Barriers to Communication

Introduction

 Effective communication occurs if the receiver understands the idea that the
sender intended to transmit
 The process of communication may be blocked due to many reasons
 Communication barriers are obstacles in the process of communication that
hinder smooth progression of ideas
 Many socio-psychologists believe that there is 50-70% loss of meaning while
conveying the message from a sender to a receiver
Types

 Sender-oriented barriers
 Receiver-oriented barriers
 Sob Characteristics CAUSES

 Lack of preparation
 Groping for the right
 Feeling of ‘I’ attitude
message
 Preconceived ideas and
 Superior attitude
notions
 Lack of collaborative effort
 Unfamiliarity with the
 Mental block
language
 Lack of language skills
 Inability to read intent behind
 Bypassing
the words
 Frame of reference
 Difference in perceptual field
 Distractions
 Physical and mental
 Over/under communication
 Lack of structure
 Loss in impact
 Incomplete information
Overcoming sob
 Structure and restructure your thoughts
 View all receivers at the same level - Shift emphasis to ‘you’
 Assess the situation and the people in a proper manner
 Practice, practice and practice
 Read the message in its entirety-the words and the intent
 Listen to the receiver
 Concentrate on the situation
 Access audience needs
 Think and structure your points
 ROB CHARACTERISTICS CAUSES

 Mental turbulence
 Confusion or disturbance
 Ineffective grasp of the message
 Lack of knowledge
 Partial grasp of the message
 Lack of interest
 Difference in reception and
 Preoccupation
comprehension
 Evaluative/judgemental
 Distancing from the speaker
 Difference in understanding
 Misunderstandings
the intent of the sender
 Biased Listening
 Preconceived ideas and notions
 Lack of provision of correct
 Arguments and discussions
feedback
 Overcoming Rob
 Check and confirm the reliability and validity of the utterance
 Build an information base
 Develop interest by looking for linkages
 Check and recheck with sender the intent of the message
 Delay evaluation
 Sort out differences between the sender and the self
 Concentrate on the message
 Listen carefully before presenting your point of view
Different barriers
 The Noise Barrier
 The problem of Media selection
 The Feedback Problem
 The problems of Language and articulation
 Physical barriers
 Mental Barriers
 Personal Barriers
 Interpersonal Barriers
 Cultural Barriers
 Information overload
 The Noise barrier
 Noise is any random or persistent disturbance that obscures the
quality of the transmitted message
 Any interference that takes place between the sender and the receiver
 Example: During a conversation if anyone is distracted by the
newspapers on the desk or calendars on the wall or the conversation
going on in adjacent room
 The quality of effective communication is affected by this noise
 Discovering the source of noise is important to overcome this barrier
Types

 Psychological: Mental
preoccupation/ego/anxiety/tiredness/preconceived ideas and notions
 Physical: Disturbances and distractions in the environment
 The problem of media selection
 In any given situation, the transmission mode for communication must be
selected
 Media selection can be based on personal choice or organizational norms
 The media becomes a barrier to communication when the wrong channel is
selected
 If an employee is asked to leave an organization by email rather than face
to face interaction, the communication is insensitive
 Recent Mass tech layoffs by the Microsoft and other companies
 sudden job cuts and inconvenience of the workers
 The Feedback Problem

 Feedback is reaction to the message of sender

 It includes verbal and non-verbal responses
 Without feedback the sender of the message can’t know whether the recipient
has received the entire message and comprehended its content
 It regulates both the transmission and reception of the message
 Two sided expression, when combined with mutual feedback, becomes a
dialogue
 There is no feedback in one way communication
 If the feedback provided to the sender is inaccurate, it can create a barrier to
the communication process
 Manifestation of feedback

 Evaluative: Judges the worthiness of the other person

 Interpretive: Generally paraphrases the other person’s statement
 Supporting: Motivates the other person
 Probing: Seeks to clarify and gain additional information
 Understanding: Seeks to decipher the other person’s meaning of the
message
 The problems of language & articulation

 The sender must ensure that the receiver understands the symbols and signs
being used
 Language and communication dynamics have become the driving force in
international business operations in recent times
 Three potential language barriers
 Use of improper words
 Use of jargons
 Ambiguity
 Improper words
 Improperly used words create the wrong impression
 Most words have more than one meaning in different cultural contexts
 Poor communication happens when the sender transmits the message without
knowing the receiver’s background, experiences and attitude
 Vague and unclear message is a barrier to effective communication
 Example: Please submit the file by tomorrow morning.
 This message is very unclear. What kind of file is not mentioned over here. It
will rather confuse the receiver
 Use of jargon

 It includes technical language and acronyms as well as recognized words with

specialized meanings
 Use of jargon can improve communication when both the sender and the
receiver understand the specialized language
 If that is not the case , it can be a serious communication barrier
 Example: A student from civil engineering branch may not understand the
jargon used in the medical field
 Ambiguity

 Ambiguous words or terms confuse the receiver and that leads to

misunderstanding
 Words that have several possible meanings are difficult to comprehend
 Example: If a co-worker says, Would you like to check the figures
again?
 It may mean that the co-worker is telling you to double-check the figures
 You may think that the co-worker is merely asking if you want to do this.
 Physical barriers
 It includes large working areas that are physically separated from others
 In the workplace it includes closed office doors, barrier screens, separate
areas for people of different statuses and so on
 Distracting body movement can also create physical barriers
 Background noise can affect the whole process of communication
 Negative environment which is not conducive to healthy talks
 Uncomfortable seating arrangements
 Physical discomfort caused by uncomfortable temperature
 Mental barriers
 The perceptual process determines what messages we select as well as how
the selected information is organized and interpreted
 Significant chance of noise exists if the sender’s and receiver’s perceptions
are not aligned
 Noise can exist in the mind of the speaker or the recipient
 It can be due to many factors: emotional attitude of the speaker or the
receiver, faulty assumptions, stereotyping, fixed beliefs and closed mindset
 The sender or receiver’s sense of superiority and egocentricity can lead to
poor communication
 Preconceived attitudes also affect our ability to listen
 Personal barriers

 Chief barrier to open and free communication is the emotional barrier

 It comprises fear, mistrust and suspicion
 Many people hold back from communicating their thoughts and feelings to others
due to emotional mistrust
 Excessive fear of what others might think of us can stunt our development as
effective communicators
 Interpersonal barriers
 The aim of interpersonal contact is closeness. That happens when there is a high
level of honesty and acceptance of yourself and others
 Nowadays technology also plays pivotal role in interpersonal communication
 There are levels at which people distance themselves from one another
 Withdrawal: Interpersonal contact is shunned when an individual refuses to be
in touch
 Rituals: Interpersonal contact is perceived to be mere formality, devoid of
genuine interaction
 Continued

 Pastimes: Interpersonal relationships are perceived as social but

superficial activities to be indulged in when one is free
 Working: Interpersonal activities are confined to discussions at work, but
no further
 Games: This is where interpersonal activities are considered to be subtle,
manipulative interactions that are about winning and losing
 Cultural barriers

 Intercultural communication has become more common in the present scenario

than ever before
 The differences in cultural values cause socio-cultural barriers
 When we interact with a cross cultural group and wish to associate with it, we
need to adopt the behaviour patterns of the group. The group reverts back by
showing recognition and approval
 When you are not able to adjust to the new setting, cultural barriers crop in
 Information overload

 It occurs when the amount of information received exceeds the person’s

capacity to process it
 It is a significant obstacle in the path of effective and smooth communication
 When people are bogged down with too much information they are likely to
make errors
 It can be overcome either by increasing the capacity of processing
information or by reducing the amount of information that is being processed
 Continued

 If the message contains information that is new to the receiver, including

processes or concepts that are not familiar, then the chances of overload
increase greatly
 The sender should break up the message into more palatable or digestible bits
and reduce the amount of information that has to be absorbed at any one time
Read and think!

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/bad-writing-costs-businesses-billions?ref=scroll
 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/comma-quirk-irks-rogers/article1101
686
/
 Who is communicating to whom about what, how, and why? What was the goal of the
communication in each case?
 Identify the problem
 Can you suggest some possible solutions?
THANK YOU