A Report on

Effective Communication,
Its Types and Barriers
&
Top 5 Effective Communication
Skills for Project Managers

Prepared For: Ankur Sandal

Prepared By Amit Kumar (A00106100)

What do you understand by effective
communication?

Effective Communication is a communication between

two or more persons wherein the intended message is successfully
delivered, received, and understood clearly.

To be more precise, the communication is said to be effective

when all the parties (sender and receiver) in the communication,
assign similar meanings to the message and listen carefully to
what all have been said and make the sender feel heard and
understood.

Effective communication includes not just the way

the words are delivered but also covers several other skills such as,
non-verbal communication, the ability to understand your own
emotions as well as of the other person with whom you are
communicating, engaged listening, ability to speak assertively,
etc.

 In the business context, communication is effective if the

information shared among the company employees contributes
towards the organization’s commercial success.

Good communication is not just a process of transferring

information from one entity to another. It's an art of first listening
or reading the information, comprehending it, processing it, and
then transferring it. Gestures, tone of voice, body language and
spoken language are some of the important aspects of
communication. If the other person is unable to comprehend any
of these factors, then the process fails.
 Communication styles change from person to person. During the
process of communication, a person may invoke several channels
or modes or methods to convey a message. But, the process of
communication doesn’t only depend on the source of producing or
relaying information. It also equally depends on the
communication method and the manner in which the receiver
understands the message.

Communication begins at a given

point. The first step is the generation of information. The second step is
to put this information or data into a medium for transmission towards
the intended audience.

During this process, the initiator of the communication must pay extra
attention to the nature of the information. The communication skills will
determine the effectiveness of their communication.

The Broad Categories of Communication

On the basis of the communication channels, various types of effective
communications are:
 Verbal
 Non-Verbal
 Formal & Informal

a) Verbal
This type of communication generally included the use of language and words
for the purpose of passing on the intended message. In simpler terms, Verbal
Communication means communication in the form of spoken words only. But,
in the context of types of communication, verbal communication can be in the
spoken or the written form. Thus, the verbal form may be oral or written as
discussed below.

 Written Communication: This kind of communication involves any kind

of exchange of information in the written form. For example, e-mails,
texts, letters, reports, SMS, posts on social media platforms, documents,
handbooks, posters, flyers, etc.

 Oral Communication: This is communication which employs the spoken

word, either direct or indirect as a communication channel. This verbal
communication could be made on a channel that passes information via
sound.
You could converse either face to face, or over the phone, or via voice notes
or chat rooms, etc. It all comes under the oral communication. This type of
communication is an effective form.
b) Non-Verbal Communication
In this type of communication, messages are relayed without the transmission
of words. The messages here are wordless messages. This form of
communication mainly aides verbal communication by supplementing it with
gestures, body language, symbols, and expressions.

Through these, one may communicate one’s mood or opinion or even show a
reaction to the messages that are relaying. One’s non-verbal actions often set
the tone for the dialogue. You can control and guide the communication if
you control and guide the non-verbal communication. Some of the types of
non-verbal communication are:

Physical Non-verbal Communication

This is the sum total of the physically observable. For instance, hand
gestures, body language, facial expressions, the tone of one’s voice,
posture, stance, touch, gaze, and others. Several researchers have
revealed that physical nonverbal communication constitutes about 55%
of our daily communications. These are subtle signals that are picked up
as part of our biological wiring. For example, if you rest your head on
your palms, it will mean that you are very disappointed or angry.
Similarly, other subtle hints will convey your reaction to the presenter or
your audience’s reaction to you.

Paralanguage

This is the art of reading between the lines. The main kind of such
communication is done with the tone of one’s voice. This kind of
communication amounts to almost 38% of all the communication that we
do every day. Along with the tone of voice, the style of speaking, voice
quality, stress, emotions, or intonation serves the purpose of
communication.

Aesthetic Communication
 Art is an important means of communication. Through the paintings or
other forms of art, an artist can covey the strongest messages.

Appearance

The first impression sets the tone. People will react to your appearance
and this is a fact of life. Your clothes, the color of the fabrics, etc. all
determine the reaction of your audience.

Visual Communication

This is communication through visual aids like drawings, placards,

presentations, and illustrations, etc.

c) Formal & Informal Communication

Apart from the above types, we have formal & informal types of
communication. Formal communication is of following types:

 Vertical: The information or data flows up and down the

organizational structure.
 Horizontal: This is the communication between two similar levels
of the organization.
 Diagonal: This is the communication across the cross-functional
levels of employees from various departments of the organization.
The other form is the informal or casual communication which is the
general communication between random people of the organizations.
 Barriers to Effective Communication in
the Workplace

What are Barriers?

Barriers refer to obstacles or hindrances that prevent movement, flow and

access of information in or outside of an organization. In the lexicon of
communication, barriers refer to specific items that can distort or prevent
communication within an organization. It affects effective exchange of ideas,
thoughts and information. Effective communication in the workplace is not
always straightforward and barriers can easily get in the way. They cause
messages to become distorted, subsequently leading to confusion,
misunderstanding and even offense in some cases.
 Communication Barriers

 Physical barriers to non-verbal communication-Not being able

to see the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body
language can make communication less effective.
 Psychological barriers- People with social anxiety or low self-
esteem may be too distracted about how they are perceived when
talking with a superior.
 Emotional barriers- Some people may find it difficult to express
their opinions on such as politics, religion, disabilities (mental and
physical), sexuality and racism.
 Jargon and acronyms- Companies often have their own jargon
and acronyms which new employees may struggle with.
 Lack of attention, interest and distractions to the person
listening.
 Differences in perception and viewpoint.
 Physical disabilities- hearing problems or speech difficulties.
 Differences in language and unfamiliar accents.
 Expectations and prejudices which may lead to stereotyping.
 Cultural differences- The norms of social interaction vary greatly
in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are
expressed.

Barriers to Communication by Category



Physical barriers
Physical barriers may prevent an individual from being able to interpret
non-verbal cues. This is more common in communication methods
relying on technology rather than face-to-face. Other physical barriers
include:
 Old or broken equipment used for communication
Uncomfortable temperatures
Background noise
Poor lighting
Communicating close to the time of your break/ lunch/ end of work
hours
Large work areas or working in an area that is physically separated
from colleagues
Closed doors
Example- A physical barrier to communication is geographic distance
between the sender and receiver(s). Communication is generally
easier over shorter distances as more communication channels are
available and less technology is required. Although modern
technology often serves to reduce the impact of physical barriers, the
advantages and disadvantages of each communication channel should
be understood so that an appropriate channel can be used to overcome
the physical barriers.

 Psychological barriers
The psychological state of the receiver will influence how the
message is received. For example, if someone has personal worries
and is stressed, they may be preoccupied by personal concerns and not
as receptive to the message as if they were not stressed. Stress
management is an important personal skill that affects our
interpersonal relationships. Anger is another example of a
psychological barrier to communication. When we are angry it is easy
to say things that we may later regret and also to misinterpret what
others are saying. More generally, people with low self-esteem may
be less assertive and therefore may not feel comfortable
communicating - they may feel shy about saying how they really feel,
or read negative sub-texts into messages they hear.

 Organizational structure barriers

 Companies with unclear structures can make communication difficult.
For example, they may have an inefficient information sharing and
communication system, employees may not know what their role is in
the communication system etc.
If a company has a complex structure with lots of management levels,
information will be lost or distorted as it travels through each layer of
the hierarchy.

 Emotional barriers
Emotional reactions from either or both the speaker and listener can
prevent effective communication. It's difficult to put aside and not act
on our emotions but it's necessary. Try to work out what words, topics
etc. can trigger your strong emotional reactions so you can create a
plan for managing them.
A common emotion, in regard to communication, is fear. People often
have the tendency to think that their opinions don't matter in the
workplace or that people will negatively judge them if they speak up.
But this isn't the case and it's likely that others around you will also
feel too afraid to say anything so they'll respect you when you do
speak up. What is valuable to you will be valuable to another person.

 Cultural barriers
Cultural barriers can interfere with communication in a myriad
number of ways:
 The norms of communication vary between cultures, such as,
personal space. It's important to find common ground in these
situations.
  People may form assumptions based on stereotypes of the other
person's culture (cultural noise).
 Work cultures differ between companies which means you have
to adapt to your company's culture to communicate effectively.

 Semantic and language barriers

 Language differences between the speaker and the listeners

 Difficulties in understanding unfamiliar accents
 Uses of: jargon, unfamiliar/regional expressions, specialist
abbreviations, slang, technical terminology

 Attitudinal Barriers 

Attitudinal barriers are behaviors or perceptions that prevent people from

communicating effectively. Attitudinal barriers to communication may result
from personality conflicts, poor management, and resistance to change, or a
lack of motivation. Effective receivers of messages should attempt to overcome
their own attitudinal barriers to facilitate effective communication.

Top 5 Effective Communication Skills for Project

Managers

A successful project manager must be a great communicator! Project

management communication is a skill that is never perfected, can
always be improved and is pivotal in being able to initiate and
mobilize.
The PMI (Project Management Institute) suggest a project manager
should spend 90 per cent of their time communicating!

a) Active Listening
In first place a project manager should have an ability to listen to and
understand others. Listening to the words and the meaning behind
their words, not interrupting or letting our minds wander, asking
questions to check understanding and observing non-verbal signals.

According to Indian project manager Nirav

Patel, CAPM, The benefits include getting people to
open up, and due to that lots of misunderstandings and
conflicts can be resolved.
 

b) Non-Verbal Communication

Only 7% of communication is verbal, while thirty-eight percent is

conveyed through the quality of voice via tone, volume, speed, and
pitch. Fifty-five percent is through posture, movements, gestures,
facial expressions, breathing and skin-color changes, which should be
successfully exhibited by a project manager.
 

c) Friendliness, Trust, and Respect

Using a friendly tone or simply a smile, a manger can encourage his

project team to engage in an open and collaborative communication
process. Trust and respect are the cornerstones of personal
relationships. They are earned, not a right, and come from an
experience of our honesty, integrity, and expertise. People will be
more open to communicating with a project head if respect is
conveyed to them and their ideas.
 

d) Open-Mindedness
An efficient project communicator should enter any conversation with
a flexible, open mind, a habit to listen and understand the other
person’s point of view, rather than simply getting a point across. Be
willing to engage in conversation, even when there is a difference in
option, resulting in more honest, productive conversations between
employees and head.

e) Feedback and Collaboration

In a collaborative environment, team members support and encourage
each other rather than focusing solely on their tasks and
responsibilities. They are willing to share information, ideas, and
assets to help each other, cooperate and collaborate to reach the end
goal. This collaborative environment, in turn, provides a constructive
atmosphere for giving and receiving feedback, which is a vital
communication skill for project managers.
Feedback may be positive, negative, or neutral, indicating the
receptivity of the sender or receiver.
References:
http://phicare.com/competencies/communicationbarriers.php
https://virtualspeech.com/blog/barriers-to-communication
https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/top-five-communication-skills-for-project-managers.php
https://2020projectmanagement.com/resources/communication-management/communication-the-
key-to-successful-project-management