COMMUNICATION BARRIERS AND

TYPES OF BARRIERS
Class: M.S.W.
Semester : II nd
Course Code : 204
Paper: Counseling and Communication
Topic : communication barriers and types of barriers
Sub topic: Major communication barriers, types of barriers, Reasons of
barriers, effect of these barriers.
Key Words : Communication barriers, external barriers, Organizational
barriers and personal barriers
Prepared by: Prof. Vandana Sinha
Professor
Dept. of Social Work
M. G. Kashi Vidyapith
Varanasi
E: mail: [email protected]
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 DECLARATION

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 CONTENTS
1. Learning Objectives
2. Introduction
3. communication barriers
4. types of communication barriers
5. external barriers
6. reasons of semantic barriers
7. reasons of psychological barriers
8. organizational barriers
9. major organizational barriers
10. personal barriers
11. Summary
12. Suggested Reading
13. Check your Progress
14. Reference

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 1.LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this content you will be

able to:
• Understand various types of communication
barriers in an organization and how these barriers
effect the communication.
• Gain knowledge about the external, organizational
and personal barriers.
• Learn about the reasons of different barriers .

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 INTRODUCTION
Communication Barriers are the results of several
inadequacies that tend to distort the communication and
make communication less effective. Basically three types of
barriers are found in any organization these are, external
barriers, organizational barriers and personal barriers. The
external barriers are classified into two categories—
Semantic barriers and Psychological barriers. Organizational
barriers are present within the organizational policy, rules,
structure and facilities etc. personal or psychological
barriers are the barriers in the attitude and thinking of
worker and managers.
These communication barriers effects the productivity of
the organization.

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 COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
Communication is not always as effective as it
should be. Certain external and internal forces
impede the flow of communication. They interrupt
or block communication, these forces are
called Communication barriers.
Communication Barriers are the results of several
inadequacies that tend to distort the
communication and make communication less
effective .

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 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
BARRIERS

• 1. External barriers

• 2. Organizational barriers

• 3. Personal barriers

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 1.EXTERNAL BARRIERS
• The external barriers are classified into two
categories—Semantic barriers
and Psychological or emotional barriers.
Semantic barriers are caused in the process of
receiving or understanding of the message by coding
and decoding ideas and words. In communication,
we primarily use words and each word has several
meanings. Therefore, linguistic capacity of both the
communicators and the communicates may result in
misunderstandings.

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 REASONS OF SEMANTIC BARRIERS

1. Badly expressed message

2. Faulty translations

3. Unqualified assumptions

4. Use of technical language

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 REASONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
BARRIERS
Such barriers arise due to the following reasons:

1. Premature evaluation
2. Lack of attention
3. Loss of information in transmission
4. Poor retention
5. Lack of reliance
6. Distrust of communicator
7. Failure to communicate
Psychological or emotional barrier arise in inter-personal
communication. Interpretation of meaning in a message
depends largely on the psychological and emotional state
of the parties involved.

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 2. ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS
• These type of barriers are also known as
structural barriers. Organizations are designed on
the basis of formal hierarchical structures. This
apart, organizations are created to attain certain
identified objectives, which require that the day-
to-day activities are regulated by developing
performance standards, framing rules,
regulations, procedures, policies, behavioural
norms, etc.
All these affect the free flow of communication in
organizations, unless suitably managed. Superior-
subordinate relationships in a formal
organizational structure inhibit free flow of
communication
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 MAJOR ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS
• I. ORGANIZATIONAL POLICY
• The general organizational policy regarding
communication acts as an overall guideline to
everyone in the organization regarding how one
is normally expected to behave in this matter.
• The policy might be in the form of explicit
declaration in writing, or it has to be interpreted
from the behaviour of organization members,
particularly people at the top.

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 II. STATUS RELATIONSHIP
In the formal organization structure, superior-
subordinate relationship may cause obstacle
to free and frequent communications, more
particularly in upward direction. A manager
may not communicate to subordinates his/her
weaknesses. The subordinates do not feel free
to talk to the superiors.

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 III. ORGANIZATIONAL RULES AND
REGULATIONS
• Organizational rules and regulations affect the
flow of communication by prescribing the
subject-matter to be communicated and also the
channel for such communication. The rules may
restrict the flow of certain messages and may
leave many important ones.
• On the other hand, communication through
proper channel in a specified way prescribed by
these rules delays it and works against the
willingness of the persons to convey the message.

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 IV. COMPLEXITY IN ORGANIZATION
STRUCTURE

The more complex the organization

structure is, the more difficult it becomes
to ensure that correct information is
passed on to the right person at the right
time through the right medium.

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 V. ORGANIZATIONAL FACILITIES:
• Organizational facilities provided for smooth,
adequate, clear and timely flow of
communication may take a number of forms
such as meetings, conferences, complaint box,
suggestion box, social and cultural gathering,
etc. If these are not properly emphasised,
generally people fail to make effective
communication

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 VI. INFORMATION OVERLOAD

The managers are overloaded with

information from various sources. They
may not always be able to regulate the
flow of information. As a result, the
effectiveness of communication is
reduced.

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 3. PERSONAL BARRIERS

As communication is basically an inter-

personal process, there are also some
personal factors which are responsible
for blocking communication.

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 PERSONAL BARRIERS. …CONTD.
1.Barriers in Superiors: The role of the superiors in communication
is very vital because of their hierarchical relationships with the
subordinates. Their position act as barriers in a number of ways

• Affect the flow of messages in different directions

Attitude of
Superiors: • Unfavorable attitude of the superiors affects adequate flow of
messages from and/or to the superiors.

• Every person tries to get a higher position and prestige in the organization.
Fear of • Superiors are wary of passing the information coming down the line or
Challenge to going up due to possible disclosure of their weakness and consequently
Authority: losing their position and chance.
.
• The superiors generally perceive that their subordinates are less
Lack of
competent and less capable, and
Confidence in
Subordinates • they are not able to advise their superiors or they may not have
some information to convey.

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 PERSONAL BARRIERS…Contd…
• The superiors feel that they are over-burdened with the
Lack of work, and
Time • They have little time to talk to their subordinates.

• The superiors may lack the awareness about the usefulness and
significance of communication in different directions, in general or
Lack of particular subject-matter
Awareness • . In such a case, communication is blocked

. • Sometimes the superiors consciously and deliberately ignore the

Ignoring communication from their subordinates to maintain their
Communicat importance.
ion • This works against the willingness of the subordinates to
communicate.

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 PERSONAL BARRIERS…Contd...
2.Barriers in subordinates: Vertical communication in either direction can take place
only when the subordinates also actively participate in this process. There are various
factors in the subordinates that adversely affect such active participation on their part.

• Due to apprehension that passing the information to the superiors

Unwilling might affect their position adversely.
ness to • Information going up is utilized for control purposes and the
subordinates would not be willing to give any information to their
Commun
superiors about any unfavorable happening
icate:
• Even if there is a compulsion to communicate, they would do the
same after modifying the information in such a way so as to protect
their own interest.

.
• Every person tries to get a higher position and prestige in the
Lack of organization.
Proper • Superiors are wary of passing the information coming down the
Incentive: line or going up due to possible disclosure of their weakness and
consequently losing their position and chance.

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 SUMMARY
• Certain external and internal forces impede the flow of
communication, these forces are called Communication
barriers. Basically three types of barriers are found these are,
external barriers, organizational barriers and personal
barriers. The external barriers are classified into two
categories—Semantic barriers and Psychological barriers.
Major organizational barriers are, organizational policy, it’s
structure, rules regulation and status relation. Personal
barriers are actually psychological barriers, these are related
to attitude, fear, lack of confidence, lack of time, lack of
awareness, unwillingness to communicate and lack of proper
initiatives.

•
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 SUGGESTED READINGS
1. Sengupta Sailesh;(2011 ), Business and
Managerial Communication, PHI Learning Pvt.
Ltd.,Delhi.
2.Ganguli Siddharth;(2014), Business
Communication, Platinum Publishers, Kolkata.
3.Kumar S. and Lata P.; ( 2015 ) Communication
Skills. Oxford Univ. Prss, N.Delhi.
4. course.lumenlearning.com/principles
management/chapter/12-3 communication
barrier.

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 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. What is meant by the barriers in communication
?
2. Write down the external barriers of
communication in an organization .
3. Describe the organizational barriers and it’s
types.
4. Write down the various forms of personal
barriers.
5. What are the main reasons of psychological
barriers?

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 REFERENCES
1. Sengupta Sailesh;(2011 ), Business and Managerial Communication,
PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.,Delhi.
2.Ganguli Siddharth;(2014), Business Communication, Platinum
Publishers, Kolkata.
3.Kumar S. and Lata P.; ( 2015 ) Communication Skills. Oxford Univ.
Prss, N.Delhi.
4. course.lumenlearning.com/principles management/chapter/12-3
communication barrier.
5.www.yourarticlelibrary.com>business-communication>barriers
6.www.managementstudyguide.com/communication_barriers.html
7. study.com/academy/lesson/barriers to effective communication-
definition-examples.html.

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