BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Aspects of or conditions in a workplace that interfere with effective exchange of ideas or thoughts. Such barriers include

(1) status differences (2) gender differences (3) cultural differences (4) prejudices (5) the organizational environment

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BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

PYHISICAL BARRIERS ORGANISATIONAL BARRIERS

CULTURAL BARRIERS
LANGUAGE BARRIERS CHANNEL BARRIERS INTERPERSONAL BARRIERS INDIVIDUAL BARRIERS ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS LISTENING BARRIERS BARRIERS WHILE SPEAKING

PHYSICAL BARRIERS

Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment. Physical Organizational Barrier includes internal and external environment like : large working areas physically separated from others poor lighting staff shortage outdated equipments background noise

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ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS

Poor organizational culture, climate Stringent rules and regulations Status and relationship Complexity Inadequate facilities/ opportunities of growth and improvement

CULTURAL BARRIERS

Age and gender Education and cultural background Social status and economic position Temperament Health and beauty Popularity Religion Political belief Ethics, values, motives Assumptions Aspirations Rules and regulations, Standards and priorities

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LANGUAGE BARRIERS

Different languages, vocabulary, accents, dialects represent national/ regional barriers.

Semantic gaps are words having similar pronunciation but multiple

meanings.

Badly expressed message, wrong interpretation and unqualified

assumptions.

The use of difficult or inappropriate words/ poorly explained or misunderstood messages can result in confusion.

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CHANNEL BARRIERS

If the length of the communication is long, or the medium selected is inappropriate, the communication might break up It can also be a result of the inter-personal conflicts between the sender and receiver Lack of interest to communicate Information sharing or access problems which can hamper the channel and affect the clarity, accuracy and effectiveness.

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INTERPERSONAL BARRIERS

Lack of Trust Lack of Knowledge of non-verbal communication Wish to capture authority Fear of losing power of control Lack of Motivation Lack of co-operation, fear of penalty and poor relationship

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INDIVIDUAL BARRIERS

Individual's perceptual and personal discomfort. Two individuals mental perception may/may not be identical Style Selective perception Halo effect Poor attention and retention Defensiveness Close mindedness Insufficient filtration

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ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS

It comes about as a result of problems with staff in the organization. Limitation in physical and mental ability, intelligence, understanding, pre-conceived notions, and distrusted source divides the attention and create a mechanical barrier which affects the attitude and opinion.

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LISTENING BARRIERS

Interrupting the speaker Not maintaining eye contact with the speaker Rushing the speaker to complete what he/she has to say Making the speaker feel as though he/she is wasting the listener's time Being distracted by something that is not part of the on-going communication Getting ahead of the speaker and completing his/her thoughts Ignoring the speaker's requests Asking too many questions, for the sake of probing

BARRIERS WHILE SPEAKING

Unclear messages Lack of consistency in the communication process Incomplete sentences Not understanding the receiver Not seeking clarifications while communicating