There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.

— Aldous Huxley.

Definition:

Perception is a process consisting of three parts that we use to make sense of messages we encounter. We select, organize, and interpret stimuli so that they make sense to us. This happens constantly in our personal, professional, and public lives. For example, a friend asks you if you would like to go to a concert together. You eagerly confirm that you would like to go, as long as the tickets are not too expensive. Your friend buys the tickets and sends you a text message informing you how much you owe. When you learn the price of the ticket, you are shocked because your perception of “not too expensive” is clearly much different than your friend’s perception. Differences in perception may cause minor misunderstandings or even major communication breakdowns.

Since perception is a cognitive process that helps us to understand our experiences, how we receive, filter, and interpret behaviors and conversations may not be the same as how someone else will complete the process. In essence, perception is the key to how we assign meaning in our interactions with others and thus, it has a significant impact on how we communicate and how we understand the communication of others. Understanding the perception process will enable you to consider the potential misunderstandings that may occur and help you communicate more effectively

Factors:

Age

Things that don’t seem important to us when we are one age could become very important at another age. The reverse may also be true. Perhaps when you were younger, you couldn’t imagine ever being able to sleep without your favorite stuffed animal. Now, you remember your stuffed animal fondly, but you can sleep well without it. Consider the fact that when you were younger you may have felt uneasy discussing your romantic interests with your parents, but as an adult, you may be much more comfortable sharing information and even asking them for their perspective on your romantic relationships.

Gender

How we view things may be related to whether we are male or female. While this isn’t always the case, males and females may perceive the same thing differently. In certain situations, your gender may influence your perception. In addition to their different views and expectations, we may also have different perceptions of males and females. For example, differences in how male and female newscasters were perceived when delivering the same message. While the information that both newscasters shared was identical, the perceptions of the newscasters were different. Male newscasters were rated as being more competent, more composed, and more extroverted than female newscasters. Thus, gender may cause us to perceive things differently or to be perceived by others in different ways.

Physical Characteristics

 Another factor that has the potential to influence our perception is size or physical ability. For example, you had a pink stuffed bear as a child and remembering it to be life-sized. Many years later you found the bear in the attic, you asked your mother if she had washed the bear and put it in the dryer, thus shrinking it but she didn’t. Clearly, when she was very small, the bear appeared to be much larger than it actually was. While she had grown over the years, her perception of one of her favorite childhood toys had remained unchanged. When we are small, things seem much bigger to us. The much larger parent probably doesn’t realize that the world looks much different from the small child’s vantage point. The same thing might be true for those of you who exercise on a regular basis. Weights that may be considered “light” for someone who has lifted for some time may seem extremely “heavy” for someone new to strength training. As you reflect on these examples, imagine the miscommunication that might occur when your interpretation of something is different from someone else’s interpretation.

Culture

 If you have ever traveled to another country, you have probably experienced firsthand how different things may be. Not only may the language be new to you, but also the types of food, styles of dress, and even smells may be unique. As a result, you probably perceived things differently from someone who was a native of that country. If you are from a culture that values direct eye contact, you would most likely perceive someone looking directly at you as being respectful. If, however, the other person is from a culture where it is disrespectful to look someone in the eyes when talking, you may perceive their lack of eye contact as being rude and misinterpret the situation if you don’t understand the differences in cultural expectations. Examples like these occur more often than we realize and can cause individuals to misread a communication situation.

Personal Experience

 As we alluded to earlier, your own personal experiences may affect your perceptions. For example, suppose you hire a contractor to do some work in your home. Upon her arrival, the contractor thank you multiple times and expresses her appreciation for the work. She explains that the recent economy has resulted in fewer jobs and more competition from other contractors. Her personal experience in struggling to find work has caused her to perceive the opportunity to work on your home differently than she would have if job options were readily available. Her personal experience of the shift in availability of work opportunities has changed the perceptions she had about her livelihood and the customers who pay for her services.

Stereotypes

The stereotypes or generalizations we hold about a group or a category of people may also affect our perceptions. When we stereotype someone, we apply our general perceptions of a particular group to an individual. This helps us simplify the process of perception and form a quick impression of the person. Reflect on some of your own perceptions of groups of people based on their economic status, cultural background, religious beliefs, education level, or other factors. Perhaps you perceive wealthy people as being self-absorbed and selfish, while someone else may perceive them as being generous and hard-working. Being aware of our stereotypes is important to ensuring effective communication. When we only use our own stereotypes to guide our communication with others, we increase our risk of miscommunication. After all, our stereotypes are not always entirely accurate. As you can see, there are many factors that potentially alter how you perceive something. Understanding that you may perceive something in a totally different way from others is key to becoming a more effective communicator

To overcome differing perceptions, the message should be explained so that it can be understood by receivers with different views and experiences. Whenever possible, we should learn about the background of those with whom we will be communicating. Unfortunately, many of us incorrectly believe that the way in which we perceive something is exactly how others perceive it. It is important to realize that others may not share your perception of the same thing and learn to engage in the practice of checking your perceptions . Empathizing – seeing the situation from the other person’s point of view and delaying reactions until the relevant information is weighted will help to reduce ambiguity. When the subject is unclear, asking questions is critical.

Citations:

https://www.citeman.com/4928-differing-perceptions-in-communication.html
https://www.typetalk.com/blog/overcoming-perceptual-barriers-to-communication/
https://bizfluent.com/how-8483270-eliminate-perceptual-barriers.html
https://www.slideshare.net/vasanivijay/difference-perception-and-their-effect-on-communication
https://he.kendallhunt.com/sites/default/files/uploadedFiles/Kendall_Hunt/Content/Higher_Education/Uploads/Weintraub_1e_Ch2.pdf

Photos not mine, credits to the rightful owners