communication breakdown essay brainly

How to Avoid Communication Breakdowns

The wording of educator instructions can have a big impact on students..

Posted September 2, 2016

By guest contributors M. Anne Britt, Amanda Durik and Jean-François Rouet

Imagine a teenager who is asked by his parent to mow the lawn. Seems pretty straight forward, right?

The parent and the teenager each have an idea of what it means to “mow the lawn,” but those ideas might differ quite a bit.

Teenager view: Quickly walk back and forth across the grass with the lawnmower.

Parent view: Check lawnmower fuel and oil levels, then fill them if necessary; make straight, overlapping passes across the lawn; check for missed spots; empty lawnmower bag; wipe off the lawnmower; put it back in the garage; and use a weed cutter to trim any grass the mower couldn’t access.

In the end, the parent may be disappointed, and the teenager may feel confused or even hurt to learn of the parent’s dissatisfaction.

Misinterpreting goals for tasks can be an even greater problem in the classroom. Most teachers have experienced this. They pass on a set of instructions that they think are clear, articulate, and complete only to have them misinterpreted by students.

Cognitive psychologists have long known that the wording used to describe tasks can have a big impact on how students’ approach assignments.

For example, in a study with high school seniors, we found a task that was initially thought to be clear-- “read the texts to write an argument”-- actually led to misconceptions about how to use the text (Wiley et al., 2012). Clearly, students can have different interpretations of exactly the same assignment. Misinterpretations were avoided when the instructions actually defined the essential component of argumentation that we previously assumed: “Use information from the text to support your ideas and conclusions.”

The conditions that lead to students' effective understanding of learning academic tasks are examined in our upcoming book (Britt, Rouet, & Durik). Readers create their own views of tasks, which we call task models. A task model can include information about several things, such as:

• Who is giving me these instructions and why?
• What are the instructions asking me to do?
• What resources--such as texts, computers, or partners—do I have available?
• What strategy might I use to accomplish the task?

The task model may range from very detailed (e.g., a check list) to vague and briefly considered (e.g., find good information to support a point).

To get a better understanding of task models for assignments that involve writing or evaluating arguments, we asked college students, "What makes a good argument?" Students tended to report "fact, facts, or are factual" as being important to an argument, and these students were much less likely to acknowledge other perspectives than their own (Wolfe and Britt, 2008). Yet most professors assume that their students’ understanding of the term “argument” will, at a minimum, acknowledge other perspectives.

We recently explored whether the social context would affect the nature and quality of a college student’s task model (Britt, Rupp, Wallace, Blaum & Rouet, 2016). In this study, participants were instructed to learn about different controversial topics, such as: Whether we should or should not require vaccinations for children.

When the request came from a person unlikely to be an authority on the topics, such as a friend or cousin, participants were more likely to just give an answer, without bothering to seek supportive information. However, when the request came from an authority, such as a teacher or boss, students said they would look up information and were more likely to remember the task details. In other words, the context in which instructions are given can affect how one goes about responding to a task.

To avoid miscommunications, teachers must communicate task goals in a way that their charges can adopt a similar view of the task. We’ve found that these strategies can help:

• Write clear and explicit task instructions.
• As a check, ask students to communicate their understanding of the task.
• Ask students to specify what they will do to accomplish the task to identify and, if necessary, redirect their use of strategies.

As academic standards increasingly require students to learn independently by interacting with technology and rich sources of information, such as the internet, communication about task goals will only become more important.

And improved communication might also help parents get their kids to do a better job mowing the lawn.

M. Anne Britt , Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Northern Illinois University . She teaches course on cognition and instruction, and thinking. Her research focuses on advanced literacy skills including sourcing, content integration and argumentation.

Amanda Durik , Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology at Northern Illinois University. She teaches courses in motivation, group dynamics, and research methods. Her research focuses on motivation in achievement situations, and the situational and individual factors that contribute to the development of both performance and interest.

Jean-François Rouet, Ph.D., is a research director with the French National Center for Scientific Research at the University of Poitiers (France). He teaches courses on cognition, learning, and information search. His research examines the cognitive underpinnings of reading literacy, with a special interest in digital reading.

Britt, M.A., Rouet, J.-F., & Durik, A.M. (In preparation). RESOLV: a model of reading as problem solving. Routledge, UK.

Britt, M.A., Rupp, K., Wallace, P., Blaum, D., & Rouet, J.-F. (July, 2016). Representing situations and tasks from information requests. Poster presented at the 26th Annual Meeting of the Society for Text and Discourse, Kassel, Germany.

Wiley, J., Britt, M. A., Griffin, T. D., Steffens, B., & Project READi (April, 2012). Approaching reading for understanding from multiple sources in history and science: initial studies. Paper presented in symposium titles: A Framework for Conceptualizing Reading for Understanding: Evidence-Based Argumentation in History, Science, and Literature at the AERA conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Wolfe, C.R. & Britt, M.A. (2008). The locus of the Myside Bias in written argumentation. Thinking and Reasoning, 14(1), 1–27.

Angela Grippo, Ph.D. , is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Northern Illinois University.

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5 steps for solving a communication breakdown

Emily Rodgers, Content Writer

| 07 Dec 2018

| 9 min read

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A mixture of personalities combined with different skill sets and job roles create a muddle of communication styles. Therein lie the problems if not nipped in the bud to avoid broken communication becoming the norm.

Here we find out why breakdowns in communication are so common and what we can do to resolve them.

What is good communication? 

Before we dive straight into how communication can go so fantastically wrong, let’s briefly summarise what communication is.

Communication is a two-way street. It is an exchange of information between two or more people. If either party doesn't hold up their end, this leads to miscommunication. Involve more people and you’ve got yourself a bit of a melting pot, especially if they don’t know how to communicate effectively.

The importance of communication in the workplace

Communication is considered a soft skill. Soft skills include such notions as social learning and emotional intelligence. They account for 85% of a person’s success over hard skills, which are things like IQ, training and academic level.

Not only may this stat surprise you, but it should prove how crucial the value of communication is, not only to a person’s success but ultimately to a business as a whole.

In our digital world, there is more emphasis than ever on being able to showcase the critical skill of communication. It is becoming increasingly difficult for new-age workers to know how to reach out to others, connect with them, work as a team and eventually become leaders.

The 5 different types of communication

There are many levels and combinations of communication, especially in the workplace with a myriad of hierarchies that seem to differ office-by-office and team-by-team. This being said, when broken down to its most basic form, there are 5 modes of communication. Here they are with examples of how you would see them in the workplace:

1. Listening

This is known as the aural mode. Listening is not just hearing. It focuses on the level of engagement and the amount of attention you’re paying to the speaker.

If you don’t listen properly and show a genuine interest in what the talker is saying, they can feel unheard and this can be disheartening. Not least, it can encourage them to never want to engage with you again.

It’s surprisingly easy to not listening properly. If no eye contact is made, the speaker is interrupted and no follow up questions are asked, this will indicate that you’ve not given them your full attention.

This is also known as the linguistic mode. It is not as simple as just talking, but rather the choice of words used and their delivery. This means that how a thought, opinion, or action is verbalised is important. If words are mumbled, garbled and complicated, or don’t carry the proper tone, this could result in a lack of communication.

3. Nonverbal

This is all the parts of communication that are not spoken, or gestural communication. Nonverbal communication is vital. It encompasses first impressions. Before a person has even spoken, they’ve already communicated something to you through their body language, posture, and facial expressions. A person’s nonverbal communication has to match up with the context and tone of what they’re saying, or the interpreter may become confused and read the social cues wrongly, thus resulting in a communication breakdown.

Read next: 9 signs that your employees are disengaged (& how to re-energise them)

4. emotional awareness.

This type of communication is one that is rarely taught. It is the ability to be mindful of the recipient’s emotions and respond in the appropriate way. Reading the room and recognizing when there are conflicts will stand you in good stead. As will empathy, consideration, and building trust.

Due to our reliance on email, Slack, and other messaging services, this form of communication will be the one you use the most.

If you didn’t pay attention in English class, this may be your communicative downfall in this category, as grammar and punctuation are expected to be correct when communicating in writing.

It’s hard to show emotion in writing unless the excessive use of smiley faces, exclamation marks, and emojis is acceptable in your workplace. Clarity in the message and interpretation by the reader are both key here.

What is a communication breakdown?

A communication breakdown is defined as a failure to exchange information, resulting in a lack of communication. This can result in a demotion or even having to fire an otherwise good employee.

How would a communication breakdown occur?

The above definition is quite ambiguous. How does it lack? What information wasn’t exchanged?

Here are some common examples of how a communication breakdown in the workplace can occur to make it clearer:

• A member of staff making a mistake due to miscommunication or not enough information given in training
• Two members of staff doing the same task and not realising
• A colleague not treating a client correctly
• Certain vital tasks not being completed either on time or to the highest standard because no one in the team is giving updates to each other
• An overworked manager sending an email missing vital information to their team because they’ve got a client on their case about completing work
• A junior spreading Chinese whispers about the current state of a project’s completion because they misheard what their manager was saying

Not communicating properly doesn't only affect every single area of the business, but if you expect your teams to work together, the cross-communication between them will take its toll. This means your business goes from well-oiled machine to individual parts that simply cannot function without each other.

Let’s break it down... what are the causes of a communication breakdown?

We’ve touched upon a few examples of the ramifications of a communication breakdown in an office, but how do communication breakdowns occur to get to that point? There are a few key communication barriers that are the main causes of communication breakdowns. Let’s go through them:

1. Lost in translation

This doesn’t necessarily mean a language barrier, but rather how the listener interprets certain words, phrases or sentence structures. This especially occurs across email, where lack of tone can result in the receiver perceiving the message in a different way to what was intended, or a certain word with dual meanings being interpreted incorrectly.

2. The attention span of a gnat

The average human attention span has decreased from 12 to 8 seconds , meaning we have less time to remain engaged before we switch off or start thinking of other things. As mentioned before, there’s a difference between listening and hearing, and, apparently, we can only listen for 8 seconds before our eyes glaze over, thus missing vital information.

This lack of attention means that information constantly has to be repeated, which is not only arduous, but is also frustrating for the speaker.

3. Too much information

As you can imagine, there is a plethora of information running through a business. This is especially prominent in organisations with over 200 employees.

Managers are not only trying to control the information they’re receiving from superiors, but are also trying to manage information floating up from juniors and distributing this to all the correct parties. Without a streamlined flow, this level of information, plus the overload of information that can occur if too much is being shared to the wrong people, can descend into chaos.

4. Under pressure

High-stress jobs mean there’s often no time to communicate properly. If you’re on a tight deadline or you’re behind on your target, you’re not going to waste precious minutes formulating the perfect email. Continuing this pattern always leads to greater consequences.

Similarly, if people see you’re constantly busy, they may be put off attempting to communicate for fear of interrupting and being scolded. This means you become the spanner in the works.

What effects can a communication breakdown have on your business?

The above causes can create many difficulties for your company and its people. These can be things such as:

• Loss of morale
• Demotivation
• Embarrassment
• Tension amongst the team
• Stress caused to individuals
• Loss of clients, business and sales
• Disorganisation
• Higher employee turnover/ lack of retention

You’ve likely seen a mixture of each of these in every work capacity you’ve been in. They’re all too common and occur simply because communication wasn’t addressed in the right way.

5 ways to resolve a communication breakdown

Putting procedures in place to put an end to breakdowns of communication may seem like a large task, but there are some really simple things you can do to ensure communication is never a problem in your business.

How your business communicates may be engrained in your ethos. You may have one overarching way that you expect every team to give and feedback information. This only works to a certain extent. I’m sure you can see the obvious reasons why.

It’s useless to try and pin down a communication strategy before you’ve even got a team together because you don’t know the personalities of that team or how they’re going to work together.

Take the time to observe how each member of your team works, talk to them in regular one-to-ones and discuss how best they like to receive information, relating to their job role and then how they feel they can best use this information for others.

Download now: One-to-one meeting template - the ultimate guide for managers

As discussed earlier, we rely heavily on email. Giving your entire team only this tool to communicate with will take you straight to a communication breakdown every time.

Whether giving your team another computer-based tool, introducing more huddles and meetings, encouraging them to pick up the phone more or urging them to physically walk round to a person’s desk, giving them communicative options will help them feel less trapped in the restrictive vices of the email world.

3. Sharing is caring

Updates, updates, updates. If the marketing team has just created a new campaign for the company, let everyone know. If the business analysts have just compiled a really interesting consumer report, share it out.

Site-wide updates are vital for keeping everyone in the know. This is within reason. Your company doesn’t need to know that the new starter worked out how to do a V-lookup in Excel. Save these little vignettes for team-wide updates and share the big wins with everybody.

Don’t rely on email for this. Have large meetings headed up by the CEO once or twice a month. Your team members deserve transparency.

4. Practice makes perfect

Providing consistent training sessions on how and why we communicate as a business, the best way to write an email, communicating across every level of the company and how to give feedback in the most effective way will lift communication breakdowns the more you do them.

These training sessions are also a great way to bring together members of staff who may not already be in direct contact with each other, building morale through one shared goal.

5. One team, one dream

If you resolve a communication breakdown and teach your team the value of communication, the benefits abound. Good communication builds a strong team that people want to engage in, it streamlines work processes, it equips your workers with the tools to take on anything that’s thrown at them and ultimately makes your business sing.

To learn more about solving communication issues, check out our guide on how to improve communication in the workplace .

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Communication Breakdown: 5 Common Causes and How to Avoid Them

Experiencing a communication breakdown is common in our busy workplaces. It is also a major cause of frustration and wasted effort! A communication breakdown can sometimes be hard to spot, and might not show itself immediately.

Things might seem to be travelling along quite smoothly, until one day you find that a communication breakdown has resulted in wasted effort, missed opportunities or work that hasn’t been completed.

I’ve noticed that breakdowns in communication is often not intentional. Many times, it’s because people are simply not paying attention. They’re focusing on other more tangible aspects of work that they believe are more important.

However, when you have a communication breakdown it’s common to see significant disruption, frustration and a loss of motivation. As the leaders of our teams and workplaces, we play a huge part in making sure that communication is relevant, timely and effective.

In this post, I’ll look at some of the common causes of communication breakdown, and how you can try to avoid them in your team and workplace.

What Causes a Communication Breakdown?

There are many causes of communication breakdowns. Here are my top selections, as well as some ways that you can try to avoid them. If I’ve missed any, let me know in the comments below!

#1. Thinking That Communication = Sending a Message

One of the most common causes of communication breakdown that I see is that leaders assume that sending a message counts as communication .

For example, we might send an email and assume that people have read it. Or we may mention something important in a quick corridor conversation, and assume that the person we are communicating with has really absorbed your message.

Email is a common culprit. Many people are busy, with overflowing inboxes. Sending another email feels like communication, but many people miss them. If your message is really important, maybe you need to come up with a better method.

It’s important to remember that communication has two parts:

• First, it’s about getting your message across , in whatever form is appropriate
• Second, communication is about ensuring that your audience has received and understood your message .

That’s why we need to get out of the mindset of just blasting messages out to your audience. If you just focus on sending the message, you’re only achieving half of the goal.

Learn More:   5 Communication Skills Every Leader Needs .

#2. Assuming People Communicate the Same Way You Do

Effective communication can be different for everyone.

Some people are happy receiving an email with the details of a change in their team, but others would like these changes communicated in a more personal manner.

It may seem convenient to treat everyone in your team the same way, but this can often result in alienating certain team members who may have a different communication style.

It’s a similar concept as people having different learning styles . Some people like to see pictures and diagrams, others absorb messages better by reading text or hearing the words out loud.

“Treat others as you would like to be treated” doesn’t really cut it here. You need to treat others as they would like to be treated. In other words, you should try to communicate in a way that suits them.

Obviously you can’t please everybody all the time, but usually putting some conscious thought into how you communicate can be helpful.

Learn More: Thoughtful Leader Podcast #91: Think You Know What Your Team Wants? Think Again!

#3. Assuming People Already Know What You Want, and Understand What’s Going On

Workplaces can be extremely complex. Teams have diverse priorities, and there are many stakeholders sending messages and striving for attention.

Leaders are often “in the know” in the workplace, having greater access to the inner workings of the company. If something happens, leaders are usually the first to be briefed, so they can adjust priorities or cascade information to their teams.

Because of this privileged position, leaders sometimes assume that everyone else knows what they do. They will sometimes fail to communicate, assuming important information is already out there. Many teams who are left in the dark feel confused and frustrated.

Busy leaders also fall into the trap of assuming their teams know what they expect or need. This results in frustration and rework, when clear expectations haven’t been set from the beginning.

Many a leader has fallen foul of the trap where work has not been completed, because the team didn’t really know what was expected.

Learn More:   Thoughtful Leader Podcast #37: Communication Mistakes That Will Damage Your Leadership .

#4. Communicating on a “Need to Know Basis”

Many leaders make assumptions about the information that their people would like to hear. In other words, they use their own discretion to choose what to communicate.

Sometimes, leaders keep information to themselves, because other people “don’t need to know”. Other times, they simply don’t consider that people might be interested in different aspects of the workplace.

After all, many people like to feel like part of the workplace community. They like to understand what is happening, even if they aren’t directly impacted or involved.

The fact is, employees like to understand what is happening in their workplaces. When leaders make assumptions about what they would like to hear about, communication may suffer.

#5. Issues Between Team Members or Stakeholders

Another common communication breakdown occurs when people just aren’t getting along. When you don’t really like speaking to someone, you’re less likely to communicate with them, right?

Leaders need to be able to spot these situations and try to resolve them, to keep the information flowing. If we don’t keep our eyes open to the dynamics within and around our teams, communication breakdowns can easily result.

No amount of process and structure around your communication will help if people are refusing to communicate effectively!

How to Resolve These Common Communication Breakdowns

There are a few good ways to try to avoid these communication breakdowns and to help the flow of information in your team and workplace. Try them out and see whether they can help you.

1. Understand the priority of your message

If your message is important, then consider using more personal, interactive methods of communication such as meetings or workshops. People often complain about “too many meetings”, but sometimes, it’s important to get people in the room together so you can be sure that everyone is on the same page.

Less important information may be best communicated by email or using the company intranet. The most important information should often be communicated via more personal means.

Communication can impact different people in different ways, so it’s important that you also consider whether a 1 to 1 meeting might be better than a larger forum.

If people are going to want to provide input, then interactive sessions are helpful. If feedback is not as important, then one-way channels like email or a web page might work just fine.

2. Consider how your people like to communicate

Start to get a sense for how your team, colleagues or your manager likes to communicate. This might be as simple as asking them directly. Or, it could be a matter of trying different methods and seeing which ones work the best.

Tailoring your communication may seem time consuming. However, having to recover from a communication blunder can also waste a significant amount of time!

It’s important to test the knowledge of your team members and key stakeholders. What do they know? What would they like to know? How would they like to find out about it? How often do they want to be updated?

You won’t be able to satisfy everybody all the time, but tailoring your communication to suit the people around you can be extremely helpful for people to absorb your messages.

3. Communicate with intention

Instead of thinking about communication as something that happens alongside the real work, it can be helpful to think differently.

Communication is actually part of the work , not just an annoying overhead. Consider putting some structure and process around your communication.

Actions to help you create more intentional communication:

• Creating consistent forums for communication at different levels. This might include large groups, small teams or individual conversations, and embedding communication as part of your working process. If you have a particular issue with communication in a certain area, you might create a special forum that meets regularly so you can be more confident that information is flowing.
• Dedicating someone to communication activity. Communicating effectively is part of everybody’s role. However, it can be beneficial to have someone who is dedicated to structuring and planning communication if it’s important for your workplace.
• Becoming more conscious of how we communicate. When leaders are conscious about how they communicate, there is less confusion, rework and frustration. Consider communication as part of your everyday workload, instead of just as an afterthought.
• Asking your people about their communication needs. Simply asking the question can give you insights you may not have expected. What would you like to know? How would you like to learn about it? How often would you like this information?
• Add context to your communication. Often it’s good to tell people why you are communicating information, and why you are doing it in a certain way. This helps people understand that you have thought about your messaging.

4. Resolve Behaviour Issues Quickly

When people aren’t communicating effectively, you need to sort it out, quickly. Lack of communication can build tension and frustration when people find out they have been kept out of the loop.

As usual, having a direct (and potentially difficult) conversation to tackle the issue is possibly your best bet. Going forward, you may have to involve yourself more in the work and interactions of the people involved, so you can be sure people are communicating.

You can also become more structured about roles and responsibilities, so people understand who does what. However, this only works when people are sticking to the plan, playing along and not going off track.

Maintaining appropriate oversight is key. The last thing that you want is to find out that certain people haven’t been communicating for months, resulting in rework or missed deadlines!

Communication breakdowns are common in workplaces, but they don’t need to be. All it takes is a little more intention and focus.

Leaders are at the centre of communication and have a large role to play. If you can tackle communication in a more intentional and structured way, there is no reason why you can’t have a more engaged team and workplace.

Is your workplace suffering from a communication breakdown? How have you overcome them? Let me and all the other Thoughtful Leaders know in the comments below!

About the author: ben brearley bsc. bcm mba dipprofcoaching.

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How to avoid a communication breakdown

It can be harder to recover from a conversation meltdown than to avoid one in the first place.

Research suggests there are three things you can do to avoid communication breakdowns

We have all experienced a communication meltdown. Maybe your agenda didn't play out the way you were hoping. By the time you walked away from the conversation, you could have cut the tension with a knife. The conversation weighed heavily on your mind, adding more stress to your workload.

For some people, it can take a lot more time and effort to recover from a breakdown in communication than it would to avoid one in the first place.

Our research suggests there are three things you can do to avoid communication breakdowns.

Be present (really)

Given our busy schedules and the many messages and emails, sometimes we are not present with the people in front of us. To help stay present in a meeting or conversation, turn away from your computer and put your phone into airplane mode.

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Even better, leave your phone at your desk. If you have a moment or two before the meeting, rather than trying to send a few additional emails, meditate or do some calming breathing exercises.

Listen more

Be genuinely curious and interested in what is being said, even if initially you’re not. Pay attention to cues: does the person spend a lot of time on a particular point? Does she get more animated at specific junctures and less at others?

Listening more and with curiosity provides valuable input on how you may frame your response and navigate the conversation. It can help you tune into the topics your colleague is passionate about. Getting to know them will help you see their perspective and come to an agreement that meets everyone's needs. From this place of actively listening, your conversation will move forward more constructively.

Communication involves the exchange of viewpoints – sometimes opposing positions. Unless you open your mind to another’s perspective, common ground can be tough to find. And finding common ground requires us to listen in order to really consider someone’s position.

Over time, listening openly and attentively to others helps to cultivate trust. This contributes to a sense of psychological safety

Being open-minded at times may require you to be open to being proved wrong. As someone is speaking, notice: are you already thinking about your rebuttal? Or have you already interrupted? Be open to another person’s perspective.

If you’re worried about not having the perfect reply, you can always say, “I haven’t thought about it that way before. Can you give me a day or so to think it over?”

Over time, listening openly and attentively to others helps to cultivate trust. This contributes to a sense of psychological safety, which has been found to be the key to successful teams.

The ability to take risks and speak up can be the difference between thwarting a mistake or learning from one. In the end, everyone benefits.

– Copyright Harvard Business Review 2017

Emma Seppala is the science director of Stanford University's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education and author of The Happiness Track . Jennifer Stevenson is the vice-president of client services and faculty at TLEX, Transformational Leadership for Excellence.

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Essay: Communication Breakdown

Posted by Thaddeus Tague on 10/21/20 12:15 PM

The following is a guest essay by former student Thaddeus Tague.

“What you write will never be more important than how you write it." — Andrew Pudewa, Institute for Excellence in Writing

The apparent disconnect between these two essential questions—"what" versus "how"—is nowhere more prevalent than the largest space for communication and interaction today: social media. Pudewa, of course, was not pitting the questions against each other in a deontological cage match; he was referring to primacy .

Western society has taught academics and students of communication that we should (and do) accept ideas based on their merit alone. While this is true, it is a rather simplistic over-generalization of how the human psyche actually processes ideas, biases, and presuppositions in conversation.

Albert Mehrabian, Professor of Psychology Emeritus at UCLA, conducted a crucial series of studies in the 1970s on verbal and nonverbal messages. His findings were eventually published in a book titled Silent Messages .

Mehrabian’s studies found that test subjects were more convinced by a speaker’s attitude and tone than by their words. He explains, “The non-verbal elements are particularly important for communicating feelings and attitude, especially when they are in-congruent: if words and body language disagree, one tends to believe the body language.”

Within personal communication, he concludes, humans prioritize vocal cues and body language 38 and 55 percent of the time respectively.  The human brain uses cues from the face and tone of voice to give words their complete meaning.

Furthermore, at a 93 to 7 split, the human brain tends to receive information and formulate opinions based on how the person said what they said, not what they said.

What happens when we apply this principle to the social media landscape, where there is a veritable vacuum of non-verbals? Your brain will do whatever it needs to help you complete the picture and interpret the dialogue.

The principles explained above create an interesting interaction in our modern society, a society that dialogues mainly through social media (a screen) and is unable to see or hear non-verbals. More to the point, how has dialogue through a screen killed productive discourse, increasing social toxicity and tribalism? And why doesn’t the same breakdown happen with books?

The human brain is built to decipher other people’s intent and viewpoints, even as conversations are in progress. What is the other person thinking? What do they intend towards me? All of these questions are more easily answered in face-to-face interaction. Everything required to answer those questions is right out in the open, embodied. By this same principle, Online interaction is inherently easier because it requires less emotional and cognitive effort than face-to-face communication. This is often why people gravitate towards Online communication, even though they may be unaware they are doing so. Especially when humans read the arguments of those they consider intellectual, the brain infers non-verbals cues at every given opportunity.

A joint study from Princeton and University of Pittsburgh showed our time spent reading on computers activates the same areas in the brain in charge of making inferences about other human minds.

Suppose someone you love angrily looks at you and yells, “I love you!” It gives you pause. Did they mean it? What are they feeling? Now suppose a loved one approaches you and places a hand your shoulder, saying, “I just want to let you know that I am struggling with feeling a bit frustrated with you, but I love you.” Now you receive an affirming message. Both communicate the words “I love you,” however one does so much more effectively than the other does.

The September 26, 1960 presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy is a classic example. It was the first-ever televised presidential debate. Kennedy, wore a lighter suit, was younger, and handsome. Nixon looked haggard and sick that day. After a poll, experts found most radio listeners thought Nixon had won, while the majority of television watchers thought Kennedy had won.

Romans 12:17 speaks to this principal, saying “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.” (NIV) The NASB Lexicon gives a more intense translation: “Respect what is right in the sight of all men.” Clearly, Paul recognizes that perception has an abnormal effect on the witness of a Christian. It is important to recognize the large role all non-verbal cues play in effective communication. They have the power to determine single-handedly the success or failure of verbal message-reception.

While this communicative disconnect phenomenon is isolated and expanded on Facebook, is not unique to that platform. Online chat forums, discussion forums, exhibit this too.

But what exactly is happening that is so debilitating?

People respond to argumentation by committing a variety of logical fallacies that can potentially derail an otherwise healthy conversation. Just because the brain is making inferences does not mean they are correct. Most commonly, participators commit the straw man fallacy, false equivocation, red herring, and ad hominem, among others. But why does this happen?

Our brains happen to follow a very strict bias toward negativity. This bias protects humans from threats and endeavors to keep realistic expectations of what happens in a fallen world. This inclination is well studied and documented by many fields. Given the nature and volume of inference that must take place in order to complete the “missing pieces” of Online dialogue, the brain negatively infers the motivations and drivers of the people on the other side of the screen, particularly if they are writing something that directly opposes their beliefs.

A misinterpreted statement is met with a scathing comment, which in turn breeds a defensive and scathing reply. Once a full-blown disregard for honorable interlocution sets in, it is hard to reverse the toxicity.

Denizens of social media flock to circle the wagons, defend their ideology, and tend to the wounded. Groupthink and a descent into straw-manning and ad hominem argument set in. This is a key element of modern political tribalism. People plug their ears, and whether they write out blind responses or detailed and organized ones, the effect is the same. It is important to note here these negative influences usually only affect discussions that involve conflict or disagreement. However, this is not a reason to despair. The good news is, normal and empathetic conversations can and do take place on the Internet daily. Successful social discourse and free speech are predicated on prudent, wise citizens using our communicative freedom both skillfully and judiciously. Unfortunately, the primary mode of verbal interaction today breeds toxicity and tribalism.

Lastly, if this tirade of anti-screen dialogue is correct, why don’t the same host of negative impacts follow social discourse through journals or paper and ink?

There are several reasons. People generally read books to entertain or educate themselves. Put flatly, few people read books they know they will not enjoy or even thoroughly disagree with. Reading intonates an investment in understanding. The reader endeavors to empathize with and learn from the author. Even if the reader doesn’t agree with the foregone conclusion, by the end of the book, they can list a few positives of what the author wrote. Conversely, social media throws real-time, unfiltered public discourse in the faces of viewers, often triggering negative responses, defense mechanisms, and so on. Social media messaging is often devoid of this level of analysis and empathy. Stealing Francis Schaeffer's famous question, how shall we then live?

Well, whenever possible, carry out a disagreeable conversation in person, not over text or Facebook. Refrain from using social media as a way to “reach” people or “fight” for your side of the aisle—it is useless and only contributes to tribalism. Even if you win, the other likely has not truly listened. The fields of justice and political ideation will not be won or lost on social media—it will be won or lost in the hearts and minds of people.

Thaddeus Tague  is the Head Coach at Ethos Debate where he has taught high school and collegiate forensics for over six years. He graduated from Liberty University in 2018 with a B.A. in Public Administration.

If you enjoyed this article, we've got lots more like it in Founders Magazine , a publication of Patrick Henry College.

Topics: politics , local politics , American Politics and Policy , essay , civic debate , communication

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What Is a Breakdown in Communication in the Workplace and How to Deal With It

Communication is a necessary tool for success in any work environment. We communicate predominantly through words, but in the modern digital world, written communication is also a must. Poor communication due to breakdowns often results in conflict and stress, especially when it happens in the workplace.

These types of communication breakdowns occur when one or both parties misunderstand what the other is saying. This is especially prevalent in work-from-home situations. Digital communication is less personal, which can create a breeding ground for unproductive communication and misunderstandings.

If not handled correctly, workplace miscommunication can result in low morale, decreased productivity, and a less friendly work environment, which is something you should avoid at all costs.

In this article, we’ll discuss different ways in which you can recognize, handle and prevent common communication breakdowns in your company.

What Is Digital Communication?

Digital communication is a part of regular communication, except that it includes utilizing various online tools to facilitate the flow of information. It has become the golden standard in almost any modern work setting and it’s how most businesses handle their daily operations nowadays.

Because digital communication is so widely used these days, it is prone to communication breakdowns. These challenges are exacerbated when communication isn’t done face to face, as nuance is lost when we cannot distinguish someone’s intentions through body language.

Poor workplace communication can have a severely negative impact on your business, which is why you should try to identify and resolve it as soon as possible.

What Is a Communication Breakdown?

A communication breakdown happens when two or more people fail to understand each other when exchanging information or ideas. The reason for that can be miscommunication, misinterpretation, or absence of communication.

Effective communication should be understandable, straight to the point, and as objective as possible. However, poor communication is a frequent occurrence, especially in the modern digital environment.

In the business world, sharing and collecting information is extremely important for a company’s success. Workplace communication plays an especially important part because it is one of the main indicators of your business’ performance.

If communication at your workplace is poor and results in a lot of breakdowns, it’s time to change things around. Otherwise, you’ll create an unsafe and unpleasant work environment that will not only negatively impact your employees but also your profits.

How to Identify Communication Breakdowns?

There are many different possible causes for communicatio n b reakdown, so knowing how to recognize the symptoms will be invaluable to your team. It will allow you to spot the issue at an early stage, thus avoiding further conflict and complications.

If you suddenly notice that the environment at your company is gloomy and unproductive, the chances are that something is wrong. Clear communication paves the way for progression and motivation, while misunderstandings lead to conflict and poor performance.

You can identify communication breakdowns by asking yourself and your managers a couple of questions:

• Are my employees being productive ?
• Do they have clear goals and priorities?
• Do my employees work well together?
• Is there a culture of fear within the company?
• Is the work environment tense and uncomfortable?

If the answer to two or more of these questions is yes, then chances are that you’re dealing with some form of communication breakdown at your company. Let’s learn how to deal with this and get your employee productivity back on track .

How to Deal With Breakdowns in Communication?

The best way to deal with common causes of any communication breakdown is to face them head-on. Here are some general tips on how to do that effectively:

• employ an open-door policy in your company
• encourage good communication and collaboration
• lead by example
• try to find a compromise in every situation
• listen to all parties involved to hear all sides of a story
• ask how the involved parties would like to handle the situation
• ask for feedback and tips on how to foster positive communication between your employees and management
• define clear goals, requirements and priorities

However, the best course of action is to try to avoid communication breakdowns altogether. You can do that by creating a positive work environment and encouraging a good flow of information. Another great way to go about this is to hire a coach who can guide your employees on how to avoid and deal with conflicts.

4 Tips on How to Improve Communication Breakdown in the Workplace

Having good communication between employees is imperative if you want your business to thrive. Creating and maintaining a good workflow is a great way to achieve that goal. Here’s how to optimize the workflow at your company and ensure that there’s no more miscommunications or missed deadlines:

1. Use collaborative messaging platforms

Brosix is an all-inclusive online messaging platform for businesses of all sizes. Your employees can create different chat rooms and boards to divide tasks among themselves and communicate important information more effectively.

You can also use it for audio and video calls, file sharing, offline messaging and a plethora of other useful activities.

It’s also great for employees because it keeps track of all user activity which can be accessed through a dedicated control panel. You’ll know exactly which employees are slacking, how they’re communicating and what their performance is like.

2. Train your employees to handle distractions

The coach will equip your team members with the necessary tools and information to help them navigate any future conflicts and teach them how to make the best of any situation.

3. Give and request feedback

Communication is a two-way street. You can’t expect your employees to strive to communicate better if you or your managers’ communication skills are subpar. To ensure that the playing field is level, send out annual, bi-annual or quarterly feedback surveys to hear how your employees feel.

Encourage your managers to have weekly or bi-weekly feedback meetings with their teams where they’ll discuss current projects, ideas, team updates , conflicts or anything else. This will foster an open and honest work environment for everyone.

4. Have difficult conversations face to face

While instant messaging is amazing, quick and convenient, it’s not as personal as face-to-face conversations. Face-to-face conversations are especially important when you need to discuss more serious issues with your employees. The best way to discuss unpleasantries is through in-person communication.

However, since many of us are working remotely at the moment, the second best thing is to schedule a video meeting instead of sending an audio clip or a message. Seeing the other person’s behavior and body language will enable you to navigate the conversation more fluently and hopefully end it on a positive note.

Your employees are the backbone of your business. If they don’t feel safe, heard or respected within the workplace, their performance will reflect that, leaving you with poor results and profits. Make sure to create a safe environment for all your employees and invite them to communicate all issues as clearly and directly as possible.

Use messaging platforms like Brosix and other collaborative platforms to facilitate a good flow of information and to keep track of your employees’ performance. Encourage good communication and relationships between team members and your business will flourish.

What causes communication breakdowns?

Communication breakdown is most commonly caused by some kind of misunderstanding. That misunderstanding can stem from a variety of situations and factors, such as:

• language differences
• perceptual differences
• not paying attention
• distractions and noise
• different personal backgrounds
• misinformation
• speech impediments
• emotional factors
• poor retention
• organizational complexity
• poor decision making
• conflicts with different job roles

What are the signs of communication breakdown?

Communication breakdowns aren’t always apparent from the get-go. Since most people want to avoid conflicts, they tend to brush it under the rug and try to ignore it. However, all that stress builds up and eventually leads to actions and reactions which can negatively affect your company. Pay attention to these symptoms of poor workplace communication:

• lack of trust between employees and team members
• employees working without clear priorities
• set goals not being achieved
• work not done properly or delivered late
• lack of communication between coworkers
• employees being overly defensive or judgemental
• spreading of rumors
• overall work environment seems tense and uncomfortable

What is the cause and effect of communication breakdown?

As we have already touched on above, the causes of communication breakdowns are complex and stem from an abundance of different reasons. We can divide the most common communication breakdowns into a couple of different categories:

• incomplete frameworks – people have different perspectives and present themselves in different ways. This is usually because of their upbringing and background, which may clash with someone else’s. This can result in workplace communication breakdowns.
• lack of self-awareness – some people simply aren’t aware of their words and actions. They might not even consider that their actions can cause miscommunication – they just aren’t aware that they’re doing something wrong.
• low emotional intelligence – some people have underdeveloped social and emotional skills, making it more difficult for them to connect with other people and understand them on a deeper level. Their words might sound harsh or confrontational, which is one of the main causes of communication breakdown.
• other factors – language barriers, different backgrounds, rumors, misinformation, etc.

Unfortunately, the effects of poor communication can be devastating for both a company and team members. If someone feels like their voice isn’t heard, they will probably act out in one way or another. Communication breakdowns can lead to:

• increased stress levels at your workplace
• body language that expresses discomfort or mistrust
• negative facial expressions
• decreased productivity

However, a communication breakdown can provide a valuable learning experience if handled properly. Workplace conflicts are common because there are so many individuals with different personalities and perspectives. If handled maturely, your employees may form stronger connections and learn how to navigate future conflicts with ease.

How to deal with a communication breakdown?

To ensure a healthy and prosperous work environment, you should do your best to avoid communication breakdowns. This can be done in many different ways, though the best course of action depends on the peculiarities of your situation.

These are the most effective ways of achieving better communication and resolving communication issues :

• acknowledge the situation at hand and voice that there has been a communication breakdown
• recognize your faults in the situation and try to explain your actions in a non-condescending manner
• leave your emotions out of the situation – be as objective and straightforward as possible
• try to find a compromise
• try to resolve the issue, ask other involved parties how they’d like to handle the matter
• make sure that everyone is on the same page
• if nothing is working, take the issue to your superiors or the HR department to help you deal with it and maintain workplace satisfaction

Nikola Baldikov is a Head of Marketing at Brosix, specializing in SaaS marketing, SEO, and outreach strategies. Besides his passion for digital marketing, he is an avid football fan and loves to dance. Connect with him on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter at @baldikovn.

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Essay on Communication Breakdown

Introduction.

A communication breakdown is a failure to communicate effectively. It can occur when there is a lack of understanding, misunderstanding, or not enough information being exchanged. There are many reasons why communication breakdowns occur. However, some of the most common include Lack of clarity, Conflicting expectations, and Miscommunication (O’Hair et al. 77). Lack of clarity occurs when the message is not clear; it can be difficult to understand what is being communicated. This can lead to confusion and misunderstanding. Conflicting expectations, when people have different expectations about communication, it can be difficult to come to an agreement. This can lead to communication breakdowns and a lack of cooperation. The essay intends to analyze a communication breakdown experienced in a workplace, specifically identifying the key factors that led to it and what could have been done to prevent it.

Context of Communication Breakdown

I was working on a project with a team of colleagues. We were each assigned different tasks, but we were supposed to work together to complete the project. Unfortunately, there was a communication breakdown, and we ended up working against each other instead of together. The breakdown happened when a colleague was trying to ask the management for a raise. She had worked at the company for several years and felt she deserved more money. However, when she went to her boss to ask for a raise, she was very nervous and did not communicate her needs clearly. Instead of asking for a specific amount, she just said she wanted more money. The management was confused and did not know how to respond. As a result, the conversation did not go well, and the request for a raise was not approved. The main reason for communication breakdown in the context provided is miscommunication. Miscommunication occurs when two people are not using the correct words or phrases to communicate their message, leading to confusion and misunderstanding. Therefore, communication breakdown generally happens when someone does not communicate their needs clearly or uses the wrong channels to try and get what they want. A communication breakdown can have disastrous consequences.

There were several factors that contributed to the communication breakdown. First, there was a lack of clarity about each person’s role in the context. She did not communicate her needs clearly. She should have specifically asked for a raise regarding how much money she wanted rather than just saying that she wanted more money. Secondly, there was a lack of trust and respect between the team members. She should have gone to her human resources department instead of trying to speak to her boss. Third, we were not able to set clear boundaries with regard to our work schedules and responsibilities. Her approach was also tentative, which made it difficult for her to be successful. By being more confident and communicating her needs clearly, she may have been able to get a raise through HR instead of having a difficult conversation with her boss. If she had been able to identify and address the issues with the appropriate department, she might have been able to prevent the communication breakdown from happening. For example, she could have created clearer guidelines for the management to offer her a pay rise. Approaching the right personnel could also have established clear boundaries concerning increasing employee payment, thus preventing communication breakdown.

In any relationship, communication is crucial; whether one is communicating with a friend, family member, or co-worker, the ability to communicate effectively can make or break the relationship. When communication breakdowns occur, it can be frustrating and even lead to conflict. However, there are ways to overcome communication breakdowns and build stronger relationships. One of the most important things to do when communicating with someone is to be clear and concise. This means being aware of your body relationships. This means that when communicating with others, we should be as clear and concise as possible to avoid misunderstanding (O’Hair et al. 77). Furthermore, active listening is also key in overcoming communication breakdown. This means that we should not only be attentive when others are speaking, but we should also try to understand their message by asking questions and clarifying any points we may be unsure about. Moreover, active listening ensures that one can hear what the other person is saying through their tone of voice, body language, and overall demeanor. This allows one to better understand what they are trying to say and helps overcome communication breakdowns. One can presumably avoid any communication problems by employing these techniques. In general, excellent communication is necessary for successful teamwork. We may successfully resolve any possible issues using active listening skills and clear, succinct communication. When all that is needed is for one to feel as though one has heard what has been spoken clearly, concisely, and with understanding, it may also enable one to show others how to improve their relationships ((O’Hair et al. 489). Furthermore, it is crucial to take the time to understand what the other person is saying while trying to fix communication problems. By doing this, one may strengthen connections and improve communication.

Communication breakdowns can have severe effects in today’s society. If this happens in a place of business, it is critical to pinpoint the primary causes and take action to stop such events from happening again. Doing so will spare the company a lot of bother and stress. As a result, it is crucial to convey the message clearly to prevent misunderstanding (O’Hair et al. 77). The chances of misunderstanding are many, yet communication is frequently far from ideal. Miscommunication occasionally has major repercussions, including upset sentiments, strained relationships, or even conflict. The value of sentiment understanding or communication misunderstandings is among the most crucial lessons I have taken away from a communication course.

Regardless of the context, every communication has a chance of being misunderstood, which adds to its complexity. As a result, understanding communication may make it easier to recognize the many message types we give and receive and the potential misunderstandings associated with those communications. Additionally, a greater grasp of communication dynamics could help us overcome interpersonal disputes. Therefore, improved communication skills are crucial for ensuring that spoken words are understood and for assisting in the early resolution of any possible issues. Moreover, an increased grasp of communication enhances a greater appreciation of its intricacies and how miscommunication may happen. It is anticipated that others will be able to manage their diverse situations more effectively thanks to this insight. A solid grasp of communication is a crucial element of this process since it is through our interactions with others that we learn about ourselves. The final point is that effective communication skills are crucial for understanding the intended message and averting disputes before they start.

O’Hair, Dan, et al. Real Communication : An Introduction . Fourth Edition ed., vol. 2, Macmillan Learning, Boston New York, Bedford/st. Martins, 2018, pp. 55–1542. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022.

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‘Shogun’ Episode 5 Recap: Communication Breakdown

John Blackthorne and Lady Mariko learn the responsibility that comes with freedom when Buntaro returns.

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By Sean T. Collins

Episode 5: ‘Broken to the Fist’

Sometimes there’s nothing worse than a miracle. On this week’s episode of “Shogun,” Lady Mariko is shocked when her lord husband, Buntaro, emerges unscathed from what seemed like certain death at the hands of Lord Ishido’s soldiers back in Osaka. Though a brave and formidable warrior, he’s also a emotionally and physically abusive husband. To Buntaro, being forced to share a house with a barbarian like John Blackthorne is like living in the monkey house at a zoo. What he would do if he found out about the clandestine dalliance between Blackthorne and Mariko is all too obvious.

Buntaro’s disgust with the Anjin is easy enough to explain. But his contempt for Mariko — on display during a drunken target practice when he laces arrows millimeters past her face —is part and parcel of his contempt for her entire family. In violation of virtually every shibboleth governing the conduct of samurai, her father assassinated a brutal lord for the sake of the realm. Mariko’s entire family was executed for it — by her father, who committed seppuku after being forced to carry out the act. Mariko wished to fight and die to avenge this injustice, but Buntaro has ordered her to live. She does this while offering him no emotional response to his importunities whatsoever.

To Blackthorne, who cannot fully grasp the concept of the eightfold fence , it sounds like a miserable existence — and to be fair to the Anjin, Mariko has given him little reason to believe otherwise. “You’d die to avenge your father,” he says. “You live in anguish to spite your husband. What becomes of you?” Does she not crave the freedom of self that Englishmen like him enjoy? She wouldn’t enjoy that kind of freedom, Mariko retorts, because it’s a prison of its own. “If freedom is all you ever live for,” she says, “you will never be free of yourself.”

By the time they have this bitter conversation, Blackthorne has come to rue intensely what he perceives to be Japan’s absence of freedom. In an attempt to capture the flavors of home, he allows a pheasant to rot outside his house — the better, he says, to prepare it for stew. For a while, the bird’s stench and the flies it attracts are the stuff of comedy, as is Blackthorne’s complete inability to talk to his consort Lady Fuji about it without Mariko around to translate. (His inability to make himself understood absent Mariko’s aid will become important later.)

The miscommunication, however, turns fatal. Seizing the few words he knows, Blackthorne hyperbolically says that anyone who touches the pheasant in defiance of his wishes will die. The servants have no choice but to take his words literally, just as they have no choice but to remove anything that upsets the harmony of the village as much as that stinking bird.

So it falls to Blackthorne’s favorite employee, the old gardener Uejiro (Junichi Tajiri), to dispose of the bird, and then kill himself for disobeying the Hatamoto. Blackthorne is naturally horrified. Had anyone asked him — had anyone been able to ask him, that is, and had he been able to reply — he would have simply said it was no big deal. Instead, Uejiro died for nothing.

But his death turns out to serve a vital purpose for Lord Toranaga’s cause. As the jockeying for power between Toranaga and his son Nagakado, on one side, and Lord Yabushige and his nephew Omi continues, the latter two have been hunting for Toranaga’s spy in their village. That spy, Muraji — who isn’t a humble fisherman at all, but a samurai working a deep cover assignment for Toranaga — uses Uejiro’s death and the chaos of an earthquake to plant incriminating documents in the wreckage of the deceased servant’s home, ending the search.

Blackthorne is distraught when he learns what has happened. You can read in the eyes of the actor Cosmo Jarvis not just Blackthorne’s grief, but his fear — fear that a similar misstep will cause a similar tragedy. The rules may be different for a ship’s pilot leading his crew and a Hatamoto running his household, but responsibility is a commonly held concept.

The best thing about “Shogun” is that the sword of ignorance and understanding cuts both ways. Consider the entire geopolitical situation surrounding the Anjin’s arrival. Despite his canniness, Lord Toranaga had no idea the Portuguese were building a secret army using Japanese Christian soldiers in order to cement their so-called ownership of Japan. Toranaga, too, did not understand the ways of a dangerous foreign culture, and people died for this as well.

More deaths may be on the way. Returning from Toranaga’s captivity, Lady Ochiba no Kata, widow of the daimyo and mother of the Heir, arrives in Osaka and promptly takes command of the squabbling council of regents. With this one confident maneuver, she establishes herself as a more formidable opponent than Lord Ishido. That’s unlucky for Toranaga, Mariko and Blackthorne. But I have a feeling that if you like the look of those “Lord of the Rings”–size armies and encampments, it’s lucky for you.

By now, all Blackthorne wants to do is take his ship and his crew and go home. He feels he’s upheld his end of his deal with Toranaga. But following that punishing conversation with Lady Mariko, she refuses to translate accurately for him anymore, and his pleas go unheeded.

But John Blackthorne has a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time. His shipwreck on the shores of Japan placed him in grave danger, but it was also what gave him the chance to alert Lord Toranaga, the closest thing Japan has to a ruler, to the perfidy of his Portuguese allies. He winds up a prisoner, but his imprisonment allows Toranaga to delay, and then escape, his impeachment and execution.

Now, just moments after Mariko sabotages his request to leave, he bears witness to an earthquake and a landslide — the kind of natural disaster that horrified him when Mariko first told him about such occurrences.

The landslide gives Blackthorne the opportunity to spring into action, find Lord Toranaga buried beneath the dirt and help drag the man to safety. The Anjin slaps Toranaga on the back a few times until he coughs up the last of the dirt blocking his airway, and then gives Toranaga the swords gifted to him earlier by Lady Fuji, an act just as impressive to this audience in its way. Once again, by finding himself in a jam, Blackthorne is also perfectly positioned to prove his worth to the man on whom his life depends. He is the luckiest unlucky man on television.

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