Barriers Effective Communication Yousef Almulla

Yousef AlMulla
2008 YAM
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Miscommunication happens!
In any communication at least some of the "meaning" lost in
simple transmission of a message from the sender to the
receiver.
In many situations a lot of the true message is lost and the
message that is heard is often far different than the one
intended.
Miscommunication happens!
The key point is that everything you do during the
communication process is sending a message to your
employees.
As a result, there are countless opportunities for
miscommunication and confusion, particularly as the
messages go through your employees filter mechanisms.
Types of Barriers
Interpersonal Barriers
Organizational Barriers
Interpersonal barriers
Perception and perceptual selection processes

Semantics (language)
Channel selection
Inconsistent verbal and nonverbal communication.
Perception
Communication depends on our perception, or how we perceive people,
their motives, and intentions. We consciously and unconsciously choose
from streams of sensory data, we concentrate on some bits, and we
ignore others. We call this process "perceptual selection". Perceptual
selection affects what we hear and how we hear it, and whether and how
we are willing to respond (Buchanan and Huczynski, 1997).
Perceptual Biases: People attend to stimuli in the environment in very
different ways. We each have shortcuts that we use to organize data.
Invariably, these shortcuts introduce some biases into communication.
Some of these shortcuts include stereotyping, projection, and selffulfilling prophecies. Stereotyping is one of the most common. This is
when we assume that the other person has certain characteristics based
on the group to which they belong without validating that they in fact
have these characteristics.
Perception
Interpersonal
How
we barrier?
perceive
HowRelationships:
to minimize
this
communication is affected by the past experience with the
improve
our self-awareness
own
individual. Perception
is also affectedof
by our
the organizational
relationship
two people
For example,
values,
beliefs,
andhave.
attitudes
and how they
communication
from a superior
be perceived
affect our perception;
andmay
also
improve our
differently than that from a subordinate or peer
understanding of, and sensitivity to, others.
Assumptions-eg. assuming others see situation same as
Examples
include recommendations to avoid
you, has same feelings as you affects the communication.
stereotyping and to improve listening skills.
Receiver distortion: selective hearing, ignoring non-verbal
While
cues. this advice helps minimize the barrier,
it is primarily sender-focused; i.e. it is the

supplier of information who is to be more
aware and empathic.
Semantics/ Language:
Semantics is the study of the meaning of words or other
symbols. Typically, we view semantics as a barrier to
effective communication in organizations because words
can be used imprecisely, inaccurately, or may mean
different things to different people.
The choice of words or language in which a sender
encodes a message will influence the quality of
communication.
Semantics/ Language:
How to minimize this barrier?
pay careful attention to the choice of words and language
so that confusion or offence is avoided.
Channel Selection
When improving communication in organizations,
attention is rightfully given to how to send the message,
or the selection of a channel (oral or written media).
Selecting a channel that does not fit the message can
lead to a breakdown in communication.
For example, we know that emotional or complex
messages are usually most effectively communicated
face-to-face.
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Channel Selection
To date, research has shown that matching
characteristics of the message (how clear vs
ambiguous, how rational vs emotional, and how
routine vs non-routine) to the channel can improve
the effectiveness of communication. A complicated
message should be sent through a "rich" channel,
such as a face-to-face meeting (e.g. Lengel and
Daft, 1988).
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Inconsistent verbal and
non-verbal communication
We often find in organizations that inconsistent verbal
and non-verbal communication can lead to a
communication breakdown. Inconsistency confuses a
receiver who tries to figure out the "true" message of the
sender and then relies heavily on the non-verbal actions
to decode meaning.
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Inconsistent verbal and
non-verbal communication
Minimize any inconsistencies between words and
manner of speaking, facial expressions, and
posture.
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Physical distractions
Information overload
Time pressure
Technical and in-group language
Status differences
Task and organization structure requirements
Absence of formal communication channels
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Physical distractions in organizations
include interruptions, noise, and
equipment breakdowns. The reality of
organizational life is that at best we can try
to minimize distractions instead of
eliminating them altogether.
15
advise supervisors to minimize these distractions
whenever possible.
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Information overload can be a by-product of the sheer volume
of information and data that managers deal with on a daily
basis. A large part of a manager's job is informationprocessing (Mintzberg, 1973). One off-cited study has
estimated that managers spend up to 80 per cent of every day
communicating (Luthans and Larsen, 1986).
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Reduce the amount of information that requires
processing or to develop time-management skills to cope
with higher amounts.
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Time pressure
Time pressure is another barrier to communication that is
ever-present in organizations. We have advised managers to
recognize that the timing of a message can affect whether the
message influences the receiver in the way intended.
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Time pressure
Recommend sensitivity to organizational time periods.
Select the best time when you communicate important
messages.
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Technical and in-group language is another barrier to
communication in organizations, particularly when
organizational subunits are highly differentiated or when
organizational members are highly professionalized. Technical
and professional vocabularies make it hard for one individual
or group to communicate with another.
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have prescribed recognizing and minimizing specialist
vocabularies whenever possible.
Simplify terms and consider the technical level when
communicating.
22
Status differences
Status differences can be large or small in an organization.
Large status differences are thought to contribute to problems
with communication.
23
Status differences
Advocate minimizing status differences with the
responsibility on the higher status person to reduce the
distance (Hunt, 1985).
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Task and organization
structure requirements
Task and organization structure requirements can

provide barriers to effective communication. The tasks
people perform will affect who talks to whom, the
urgency and speed of messages, and what information
people need to share. As a direct consequence of
hierarchy, we can find filtering (intentionally or
unintentionally leaving out parts of a message),
distortion (to serve individual goals), and refusal to
communicate (either because of oversight or deliberately
not sharing information) (Hunt, 1980).
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Task and organization
structure requirements
Use structural devices such as multifunctional teams,
task forces, or integrating supervisors, or decentralize
decision making and access to information so that
authority is aligned with responsibility.
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Absence of formal
communication channels
When there is an absence of formal communication

channels, it is difficult to get information from employee
to manager, from manager to employee, from subunit to
subunit, and from customer to supplier. In organizations
we need channels to transmit information about
performance, goals and goal achievement, procedures
and practices, and to foster coordination and problem
solving across the organizational boundaries.
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Absence of formal
communication channels

Develop many ways to improve upward
communication (e.g. suggestion systems,
performance reports, attitude surveys), downward
communication (e.g., videos, newsletters, briefings
and meetings) and horizontal communication (e.g.
electronic networks and intranets, and quality
circles).
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Internal Noise
These are the internal noise going on in your own head
that can distract you and distort what you are saying and
hearing including your expectations, biases, wandering
mind, or attention focused on other matters.

When you are communicating with your
employees, the best approach is to give them
your undivided attention.
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Internal Noise
They are also the internal noise of the people with whom
you are communicating (can be detected by their
questions, their distracted appearance, or their off-target
comments.)
When this occurs, run a reality check to find out what
the blockages may be. The best way to do this is to
ask a few questions based on what you are observing,
such as, Have I missed something?. By focusing the
question on your own actions, you make it much
easier for your employee to answer honestly.
Depending upon what you learn from your positive
questioning approach, you can then adjust your
comments to increase the likelihood of having real
two-way communication.
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The Johari Window

The open (public) area contains things that are
openly known and talked about - and which may
be seen as strengths or weaknesses. This is the
self that we choose to share with others
The blind area contains things that others observe
that we don't know about. Again, they could be
positive or negative behaviors, and will affect the
way that others act towards us.
The unknown area contains things that nobody
knows about us - including ourselves. This may be
because we've never exposed those areas of our
personality, or because they're buried deep in the
subconscious.
The hidden (private) area contains aspects of our
self that we know about and keep hidden from
others.
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References
Several Internet Resources in Effective Communication
Employee Communication & Surveys http://www.employeecommunication.com.au/index.jsp
Using vision to improve organizational communication (An Emerald Article by Dawn
Kelly) http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/01437730010318183
Be the Boss Your Employees Deserve (A book by Ken Lloyd)
http://www.box.net/shared/uhu990qeji
The Importance of Effective Communication (Research by HRD Specialist Edward G.
Wertheim)
http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/commun.htm#introd#introd
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E-mail @ mullaya_98@yahoo.com
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Yousef AlMulla

Perception and perceptual selection processes

it is primarily sender-focused; i.e. it is the

Task and organization structure requirements can

When there is an absence of formal communication

How to minimize this barrier?

How to minimize this barrier?

The Johari Window

Visit my e-Library @ http://yousefmulla.4shared.com

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