External barriers to communication

http://www.witold.me.uk/communication.htm
Barriers to communication 

To approach the subjects we'll analyse a simple model of a

communication process consisting of two communicating units
(people) and a communication channel linking them. In a simplest
example both interlocutors are close in the space so they can talk,
see one another and they can undertake any actions.

 - Communication channel - 

First, let's clarify some terms.

By communication channel or channels we will understand a set of
means and mediums used to pass information among the entities that
attempt to communicate.
In our case two persons communicate verbally and visually. They are
also using body language i.e. body movements, gestures and facial
expressions instead of, or in addition to, sounds, verbal language, or
other forms of communication). 

Providing that there is no problem with communication channels,

efficiency of communication depends of the persons' abilities to
understand one another and of their specific personal skills. These
types of barriers then can be presented as follows:
 
a. Linguistic barriers - 
interlocutors don't speak the same language, speaks on
different level or use different vocabulary, which means that
symbols (words) used to pass information and their
arrangement may have no meaning or different meaning
   
b. Cultural barriers - 
interlocutors cultural origins are different which means that they
may have:
o Different model/image of the world and its relations
o Different values and their hierarchy
o Different social norms, rules and rituals formal and
informal that affect behaviour and regulate an entire
system of interactions

   

c. Social barriers - 
interlocutors represent different social group which may differ
their:
o General behaviour as effect of different social norms,
rules and customs, standards, beliefs and priorities,
o Background and education
o Use of language and level of its knowledge.

  
Interlocutor is categorised and assigned to a specific position in
the social or cultural grid, which cause the communication to be
perceived as impossible or useless.

o Conversational Misalliance

d. Individual/personal barriers - 
interlocutors have different personal qualities similar to ones
already mentioned through the points 1 to 3, however they are
not necessarily consequences of different linguistic, cultural or
social origin of the individuals. They are the following:
o Physical and mental abilities
o Preferences
o Values and their hierarchy
o Different model/image of the world
o General behaviour and emotional states
o Background and education, unnecessary projection
o Different use of language and the level of its knowledge
 o Different communication skills, which can be divided as
follows:
o Knowledge of:
 Interlocutor.
 Purpose.
 Topic.
o Abilities to:
 Anticipate objections
 Achieve credibility
 Give full attention, give and get feedback
 Follow through what was said
 Communicate a little at a time
 Use multiple communication techniques
 Present information in several ways
 Detect emotional states
 Understand possible differences in perception
o - Abilities to avoid:
 Muddled messages
 Stereotyping
 Wrong sub-channel
 Wrong language
o Other attitudes:
 Making eye-contact
 Giving prompts, i.e. nodding, smiling, etc.

e. Structural Barriers -
Structural barriers are set in order to avoid communication
perceived as unwanted, unimportant, unnecessary and useless
or possibly overloading. The purpose of the barriers may be to
put a dame in the place where communicational flood might be
expected, for example: to make our VIPs life reasonably quiet. 

The problem starts when the value of information to pass is

evaluated by its origin and not by its content. It turns the
gate/barrier sensor from the position "what" to the position
"Who". These phenomena exist not only in our establishments
and public institutions, damaging our democracy, but are
present in everybody's life. 
In fact, before any communication starts we attempt to
categorize our interlocutor.
We want to evaluate how much it is worth to communicate and
how dip we want to go in. Usually used schemata are saving
our time. Simple evaluation of the interlocutor's position in the
social/cultural grid can tell us what we may expect.

The creation of such barriers is dangerous for any society. It

leads to separation and social/political conflicts as well. People
never were socially equal and never will be, some even might
not be interested, but we should give them equal possibilities to
move through the grid if they want to and categorize them
rather after the communication has taken place. 

The structures cannot be avoided, they are too important and

necessary but making them more dynamic, flexible, pervious
and transparent will allow them to progress.