Barr iers to Inter personal Communication

1. S eman tic s The term for the var y ing m eanings tha t people attac h
to words.

2 . Filter in g of ne ga tiv e Inv olves co loring or a lte r ing infor mation to m ake the
in fo rma tio n message m ore accep table to t he r eceive r .

3 . Credib ility of the Me ssage value and im portance are base d on the
s e n de r trustworthiness of t he sende r.

4 . M ixed sig na ls Sending different messages a bout the same topic

creates confusion.

5 . Dif fe rent frames o f People perceive words and concepts differently

refe ren ce based on their personal perspective and past
experience.

6 . V alue judgme nts Making a value judgment prior to receiving the

message inte rferes with the communication of the
message meaning.

7 . Commun ication Occurs when people are so overloaded with

overload information that they cannot respond
effectively to messages.
Barriers to Communication and the Means for
Overcoming Them
Barriers Overcoming Barriers

Semantics Clarify ideas before sending.

Filtering of negative information
Lack of credibility of the sender
Mixed signals
Different frames of reference
Value judgments
Communication overload
communication style.
Monitor the receiver.
Discuss differences in paradigms.
Foster informal communication.
Communicate feelings behind the facts.
Be aware of nonverbal behavior.
Obtain feedback.
Adapt to the other person’s
Engage in meta-communication.
Improving the Sending of Messages
• Clarify ideas before communicating.
• Monitor the receiver.
• Discuss differences in paradigms.
• Foster informal communications.
• Communicate feelings behind the facts.
• Be aware of nonverbal behavior.
• Obtain feedback.
• Adapt to the other person’s communication style.
• Engage in meta-communication
Improving the Receiving of Messages
• Active listening:
 Listen for full meaning without making premature
judgments or interpretations.
 Listen intently, with the goal of empathizing with the
speaker.
 Provide feedback to the speaker what he or she thinks the
speaker meant.
 Observe nonverbal cues for additional meaning.
 Avoid reacting too quickly to a word or phrase that stirs
emotion.
 Ask open-ended questions that invite an explanation.
 Twelve Keys to Effective Listening
• Find areas of interest • Exercise your mind
• Judge content, not • Keep your mind open
delivery
• Capitalize on the fact
• Hold your fire that thought is faster
than speech
• Listen for ideas
• Restate what you hear
• Be flexible
• Notices eye color
• Work at listening
• Resist distractions

Sources: John W. Richter, “Listening: An Art Essential to Success,” Success, (September 1980): p. 26;
Lyman K. Steil, “How Well Do You Listen?” Executive Female, Special Issue No. 2 (1986): p. 37; “Train
Yourself in the Art of Listening,” Positive Leadership (Ragan Communications, Inc.), Sample issue distributed
2003.