Easily Misunderstood by Others?

6 Barriers You Should

Overcome to Make Communication Less Frustrating
How often have you said something simple, only to have the person who you said
this to misunderstand it or twist the meaning completely around? Nodding your
head in affirmative? Then this means that you are being unclear in your
communication.

Communication should be simple, right? Its all about two people or more talking
and explaining something to the other. The problem lies in the talking itself,
somehow we end up being unclear, and our words, attitude or even the way of
talking becomes a barrier in communication, most of the times unknowingly. We
give you six common barriers to communication, and how to get past them; for
you to actually say what you mean, and or the other person to understand it as
well

The 6 Walls You Need to Break Down to Make Communication Effective

Think about it this way, a simple phrase like what do you mean can be said in
many different ways and each different way would end up communicating
something else entirely. Scream it at the other person, and the perception would
be anger. Whisper this is someones ear and others may take it as if you were
plotting something. Say it in another language, and no one gets what you mean
at all, if they dont speak it This is what we mean when we say that talking or
saying something thats clear in your head, many not mean that you have
successfully communicated it across to your intended audience thus what you
say and how, where and why you said it at times become barriers to
communication.1

Perceptual Barrier

The moment you say something in a confrontational, sarcastic, angry or

emotional tone, you have set up perceptual barriers to communication. The other
person or people to whom you are trying to communicate your point get the
message that you are disinterested in what you are saying and sort of turn a deaf
ear. In effect, you are yelling your point across to person who might as well be
deaf!2

The problem: When you have a tone thats not particularly positive, a body
language that denotes your own disinterest in the situation and let your own
stereotypes and misgivings enter the conversation via the way you talk and
gesture, the other person perceives what you saying an entirely different manner
than say if you said the same while smiling and catching their gaze.
The solution: Start the conversation on a positive note, and dont let what you
think color your tone, gestures of body language. Maintain eye contact with your
audience, and smile openly and wholeheartedly

Attitudinal Barrier

Some people, if you would excuse the language, are simply badass and in
general are unable to form relationships or even a common point of
communication with others, due to their habit of thinking to highly or too lowly of
them. They basically have an attitude problem since they hold themselves in
high esteem, they are unable to form genuine lines of communication with
anyone. The same is true if they think too little of themselves as well.3

The problem: If anyone at work, or even in your family, tends to roam around
with a superior air anything they say is likely to be taken by you and the others
with a pinch, or even a bag of salt. Simply because whenever they talk, the first
thing to come out of it is their condescending attitude. And in case theres
someone with an inferiority complex, their incessant self-pity forms barriers to
communication.

The solution: Use simple words and an encouraging smile to communicate

effectively and stick to constructive criticism, and not criticism because you are
a perfectionist. If you see someone doing a good job, let them know, and
disregard the thought that you could have done it better. Its their job so measure
them by industry standards and not your own.

Language Barrier

This is perhaps the commonest and the most inadvertent of barriers to

communication. Using big words, too much of technical jargon or even using just
the wrong language at the incorrect or inopportune time can lead to a loss or
misinterpretation of communication. It may have sounded right in your head and
to your ears as well, but if sounded gobbledygook to the others, the purpose is
lost.

The problem: Say you are trying to explain a process to the newbies and end up
using every technical word and industry jargon that you knew your
communication has failed if the newbie understood zilch. You have to, without
sounding patronizing, explain things to someone in the simplest language they
understand instead of the most complex that you do.

The solution: Simplify things for the other person to understand you, and
understand it well. Think about it this way: if you are trying to explain something
scientific to a child, you tone it down to their thinking capacity, without
dumbing anything down in the process.4

Emotional Barrier
Sometimes, we hesitate in opening our mouths, for fear of putting our foot in it!
Other times, our emotional state is so fragile that we keep it and our lips zipped
tightly together lest we explode. This is the time that our emotions become
barriers to communication.5

The problem: Say you had a fight at home and are on a slow boil, muttering, in
your head, about the injustice of it all. At this time, you have to give someone a
dressing down over their work performance. You are likely to transfer at least part
of your angst to the conversation then, and talk about unfairness in general,
leaving the other person stymied about what you actually meant!

The solution: Remove your emotions and feelings to a personal space, and talk to
the other person as you normally would. Treat any phobias or fears that you have
and nip them in the bud so that they dont become a problem. And remember, no
one is perfect.

Cultural Barrier

Sometimes, being in an ever-shrinking world means that inadvertently, rules can

make cultures clash and cultural clashes can turn into barriers to communication.
The idea is to make your point across without hurting anyones cultural or
religious sentiments.

The problem: There are so many ways culture clashes can happen during
communication and with cultural clashes; its not always about ethnicity. A non-
smoker may have problems with smokers taking breaks; an older boss may have
issues with younger staff using the Internet too much.

The solution: Communicate only what is necessary to get the point across and
eave your personal sentiments or feelings out of it. Try to be accommodative of
the others viewpoint, and in case you still need to work it out, do it one to one,
to avoid making a spectacle of the other persons beliefs.6

Gender Barrier

Finally, its about Men from Mars and Women from Venus. Sometimes, men dont
understand women and women dont get men and this gender gap throws
barriers in communication. Women tend to take conflict to their graves, literally,
while men can move on instantly. Women rely on intuition, men on logic so
inherently, gender becomes a big block in successful communication.7

The problem: A male boss may inadvertently rub his female subordinates the
wrong way with anti-feminism innuendoes, or even have problems with women
taking too many family leaves. Similarly, women sometimes let their emotions
get the better of them, something a male audience cant relate to.
The solution: Talk to people like people dont think or classify them into genders
and then talk accordingly. Dont make comments or innuendos that are gender
biased you dont have to come across as an MCP or as a bra-burning feminist
either. Keep gender out of it.

And remember, the key to successful communication is simply being open,

making eye contact and smiling intermittently. The battle is usually half won
when you say what you mean in simple, straightforward words and keep your
emotions out of it.

REFERENCES

[1] Skills You Need: Barriers To Communication

[2] Reference: Perceptual Barrier Communication

[3] Chron: Attitudinal Barriers to Communication

[4] Guides: Overcoming Language Barriers

[5] Lets Live: Emotional Barrier

[6] Businesstopia: Cultural Barrier Communication

[7] Guides: The Seven Barriers of Communication