Human communication through words – both written and spoken, gestures, symbols, pictures, music, signals and actions are both incomplete and imperfect.

All these may be misrepresented, misinterpreted, wrongly perceived, misunderstood and miscommunicated.

“The map is not the territory.” — Alfred Korzybski

Communication is the map but not the territory.

Two persons never quite “see” the same though they may be seeing the same thing or hearing the same speech or reading the same document or book.

There is nothing objective in communication.

We might say things, which we don’t mean.

Our action might not match our intention.

We might keep our desires secret from others.

Communicators and their recipients are perpetually trapped by their subjectivity shaped by their memories, experiences, beliefs, desires, hope, faith, values, judgements, egos, culture, economies, learning, intentions and perceptions.

Various shades of ambiguity and complexity color any communication. Nothing can ever be “crystal clear.”

Misunderstanding is bound to happen — the impact of which may be rather devastating.

It is almost impossible to avoid human communication. However, we may only reduce the impact by not attaching great importance to the ever limited nature of communication of which silence and noise are also integral parts of the whole field of communication.