LABOUR LAWS AND OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

UNIT 3 SECTION
INDUSTRIAL 5
RELATIONS Unit 3, section 5: Overcoming barriers to effective communication

This section seeks to discuss the main ways of overcoming the barriers to
effective communication in the organization. The section starts with media
of communication, including factors to consider in choosing the media of
communication. This will be followed by a discussion of effective
communication. The final part of the session covers the main ways of
overcoming barriers to effective communication.

By successfully following a learning programme of this section, the student

will able to identify and explain the basic ways of overcoming barriers to
effective communication. The student will also be able to explain effective
communication and suggest the factors to consider in choosing the media of
communication.

Media of communication
The general media of communication ranges from silence to talking or noise
making. In between these two, there are countless forms of media available
to management. Media of communication refers to the channel or conduit
through which message is transmitted to its intended receivers. There are
many varieties of verbal media used in the organization. They include the
letters, reports, newsletters, magazines, face-to-face communication, phone
calls, e-mail, voice mails, faxes, video conferences, radios, notice boards,
and many others. Though it may not be officially sanctioned, nonverbal cues
can also serve as a media through which organizational members can
communicate with one another. Examples of nonverbal media include
touch, facial expression, tone of voice, eye-contact, gestures and body
postures. The choice of media however depends on the situation in which
we find ourselves.

Factors to consider in choosing the medium of communication

A good communicator will always consider the appropriateness of the
medium to be used in conveying a message to his audience. As managers,
we must be sensitive to the symbolic meaning of the selected medium to
ensure that it amplifies rather than contradicts the content of our message.
There is no one single medium that managers can consistently rely on. But
when the wrong media is chosen, issues take loner time to resolve and
misunderstandings are more likely to occur. The appropriateness of a
medium depends on the situation, and everyone is required to be media
sensitive in all situations. The following factors must be considered in
choosing the appropriate medium for sending message to our receivers:

 Media richness
This is defined as the amount of information that a medium can carry and
the extent to which the medium enables senders and receivers to reach a
common understanding without significant distortion. Study indicates that
the face-to-face conversation is the richest media. It is personal and allows a
more descriptive language as it can send different types of cues. The written

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letter or memo is much less rich: feedback is slow, it is formal and

impersonal. Other media such as the telephone or the electronic mail have
richness somewhere between these extremes. In choosing a medium
therefore, managers should consider how much information it can carry per
time and whether or not it can ensure commonest of understanding among
the parties involved.

 The immediacy of transmission or feedback

This relates to the speed with which a message can be transmitted or a
response received. For instance, media such as electronic mail (e-mails,
voice mail and fax) are capable of allowing reports and other information to
be transmitted almost instantly. Letters posted through the post office
system may take a few days, or more to deliver the same message. The
speed with which management want to carry the message to receivers, and
the time limit within which a response is required, can therefore determine
the choice of a media.

 The “appropriateness” of the medium

Certain types of messages must be communicated through specific media.
Some media are required for certain types of messages and may be
completely inappropriate for others. A bulletin board may be used for an
advertising message but it is probably not the place for reprimanding an
employee. The appropriateness of medium depends on whether the situation
is routine, non-routine or ambiguous. In general, managers need to send
difficult and unusual messages through a richer media; transmit simple and
routine message through less rich media like the memos; and use a multi-
media system for important messages that they want employees to
understand and attend to.

 The need for and cost of accompanying materials or equipment

Another factor that affect the choice of a communication medium is the
need for paper or pen in letter writing, the electronic trail or computer for e-
mails and voice mails; and the phone booths or mobile phones in telephone
conversations. Before we can send our message by any of the media
mentioned, those accompanying materials must be available and we should
be able to bear the cost of hiring or acquiring them. Thus, the differences in
their cost and availability can determine a manager’s choice of media.

Effective communication
Effective communication occurs when the receiver interprets the message
exactly the same as the sender intended. The critical factor in measuring the
effectiveness of communication is commonest of understanding. The ability
to transmit the sender’s intended meaning in exactly way as it was intended
is the very essence of good communication. Effective communication is
defined as the simultaneous and identical understanding of the content and
intent of message by both senders and receivers of that message.

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Ensuring effective communication

Various steps may be taken to ensure effective communication in our
organizations. The most common ones are discussed below:
 Adopting a feedback
The communicator can ensure effective communication by building
feedback into messages sent to receivers. In this way, the two-way
communication is encouraged.
 Using more than one communication media
Managers must use more than one media to send messages to their
employees. They can use the informal communication network to reinforce
the message sent through the formal communication. By supplementing one
media or network with another, effective communication can occur because
the subordinate can assess each medium and select the most favorable.
 Restricting the number of communication “links” in the chain of
command
The lesser the number of “breakdown” points in the communication process,
the greater the degree of transmitting common understanding. With less
“breakdown” points, a message is conveyed more directly to the recipients.
The fact that a message has to be relayed from person to person can create
many opportunities for the message to be filtered, embellished, or otherwise
distorted. Thus, to ensure effective communication, the number of
communication “links” in the chain must be reduced.
 Ensuring clarity
Sensitivity to the needs and characteristics of the recipient of the message
(relating to experience, awareness, intelligence, perception etc.) can
reinforce the need to produce a clear message. Furthermore, we need to keep
in mind the underlying meaning of our message and to make sure that the
tone, the expression; and the choice of words used can consistently convey
the intended meaning. Unless we recognize such simple mistakes, we may
be creating unnecessary ambiguity and our listeners may not understand us.

Attributes of effective communication

There is good communication when the right person receives the right
information at the right time and through the appropriate medium. For all
effective communications, the following five major characteristics can be
observed:
 Communication must be timely
Information must be transmitted and received at the right time. If
information is sent and received at the wrong time, the intended meaning
may be lost since it will be too late to use the information for the total good
of the firm. Good communication must lead to a positive decision or a
change in attitude in accordance with stated managerial times, otherwise it
ought not to have taken place.
 Information must be accurate, complete and to the point
For communication to be effective the information conveyed to the receiver
should be factually correct and precise, otherwise wrong conclusions may

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be drawn or wrong decisions taken. By far, all the relevant facts should be
stated. Furthermore, a brief message will be more acceptable than a very
long-verbose speech.
 Communication should be directed to the right audience
Unless the rightful recipient of a message is targeted, no action will be
taken, or actions taken may be contrary to those intended. In an effective
communication, senders identify the target receivers, take their needs and
characteristics into account and send the right message to them.
 Understandable
To achieve common understanding between senders and receivers, care
must be taken as to how the information is presented. A wrong presentation
may lead to ambiguity. Of course, not everyone has the same degree of
logical analysis, and this is why well designed formal presentations are most
preferable, and often effective than the informal communication. In every
effective communication, there must be mutual understanding between
parties.
 The use of appropriate medium
Accurate and timely information may be blared or distorted by the medium
used to carry it. As McLuhan rightly put it: “the medium is the message”.
To ensure effective communication, care must be taken on the choice of
communication media used.

Importance of effective communication

Effective communication is primarily necessary for management decision
making, interdepartmental co-ordination and individual motivation and
effectiveness.
 Management Decision Making
Decisions are finished products of information. Information is the raw
material used by management to obtain final decision. When the
information conveyed to management is irrelevant, wrong decisions may be
taken. With effective communication, managers are able to gather the most
relevant information required for managerial decision making.
 Interdepartmental co-ordination
Through effective communication, the various functional areas such as the
administration, purchasing, production and marketing can be synchronized
to perform the right actions at the right times.
 Individual motivation and effectiveness
Effective communication is a morale booster for all, and can make
employees feel they are part of the organization. Employees are often
committed to organizational goals they know what is expected of them, how
to do what is expected of them, and when they must accomplish that task.

Overcoming barriers to interpersonal communication

Many suggestions have been presented for overcoming the causes of
communication failures. The most common are:
 Using simple but precise language

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Complex language has been identified as a major barrier to effective

communication. It will be very wrong to use jargons or an in-group
language when dealing with people from other groups. To ensure effective
communication, choose words that are very simple to understand. Simple
language reduces the problem of poor speaking and listening.
 Following up
By this mechanism, you are assuming that you might have been
misunderstood by your receiver and you are therefore attempting to
determine whether your intended meaning was actually received. The
following up process may be in the form of questions which are directed to
the receiver to find out what he has received from your conversation.
Following up can reduce unnecessary filtering, semantic or perceptional
errors.
 Regulating information flow
One surest way to overcome information overload is the regulation of the
flow of information. As said earlier, everyone has a certain information
processing capacity. Regulating communication can ensure an optimum
flow of information to individuals, thereby eliminating information
overload.
 Utilizing feedback
In an effective two-way communication, feedback cannot be ignored.
Feedback enables a communicator to determine whether the message sent
has been received or has produced the intended response. If feedback is not
received, the communicator should ask for it. It is desirable to make
provision for feedback in the communication process since it decreases the
potential for various barriers such as filtering, value judgment, and
perceptual errors.
 Repetition
Parties to a communication process must try to repeat sentences or
statements they think are technical, or contain in-groups language in
different versions. Even repeating the same statement two or three times
makes one pick some additional understanding of the statement. Too much
repetition however, can reduce the beauty of a conversation.
 Empathy
According to Chambers English Dictionary, empathy relates to the ability to
enter another’s personality, and imaginatively experiencing that person’s
experience. In simple terms empathy requires a communicator to place
himself in the shoes of the receiver; to recognize the receiver’s feelings or to
be able to anticipate how the message is likely to be decoded. Most of the
time people don’t tell us what they feel in words. You can only deduce that
from the tone of their voice, their body language or facial expression.
Empathy is built from self-awareness. Knowledge of the “self” is a
prerequisite for understanding the feelings of others.
 Effective listening
To improve communication, individuals must seek not only to be
understood, but also to understand others. Just listening is not enough, one
must listen with understanding. To ensure this, we need to refrain from

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interrupting senders in the middle of a message else they would lose their
train of thought. Maintaining good eye-contact with senders of a message
makes them feel that we are paying attention to them. Moreover, to be good
listeners, we need to ask questions where we are confused.

It is very important for management to recognize and overcome barriers to

effective communication for operational optimization. These would include
using simple but precise language, following up, effective listening,
empathy, repetition, utilizing feedback and regulating information flow. In
doing this management must consider media of communication that is used,
and the factors to consider in choosing the media of communication.

Self-assessment questions
(1) What is media of communication? What factors would you consider in
choosing the most appropriate media of communication?
(2) Explain effective communication. How would you ensure effective
communication in an organization of your choice?
(3) Discuss any five ways of overcoming barriers to effective
communication.
(4) Identify and explain the five main attributes of effective communication

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