BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

- Sender’s lack of awareness of receiver’s needs i.e if the sender is unaware of the receivers
needs or doesn’t know the exact aim of the communication or doesn’t have a clear idea
of what the communication aims to achieve before encoding the message.
If the message is inaccurate then there will be a communication breakdown.

Language
- If the language by the sender is unfamiliar i.e it can’t be decoded by the recipient, there
will be a communication breakdown.
- Also, how the message is relayed, facial expressions, gestures and the way they are
interpreted by the observer.
- The tone or voice – variation of tone can have an impact on information / message use of
wrong medium.
- If medium chosen is inappropriate the message can be distorted. A careful choice of the
medium can aid in avoiding misunderstanding.

Poor timing
- Deciding on the most appropriate time to communicate is important. Ensure the recipient
has enough time to pay careful attention to the message in order to understand it and
give the expected feedback.

Information overload
- The message the sender wishes to communicate should contain the right amount of
information to avoid an overload. Too much information is as bad as too little information
as it reduces audiences’ ability to concentrate effectively on the most important message.
BARRIERS CAUSED BY THE RECIPIENTS
(Recipients oriented barriers)

Poor listening skills

- The receiver may deliberately refuse to listen to an incoming message known as selective
listening. Lack of concentration, lack of interest, difficulty in comprehending the content,
poor mental attitude and cultural differences between the sender and receiver could also
cause a breakdown.

Prejudice
- Preformed attitudes towards the sender of the message or both which may arise from
the difference between sender and receivers owing to their differences in social status,
education and age.

Lack of Feedback
- If the receiver fails to give feedback or gives a delayed feedback where there was a need
for an instant one, this will automatically cause a breakdown.

BARRIERS CAUSED BY EXTERNAL FACTORS

1. Noise
Can be physical noise in a room, traffic, poor telephone connection/network or other forms
like poor handwriting.

2. Physical distance
The geographical distance between sender and receiver e.g people tend to communicate
better when at close range and communication becomes strained as the physical distance
widens “out of sight out of mind”.
Sitting arrangement in a room.

3. Too many steps / bureaucracies in communication

If an oral message is channeled through many employees, the message is likely to get
distorted. In written communication e.g a letter passing through many bureaucratic stages in
an organization may not reach the desired destination at the desired time for appropriate
action to be taken.

4. Semantic barriers
Different interpretations of words by different people according to their mental attitudes and
understanding hence message conveyed by sender do not convey.
MEASURES TO OVERCOME BARRIERS TO EFFECTICE COMMUNICATION
- Making organization structures straight forward and communication lives simple, clear
and direct (to simplify beauracracies).
- Trust and confidence to be cultivated throughout an organization hence remove
relationship barriers by the managers developing an inspirational leadership style that
encourages honest feedback.
- Communication should be well planned and well constructed hence communication
content should be adequate and complete sentences should be logical, clear, simple
language and unambiguous.
- Medium and method of communication should be carefully chosen to suit particular
communication needs.
- Equipment and mechanical devices used should be carefully regulated, selected and well
maintained to prevent breakdowns.
- Flow of communication should be carefully regulated to maintain optimum flow carefully
processing if information to eliminate all unnecessary information will ensure
communication channels are not overloaded.
- Effort should be made to improve human relations hence reduction of behavioural
barriers. Encouraging co-operation by improving personnel relations between
management and staff.