- ASAP, Rest room.
Technological multi-tasking and absorbency. With a rapid increase in technologically-driven communication in the past several decades, individuals are increasingly faced with condensed communication in the form of e-mail, text, and social updates. This has, in turn, led to a notable change in the way younger generations communicate and perceive their own self-efficacy to communicate and connect with others.
With the ever-constant presence of another "world" in one's pocket, individuals are multi-tasking both physically and cognitively as constant reminders of something else happening somewhere else bombard them. Though perhaps too new of an advancement to yet see long-term effects, this is a notion currently explored by such figures as Sherry Turkle.
Barriers in communication
Fear of being criticized.This is a major factor that prevents good communication.
If we exercise simple practices to improve our communication skill, we can become effective communicators. For example, read an article from the newspaper or collect some news from the television and present it in front of the mirror. This will not only boost your confidence but also improve your language and vocabulary.
Gender barriers. Most communicators whether aware or not, often have a set agenda. This is very notable among the different genders. For example, many women are found to be more critical in addressing conflict. It's also been noted that men are more than likely to withdraw from conflict when in comparison to women. This breakdown and comparison not only shows that there are many factors to communication between two specific genders but also room for improvement as well as established guidelines for all.
Cultural differences
exist within countries (tribal/regional differences, dialects etc.),
between religious groups and in organisations or at an organisational
level -where companies, teams and units may have different expectations,
norms and idiolects. Families and family groups may also experience the
effect of cultural barriers to communication within and between
different family members or groups. For example: words, colours and
symbols have different meanings in different cultures. In most parts of
the world, nodding your head means agreement, shaking your head means
no, except in some parts of the world.
Communication to a great extent is influenced by culture and cultural variables. Understanding cultural aspects of communication refers to having knowledge of different cultures in order to communicate effectively with cross culture people. Cultural aspects of communication are of great relevance in today's world which is now a global village, thanks to globalisation. Cultural aspects of communication are the cultural differences which influences communication across borders. Impact of cultural differences on communication components are explained below:
Verbal communication refers to form of communication which uses spoken and
written words for expressing and transferring views and ideas. Language
is the most important tool of verbal communication and it is the area
where cultural difference play its role. All countries have different
languages and to have a better understanding of different culture it is
required to have knowledge of languages of different countries.
Noise in communication
Non-verbal communication is a very wide concept and it includes all the other forms of communication which do not uses written or spoken words. Non verbal communication takes following forms:
Paralinguistics are the voice involved in communication other than actual language and involves tones, pitch, vocal cues etc. It also include sounds from throat and all these are greatly influenced by cultural differences across borders.
Proxemics deals with the concept of the space element in communication. Proxemics explains four zones of spaces, namely intimate, personal, social and public. This concept differs from culture to culture as the permissible space varies in different countries.
Artifactics studies the non verbal signals or communication which emerges from personal accessories such as the dress or fashion accessories worn and it varies with culture as people of different countries follow different dressing codes.
Chronemics deals with
the time aspects of communication and also includes the importance given
to time. Some issues explaining this concept are pauses, silences and
response lag during an interaction. This aspect of communication is also
influenced by cultural differences as it is well known that there is a
great difference in the value given by different cultures to time.
Kinesics mainly deals with body language such as postures, gestures, head nods, leg movements, etc. In different countries, the same gestures and postures are used to convey different messages. Sometimes even a particular kinesic indicating something good in a country may have a negative meaning in another culture.
So in order to have an effective communication across the world it is desirable to have a knowledge of cultural variables effecting communication.
According to Michael Walsh and Ghil'ad Zuckermann, Western conversational interaction is typically dyadic, between two particular people, where eye contact is important and the speaker controls the interaction; and contained in a relatively short, defined time frame. However, traditional Aboriginal conversational interaction is communal, broadcast to many people, eye contact is not important, the listener controls the interaction; and continuous, spread over a longer, indefinite time frame.
Today, The Grandma has started a new communication course in Gavà.It is always a great pleasure to visit this wonderful city and TheGrandma is very happy with her new course.
The Grandma loves communication and she enjoys this course that is addressed to people who are working and need to improve their communication skills. She is going to visit Gavà the next four Mondays and she is going to explain what they are going to do in each session.
Communication, from Latin communicare, meaning to share, is the act of conveying meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic rules.
The main steps inherent to all communication are:
-The formation of communicative motivation or reason.
-Message composition, further internal or technical elaboration on what exactly to express.
-Message encoding -for example, into digital data, written text, speech, pictures, gestures and so on.
-Transmission of the encoded message as a sequence of signals using a specific channel or medium.
-Noise sources such as natural forces and in some cases human activity, both intentional and accidental, begin influencing the quality of signals propagating from the sender to one or more receivers.
-Reception of signals and reassembling of the encoded message from a sequence of received signals.
-Decoding of the reassembled encoded message.
-Interpretation and making sense of the presumed original message.
The scientific study of communication can be divided into:
-Information theory which studies the quantification, storage, and communication of information in general.
-Communication studies which concerns human communication.
-Biosemiotics which examines communication in and between living organisms in general.
What is Communication?
The channel of communication can be visual, auditory, tactile,electromagnetic, olfactory orbiochemical.
Human communication is unique for its extensive use of abstract language. Development of civilization has been closely linked with progress in telecommunication.
Verbal communication is the spoken or written conveyance of a message. Human language can be defined as a system of symbols,sometimes known as lexemes, and the grammars (rules) by which the symbols are manipulated. The word language also refers to common properties of languages.
Language learning normally occurs most intensively during humanchildhood. Most of the large number of human languages use patterns of sound or gesture for symbols which enable communication with others around them.
Languages tend to share certain properties, although there are exceptions. There is no defined line between a language and a dialect. Constructed languages such as Esperanto, programming languages, and various mathematical formalisms are not necessarily restricted to the properties shared by human languages.
Language can be characterized as symbolic. Charles Ogden and I.A Richards developed The Triangle of Meaning model to explain the symbol -the relationship between a word-, the referent -the thing it describes-, and the meaning -the thought associated with the word and the thing.
The properties of language are governed by rules. Language follows phonological rules (sounds that appear in a language), syntactic rules (arrangement of words and punctuation in a sentence), semantic rules (the agreed upon meaning of words), and pragmatic rules (meaning derived upon context).
Verbal Communication Goals in the Workplace
The meanings that are
attached to words can be literal, or otherwise known as denotative;
relating to the topic being discussed, or, the meanings take context and
relationships into account, otherwise known as connotative; relating to
the feelings, history, and power dynamics of the communicators.
Contrary to popular belief, signed languages of the world (e.g., American Sign Language) are considered to be verbal communication because their sign vocabulary, grammar, and other linguistic structures abide by all the necessary classifications as spoken languages.
There are however, nonverbal elements to signed languages, such as the speed, intensity, and size of signs that are made. A signer might sign yes in response to a question, or they might sign a sarcastic-large slow yes to convey a different nonverbal meaning. The sign yes is the verbal message while the other movements add nonverbal meaning to the message.
Over time the forms of and ideas about communication have evolved through the continuing progression of technology. Advances include communicationspsychology and media psychology, an emerging field of study.
The progression of written communication can be divided into three information communication revolutions:
-Written communication first emerged through the use of pictographs. The pictograms were made in stone, hence written communication was not yet mobile. Pictograms began to develop standardized and simplified forms.
-The next step occurred when writing began to appear on paper, papyrus, clay, wax, and other media with commonly shared writing systems, leading to adaptable alphabets. Communication became mobile.
-The final stage is characterized by the transfer of information through controlled waves of electromagnetic radiation (i.e., radio, microwave, infrared) and other electronic signals.
Communication is thus a process by which meaning is assigned and conveyed in an attempt to create shared understanding.
Gregory Bateson called it the replication of tautologies in the universe. This process, which requires a vast repertoire of skills in interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, gestures, and evaluating enables collaboration and cooperation.
Interpersonalcommunication
is the communication between one person and another or others. It is
often referred to as face-to-face communication between two or more
people.
5 Tips for Effective Communication
Both verbal and nonverbalcommunication, or body language, play a part in how one person understands another. In verbal interpersonal communication there are two types of messages being sent: a content message and a relational message.
Content messages are messages about the topic at hand and relational messages are messages about the relationship itself. This means that relational messages come across in how one says something and it demonstrates a person's feelings, whether positive or negative, towards the individual they are talking to, indicating not only how they feel about the topic at hand, but also how they feel about their relationship with the other individual.
There are many different aspects of interpersonal communication including:
-Audiovisual Perception of Communication Problems. The concept follows the idea that our words change what form they take based on the stress level or urgency of the situation. It also explores the concept that stuttering during speech shows the audience that there is a problem or that the situation is more stressful.
-The Attachment Theory. This is the combined work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (Ainsworth & Bowlby, 1991) This theory follows the relationships that builds between a mother and child, and the impact it has on their relationships with others.
-Emotional Intelligence and Triggers. Emotional Intelligence focuses on the ability to monitor ones own emotions as well as those of others. Emotional Triggers focus on events or people that tend to set off intense, emotional reactions within individuals.
-Attribution Theory. This is the study of how individuals explain what causes different events and behaviors.
-The Power of Words (Verbal communications). Verbal communication focuses heavily on the power of words, and how those words are said. It takes into consideration tone, volume, and choice of words.
-Nonverbal Communication. It focuses heavily on the setting that the words are conveyed in, as well as the physical tone of the words.
-Ethics in Personal Relations. It is about a space of mutual responsibility between two individuals, it's about giving and receiving in a relationship. This theory is explored by Dawn J. Lipthrott in the article What is Relationship? What is Ethical Partnership?
-Deception in Communication. This concept goes into that everyone lies, and how this can impact relationships. This theory is explored by James Hearn in his article Interpersonal Deception Theory: Ten Lessons for Negotiators
-Conflict in Couples. This focuses on the impact that social media has on relationships, as well as how to communicate through conflict. This theory is explored by Amanda Lenhart and Maeve Duggan in their paper Couples, the Internet, and Social Media
The academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication is communication studies.
The discipline encompasses a range of topics, from face-to-face conversation to mass media outlets such as television broadcasting.
Communication studies also examines how messages are interpreted through the political, cultural, economic, semiotic, hermeneutic, and social dimensions of their contexts. Statistics, as a quantitative approach to communication science, has also been incorporated into research on communication science in order to help substantiate claims.
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