ATIF MUHAMMAD AWKUM

Barriers to communication
Introduction:
Communication is complete and perfect when the receiver understands the message in the same
sense and spirit as the communicator intends to convey, Here, idea and information reached to
and responded by receiver remain unaltered and undistorted. But practically it has been noticed
that such perfect and complete communication does not take place because of certain obstacles
or other factors known as communication barriers. “There are a lot of causes of
misunderstanding and misinterpretations of message communicated. As the process of
communication involves sender, channels and receiver, the problem of communication usually
lies with either one or more of them.
Definition
“Errors, misunderstandings and several other factors that prevent us transmit our ideas
meaningfully causing communication failure.”
Levels of Barriers to Communication:
Very often we say “I meant to say this and not that” even with the best intentions,
Communication barriers crop up and our written and spoken messages are misunderstood. If
classify the barriers according to the process of message formation and delivery, we get them at
three levels:
Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
Organizational
Intrapersonal Barriers: Individual are unique because of their idiosyncrasies. This is mainly
because of differences inexperience, education, values, and personality. Each of us interprets the
same information indifferent ways as our thinking varies. Certain common causes are
responsible
For an individual “sin built barriers like;
Wrong Assumptions
Varied Perceptions
Deferring Backgrounds
Wrong Inferences
Impervious Categories
Categorical Thinking
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Wrong Assumptions: Assumption means something that you accept as true without question or
proof. Many barriers in communication stem from wrong assumptions. Wrong assumptions are
generally made because
The sender or the receiver does not have adequate knowledge about each other’s backgrounds or
Entertain certain false notions which are fixed in their mind. Sometimes the speaker does not
realize that background, education and experiences of different people can be different. A skilled
communicator keeps this issue in mind to prevent them from becoming barriers. To strengthen
your skills as communicator try to put yourself in the shoe of listener.
Varied Perceptions: We all know the story of six blind men and their perception of an elephant.
The elephant is perceived by each man as af an, a rope, a wall, a sword, a snake and a tree trunk.
None of the blind man is wrong here as the part of the elephant body touched by each man was
compared with carious objects they were knowing. This is how an individual perceives reality.
Similarly an individuals in an organizations also perceive situations indifferent ways. It is all a
matter of perceptions. The best way to overcome this barrier is to step back and take a wider
perspective of the issue.
Differing Backgrounds: -No two persons have a similar background; even siblings differ in
their genetic inheritance. People vary in terms of their education, culture, language, environment,
age, sex, financial status etc. Our background plays a significant role in how we interpret the
message. At times which is not experience by you earlier will be difficult to interpret or
appreciate? To enhance our communication skills it is important to know the background of our
audience. Empathy or identification with the listener is the only solution of this barrier. Make an
effort to understand whether listener finds it difficult to comprehend the message because of the
Difference in your and your listener’s background
Wrong Inferences: Inference is the process of drawing a conclusion by applying heuristics
(based on logic, statistics etc.) to observations or hypotheses; or by interpolating the next logical
step in an intuited pattern. The conclusion drawn is also called an inference. Sometimes we fail
to distinguish between what actually exist and what we assume to exist. Inferences are more
dramatic than fact, and for this reason they give wide scope for gossip and rumor to grow or
develop. Inferences supported by facts are essential for professionals when they analyses
material, solve problems and plan procedures.
Impervious Categories: In general, we react positively to information only if it is in
consonance with our own views and attitudes. Conversely, when we receive information that
does not confirm to our personal views, habits, attitudes, or appears unfavorable to us, we tend to
react negatively or even disbelieve. Rejection, distortion, and avoidance are three common,
undesirable and negative reactions to unfavorable information. People who are rigid in their
opinions may face problems in communicating effectively.
Categorical Thinking: People who feel that they “know it all “are called pan sophists. A know-
it-all or know-all is a person who believes that he/she has an accurate comprehension of a topic
and/or situation when in reality; his/her comprehension is inaccurate and limited and therefore
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s/he refuses to accept any further information on the topic. This type of thinking poses a major
barrier, leading to a failure in communication. To sum up, good communication should:
Be non-judgmental
Be empathetic
Not assume anything
Stick to the subject
Listen and above all paraphrase
Interpersonal Barriers to Communication:
Intrapersonal barriers stem from an individual’s attitude habits; whereas interpersonal barriers
occur due to the inappropriate transaction of words between two or more people. The two broad
categories into which this barrier can be classified are:
1. Inefficiency in communication skills
2. Negative aspect nurturing in the climate
Interpersonal barriers creep as a result of the limitations in the communication skills of encoder
or decoder or both. In addition they also may occur due to some disturbance in the channel. The
most common reasons for interpersonal barriers are:
Limited Vocabulary
Incongruity between Verbal & Non-verbal messages
Emotional Outbursts
Communication Selectivity
Cultural Variations
Poor Listening Skills
Noise in the Channel
Limited Vocabulary: As inadequate vocabulary can be a major hindrance in communication. At
times the pen falters, tongue fumbles as we search for the exact words or phrases. In
communication the connotative and denotative meanings of the words should be clear to the
receiver. During the speech, if the speaker is at the loss of words, the communication will be
very ineffective and will leave a poor impression on the audience do remember also that merely
having a good vocabulary is of no use unless the communicator knows how to use it. Therefore
one should make constant efforts to increase one’s vocabulary by regularly reading a variety of
books and listening to native speakers of the language.
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Incongruity between Verbal & Non-verbal messages: Incongruity means a lack of harmony.
The stark difference between Verbal & Non-verbal aspects of communication leaves the listeners
feeling confused and puzzled.
Emotional Outburst: Emotions are an integral part of our being, whether in business or
personal encounters. By sharpening self-awareness, intuition, and empathy, emotions can help in
highly conductive to good communication. In most cases, a moderate level of emotional
involvement intensifies communication, making it more personal. However intensive emotional
involvement can be an
Obstacle in communication. For an example, extreme anger can create such an emotionally
charged environment where rational discussion is not possible. Positive emotions like happiness
and excitement also interfere in communication but, to a lesser extent than negative feelings.
Communication Selectivity: If a receiver in communication process pays attention only to a
part of the message which may be of use to him, he imposes a barrier to communication known
as Communication selectivity. Here, in this situation, sender is not at fault, it is the receiver who
breaks the flaw of communication.
Cultural Variations: This is one of the predominant factors in communication failure. People
constantly interact with people who have similar views and who reinforce their beliefs. To be
able to distinguish between the in-group and the out-group is of central importance for
individuals because it allows them to find an identity as to who they are and who they are not. To
overcome successfully in today Globalized business environment, we must overcome the
communication inadequacy arising from different languages and culture.
Poor Listening Skills: The common obstacle to communication is poor listening usually occurs
due to lack of control over the speed at which speakers speak, not being able to get things
repeated, the listener’s limited vocabulary, failure to recognize the "signals", problems of
interpretation, inability to concentrate, and even may be due to some established learning habits.
Noise in the Channel: Noise interferes greatly in the transmission of signals. Noise is any
unwanted signal which acts as a hindrance in the flaw of communication. It is not necessarily
limited to cacophony, but can also occur in visual, audio-visual, written, physical or
psychological forms. All these forms of noise communicate extraneous matter which allay the
receiver’s interest in the message, even irritate him. Technical or physical noise refers to the din
of machines, the blare of music from a stereo system, or other such sounds which make the task
of the listener difficult. Human noise can be experienced when, for instance, employees gather
for a meeting and a member arrives late distracting everybody’s attention. Disturbances in
telephone lines, poorly designed acoustics of a room, dim typescripts and illegible writing are
some more examples of technical noise.

Organizational Barriers to Communication:

Communication barriers are not only limited to an individual or two people but exist in entire
organization. Every organization, irrespective of its size, has its own communication techniques,
and each nurtures its own communication climate. Irrespective of size, all organizations have
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communication policies which describe the protocol to be followed. It is the structure and
complexity of this protocol that usually causes communication barriers. The major causes for
organizational barriers are as follows:
Too Many Transfer Stations
Fear of Superiors
Negative Tendencies
Use of Inappropriate Media
Information Overload
Too Many Transfer Station: The more links there are in communication chain, the greater are
the chances of communication loss that will occur. The messages get distorted in huge
organization, with several layers of communication channels. The message gets distorted at each
level not only because of poor listening or lack of concentration, but also because of several
other reasons. Having too many transfer stations is always a deterrent to effective
communication and should be avoided
.Fear of Superior: In rigidly structured organization, fear or owe of the superiors prevents
subordinates from speaking frankly. An employee may not be pleased with the way his boss
works but is unable to put the point across because of losing his boss’s goodwill. As a superior it
is essential to create an environment which enables people to speak freely. An open environment
is conducive to increasing the confidence and goodwill of communicator.
Negative Tendencies: Many organizations create work groups according to the demands of task
for a particular project. Some small groups are also formed for recreational, social or community
purpose. These groups may be formal or informal and generally consists of people who share
similar values, attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and behaviors. It is possible to have a communication
barrier due to confliction of ideas between members and non-members of a group.
Use of Inappropriate Media: Some of the common media used in organization are graphs and
charts, telephones, facsimile machines, boards, e-mails, films and slides, computer presentation,
teleconferencing and videoconferencing. While choosing the medium one should therefore keep
in mind the advantages, is advantages and potential barriers to communication. Before sending a
message one should consider the following factors while choosing the medium.
Time Cost Type of Message Intended Audience
Information Overload: One of the major problems faced by the organization today is the
availability of huge amount of data which the receiver is unable to handle effectively. This is
known as information over load. The usual results of information overload are fatigue, disinterest
and boredom. In the circumstances further communication is simply not possible. It is observed
that communication falls into two categories; either it is successful or it is not successful.
Bearing in mind the possibilities and reasons for communication failures you can take primitive
measures to avoid these barriers.