BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

DRM16

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Anything barrier through to that obstructs free flow of communication is called Each communication unsuitable must be is transmitted one of the

communication.

an appropriate

medium. An

medium

biggest barriers to communication.

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION MAY BE BROADLY CLASSIFIED AS BELOW: -

1. Physical Barriers

One of the major barriers of communication in a workplace is the physical barrier. Physical barriers in an organization includes large working areas that are physically separated from others. Other distractions that could cause a physical barrier in an organization are the

environment, background noise.

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

DRM16

Following are the physical barriers :

(a) The Competing Stimulus : It becomes very difficult to pass on the message orally, if another confirmation giving information simultaneously within hearing the distance, sometimes - loud music or traffic noise creates barrier in communication process. (b) Environmental Stress : A communication. communicator, message. (c) Subjective Stress : Due to sleeplessness, ill health, consumption of drugs, mental strain etc. Communicator cannot interpret the message in desired manner. (d) Ignorance of Media : User should be well conversant with media that is adopted for conveying the message. The use of a media with which the receiver is not familiar would turn the media itself into a barrier . For example, the uses of visual media like maps and charts to instruct workers, who have not been familiar with maps and charts , would switch off their attention for lack of knowledge of the media. strong Because message is light of not puts undesired received hindrance strain properly. in on A case the high of of visual the

eyes

temperature,

humidity, bad ventilation, etc. Contribute in the sending and receiving of

(e) Attitudes and values :

The attitudes serve the personal needs of the people. They provide need satisfaction to the individuals. When the message is unfavorable to the receiver, he cannot be easily persuaded by it. The

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

DRM16

people in terms of their attitudes and values interpret the message. Their attitudes and values are different not merely because they are physically different with the but also because and they have different backgrounds. to their They deal and individuals events according attitudes

assumptions. Their personal attitudes, values and opinions are the barriers to an effective communication. 2. Psychological Barrier : Every person has his own way to look at the world, at people, at events and situations. A way of thinking of a person many times takes a shape of strong base of communication. No two persons possess accurately similar frames of reference.

Following are the psychological barriers :

(a) Unjust Assumptions : It creates a lot of misunderstanding. A manager, for

example, incorrectly assumes that the subordinates understand the technical terms he adopts to give the instructions. (b) Barrier of Allness : Certain subject. mistaken. become Many superior people the or think that they know everything they of like about could a be An

Usually they are make to men

not prepared to generalized insincerity is

accept that the base

statements

women

cannot

business.

attitude of allness is an (c) Snap Reactions : Some

outcome of biased approach.

listeners tend

to

pass

remarks

or

criticize

the

communicator even though his communication is not completed. Hurried interpretations are not needed. Audience needs to be patient enough to let the communicator finish his speech.

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

DRM16

(d) Apathetic Listener : One who is psychologically dead and indifferent to speaker. Receivers apathy is an intolerable condition, when the communicator tries to carry out effective communication. (e) Sophisticated Role : The receiver is not willing to learn from the communicator. That means he is unteachable. In such situations the communicator should try to create right impact. (f) Defensiveness : Man always tries to justify himself. He thinks that admitting the mistake means a loss of face. Therefore, he tends to rationalize the mistake that he commits. This type of attitude of the communicator is a great hindrance in the effective communication. (g) Fear : A fear gives rise to slow and narrow thinking. It is clearly destructive to communication. So the primary objective must be to eliminate fear. 3. Linguistic and Cultural Barriers : Language is perhaps the greatest barrier in communication

area. A language is ambiguous by nature. The words of a language are mere symbols and they rarely represent only one meaning. These symbols are understood differently by the communicator and communication. Ultimately this results into misinterpretation. The words possess objective and subjective meaning. It should be kept in mind that the words carry numerous associations depending upon the political and cultural situation.

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DRM16

4. Semantic Barriers :
(a) Bypassed instructions : If the sender and the receiver of the message attribute

different meanings

to the same word or use different words for the

same meaning, bypassing occurs. For example: An office manager handed to a new assistant one letter

with the instruction, Take it to our stockroom and burn

it. The

manager meant, to make a copy on a company machine which operated by a heat process. The puzzled new employee, afraid to ask questions, burned the letter and destroyed it. (b) Denotations and Connotations : Words connotative. Here only The names have literal of two meaning objects types of a of meanings : is called any denotative and its denotative positive or

word

meaning. Words like table, book, accounts meeting are denotative. are informed without negative qualities. For Example They gave us cheap stuff. At this shop, they sell things cheap. Cheap in the first sentence refers to quality and has an unfavorable connotation. In the second sentence it refers to prices and is favorable. To minimize semantic barrier, familiar words should be preferred.