What Does Communication Gap Means? How Can It Be Defined?

A communication gap is a state that occurs when communication is not happening when it should be. For example, a well reported communication gap is present between Ministers of the European Parliament and voters. With such vast areas to represent they gauge very little of the general opinion and because of this difficulty people decline to provide input and comment and ultimately it leads to a lack of progress. This is the exact same in a business; be it internal management or external advertising.

Beating the communication gap is a major hurdle in the organisation's pursuit of prosperity and progress. With the gap unresolved it leads to goals and objectives not being met and this hinders a business fulfilling its potential.

The general reasons for a communication gap vary, and can be anything from differing languages and the differing quality of language (both high brow and rude) through to vague instructions, poor definitions and contradictory messages. It can often be down to gender differences or a clash within the workplace.

The challenge is for managers and employees to be able to discuss the problems and where the confusion lies and why they feel there is a problem, and then to work through and close the gap. If the instruction is convoluted (complex) then change the wording. At the end of giving an instruction, ask the employee if they understood what is required of them. Simple adjustments to how dialogue is performed but it can make a huge difference.

Going back to the gender divide, women tend to ask questions before they get to work, unlike men who just set about being productive. The result is that men assume women are incompetent and that's why they need additional information, when really they are just trying to verify they understood correctly so they can improve their performance. With the majority of managing types being men, and with men generally growing and vying for leadership along the way, it results in a clash and frustration at the difference in methods and responses and interaction preferences.