Barriers to Communication

DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Aspects of or conditions in a workplace that interfere
with effective exchange of ideas or thoughts. Such barriers
include
status differences
gender differences
cultural differences
prejudices
organizational environment
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Physical Barriers
Organizational Barriers
Cultural Barriers
Language Barriers
Channel Barriers
Interpersonal Barriers
Individual Barriers
Attitudinal Barriers
Listening Barriers
Barriers While Speaking

PHYSICAL BARRIERS
Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the
environment.
Physical Organizational Barrier includes internal
and external environment like :
large working areas physically separated from
others Shop Floor
poor lighting - SG
staff shortage
outdated equipment
background noise
ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS
Poor organizational culture, climate
Stringent rules and regulations
Status and relationship
Complexity
Inadequate facilities/ opportunities of
growth and improvement


CULTURAL BARRIERS
Age and gender
Education and cultural background
Social status and economic position
Temperament
Health and beauty
Popularity
Religion
Political belief
Ethics, values, motives
Assumptions
Aspirations
Rules and regulations,
Standards and priorities

LANGUAGE BARRIERS
Different languages, vocabulary, accents, dialects represent
national/ regional barriers.
Semantic gaps are words having similar pronunciation but multiple
meanings.
Badly expressed message, wrong interpretation and unqualified
assumptions.
The use of difficult or inappropriate words/ poorly explained or
misunderstood messages can result in confusion.

CHANNEL BARRIERS
If the length of the communication is long, or the medium selected
is inappropriate, the communication might break up
It can also be a result of the inter-personal conflicts between the
sender and receiver
Lack of interest to communicate
Information sharing or access problems which can hamper the
channel and affect the clarity, accuracy and effectiveness.
INTERPERSONAL BARRIERS

Lack of Trust
Lack of Knowledge of non-verbal communication
Wish to capture authority
Fear of losing power of control
Lack of Motivation
Lack of co-operation, fear of penalty and poor relationship
INDIVIDUAL BARRIERS
Individual's perceptual and personal discomfort.
Two individuals mental perception may/may not be identical
Style
Selective perception
Halo effect
Poor attention and retention
Defensiveness
Close mindedness
Insufficient filtration
ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS
It comes about as a result of problems with staff in the organization.
Limitation in physical and mental ability, intelligence,
understanding, pre-conceived notions, and distrusted source divides
the attention and create a mechanical barrier which affects the
attitude and opinion.
LISTENING BARRIERS
Interrupting the speaker
Not maintaining eye contact with the speaker
Rushing the speaker to complete what he/she has to say
Making the speaker feel as though he/she is wasting the
listener's time
Being distracted by something that is not part of the on-going
communication
Getting ahead of the speaker and completing his/her thoughts
Ignoring the speaker's requests
Asking too many questions, for the sake of probing

BARRIERS WHILE SPEAKING
Unclear messages
Lack of consistency in the communication process
Incomplete sentences
Not understanding the receiver
Not seeking clarifications while communicating