Fields of Experience and Miscommunications

One last thing for now about miscommunications.  As we communicate with others, we can only speak about what we’ve experienced.  Even if we know the words, if we don’t know the concepts, we cannot use the words in meaningful ways because words are only symbols.  Because I can only communicate about things in my field of experience and the person to whom I talk can only understand things in his or her field of experience, our experiences have to overlap, at least some, in order for us to communicate (Schram, 1954, is generally credited with first explaining this).  My favorite example of this to use in classes that I teach is the directive, “let’s meet for lunch on the other side of the tank.”  Some people would look for an oil tank or water tank.  Others might be looking for an army base.  Growing up in a rural Texas town, I would probably have meant the artificial pond that the rancher next door uses to water cattle.  Perhaps a hick-ish example, but I think it emphasizes the importance of experiences.  So what to do?  When you are speaking with someone, you have to communicate in ways that they understand.  To bridge a communication gap, use a metaphor or some other description that connects something that they know to what you are trying to describe that they do not know.

 

Reference:

Schramm, W. L. (1954). The process and effects of mass communication. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.