Barriers of Communication

According to C.G Brown, Communication has been defined as the transfer of information from one person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence or becomes an exchange or interchange. But the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver. In simple terms, communication is the art of transferring/conveying information, ideas, facts and feelings, etc. from one person to another and making them understandable by the use of medium such as speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior. It means that if we tell something to somebody else but cannot make him understand the message, the process of communication is incomplete. Communication on its own has developed a scaling place in every organization, both formal and informal. Effective communication amongst the workers (including top, middle and low level) helps to generate a favorable environment which in turn helps to establish the very internal soundness of the enterprise. This helps to narrow down the occurrence of miscommunication and conflicts between the employees, leading to better management of time and the resources which in turn help to bring out the maximum output for the organization at hand. However, sometimes communication does not bring out the desired outcomes; this is because there are certain barriers which disrupt the process of communication. Barriers to communication can be of the form of wrong use of the language medium, haste on the part of the receiver in understanding of the received information, etc. Barriers to communication nullify the effect / role of communication causing discrepancies to the work flow of the organization. The various barriers of communication can be divided into four categories:A. Semantic Barriers B. C. Psychological Barriers Organizational Barriers

D. Physical Barriers To further understand the main reasons for bad communication, let us look into each of these sub-categories in depth:-

A. Semantic Barriers
Semantic barriers of communication refer to the use of difficult word, figures, symbols, shortcuts and even multiple languages during communicating an information/idea/etc. Examples : -Language -Jargons

B. Psychological Barriers
Psychological barriers of communication refer to barrier that is created from the lack of interest shown by people to whom the communication is being done. This lack of attention during the communication leads to false and at times only some bits of the information being communicated. Examples : -Perception -Distrust -Emotions

C. Organizational Barriers
Organizational barriers to communication refer to the barriers that are caused due to having management skills. This happens to do lack of proper planning and creation of the structure leading to the achievement of the goals of the organization. There can be problems also because of conflicting goals and regulations within the organization. Examples : - Poor planning - Status Differences -Structural Complexities

B. Physical Barriers
Physical barriers to communication are referred to those barriers which are caused due to occurrence such as long distance between the people involved in the communication process, noises that cause disruption and other factors such as personal grudges,etc. Examples : -Distance -Noise