11 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Communication is the nerve system of an enterprise. It is said to be no. 1 management problem today. "It serves as the lubricant, fostering for the smooth operations of management process.
1)     Physical Barriers: A communication is two-way process, distance between the sender and the receiver of the message is an important barrier to communication. Noise and environmental factors also block communication.
2)     Personal Barriers: Personal factors like difference in judgement, social values, inferiority complex, bias, attitude, pressure of time, inability to communicate, etc. widen the psychological distance between the communicator and the communicate. Credibility gap, i.e., inconsistency between what one says and what one does, also, acts as a barrier to communication.
3)     Semantic or Language Barriers: Semantic is the science of meaning. The same work and symbols carry different meanings to different people. Difficulties in communication arise when the sender and the receiver of the message use words or symbols in different senses. The meaning intended by the sender may be quite different from the meaning followed by the receiver. People interpret the message in terms of their own behaviour and experience. Sometimes, the language used by the sender may not at all be followed by the receiver.
4)     Status Barriers Superior-Subordinate Relationship: status or position in the hierarchy of an organization is one of the fundamental barriers that obstructs free flow of information. A superior may give only selected information to his subordinates so as to maintain status differences. Subordinates, usually, tend to convey only those things which the superiors would appreciate. This creates distortion in upwards communication. Such selective communication is also known as filtering sometimes, "the superior feels that he cannot fully admit to his subordinates those problems, conditions or results which may affect adversely on his ability judgement.
5)     Organizational Structure Barriers: Effective communication largely depends upon sound organizational structure. If the structure is complex involving several layers of management, the breakdown or distortion in communication will arise it is an established fact that every layer cuts off a bit of information.
6)     Barriers due to Inadequate Attention: Inadequate attention to the message makes communication less effective and the message is likely to be misunderstood. Inattention may arise because of over business of the communicatee or because of the message being contrary to his expectations and beliefs. The simple failure to read notices, minutes and reports also a con1ffion feature.
7)     Premature Evaluation: Some people have the tendency to form a judgement before listening to the entire message. This is known as premature evaluation. As discussed in the previous point, "half-listening is like racing your engine with the gears in neutral. You use gasoline but you get nowhere." Premature evaluation distorts understanding and acts as a barrier to effective communication.
8)     Emotional Attitude: Barriers may also arise due to emotional attitude because when emotions are strong, it is difficult to know, the frame of mind "of other person or group. Emotional attitudes of both, the" communicator as well as the communicatee, obstruct free flow of transmission and understanding of messages.
9)     Resistance to Change: It is general tendency of human beings to stick to old and customary patterns of life. 1bey may resist change to maintain status quo. Thus, when new ideas are being communicated to introduce a change, it is likely to be overlooked or even opposed. This resistance to change creates an important obstacle to effective communication.
10) Barriers Due to Lack of Mutual Trust: Communication means sharing of ideas in common. "When we communicate, we are trying to establish a commonness." Thus, one will freely transfer information and understanding with another only when there is .mutual trust between the two. When there is a lack of mutual trust between the communicator and the communicatee, the message is not followed.

11) Other Barriers: There may be many other barriers, such as unclarified assumptions, lack of ability to communicate, mirage of too much knowledge of closed minds, communication overload, shortage of time, etc., which cause distortion or obstruction in the free flow of communication and thus make it ineffective. Failure to retain or store information for future use becomes a barrier to communication when the information is needed in future.

Comments

Ruby said…
thank u for the simplified data.

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