Effective Communication Paper

Effective Communication
The effectiveness of communication is very important because it is what we share with others and how we share the information. Communication is everywhere, and it is used worldwide. People use communication to express emotions, feelings, and ideas. Communication is used at work, home, school, store, and just everyday task. There are many types of communication, as well as different methods that are used. In the Criminal Justice System some of the methods that make communication become effective like our verbal and non-verbal communication; learning the difference of listening to someone or hearing someone. Beside the fact on what helps communication, also the informal and formal channels of where we get our information. Due to the fact that communication is so big there are also barriers that effect communication to function how it should.
With communication there are two methods that are used in criminal justice which are verbal and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication is when you gather your information by listening what others have to say. It is the communication that is done in voice. It is also when you have to say something or give a testimony of someone. In the criminal justice system verbal communication cannot reach a consensus on the exact number of styles. It is surrounded by four dimensions which are blaming, directing, persuading, and problem solving. These four dimensions are used very regularly in verbal communication. Verbal communication is not just speaking; it is also being able to listen to what others have to say. In the criminal justice field you must be able to have good listing skill, in order to verbal communicate. For example you are a police officer and you get a call that there has been a burglary. The victim is telling you what just happen and they are describing the criminals’ descriptions you must be able to hear correctly so you can make a report and find the criminal. Every detail that is given to you is highly important. Ways to help your listening skills is to repeat everything the person is telling you in this case the victim. That way you can double check what you heard and make sure you comprehended correctly. Non-verbal communication is when you don’t speak nor listen, but most information is done writing, or body language. Non-verbal communication is more persist then verbal communication most non-verbal communications could be used in most court hearings. Body language is something that is also used in non-verbal communication because you can tell if someone is lying to you, or telling you the truth just by their body languages. A person’s movements that they do with their body can tell you a lot, but you must be carefully that you are reading the correct body language signs and not misinterpreted. Both verbal and non-verbal communication it is very important that we understand the different forms of communication. It is also important that we are aware of the social and culture difference that are in communication so it does not affective our verbal or non-verbal communication.
Next is the difference between listing and hearing. Even though they sound pretty much the same and do pretty much the same task, they are two totally different things. Listing is when you are quit and you give the person talking your attention or at least act like you are giving it to them. How that person is talking your mind is somewhere else, or you are already thinking on what to say to the person asking the question. It is also when a person is telling you something and you only want to listen to what you agree or believe in. Hearing is when you give the person talking and at the same time you are processing what he or she is saying. You clear everything in your mind and focus on what they are telling you or asking. In most conversations everyone is listen to others, but not hearing them. When you are asked a question and you already thought of the answer without the person finishing there question, you are only listening but not hearing what they just asked you. In communication it is very important that we not only listen but hear what others have to tell us because this is what makes us good communicators. It helps us to express our fillings and understand others as well. In criminal justice it is very important that our listing skills are good, and we are hearing most of the time, so we are aware of what is going on, and we can contribute better to whatever is happing around us.
Communication in criminal justice does not only focus on how it is done but, where the information is coming from. Where information is brought in criminal justice are from channels. Channels are information that is from a sender to the recipient. It is the way information flows to one person to the other. There are two different channels; there are formal channels and informal channels. According to chapter two, formal channels are formal orders, directives, and written memorandums. When a formal channel is written it must have be check carefully, and then send to the chain of commands, then forward to the addressee. The reason formal channels are used is because it provides order and security to the police organization. An informal channel is the grapevine, or a department of gossip. It is an unofficial information that is past down from one person to another. It is the information that might be forgotten in a crime scene and then token to the detective to share it with him or her. After the information is given to the detective they will make the decision to send the information higher up. Between the formal and informal information in most police department informal information is the one that is used most often due to the fact that it is less time consuming. Even though the information that is presented in court hearing is formal information because it is well prepared and they have been reviewed by the chain of command. Not only that but it is revived from the chain of commands and reported. The informal channels may not be correct information all the times but it is the one that is used the most in the criminal justice system.
The different barriers that have an effective on communication in criminal justice are language, not being well prepared, and favoritism. To me this barrier is what has a big effect on criminal justice. In communication well language can be a very big issue when communicating because many of the information can be misunderstood. This country is a country of immigrants therefore we have some many different languages in the United States. Therefore it is hard to be able to understand all of them. Even though Spanish seems to be the most popular, there are still many other those languages around us. Many of the time officers have trouble communicated with a person that English is there second language because of the accent of the person, and officers must be very careful that they gather the correct information. The second barrier is when a person that is in the criminal justice field is not well prepared. It is important that they are well prepared and know the key elements in writing, and speaking. The third barrier is favoritism. A lot of the time there is a lot of favoritism everywhere and I think in criminal justice is not the exception. The favoritism can have an effect on communication because if the person who has the information does not like you or does not want to share they will only share the information with who they want to. For example if a person who works with the FBI, has an information about a crime scene, in most cases will not share the information with someone in the state unless they have a close relationship with them or has a connection with that person. This happens very regularly in the criminal justice system. Some of the strategies that can be used to overcome communication barrier is making sure that when you are given information that you are paying close attention to what is being said. That you are hearing instead of listen. Also that when you are writing a report to make sure that everything is clear, well written, and short and simple. It is very important to give details but you must be careful and not give the unnecessary details. That everyone is working as a group and not separated from each other. Everyone has the same purpose in the criminal justice system, and that is to protect and stop the criminals. Therefore everyone should be working as a team and sharing any information that will help one another. By doing this it will make the criminal justice system work better and it will flow correctly.
Communication is very important and is needed, we must make sure that everything that is done in criminal justice is done properly because it can have an effect in the long run and may even cause someone’s job. That is why it is very important that you know the difference of the different types of communication verbal, non-verbal, listening, or hearing. Whichever the case may by; or even if your information is formal or informal. Every part is important for the communication to function properly.

References:
Oral versus Written Communication: 2009, Methods for Law Enforcement, Fourth Edition by Harvey Wallace and Cliff Roberson. Retrieved on November 8, 2009.

References: Oral versus Written Communication: 2009, Methods for Law Enforcement, Fourth Edition by Harvey Wallace and Cliff Roberson. Retrieved on November 8, 2009.