BARRIERS TO

COMMUNICATION

CONTENTS-

SR. NO

TOPIC

PAGE NO.

INTRODUCTION

COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

11

TYPES OF BARRIERS

12

CONCLUSION

21

BIBLIOGRAPHY

22

INTRODUCTIONMost people would agree that communication between two individuals should be simple. Its
important to remember that there are differences between talking and communicating. When you
communicate, you are successful in getting your point across to the person youre talking to.
When we talk, we tend to erect barriers that hinder our ability to communicate.1
Communication is not a one-way street. To have others open up to you, you must be open
yourself. By overcoming these barriers to communication, you can ensure that the statement you
are making is not just heard, but also understood, by the person you are speaking with. In this
way, you can be confident that your point has been expressed.
Barriers to effective communication can retard or distort the message and intention of the
message being conveyed which may result in failure of the communication process or an effect
that is undesirable. These include filtering, selective perception, information overload, emotions,
language, silence, communication apprehension, gender differences and political correctness.
This also includes a lack of expressing "knowledge-appropriate" communication, which occurs
when a person uses ambiguous or complex legal words, medical jargon, or descriptions of a
situation or environment that is not understood by the recipient.

COMMUNICATION-2

1 http://opin.ca/article/seven-barriers-communication (11/05/2014, 3:43 pm)

Communication (from

Latin commnicre,

meaning

"to

share")

is

the

activity

of

conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by

speech, visuals, signals, written, or behavior. It is the meaningful exchange of information
between two or more living creatures.
One definition of communication is any act by which one person gives to or receives from
another person information about that person's needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or
affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional
or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or non-linguistic forms, and may occur through
spoken or other modes.
Communication requires a sender, a message, and a recipient, although the receiver does not
have to be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication;
thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. Communication requires
that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The
communication process is complete once the receiver understands the sender's message.
Communicating with others involves three primary steps

Thought: First, information exists in the mind of the sender. This can be a concept, idea,
information, or feeling.

Encoding: Next, a message is sent to a receiver in words or other symbols.

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication (11/05/2014, 5:02 pm)

Decoding: Lastly, the receiver translates the words or symbols into a concept or
information that a person can understand.

There are a variety of verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. These include body
language, eye contact, sign language and haptic communication. Other examples are media
content such as pictures, graphics, sound, and writing.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also defines the communication to
include the display of text, Braille, tactile communication, large print, accessible multimedia, as
well as written and plain language, human-reader, augmentative and alternative modes, means
and formats of communication, including accessible information and communication technology.
Feedback is a critical component of effective communication.

VERBAL COMMUNICATION- Human spoken and pictorial languages can be described as

a system of symbols (sometimes known as lexemes) and the grammars (rules) by which the
symbols are manipulated. The word "language" also refers to common properties of
languages. Language learning normally occurs most intensively during human childhood.
Most of the thousands of human languages use patterns of sound or gesture for symbols which
enable communication with others around them. Languages seem to share certain properties
although many of these include exceptions. There is no defined line between a language and
a dialect.

Constructed languages such as Esperanto, programming, and various mathematical formalisms

are not necessarily restricted to the properties shared by human languages. Communication is the
flow or exchange of information within people or a group of people.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION- Nonverbal communication describes the process of

conveying meaning in the form of non-word messages. Some forms of non-verbal
communication include haptic, gesture, body language or posture, facial expression and eye
contact, object communication such as clothing, hairstyles, architecture, symbols, infographics,
and tone of voice, as well as through an aggregate of the above.
Speech also contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage. This form of communication is
the most known for interacting with people. These include voice lesson quality, emotion and
speaking style as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress.

ORAL COMMUNICATION- Oral communication, while primarily referring to spoken verbal

communication, can also employ visual aids and non-verbal elements to support the conveyance
of meaning. Oral communication includes speeches, presentations, discussions, and aspects of
interpersonal communication.
As a type of face-to-face communication, body language and choice tonality play a significant
role, and may have a greater impact upon the listener than informational content. This type of
communication also garners immediate feedback.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION- A business can flourish only when all objectives of the
organization are achieved effectively. For efficiency in an organization, all the people of the
organization must be able to convey their message properly.

NON-HUMAN COMMUNICATION- Every information exchange between living organisms

i.e. transmission of signals that involve a living sender and receiver can be considered a form
of communication; and even primitive creatures such as corals are competent to communicate.
Nonhuman communication also include cell signaling, cellular communication, and chemical
transmissions

between

primitive

organisms

like bacteria and

within

the plant and fungal kingdoms.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION- Effective communication occurs when a desired effect is

the result of intentional or unintentional information sharing, which is interpreted between
multiple entities and acted on in a desired way. This effect also ensures that messages are not
distorted during the communication process. Effective communication should generate the
desired effect and maintain the effect, with the potential to increase the effect of the message.
Therefore, effective communication serves the purpose for which it was planned or designed.
Possible purposes might be to elicit change, generate action, create understanding, inform or
communicate a certain idea or point of view. When the desired effect is not achieved, factors
such as barriers to communication are explored, with the intention being to discover how the
communication has been ineffective.

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATIONThere are many ways to explain what a communication barrier is. Some explanations are
given below-3

The barriers to communication are things or people that hinder effective interactions or
relationships. Some of the barriers include physical barriers like the environment, cultural

barriers like the ethnicity and linguistic barriers like language.

A communication barrier refers to something that hinders transmission of information
from one place or person to another. An example is language barrier where the two

people cannot understand each other since they do not share a common language.
A barrier to communication is an obstacle in a workplace that prevents effective exchange
of ideas or thoughts. Such barriers include status differences, gender differences, cultural

differences, as well as the organizational environment.

Communication barriers can be described as factors that hinder the passage of a message
from the sender to the receiver. They include physical barriers such as distance, language
barriers, cultural barriers and emotional barriers among others. However, these barriers

can be overcome by use of various strategies.

Communication barriers are things that affect the flow of communication. These barriers
interrupt the flow of communication from the sender to the receiver. They include
physical barriers, cultural barriers, and language barriers among others.

TYPES OF BARRIERS

Process
Semantic

3 http://www.ask.com/question/what-are-barriers-to-communication (11/ 05/2014, 8:29 pm)

Organizational
Inter-personal
Individual/ psychological
Cross- cultural (Geographic)
Physical / channel / and media
Technological
Gender

PROCESS BARRIERS-4
Every step in the communication process is necessary for effective and good communication..
Blocked steps become barriers. Consider the following situations:

Sender barrier- A new administrator with an innovative idea fails to speak up at a

meeting, chaired by the superintendent, for fear of criticism.

Encoding barrier- A Spanish-speaking staff member cannot get an English-speaking

administrator to understand a grievance about working conditions.

Medium barrier- A very upset staff member sends an emotionally charged letter to the

leader instead of transmitting her feelings face-to-face.

Decoding barrier- An older principal is not sure what a young department head means

when he refers to a teacher as "spaced out."

Receiver barrier- A school administrator who is preoccupied with the preparation of the
annual budget asks a staff member to repeat a statement, because she was not listening

attentively to the conversation.

Feedback barrier- During a meeting, the failure of school administrators to ask any
questions causes the superintendent to wonder if any real understanding has taken place.

4http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Lunenburg,%20Fred%20C,
%20Communication%20Schooling%20V1%20N1%202010.pdf (11/05/2014, 9:37 pm)

SEMANTIC BARRIERS-5
Clearly, language and linguistic ability may act as a barrier to communication. However, even
when communicating in the same language, the terminology used in a message may act as a
barrier if it is not fully understood by the receiver(s). 6 Semantics means coding /decoding. It
relates to the Phonetics science of sound.
The words we choose, how we use them, and the meaning we attach to them cause many
communication barriers. The same word may mean different things to different people.
Similar Pronunciation but multiple meaning.
Badly expressed message incoherence, poor sentence structuring and jargons
Wrong interpretation - Pandit, raja / Rajah
Unqualified assumption by sender / receiver
Technical language / jargon

ORGANISATIONAL BARRIERS-7
Interference from relative status and power of participants, incompatible needs and expectations

Organizational culture impacts freedom and trust

5 http://cas.upes.ac.in/pdf/Barriers%20to%20Commn%203.pdf (11/05/2014, 9:56 pm)

6 http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/barriers-communication.html (11/05/2014, 10:03 pm)
7 Supra note 5

Organizational rules and regulations

Status relationship
Complexity in organizational structure
Inadequate facilities and opportunities
Lack of cooperation between senior and subordinate.

INTER-PERSONAL BARRIERSInterpersonal barriers are what ultimately keep us from reaching out to each other and opening
ourselves up, not just to be heard, but to hear others. Oddly enough, this can be the most difficult
area to change. Some people spend their entire lives attempting to overcome a poor self-image or
a series of deeply rooted prejudices about their place in the world.8
They are unable to form genuine connections with people because they have too many false
perceptions blocking the way. Luckily, the cure for this is more communication. By engaging
with others, we learn what our actual strengths and weaknesses are. This allows us to put forth
our ideas in a clear, straightforward manner. Sender and receiver different economic,
educational and status level.9
Barrier from Superior-10

Shortage of time for employee

Lack of trust
Lack of trust for employees needs and expectations

8 Supra note 1
9 Supra note 1
10 Supra note 5

Desire to capture authority by retaining information

Fear of losing power of control
Bypassing
Information overload to employees missing grain from chaff

Barrier from Subordinate-11

Lack of proper channel

No interest to communicate
Lack of cooperation and mutual understanding
Lack of trust and co-ordination
Poor social relationship
Fear of penalty

INDIVIDUAL/ PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERSThe psychological state of the receiver will influence how the message is received. For example,
if someone has personal worries and is stressed, they may be preoccupied by personal concerns
and not as receptive to the message as if they were not stressed.12
Filtering means that more often than not we see and hear what we are emotionally tuned in to see
and hear. Filtering is caused by our own needs and interests, which guide our listening.
Psychosocial barriers often involve a psychological distance between people that is similar to
actual physical distance.13
11 Supra note 5
12 Supra note 6
13http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Lunenburg,%20Fred%20C,
%20Communication%20Schooling%20V1%20N1%202010.pdf (12/05/2014, 5:27 pm)

Linguistic accent
The form of expression
Level of drama / gestures
Humour
Brevity
Choice of discriminatory or non- discriminatory communication
Quality of credibility and charisma
Selective Perception I know it syndrome, waste of time
Status relationship - monologues by seniors
Inattention
Poor retention
Undue importance of written words
Defensiveness to a unpleasant message
Closed minds lack of background knowledge
State of health lack of alertness
Filtering

CROSS CULTURAL/GEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS-14

Cultural barriers are a result of living in an ever shrinking world. Different cultures, whether they
be a societal culture of a race or simply the work culture of a company, can hinder developed
communication if two different cultures clash. In these cases, it is important to find a common
ground to work from. In work situations, identifying a problem and coming up with a highly
efficient way to solve it can quickly topple any cultural or institutional barriers. Quite simply,
people like results.15

Language
Values and norms of behaviour
Social relationship
Concept of time
Concept of space
Non-verbal communication

14 Supra note 5
15 Supra note 1

Perceptions
National character / basic personality

PHYSICAL BARRIERSPhysical barriers are easy to spot doors that are closed, walls that are erected, and distance
between people all work against the goal of effective communication. While most agree that
people need their own personal areas in the workplace, setting up an office to remove physical
barriers is the first step towards opening communication. 16
Many professionals who work in industries that thrive on collaborative communication, such as
architecture, purposefully design their workspaces around an open office plan. This layout
eschews cubicles in favor of desks grouped around a central meeting space. While each
individual has their own dedicated work space, there are no visible barriers to prevent
collaboration with their co-workers. This encourages greater openness and frequently creates
closer working bonds.17

TECHNOLOGICAL BARRIERS-18

16 Supra note 1
17 Supra note 1
18 Supra note 5

 Lack of knowledge of technology

Advancement in technology
Noise
Fear of lack of security

GENDER BARRIERSGender barriers have become less of an issue in recent years, but there is still the possibility for a
man to misconstrue the words of a woman, or vice versa. Men and women tend to form their
thoughts differently, and this must be taken into account when communicating. This difference
has to do with how the brain of each sex is formed during gestation.19
In general, men are better at spatial visualization and abstract concepts such as math, while
women excel at language-based thinking and emotional identification. However, successful
professionals in highly competitive fields tend to have similar thought processes regardless of
their gender. 20

OVERCOMING BARRIERS-21

Fostering good relationships

Purposeful and well directed /focused

19 Supra note 1
20 Supra note 1
21 Supra note 1

Co-ordination between superior and subordinate

Avoid technical language
Feed back to avoid selective perception
Accuracy
Clarity in message
Communication of organizational
philosophy
Flat organizational structure
Division of labour
Organizational policies
Reduction of semantic problems
Proper communication channels
Right feed back

CONCLUSIONCommunication is the process of transmitting information and common understanding from one
person to another. The elements of the communication process are the sender, encoding the
message, transmitting the message through a medium, receiving the message, decoding the
message, feedback, and noise. A number of barriers retard effective communication.
There are many barriers that hinder communication. In order to ensure effective communication,
these barriers have to be overcome.
If the meaning of the message is not understood, the purpose of communication is lost. These
barriers hinder the transfer of the message. So they need to be removed. The means to overcome
the barriers to communication has been mentioned in the project.
Communication is very essential in daily life. Anything that comes in the way of it, that is, the
barriers to communication, has to be got rid of. Ensuring that there are no barriers to
communication is the key to effective communication.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://opin.ca/article/seven-barriers-communication
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication
http://www.ask.com/question/what-are-barriers-to-communication
http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Lunenburg,%20Fred

%20C,%20Communication%20Schooling%20V1%20N1%202010.pdf
http://cas.upes.ac.in/pdf/Barriers%20to%20Commn%203.pdf

http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/barriers-communication.html