W2: Barriers to Effective

Communication
What is Communication?

► Communication is the art of transmitting

knowledge, ideas, information and
thoughts from one person to another. The
transfer should be such that the receiver
understands the meaning and gives proper
feedback.
Importance of Effective
Communication

Effective communication is necessary for

• planning
• understanding each other
• establishment of effective leadership
• increasing efficiency
• making decisions
• smooth working of organization
• coordination
Effect of Communication
Barriers

► Communication barriers in the workplace keep people

from fully understanding one another.

► Barriers to communication cause misunderstanding,

misinterpretation and misinformation.
Types of Communication
Barriers

1.Physical barriers
2.Organizational barriers
3.Psychological barriers
4.Semantic and language barriers
5.Cultural barriers
6.Gender barriers
1. PHYSICAL BARRIERS
Physical Barriers

Definition:
Physical barriers are the barriers caused by
environment.
Types of Physical Barriers

1.Place (Space)
► Closed office doors
► Large working area
► Separate areas for people of different status
► It forbids team member from effective interaction with
each other.
 Types of Physical Barriers

2. Physical noise (outside disturbance)

3. Time and Distance (Different Time Zones)
4. Defects in medium of communication and
networks
 Ways To Overcome Physical
Barriers
► Have appropriate seating arrangement
► Minimize visual/oral distractions
► Understand different time zones
► Use appropriate channel of
communication(email,skype, WhatsApp
etc.)
2. Organizational Barriers
Organizational Barriers

►  Definition: The Organizational
Barriers refers to the hindrances in the
flow of information among the employees
that might result in a commercial failure
of an organization.
Examples of organizational
barriers
► Authoritarian attitude of management
► Poorly defined roles and responsibilities
► Too many levels in organization structure
► Information gap: The upper level does
not know the true state of affairs.
► Work overload:Piling up of tasks

► Information overload: duplication of

information
 How to Overcome
Organizational Barriers?
Individual Skills
► Active listening: Ask questions if something is not clear.
► Select the appropriate channel for the message
► The managers should spend some part of their time
listening to problems and ideas of their staff, while
wandering around an office or plant.

Organizational Actions
► Have simple organizational structure
► Avoid information/work overload
► Be flexible in meeting targets
3.Psychological barriers
Psychological barriers

► The Psychological or Emotional
Barriers refers to the psychological state
i.e. opinions, attitudes, status
consciousness, emotions, etc. of a person
that deeply affects the ability to
communicate.
 Examples of Psychological
barriers
► Trust issues (Distrust)
► Attitudes and opinions

► Emotions (anger, nervousness, confusion)

► Inattention (Lack of attention)

► Closed minded

► Poor retention(memory)

► Stress (worries, tension)

► Fear
How to overcome Psychological
Barriers?

►Give Attention
► Motivate
►Develop Trust
►Give Assistance
►Sympathize
►Improve memory(Take notes)
►Be open minded
4.Language barriers
Language Barriers

Definition: Language barrier arises because of the lack of a

common language that prevents two or more people from
speaking to or understanding each other. A variety of
dialects and accents in the same language can also cause
problems.
Examples: 
► Different languages
► Misinterpretation of words (Semantic)
► No clarity in speech(Accent, dialect, tone)
► Not being specific
► Use of technical language (Jargon)
Language Barriers

Semantics: meaning of words

Misinterpretation of Words
For example, the word ,yellow’ is a color and also means a
coward person.

Jargon: technical words

Misinterpretation of Words
For example, in the computer jargon, 'to burn a CD' means
'to copy the data on a CD'.
 Ways to overcome language
barriers

► Use of simple language

► Symbols and charts
► Active Listening
► Constructive feedback
► Use a translator or translation application
5. Cultural Barriers
CULTURAL BARRIERS

► Definition: Different cultures have different rules (ways

of thinking, seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world)
that can make cultures clash and cultural clashes can
turn into barriers to communication.
Cultural Barriers

Rules of politeness, space, social relation,

gestures differ from culture to culture.

Questions:
► Should one look the other person in the
eye or not?
► How close the people should stand to
each other when they are talking?
► Should we shake hand or bow?
How to overcome Cultural
Barriers?

► Develop understanding of traditions,

values, gestures and customs
► Have information of all aspects of culture
6. Gender barriers
 Gender Barriers

► This barrier arises because men and

women have different ways of thinking
and communication.
 How to overcome Gender
Barriers?
► Be patient.
► Listen to what the other person is saying.
► Don’t judge.
► Understand the difference.
► Give respect.
► Don’t be biased. Be fair.
 7. Physiological Barriers
► Physiological barriers of communication occur due to the physical condition
and disabilities.
Examples of Physiological
Barriers
► Blindness and vision impairment(short
sightedness, long sightedness, blur vision)
► Speech disorders (stuttering and
stammering)
► Physical disabilities
 How to overcome
Physiological Barriers?
► Take medical help
► See the doctor
► Use medical aid devices