There are six crunching barriers to

organizational communication
Poor structure to the communication
A weak delivery
The use of the wrong medium to

deliver the communication

A mixed message
The message is delivered to the
wrong audience
A distracting environment

1.Poor structure to the communication

the structure of a communication is

an essential factor in how well a

business communication is
received by an audience.

2. Weak Delivery

It doesn't matter how important or

impressive the subject of your

communication is, if you deliver it
without any 'punch' you will not get
as many people to take your
desired action as you would like
It's all in the delivery.

3. Use of wrong medium

What is the cost of production?
How long will it take to write, edit and produce

your communication in your chosen medium?

What percentage of your target audience are
likely to have access to your chosen medium at
the time you choose to publish/play/present it?
What percentage of your target audience will be
likely to pay attention to your chosen medium?
Is your message a complex one? Would your
message be more easily and readily
comprehended through auditory, tactile or visual
(e.g reading or images) modalities?
How quickly do you need your audience to
comprehend and take action on your message?

4. Mixed messages
An example of this would be where the

acceptance of corporate gifts is not allowed,

but then allowed if it a brand new client who
has contracted a large amount of money to
your business, then not allowed again after
the gift-giving and receiving season is over.
Or a company-wide budget cut that stops all
business-class travel, but the very senior
management are found to be travelling first
class.
Avoid confusing your audience.

5. Wrong audience
Stop barking at the wrong tree.
Make sure that you are communicating to

the right person

6. Distracting Environment
your voice not being strong enough
too many others talking in the room at the

same time
police and ambulance sirens outside the
venue
too many phone calls coming in to their
office while they're trying to read your memo
interruptions while they try to read your
report
incoming emails keep popping up while they
are reading your web-based communication

 their minds are full of other pressing matters

they are supposed to be somewhere else at that

moment
their mobile phone keeps ringing, or vibrating if

they've set it to 'silent' instead of switching it of

their internet connection is slow
their internet connection keeps dropping out
there are too many interesting people to look at

while they are trying to concentrate on your report

the room's airconditioning is not working and the

room is hot and stufy

the room's heating is not working and the room is

cold and clammy

No communication strategy
When clear communication guidelines and

policies are not established, this may cause

serious problems for the organization.
Organizations should brand and standardize
outgoing communications and provide
accessible hardcopy or electronic
documentation that speaks to the
organization's mission, values, products or
services as well as its policies and
guidelines

One way communication

Any organization that does not provide an outlet for

employees to voice their issues and concerns should

expect mounting grievances and a significant breakdown in
communication.
Organizations should not just be concerned with

communication that flows from upper management to

employees, but also from lower level employees to upper
management.
Processes must be established so that employees can

report grievances, cases of sexual, verbal or physical

harassment, and suggestions for improvement. I
n a recent article, Ann Meyer of the Chicago Tribune refers

to the results of surveys conducted at 54 companies

between January and August of 2010, which showed that in
addition to pay raises and other favorable employment
conditions, workers wanted increased communication.

Non responsiveness
When organizations solicit feedback from employees

and then disregard the information they receive, this

can not only hamper communication within the
organization, but lead to gripes and mistrust.
According to Meyer, Convergint Technologies did an

employee-engagement survey in 2009 and gave

each of its 860 employees $100 cash for a "fun-andlaughter" personal day, based on the suggestion
from one of its employees.
Companies who are not responsive to employee

feedback are stifling efective organizational

communication and risk losing out on employee
loyalty, commitment, satisfaction and engagement.

Using the Wrong Communication

Channel
Organizations must consider carefully what

communication channels to use in communicating various

messages in given circumstances.
Sensitive issues like layofs and terminations are best

communicated face-to-face, while other situations like

performance reviews and behavioral issues should be
documented so they can be reviewed in the future.
Some companies have auto-dialers that reach out to

employees in the event of a company closure due to

some unforeseen circumstance. Others may send the
notification out by e-mail.
Regardless of the scenario, companies must carefully

consider what channel will be used to reduce confusion,

increase clarity and ensure uniformed and actual delivery
of the message to all employees who need to receive it.