"Change the way you look at things and things you look at will change.” Perception is the processing, interpreting, selecting and organizing of information. Its effect on the communication process is all about how the same message can be interpreted differently by different people.
People can filter out certain information to make it align with their thoughts, beliefs, and judgments. Past experiences, culture and present feelings are some of the factors that can affect perceptions.
Why we Don’t Think Alike?
People may choose to select different aspects of a message to focus their attention based on their interests or what they may consider as more important. To understand perception a little better, it is pertinent to observe how one is paying attention, remembering details or interpreting messages.
Communication is affected by how we speak as well as our body language and facial gestures. For example, one may apprehend a situation differently if the person speaking is smiling or frowning. For effective communication, one must practice positive body language.
What Affects a Person’s Perception?
Many attributes like physical characteristics, technology, culture, environment and upbringing make people perceive things differently. For example, In earlier times, teenagers would spend time with their grandparents for fun but today, they would rather watch Netflix series, plan a trip with friends, etc.
Many times, our cultural backgrounds also cater to understanding certain things differently. For example, in some countries, people perceive calling parents and relatives by names normal whereas that might be different for a country built on traditional values.
How to Overcome These Differences?
The key to overcoming perceptual differences is by asking questions to gain a sense of clarity and to ensure that those communicating are on the same page. To facilitate effective communication, one should be patient and must listen and analyze carefully.
Everyone has preferences and life experiences that act as filters on the information. Despite these differences, one must be willing to learn and unlearn to understand one another better.
Written By - Nidhi Verma
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