Barriers of Communication and How to Overcome Them

What is communication?

Communication is the process of exchange of information, ideas, feelings, and understanding among human beings. It is the process of conveying meaningful thoughts from one person to another and vice-versa. It is a systematic process of conveying, listening, and understanding something between more persons through words, figures, symbols, pictures, body language, etc. In the professional world, communication has become an essence of management. The manager communicates with the superiors, subordinates, and other parties dealing with an organization such as customers, trade union leaders, government officials, etc.

In today’s world, it is very important for an individual to convey the message in the right tone and with due respect. A wide range of factors influence message transmission from sender to recipient. Ignoring these factors leads to misinterpretation of information.

 

What are the Barriers to communication?

The process of communication tends to be very complex. It is not only a human process involving the sender and receiver of the message, but its effectiveness is affected by many other forces such as language differences, noise, individual erections, emotions between verbal and nonverbal communication distrust, etc. Communication is an exchange of messages between people to achieve a common meaning. However, the effectiveness of communication is affected by many forces, which may be called communication barriers.

To overcome the barriers to effective communication, you must understand these barriers to overcome ineffective communication.

 

Some important barriers are given below

Effective communication is not just limited to professional fields, but it is needed in school,university and even in sharing personal information to one another. The barriers that arise during communication are:

 

1. Poorly expressed message

The most common barrier to communication is its poor expression. The wrong choice of words and phrases, faulty construction of the sentence, ambiguous language, lack of coherence, etc. are the main causes of poor expression of the message. Sometimes, it omits certain essential facts. All these create a big barrier to effective communication.

 

2. Complex organisation structure

A complex organization structure is another barrier to communication. A long chain of command, large space of control, several layers of management information, confusing relations between line and staff offices, etc. create distance between the sender and receiver of the message. Messages tend to be distorted or diluted and ultimately become less effective.

 

3. Status barriers

The status or position of a person in the organization may create barriers to communication.  A person in a superior positions sometimes does not talk freely with his subordinates. Many superiors do not listen patiently to their subordinates. Similarly, a subordinate usually hesitates to seek classifications and express his views and suggestions. In such situations, effective communication becomes a distant dream.

 

4. Filtering information

Sometimes communicators filter or screen information. They tend to convey only that part of the information that the receiver would appreciate.

 

5. Symmetric barriers

Symmetric barriers are the barriers caused by the meanings of the words or symbols. Different people may derive a different meaning from the same words or symbols Difficulties in communication arise when the sender and receiver of the message use the same words or symbols in different senses.

 

6. Language barrier

Sometimes the language of the sender and receiver of the message is different. For instance, one knows English but the other does not know. Both cannot communicate with each other effectively. Also in the academic atmosphere, the language barrier is an obstacle as well. Students who do not speak English well, usually prefer taking assistance from assignment masters to communicate their thoughts effectively. There are large numbers of specialized fields such as system analysis, computers, operations, research, etc. in which technical jargon or vocabulary is used to communicate messages. This factor also contributes to ineffective communication.

 

7. Different backgrounds

Different individuals often interpret the same communication differently because of their different backgrounds. Thus, when people with different knowledge and experience try to communicate, they often have trouble getting their meaning across.

 

8. Emotional attitude

Barriers may also arise due to emotional attitude because when emotions are strong, it is difficult to know the frame of mind of another person or group. The emotional attitude of both the communicators as well as they communicate obstructs the free flow of transmission and understanding of messages.

 

9. Resistance to change

It is a general tendency of human beings to stick to old and customary patterns of life. They may resist change to maintain the status quo. Thus, when new ideas are being communicated to introduce a change, it is likely to be overlooked or even opposed. This resistance to change creates an important obstacle to effective communication.

 

10. Mechanical barriers

Barriers are created by the mechanical system used in communicating messages. Such barriers may arise due to inadequate transmission and receiving equipment, defective instruments, wrong choice of media, etc.

11. Time pressure

Shortage of time also leads to communication distortion. Under intense pressure, you may feel rushed, stressed, or overwhelmed which can affect your ability to plan, organize, and deliver effective communication. Even in student’s academic margins, due to poor time management and pressure from other subjects, they are not able to communicate their ideas. They highly depend upon external sources such as assignment experts in Australia, college essay writing services, and more. 

 

Suggestions to remove barriers

Barriers to communication can be overcome if the following measures are taken

 

1. Clarity of purpose and ideas

The communicator must be quite clear about what he wants to communicate. He should clarify the purpose of the message and make a plan to achieve it. The message should be clearly formulated in the mind of the sender. Managers also appreciate the proper role that communication plays.

 

2. Orientation

All the employees in the organization should be provided with all necessary information relating to the objectives, policies, procedures, organizational structures, etc. The communication skills of the employee must be improved by specialists.

 

3. Proper channel or medium

To make communication effective, the communicator should choose the proper channel or medium. A judicious combination of written, oral, and gestural modes, as well as formal and informal channels, should be used for maximum effectiveness.

 

4. Training of employees

Employees should be trained to understand the objectives, rules, policies, authority relationships, and operations of the enterprise. It will help to understand each other and minimize conflicts and distortion of messages.

 

5. Consistent behaviour

To avoid credibility gaps, management information must ensure that their acts and deeds are in accordance with their communication.

 

6. Use of informal communication

Informal communication helps to improve managerial decisions and make communication more effective. Thus, formal channels of communication must be supplemented by the use of informal communication.

 

7. Feedback

Managers should use feedback effectively. They can create an environment that encourages feedback. Feedback provides a channel for getting the response from the receiver. A manager can also solicit feedback through his actions. He should allow employees to express their options so that he can receive a response from them.

 

Communication sets a medium for individuals to exchange their thoughts, ideas, and information. Proper consideration should be given to effective communication to reduce the chances of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of information.  To remove misunderstanding and distrust, a continuous communication process is adopted. The blog gives an overview of the barriers that may arise while communicating with a person or a group of individuals with prominent suggestions to remove these communication barriers.

 

Similarly, If you are facing a problem in the communication of ideas and thoughts in your academic setting, then you can get assistance from our assignment helpers by visiting oz assignments.