TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Katherine Hampsten: How miscommunication happens (and how to avoid it)

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Have you ever talked with a friend about a problem only to realize that he just doesn't seem to grasp why the issue is so important to you? Have you ever presented an idea to a group and it's met with utter confusion? Or maybe you've been in an argument when the other person suddenly accuses you of not listening to what they're saying at all? What's going on here? The answer is miscommunication, and in some form or another, we've all experienced it. It can lead to csifounon, animosity, misunderstanding, or even crashing a multimillion dollar probe into the surface of Mars. The fact is even when face-to-face with another poresn, in the very same room, and speaking the same language, human communication is ielcdnibry complex. But the good news is that a basic understanding of what happens when we communicate can help us prevent miscommunication. For decades, researchers have asked, "What happens when we communicate?" One interpretation, called the transmission meodl, views communication as a message that moves directly from one person to another, similar to someone tossing a ball and walking away. But in rtlaiey, this simplistic model doesn't account for communication's complexity. Enter the transactional model, which acknowledges the many added challenges of communicating. With this model, it's more accurate to think of communication between people as a game of ccath. As we communicate our message, we receive feedback from the other party. Through the transaction, we create meaning together. But from this exchange, further complications arise. It's not like the Star Trek universe, where some crcathreas can vcalun mind meld, fully sharing tuhgtohs and feelings. As humans, we can't help but send and receive messages through our own sucbtejive lenses. When communicating, one person expresses her interpretation of a message, and the person she's conainmucmtig with hears his own interpretation of that message. Our perceptual fretils continually shift meanings and interpretations. Remember that game of catch? Imagine it with a lump of clay. As each person touches it, they shape it to fit their own unique pteirnpeocs based on any number of variables, like knowledge or past experience, age, race, geednr, ethnicity, religion, or family background. Simultaneously, every person interprets the msegsae they receive based on their relationship with the other person, and their unique understanding of the sintcemas and coanoointtns of the eacxt words being used. They could also be distracted by other stmilui, such as traffic or a growling stomach. Even eiomton might cloud their unainrdsnetdg, and by adding more people into a conversation, each with their own subjectivities, the complexity of communication grows exponentially. So as the lump of clay goes back and forth from one person to another, reworked, reshaped, and always changing, it's no wonder our messages sometimes turn into a mush of miscommunication. But, luckily, there are some simple practices that can help us all navigate our daily itncaitoenrs for better communication. One: recognize that pasvise hearing and active listening are not the same. Engage actively with the verbal and nonverbal fecadebk of others, and adjsut your message to facilitate greater understanding. Two: ltiesn with your eyes and ears, as well as with your gut. Remember that cnimtocomuain is more than just words. Three: take time to understand as you try to be utrsoodend. In the rush to express ourselves, it's easy to forget that communication is a two-way street. Be open to what the other person might say. And finally, four: Be aware of your psnorael perceptual filters. Elements of your experience, including your cutrlue, community, and family, influence how you see the wrold. Say, "This is how I see the problem, but how do you see it?" Don't assume that your perception is the objective truth. That'll help you work toward sharing a dialogue with others to reach a cmmoon understanding together.

Open Cloze

Have you ever talked with a friend about a problem only to realize that he just doesn't seem to grasp why the issue is so important to you? Have you ever presented an idea to a group and it's met with utter confusion? Or maybe you've been in an argument when the other person suddenly accuses you of not listening to what they're saying at all? What's going on here? The answer is miscommunication, and in some form or another, we've all experienced it. It can lead to _________, animosity, misunderstanding, or even crashing a multimillion dollar probe into the surface of Mars. The fact is even when face-to-face with another ______, in the very same room, and speaking the same language, human communication is __________ complex. But the good news is that a basic understanding of what happens when we communicate can help us prevent miscommunication. For decades, researchers have asked, "What happens when we communicate?" One interpretation, called the transmission _____, views communication as a message that moves directly from one person to another, similar to someone tossing a ball and walking away. But in _______, this simplistic model doesn't account for communication's complexity. Enter the transactional model, which acknowledges the many added challenges of communicating. With this model, it's more accurate to think of communication between people as a game of _____. As we communicate our message, we receive feedback from the other party. Through the transaction, we create meaning together. But from this exchange, further complications arise. It's not like the Star Trek universe, where some __________ can ______ mind meld, fully sharing ________ and feelings. As humans, we can't help but send and receive messages through our own __________ lenses. When communicating, one person expresses her interpretation of a message, and the person she's _____________ with hears his own interpretation of that message. Our perceptual _______ continually shift meanings and interpretations. Remember that game of catch? Imagine it with a lump of clay. As each person touches it, they shape it to fit their own unique ___________ based on any number of variables, like knowledge or past experience, age, race, ______, ethnicity, religion, or family background. Simultaneously, every person interprets the _______ they receive based on their relationship with the other person, and their unique understanding of the _________ and ____________ of the _____ words being used. They could also be distracted by other _______, such as traffic or a growling stomach. Even _______ might cloud their _____________, and by adding more people into a conversation, each with their own subjectivities, the complexity of communication grows exponentially. So as the lump of clay goes back and forth from one person to another, reworked, reshaped, and always changing, it's no wonder our messages sometimes turn into a mush of miscommunication. But, luckily, there are some simple practices that can help us all navigate our daily ____________ for better communication. One: recognize that _______ hearing and active listening are not the same. Engage actively with the verbal and nonverbal ________ of others, and ______ your message to facilitate greater understanding. Two: ______ with your eyes and ears, as well as with your gut. Remember that _____________ is more than just words. Three: take time to understand as you try to be __________. In the rush to express ourselves, it's easy to forget that communication is a two-way street. Be open to what the other person might say. And finally, four: Be aware of your ________ perceptual filters. Elements of your experience, including your _______, community, and family, influence how you see the _____. Say, "This is how I see the problem, but how do you see it?" Don't assume that your perception is the objective truth. That'll help you work toward sharing a dialogue with others to reach a ______ understanding together.

Solution

catch
passive
vulcan
personal
communicating
confusion
stimuli
understanding
filters
culture
listen
understood
message
perceptions
emotion
connotations
model
interactions
adjust
reality
common
feedback
incredibly
world
gender
characters
exact
communication
subjective
thoughts
person
semantics

Original Text

Have you ever talked with a friend about a problem only to realize that he just doesn't seem to grasp why the issue is so important to you? Have you ever presented an idea to a group and it's met with utter confusion? Or maybe you've been in an argument when the other person suddenly accuses you of not listening to what they're saying at all? What's going on here? The answer is miscommunication, and in some form or another, we've all experienced it. It can lead to confusion, animosity, misunderstanding, or even crashing a multimillion dollar probe into the surface of Mars. The fact is even when face-to-face with another person, in the very same room, and speaking the same language, human communication is incredibly complex. But the good news is that a basic understanding of what happens when we communicate can help us prevent miscommunication. For decades, researchers have asked, "What happens when we communicate?" One interpretation, called the transmission model, views communication as a message that moves directly from one person to another, similar to someone tossing a ball and walking away. But in reality, this simplistic model doesn't account for communication's complexity. Enter the transactional model, which acknowledges the many added challenges of communicating. With this model, it's more accurate to think of communication between people as a game of catch. As we communicate our message, we receive feedback from the other party. Through the transaction, we create meaning together. But from this exchange, further complications arise. It's not like the Star Trek universe, where some characters can Vulcan mind meld, fully sharing thoughts and feelings. As humans, we can't help but send and receive messages through our own subjective lenses. When communicating, one person expresses her interpretation of a message, and the person she's communicating with hears his own interpretation of that message. Our perceptual filters continually shift meanings and interpretations. Remember that game of catch? Imagine it with a lump of clay. As each person touches it, they shape it to fit their own unique perceptions based on any number of variables, like knowledge or past experience, age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or family background. Simultaneously, every person interprets the message they receive based on their relationship with the other person, and their unique understanding of the semantics and connotations of the exact words being used. They could also be distracted by other stimuli, such as traffic or a growling stomach. Even emotion might cloud their understanding, and by adding more people into a conversation, each with their own subjectivities, the complexity of communication grows exponentially. So as the lump of clay goes back and forth from one person to another, reworked, reshaped, and always changing, it's no wonder our messages sometimes turn into a mush of miscommunication. But, luckily, there are some simple practices that can help us all navigate our daily interactions for better communication. One: recognize that passive hearing and active listening are not the same. Engage actively with the verbal and nonverbal feedback of others, and adjust your message to facilitate greater understanding. Two: listen with your eyes and ears, as well as with your gut. Remember that communication is more than just words. Three: take time to understand as you try to be understood. In the rush to express ourselves, it's easy to forget that communication is a two-way street. Be open to what the other person might say. And finally, four: Be aware of your personal perceptual filters. Elements of your experience, including your culture, community, and family, influence how you see the world. Say, "This is how I see the problem, but how do you see it?" Don't assume that your perception is the objective truth. That'll help you work toward sharing a dialogue with others to reach a common understanding together.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
perceptual filters	2

Important Words

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