STRATEGIES TO AVOID 

COMMUNICATION
BREAKDOWN 
CRISELDA D. AYCO
DIRECTIONS: IDENTIFY THE REASONS FOR THE COMMUNICATION
BREAKDOWN IN EACH PICTURE. WRITE YOUR ANSWER IN A SEPARATE
SHEET OF PAPER SIMILAR TO THE BOX BELOW. 
BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION 

1. Physical Barriers are the natural or environmental condition 

EX.

• People talking too loud. 

• Noise from a construction site 
• Loud sound of a karaoke 
• Blaring of jeepney horns 
2. Psychological Barriers are called as mental barriers. These refer to social and personal issues of a
speaker.
EX:

•trauma 
•shyness, lack of confidence 
•depression 
•fear, stage fright 
3. Cultural Barriers pertain to communication problems encountered by people regarding their
intrinsic values, beliefs, and traditions in conflict with others. 
EX:

•different beliefs 
•traditions, and customs 
•manners of dressing 
•speaking 
Linguistic Barriers pertain conflicts with regard to language and word meanings. Because words
carry denotative and connotative meanings 
EX:

•difference in language 
•accent and dialect 
•use of jargon and slang 
•speech defects or language impairments 
VERDERBER (1991) GIVES A SIMILAR
IDEA OF BARRIER:
• External Noises- “sight, sound and other stimuli that draw
people’s attention away from intended meaning.” 
• Internal Noises- “thoughts and feelings that interfere with
meaning.” 
• Semantic noises- “alternate meanings aroused by a speaker’s
symbols.” This idea means that a word may have another
meaning in the minds of the students.