Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Barriers to communication
Barriers to Communication
In communication, as a psycho-semantic process, the word barrier implies, mainly something non-physical that keeps people apart or prevents activity, movement etc. E.g. social / ethnic / language barriers or lack of confidence Negative forces may affect the effectiveness of communication by acting upon any or all of the basic elements of communication process
Barriers
Noise Lack of planning Wrong / unclarified assumptions Semantic problems (relating to words meaning) Cultural barriers Socio-psychological barriers Emotions Selective perception Filtering Information overloaded Loss by transmission Poor retention Poor listening Insufficient period for adjustment Goal conflicts Offensive style Time & distance Abstracting Inferring (conclude)
Barriers - sender
Lack of planning Vagueness about the purpose of communication Objectives to be achieved Choice of wrong language, resulting in badly encoded message Unshared & unclarified assumptions Different perception of reality Wrong choice of the channel
Barriers - Receiver
Poor listener Inattention Mistrust Lack of interest Premature evaluation Semantic Difficulties Bias / Lack of trust Different perception of reality Attitudinal clash with sender Not in a fit physical state
Common barrier
both sender & receiver
Absence of a common frame of reference affecting smooth interpretation of thoughts, feelings and attitudes from the sender to the receiver in a specific social situation
Noise
Blaring of loud speakers Poor telephone line Faulty TV cable Adverse weather conditions interfering transmission Faulty encoding Inattention on the part of listener Faulty decoding
Lack of Planning
Not properly organized/composed Transmitted through a wrongly chosen medium Wrong choice of time Wrong choice of place
All such assumptions may be incorrect. Hence one should try to verify whenever possible, It helps communication be effective
Semantic Problems
The systematic study of transmission of meaning is semantics Any problem arising from the expression/transmission of meaning are semantic problems/barriers Not always necessary for the meaning in the mind of sender to be same as that in the mind of receiver It is of vital importance for the sender to encode his message in such a way that receiver decodes it to get the intended meaning One must aim at simplicity, clarity and brevity so as to minimize the chances of different interpretations. Use of jargons should also be avoided
Cultural Barriers
Same category of words, phrases, symbols, actions, colors mean different things to people of different countries/cultural backgrounds
Emotions
Encoding and decoding of messages depends to quite some extent on ones emotional state at a particular time Extreme emotions, like jubilation or depression, are likely to hinder effective communication Anger is the worst enemy of communication Message received when one is angry is likely to be interpreted in a very different manner than when one is calm and composed Stress may also lead to building of negative emotions, further leading to communication breakdown
Selective Perception
Receivers selectively see and hear depending upon their needs, motivations, background, experience and other personal characteristics While decoding the messages they project their own interests and expectations Fact is we dont see reality, we interpret what we see and call it reality
Filtering
Sender manipulates information in such a way that it will be seen more favorably by the receiver The more vertical levels in the hierarchical system, the more chances for filtering
Loss by Transmission
When messages pass on from person to person in a series of transmissions they are likely to become less and less accurate. They get diluted on the way
Poor Retention
Necessity of repeating the message using several channels/media
Poor Listening
Poor listening and hasty evaluation is a major problem Reason is mostly people are too much involved in their own problems and pampering their own egos We should keep our eyes, ears open, rise above our egos, empathize with others
Goal Conflicts
Various units and sub units in an organization internalize their own goals, leading to splitting or bifurcation of interests Conflicts act as communicationreduction mechanism.
Wrong Inferences
More dramatic than facts and give scope for gossip Inferences supported by facts are essential for professionals when they analyze material, solve problems and plan procedures
Socio - Psychological
1. Status Consciousness of ones status affects 2-way flow of communication Creates personal barriers caused by superior-subordinate relationship Though 2-way vertical channel exists in every organization Few subordinates choose to communicate with their superiors and vice versa Though organizations are changing by adopting flat structures, psychological distance between superior subordinate exists