The scenario

I just began my job as a medical representative for Pharma. I was eager to get started

in the sector and visited a doctor to discuss a new product on the market. I was nervous since

this was my first encounter with a doctor as a pharmaceutical sales representative. I was

anxious not to make an error. I was tasked with convincing the doctor to prescribe a blood

pressure medication from a brand-new manufacturer on the market. I was unaware that the

doctor mostly spoke Malayalam until I met him. The only common language we spoke was

English. The doctor responded to my pitch by saying, "I have been prescribing this brand for

the previous ten years, and it works. Why should I switch to your brand?”. The doctor's

accent confused me even though he spoke English well.

Additionally, there was a lot of background noise, making it challenging to

comprehend the doctor. The doctor's brief confrontation shook me. Finally, after a brief

period of silence, I spoke to the doctor about how this new drug would be cost-effective for

the patients and increase patient compliance by lowering dosage frequency. Even though I

correctly answered the doctor's question, the meeting ended with a rejection.

The communication barriers noted in this scenario are:

Psychological Barrier – I was too self-conscious and lacking in confidence.

Communication is hampered when one is very self-conscious, feels inferior in the mind, and

is, most importantly, unprepared.

Linguistic Barrier – Because I did not speak Malayalam, I had trouble understanding

English speakers with a Malayalam accent. This issue became a hurdle since I struggled to

grasp most of what the doctor stated.

Physical Barrier – The doctor and I were both distracted by the background noise,

which made it difficult for us to hear each other speak clearly.