B ARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION 1 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

C ONTENT  Introduction.  Types of Barriers.  Video links.  Example-Yahoo’s poor communication.  Test Yourself. 2 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

I NTRODUCTION There are many reasons why interpersonal communications may fail. In many communications, the message (what is said) may not be received exactly the way sender intended. It is, therefore, important that the communicator seeks feedback to check that their message is clearly understood. 3 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

T YPES OF BARRIERS  Psychological Barriers:  Prejudgment/hasty evaluation  Inability to pay attention  Prejudice/envy/jealousy/dislike/hatred 4 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Closed-Mindedness.  The Urge to debate or advice. 5 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Environmental Distractions:  Physical Distractions  Loud Talking  Visual Barriers 6 Types of barriers SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Sad Memories  Fear  Anxiety  Anger Types of barriers 7 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Linguistic/Semantic Barriers : Linguistic Barriers consist of following factors- Speaker’s Style of speaking and mannerisms, Difficult words and use of jargons, Lag time, Mispronounced words or words with double meanings. 8 Types of barriers SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

L ANGUAGE BARRIER  9 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Socio-Cultural Barriers: Socio-cultural barriers consist of following factors- Different cultural background, Personal space and public space and Sense of time. 10 Types of barriers SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Physiological Barriers: Hearing Impairment Hunger Tiredness Pain 11 Types of barriers SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Information Overload: Information overload occurs when you try to absorb too much information over a short period of time. Example- If you try to study continuously for hours without a break, or introduce too many new concepts to your learning in one period of time, your mind will become confused and this can lead to a break down in communication. 12 Types of barriers SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

T YPES OF BARRIERS  Personal barriers: Barriers which are directly connected with the sender and the receiver are called personal barriers. From the point of view of convenience, they have been divided into two parts: (a) Barriers Related to Superiors, these barriers are as follows: (i) Fear of Challenge of Authority: Everybody desires to occupy a high office in the organisation. In this hope the officers try to conceal their weaknesses by not communicating their ideas. There is a fear in their mind that in case the reality comes to light they may have to move to the lower level, 13 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

(ii) Lack of Confidence in Subordinates: Top-level superiors think that the lower- level employees are less capable and, therefore, they ignore the information or suggestions sent by them. They deliberately ignore the communication from their subordinates in order to increase their own importance. Consequently, the self- confidence of the employees is lowered. 14 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

b) Barriers Related to Subordinates, Subordinates-related barriers are the following: (i) Unwillingness to Communicate: Sometimes the subordinates do not want to send any information to their superiors. When the subordinates feel that the information is of negative nature and will adversely affect them, an effort is made to conceal that information. If it becomes imperative to send this information, it is sent in a modified or amended form. Thus, the subordinates, by not clarifying the facts, become a hindrance in communication, 15 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

(ii) Lack of Proper Incentive: Lack of incentive to the subordinates creates a hindrance in communication. The lack of incentive to the subordinates is because of the fact that their suggestions or ideas are not given any importance. If the superiors ignore the subordinates, they become indifferent towards any exchange of ideas in future. 16 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

T YPES OF BARRIERS  Encoding Barriers: The process of selecting and organizing symbols to represent a message requires skill and knowledge. Obstacles listed below can interfere with an effective message.  Lack of Sensitivity to Receiver  Lack of Basic Communication Skills.  Insufficient Knowledge of the Subject.  Information Overload.  Emotional Interference. 17 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

T YPES OF BARRIERS  Transmitting Barriers: Things that get in the way of message transmission are sometimes called “noise.” Communication may be difficult because of noise and some of these problems:  Physical Distractions  Conflicting Messages  Channel Barriers  Long Communication Chain 18 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

T YPES OF BARRIERS  Decoding Barriers. The communication cycle may break down at the receiving end for some of these reasons:  Lack of Interest.  Lack of Knowledge.  Lack of Communication Skills.  Emotional Distractions.  Physical Distractions. 19 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

T YPES OF BARRIERS  Responding Barriers: The communication cycle may be broken if feedback is unsuccessful.  No Provision for Feedback.  Inadequate Feedback. 20 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

C OMMUNICATION BARRIER   21 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

Y AHOO ’ S POOR COMMUNICATION In February, the head of HR at Yahoo sent employees the internal memo leaked around the world. It told Yahoo employees that telecommuting or working from home would soon no longer be an option and that those who worked remotely must relocate to an office or quit. The communication around the policy sparked a strong negative reaction, and it wasn’t difficult to see why: a poorly constructed memo failed to explain the rationale behind such a significant culture change, leaving Yahoo employees upset and frustrated and launching a national conversation about work-from-home policies. 22 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

T EST YOURSELF :  Listening to me is…? a. not as important as speaking to explain ideas because I am better at it b. not as important as writing to get response because I believe in accurate information c. equally important as all other communication skills 23 SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Listening is not the same thing as hearing because it is….? a. a psychological process and is there-fore far more demanding b. a physiological activity where the ears play an important role c. the same thing as hearing the words and responding to them 24 T EST YOURSELF : SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 There are many barriers to listening. Tick the one which you think is the most applicable to you…? a. Close mindedness b. Hasty evaluation c. Egocentrism d. Anger/jealousy e. Different cultural backgrounds f. Wandering mind g. Hearing impairment 25 T EST YOURSELF : SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Which type of a listener are you? Tick one of the following that applies to you..? a. I am able to separate my negative emotions from facts when I listen to people and hence I am an active listener. b. Long speeches and poor speaking skills force me to skip listening for real matter and hence I am an evaluator listener. c. I have a wandering mind and cannot stop day dreaming when listening to people and hence I am a marginal listener. 26 T EST YOURSELF : SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Which of the following bad listening habits do you suffer from? Tick the one that applies to you..? a. Uninteresting subject b. Poor content of the speech c. Poor speaking style d. The urge to spar 27 T EST YOURSELF : SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 Active listening is…? a. Nodding head as an attempt to appreciate the point b. Trying to see the point as the speaker sees it c. Ignoring the speaker’s point and framing one’s own 28 T EST YOURSELF : SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

 The body language of an active listener is reflected in…? a. Shifting body posture b. Attentive facial expressions c. Covering of mouth and talking to the persons sitting by the side 29 T EST YOURSELF : SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

F URTHER READING  Alder, R.B. and J.M Elmhorst, Communicating at Work, 5 th ed., McGraw-Hill, Toronto,  Harvard Business Review on Effective Communication, Harvard Business School Press, SELF LEARNING MODULE 1 CHAPTER 7 Teamglobal © Kautilya Learning Academy of Professionals

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