BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

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• Communication is the process through which the source transmits any message, idea or information to the receiver through a medium.

• Barriers of Communication are the hindrances or difficulties involved in the process of Communication whereby the message is distorted and is not properly understood by the receiver.

MEANING

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TYPES OF BARRIERS

• Noise• Semantic Barriers• Organizational

Barriers• Psychological

Barriers• Other Barriers

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• What is Noise?• Any interference in the message sent and the message received leads to

the production of Noise. Noise here does not mean cacophony, but a break in the communication process.

• For Example: You have just joined as a trainee at an automobile company. You go to meet your boss to seek permission to visit the automobile exhibition being held in New Delhi. While you are talking, two of your colleagues also come in to get some bills signed. After they leave, you resume talking but find your boss has not really grasped the message.

• Your colleagues intervention led to you boss’ lack of concentration. This intervention or ‘NOISE’ did not let your boss decode the message fully. Hence the communication failed.

NOISE

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• However, noise can be of two types:• Physical• Psychological.• Physical noise can also be understood in terms of cacophony where

external noise makes it difficult to pass on the message. Ex. Noise of Heavy machines.

• Psychological noise is when the person has too many things going on in his mind which make it difficult for him to concentrate on the message being given by the speaker.

• The example shared in the previous slide refers to physical noise which does not involve loud sounds but interference prevents communication. This example also speaks about the Boss’ psychological noise where he fails to grasp your message because his attention was diverted.

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• Lack of common Language: Linguistic barrier occurs when the sender and the receiver belong to different Language backgrounds. For Ex. A Japanese and a German might face this barrier in absence of a common language.

• Poor Vocabulary: An inadequate vocabulary can be a major hindrance in communication. At times your pen falters or your tongue fumbles as you search for the exact word or phrase.

• Use of Jargons: Not everyone is familiar with the terms associated with a particular field of work. Technical terms of one field may sound ‘Greek and Latin’ to the person belonging to a different field of work. For Ex. A student of Humanities might be unable to understand the technical terms of Engineering.

SEMANTIC BARRIER

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• Poor Grammar, Punctuation: A major barrier occurs when the sender, in encoding the message, does not pay attention to the grammatical structure of the sentences. Punctuation marks, if not placed properly, can also lead to the distortion of the message. For Ex. 1.(Grammar) I want to marry my daughter. Correct: I want to get my daughter married. 2. (Punctuation: Story of the king who ordered to leave a convict to be hanged, after finding him innocent) Hang him. Not Leave him. Correct: Hang him not. Leave him.

• Round About Verbiage: This sort of barrier occurs when the speaker does not come to the subject directly, rather beats about the bush, keeping the listener/receiver guessing about the actual issue.

SEMANTIC BARRIER CONTD.

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SEMANTIC BARRIER CONTD.

• Lack of Clarity in the Message: If the sender is not able to structure his ideas accurately and efficiently, barrier of this nature can come up. What he wishes to say and what he finally imparts may not be the same and the listener feels that the interaction is a waste of time. This happens when the sender is not well versed in the topic under discussion and fails to hold the attention of the receiver.

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ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS

• Too Many Transfer Stations: The more links there are in a communication chain, the greater are the chances of miscommunication that will occur. Have you ever played ‘Chinese Whisper’ as a child? This will help you understand this particular barrier better.

• Negative Tendencies: Bonding between people who share similar values, attitudes, opinions, beliefs and behaviours is often termed as Group-ism. Often organizations too create work groups to facilitate certain organizational tasks. Communication barrier here surfaces often due to a conflict between the members and non-members or among the members themselves.

• Over/Under Communication- Neither there should be excess of information nor should it be too scanty. Excess information may confuse the receiver as he has to figure out the exact import of the message and scanty information would make him grope for the actual intent of the message.

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• Use of Inappropriate Media: Some of the common media used in organizations are graphs and charts, telephones, fax machines, boards, email, films, slides, computer presentations, teleconferencing and videoconferencing. While choosing the medium you should keep in mind the advantages, disadvantages and potential barriers to communication. If the choice of the channel or medium is not right the impact of the message is lost. This is mostly a physical noise. However, the responsibility lies with the sender, as he should ensure that all channels are free of noise before commencing communication.

• Fear of Superiors: In rigidly structured organizations, fear or awe of superiors prevents subordinates from speaking frankly. An employee may not be pleased with the way his boss works but is unable to put his point across because of losing his boss’ goodwill.

ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS CONTD.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS

• Wrong Assumptions: Wrong assumptions are generally made when the sender or the receiver does not have adequate knowledge about each other’s background or entertain certain false notions, which are fixed in their mind. Sometimes the speaker does not realize that background, education and experiences of different people can be different. For Ex. A doctor may tell a patient to take a medicine only as an S.O.S, (i.e.. In dire emergency) but does not make it clear to the patient, who in turn thinks it is to be taken regularly.

• Varied Perceptions: Individuals in an organization perceive situations in different ways as each man’s understanding differs. For Ex. The story of the six blind men.

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• Resistance to Change: When we come across information which is not in conformity with our views, habits and attitudes, or appears unfavourable to us we tend to react negatively or even disbelieve. For Ex. Resistance to adapt oneself to the advancing technology.

• Prejudiced Views: Be careful not to hold on to preconceptions about people or things. We often have a tendency to see what we want to see, forming an impression from a small amount of information or one experience, and assuming that to be highly representative of the whole person or situation. Similarly, emotional outbursts also hinder communication.

Psychological Barriers Contd.

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Psychological Barriers Contd.

• Jumping to Conclusions: Not being aware of facts and drawing inferences on a given situation on the basis of one’s perception causes this barrier. Inferences are more dramatic than facts and for this reason they give more scope for gossip and rumour to thrive.

For Ex. You’ve just returned from a business tour and find two of your colleagues missing. Not seeing them again for several days on the row, you jump to conclusion that owing to recession they’ve been laid off. As you start gossiping about it you learn the fact that actually they’ve been promoted and transferred.

• Communication Selectivity: This barrier comes up when someone feels he/she has quite some knowledge on the topic being discussed. They, therefore, look out only for the information which they do not know and in this process often lose out on several minute points of the discussion.

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• Cultural Variations: This is one of the predominant factors in communication failure. As global residents we need to be aware of the customs, laws, and business practices of the companies of other nations we are dealing with. For Ex. Maintaining Eye-Contact during conversation is seen as a sign of self-confidence in the USA, whereas the same activity is termed rude in Japan.

• Poor Listening Skills: A common obstacle to communication is poor listening habits. Sometimes the individual is so engrossed in his own thoughts that he is unable to concentrate on listening.

• Poor Retention: If the listener has poor retention capability, he would probably get lost in the proceedings. There would be no connection between what was said initially and what is being said now.

Other Barriers

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Other Barriers Contd.• The ‘I’- Attitude: If the speaker every sentence with “I”, it gradually leads to what is

called the I-syndrome. He would not be receptive to the changes as suggested by the receiver as they would go against his personal formulation of certain views.

• Conflicting Information: Conflict between the existing information and fresh one results in the growing confusion of the listener, whereby he loses the entire message in trying to compare the two differing information.

• Incongruity of Verbal & Non-Verbal Messages: Actions speak louder than words, and thus, non-verbal cues provide a deeper insight into the sender’s message. Ignoring non-verbal cues or misinterpreting them can result in the message being completely misunderstood. For Ex. Your friend has topped the examination and you go to congratulate him. However, when you do express your joy on his achievement, your face remains serious, not showing any kind of emotions which match the spoken message. This leaves your friend wondering whether you are really happy on his achievement or is it otherwise!

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• Sharpening communication skills• Use simple Language• Being receptive to changes• Improving Listening skills • Avoid Jargons• Open-mindedness• Avoid prejudice• Message should be clear and brief

Ways to over-come Barriers

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WAYS TO OVER-COME BARRIERS CONTD.

• Avoid fear• Build credibility• Understanding receiver• Selection of proper channel• Develop emotional stability• Receive feedback• Dress according to the occasion.