BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Communication barrier implies any form of hindrance in the free flow of communication. The
receiver is not able to get the message conveyed by the sender accurately, clearly and intendedly.

Following are some of the barriers to effective communication:

 Physical barriers

 Personal barriers

 Semantic/ language barriers

 Organizational barriers

 Psychological barriers

 Resistance to change

 Cultural barriers

 Physiological barriers

Physical barriers

Physical barriers to communication are those that arise due to certain factors like faulty
equipment, noise, closed doors and cabins that cause the information sent from sender to receiver
to become distorted, which results in improper communication.

Distance, noise, environmental factors

Personal barriers

o Social values, inferiority complex, difference in judgments, bias, attitude, pressure

of time, inability to communicate, credibility gap
o Fear of challenge to authority
o Lack of confidence of superior towards the subordinate
o Unwillingness to communicate
o Lack of proper incentives
Semantic/ language barriers

 Symbols with different meanings

 People interpret the message in terms of their own behaviour and experience
 Faulty translation
 Technical language
 Unclarified assumptions

Organizational barrier

 Status-Superior subordinate relationship

 Filtering of message
 Organizational hierarchy
 Organizational policy
 Organisatioanl rules and regulations
 Lengthy scalar chain
 One way communication system
 Lack of confidence in subordinates

Psychological barriers

 Barriers due to inadequate attention

 Premature evaluation
 Barriers due to lack of mutual trust
 Emotional attitude
 Loss by transmission and poor retention

Cultural barriers

Arise due to lack of similarities among the different cultures across the world. A term that can be
harmless in one culture can be regarded as a slang in another culture. Moreover, various beliefs
can differ from one culture to another.

Physiological barriers
Physiological barriers arise when a sender or the receiver of the communication is not in a
position to express or receive the message with clarity due to some physiological issues, nerve
disorders that interfere with speech or hearing

Resistance to change

Tendency of human beings to stick to old and customary pattern of life. New ideas are
overlooked or opposed

Overcoming barriers to communication

1) Clarity and completeness-

 Know the audience

 Communicator must be clear about the message
 Clearly defined purpose of communication

2) Proper language

 Simple, brief, clear language

3) Sound organization structure

 The organization structure must be appropriate to the need of the organization

4) Orientation of employees

 To understand the objectives, rules, policies, authority relationships and operation of

enterprise.
 Help to understand each other , minimise conflicts and distortion of message

5) Empathic listening and avoid premature evaluation

6) Motivation and mutual confidence

7) Consistent behaviour

8) Use of grapevine
9) Feedback

10) Gestures and tone