Barriers to Communication

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

Wrong & unclarified assumptions All communications are made under some assumptions, which are never communicated They may turn out wrong & cause communication failure E.g. we often assume that others – See the situation as we do Should feel about the situation as we do Think about the matter as we do Understand the message as we understand it 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 one’s 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 don’t 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

Information Overload (Availability of huge amounts of data which the receiver is unable to handle effectively) Results-fatigue, disinterest and boredom Very often relevant information gets mixed up with irrelevant details and therefore goes ignored by receiver. Screening of information is necessary Messages should be directed only to those people who are likely to benefit from the information Major points should be highlighted leaving out all irrelevant details

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

Insufficient Period for Adjustment Change in shifts in time, transfer to another department, change in profile,… People respond to change in different ways and require their own time to think about full meaning, implications and consequences of the message

Goal Conflicts Various units and sub units in an organization internalize their own goals, leading to splitting or bifurcation of interests Conflicts act as communication-reduction mechanism.

Offensive Style of Communication When a manager sends a message in such a way that the juniors become defensive he/she contributes to negative factor of poor interpersonal relationship.

Time & Distance Time The frequency of communication encounters affects the human relationship Different shifts/meeting at wrong time, phone call at wrong time affect the communication Distance Faulty sitting arrangement at office may create communication gaps Boss can minimize status difference between himself and his employees

Abstracting (conceptual, not concrete We use language to communicate our experiences and feelings but we can’t communicate every detail of it. We abstract the reality and report only the valuable characteristics We observe partially and communicate partially because our experience of the event is also partial When we try to convert our observations and experiences into words, we further abstract it by using selective words which involve leaving out the details

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 Status Consciousness of one’s 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

Barriers – Socio - Psychological Perception* & reality Human communication takes place in the world of reality which surrounds us – our sensory environment Sense organs stimulated by signs (external) Sense Perceptions received by our brain through our senses recreate within each one of us the world which exists within our mind as its content 2 aspects of same reality – External which surrounds the communicator & Internal – mental representation as seen / believed by the individual (Insight, observation)

Barriers – Socio – Psychological 5 sense organs – Eyes – sight Ears – sound Nose – smell Tongue – taste Flesh – touch Objects which excite the sense organs are called “signs” Senses respond to signs - sensations - transported to the brain through the sensory nerve network

Barriers – Socio - Psychological Perceptions are mental images of external work stored in our brain – viewpoint, experience, knowledge, feelings & emotions Perceptions constitute- what we are How we think How we feel OR How we respond to something

Barriers – Socio - Psychological These stored perceptions colour and modify whatever our brain receives from any signs or set of signs, fresh data, thoughts or messages. These conditioning perceptions are called “filters” The mind ‘filters’ the message received from the signs and gives it meaning according to individual perception

Barriers – Socio - Psychological An individuals filter is “unique” B’coz filters differ, different individuals respond to a sign (word, gesture etc) with different understanding and will assign a meaning according to his/her filter The presence of a unique filter in each individual communicator and receiver causes the communication gap (distortion) in the message sent and message received

Barriers – Socio - Psychological Easy to remove gaps in face–to–face communication Understand through listeners facial expression, body language gestures etc. or listener will express In a written communication - audience is invisible –– semantic gap between intended meaning and interpreted meaning remains unknown. Feedback does help but it may be too late Semantic – relating to words’ meanings

Activity Communication Barriers Describe 5 most common communication barriers in workplace. How can you overcome those 5 communication barriers you described in question 1 Email you response to keshavaustralia@gmail.com with subject line Communication Barriers