Barriers to Communication

Barriers to Communication

The author, George Bernard Shaw wrote, “The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished."  An activity as complex as communication is bound to suffer from setbacks if conditions contrary to the smooth functioning of the process emerge. They are referred to as barriers because they create impediments in the progress of the interaction. Identification of these barriers is extremely important.

Types of Barriers

Physical Noise

•      Physical noise occurs when the sender and receiver try to communicate in a situation that is noisy. For example, the bus stop. The noise produced by the passing buses create what is known as ‘physical noise’.

Semantic Problem

      These result in complete distortion of the message. Only when spoken language is easily comprehensible by the receiver, communication becomes possible. The speaker should be clear about his objectives and should deliver the message using simple language and using minimum necessary words. Verbosity simply complicates the message. The speaker should attempt to be brief, precise. Technical jargon, overlong and unclear sentences or flowery language confuses the recipient and the original intent of the message becomes indiscernible. The meaning of the words may be misinterpreted. 

Poor Transmission

If the message is not formulated properly, it proves detrimental to the flow of communication. It should be organized and executed keeping in mind the receiver’s mental level and then sent across using all the techniques essential for effective and efficient conversation

Difference in Interest and Attitude

Because communication is a two-way process it is essential that the speaker and the receiver be in a common frame of mental communion. They have to work at the same frequency and must have interest in each other’s point of view.

Transmission Channel

The channel for transmission of ideas should be very effective and should prove to be a facilitator to encode and decode messages effectively. An ineffective medium can create a lot of disturbance and the message will neither be sent nor received with the desired impact. It has been observed a number of times that a lot of extraneous sounds or noise interfere with the ability to hear what is being said. Psychological noise also causes a lot of disturbance in the transmission.

Information Load

The speaker must transmit only a limited amount of information, that is, only as much as the receiver is able to comprehend and absorb. When excess information is supplied it becomes confusing for the receiver and exhausts the capacity of his mind.

Biased Reception

The receiver, at times, has some prior conflicting information on the subject of the message. He has his own viewpoint. Because the information supplied by the speaker is different from his own, the receiver is left pondering over the reliability and validity of the ‘original’ and the ‘current’ piece of information. A discussion can lead to conflicts in the mind of the receiver. His own opinion thus acts as a barrier to sound reception.

Marginal Listening

The process of listening demands that full attention be paid to the spoken material. Partial listening or selective reception because of disturbance created by our thought-process, by the noise or other distractions from the world around badly affects the intent of communication. Research tells us that 45% of our day is spent listening and most people operate at only 25%-30% of their listening efficiency. This inefficiency can cause constant problems and the messages will only be partially comprehended.

Inappropriate Body Language

      Body language, that does not reflect the interest of what the receiver is saying, diminishes the receiver’s desire to communicate. The speaker’s body should be in tune with the words coming out of his mouth. The speaker’s actions and statements should be synchronized. The presence of these barriers while communicating can lead to miscommunication. It can at times lead to many problems in terms of efficiency, time and money. It can also lead to misunderstanding, misinterpretation, indiscipline and breaking up of relationships. Sufficient effort must be put in to overcome the barriers that hamper effective communication. The interactants must support and understand each other patiently in order to avoid hampering conversation.

Retention

      Poor retention on the receiver’s part results in his misunderstanding the message. He will not be able to retain the essence of the message and hence it will be extremely difficult for him to send back effective signals. It could be because of fatigue, stress or other personal problems.

I - Attitude

     The speaker should bear in mind the fact that the two-way process of communication will be successful only when he involves the receiver in the discussion. He has to have a ‘you-attitude’ or ‘we-attitude’ in order to bring about full participation from the receiver’s end.

  

Discrimination

      Discrimination arises when people make judgments about individuals or groups without thinking clearly. Behaviours such as stereotyping, bias and prejudice are forms of discrimination. When people discriminate, they make decisions without bothering to get all the necessary information about the people they are judging.

      Discrimination causes people to miss out on the value of difference, and the benefits that individuals and groups bring to any situation. Valuing people who are different allows you to draw on a broader range of insights, ideas, experience and knowledge.

      

      Each person’s uniqueness comes from personal characteristics such as:

·          race

·          gender

·          education

·          age

·          ability

·          lifestyle

·          experience.