Presentation on Topic

Barriers to communication
(managerial communication)
Submitted By: Group Seig (01)

Members : Arun Bhatt(05) Hitesh Prajapati (40)
Nirav Bhalodiya(03) Shailesh Jotva(13)
Submitted to : Prof. Mrs Gayatri Vyas Maghnani
Sevantilal Kantilal School of Business management, HNGU (Patan NG)
( Department of Commerce and Management )
Contents
Introduction

Semantic Barriers

Interpersonal barriers

Individual Barriers

Cross Cultural Barriers

Physical Barriers

Measures to overcome barriers

Conclusion
Communication is the activity of conveying information through the exchange
of ideas, feelings, intentions, attitudes, expectations, perceptions or commands,
as by speech, non-verbal gestures, writings, behaviour etc.

It is the meaningful exchange of information between two or more participants

Communication requires a sender, a message, a medium and a recipient,
although the receiver does not have to be present or aware of the sender's
intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can
occur across vast distances in time and space.

Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of
communicative commonality.
Introduction(communication)
Barriers to effective communication can retard or distort the message and
intention of the message being conveyed which may result in failure of the
communication process or an effect that is undesirable.

These include filtering, selective perception, information overload, emotions,
language, silence, communication apprehension, gender differences and
political correctness

This also includes a lack of expressing "knowledge-appropriate"
communication, which occurs when a person uses ambiguous or complex legal
words, medical jargon, or descriptions of a situation or environment that is not
understood by the recipient.
Introduction (barriers)
Semantic Barriers
There is always a possibility of misunderstanding the feelings of the sender of the
message or getting a wrong meaning of it.

The words, signs, and figures used in the communication are explained by the receiver
in the light of his experience which creates doubtful situations.

This happens because the information is not sent in simple language.
The chief language-related barriers are as under:
(i) Badly Expressed Message:

Because of the obscurity of language there is always a possibility of wrong
interpretation of the messages.

This barrier is created because of the wrong choice of words, in civil words, the wrong
sequence of sentences and frequent repetitions. This may be called linguistic chaos.
(ii) Symbols or Words with Different Meanings:

A symbol or a word can have different meanings. If the receiver misunderstands the
communication, it becomes meaningless.

For example, the word value can have different meanings in the following sentences:

(a) What is the value of computer education these days?
(b) What is the value of this mobile set?
(c) Value our friendship.
(iii) Technical Jargon:
Generally, it has been seen that the people working in an enterprise are connected with
some special technical group who have their separate technical language. Their
communication is not so simple as to be understood by everybody.
Organisational Barriers


Organisational structure greatly affects the capability of the employees as far as the
communication is concerned.

Some major organisational hindrances in the way of communication are the following:
(i) Organisational Policies:

Organisational policies determine the relationship among all the persons working in
the enterprise. For example, it can be the policy of the organisation that communication
will be in the written form.

In such a situation anything that could be conveyed in a few words shall have to be
communicated in the written form. Consequently, work gets delayed.
(ii) Rules and Regulations:

Organisational rules become barriers in communication by determining the subject-
matter, medium, etc. of communication.

Troubled by the definite rules, the senders do not send some of the messages.
(iii) Complexity in Organisational Structure:

The greater number of managerial levels in an organisation makes it more complex. It
results in delay in communication and information gets changed before it reaches the
receiver.

In other words, negative things or criticism are concealed. Thus, the more the number
of managerial levels in the organisation, the more ineffective the communication
becomes.
INTERPERSONAL BARRIERS

Interpersonal barriers occur due to the inappropriate transaction of words
between two or more people.

The two broad categories into which this barrier can be classified are:

Inefficiency in communication skills

Negative aspect nurturing in the climate
If there are two people involved in communication, the traits that distinguish them as
individuals can be the root cause of a communication problem
The most common reasons for interpersonal barriers are as follows:

(i) Limited vocabulary

Sometimes it happens that the people or parties communicating aren't in a position to
express themselves freely because of lack of sufficient vocabulary or limited expression
of words in their communication or maybe they dont understand the words expressed
by the other.

(ii) Emotional outbursts
Emotional outbursts are most common problem in communication, emotions cant be
contained, emotions like anger or happiness or over excitedness may act as barrier for
the other party. The mixed communication with inappropriate emotions has always
caused troubles for proper understanding of words or meaning of words expressed by
the other party.
(iii) Cultural variations
Cultural and traditional aspects are very important for communication, the
differentiation in these things arent always suitable for effective communication. Ones
cultural background has a great effect on the words, feelings or way of communicating
with others. Cross culture communication can be problematic if not done properly
Personal Barriers

The past said barriers are important in themselves but there are some
barriers which are directly connected with the sender and the receiver.

They are called personal barriers.
From the point of view of convenience, they have been divided into two parts:
(a) Barriers Related to Superiors: These barriers are as follows:
(i) Fear of Challenge of Authority:
Everybody desires to occupy a high office in the organisation. In this hope the officers try
to conceal their weaknesses by not communicating their ideas. There is a fear in their
mind that in case the reality comes to light they may have to move to the lower level
(ii) Lack of Confidence in Subordinates:
Top-level superiors think that the lower- level employees are less capable and, therefore,
they ignore the information or suggestions sent by them. They deliberately ignore the
communication from their subordinates in order to increase their own importance.
Consequently, the self-confidence of the employees is lowered.


(b) Barriers Related to Subordinates: Subordinates-related barriers are
the following:
(i) Unwillingness to Communicate:
Sometimes the subordinates do not want to send any information to their superiors.
When the subordinates feel that the information is of negative nature and will adversely
affect them, an effort is made to conceal that information.
(ii) Lack of Proper Incentive:
Lack of incentive to the subordinates creates a hindrance in communication. The lack of
incentive to the subordinates is because of the fact that their suggestions or ideas are
not given any importance. If the superiors ignore the subordinates, they become
indifferent towards any exchange of ideas in future.
Cultural Barriers
Effective communication with people of different cultures is especially challenging.
Cultures provide people with ways of thinking--ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting
the world.

Thus the same words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even
when they talk the same language. When the languages are different, and translation
has to be used to communicate, the potential for misunderstandings increases.
Barriers because of culture :
(i) Language
Misunderstandings are common among people who speak the same language, so it is
not surprising that people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds face
communication barriers. Anything from the mispronunciation of a word to a lack of
specificity can lead to misunderstandings
(ii) Behavior

Cultural differences in body language and other behaviors can also cause
miscommunications. For example, in the U.S. it is important to make eye contact with
someone who is speaking to you or they may think you are distracted or uninterested.
However, in many Asian countries eye contact can be a sign of disrespect or a challenge
to authority. There are many other cultural differences in body language that can create
barriers to effective communication.
(iii) Stereotypes

Stereotypes are assumptions people make about the characteristics of members of a
cultural or social group. Many stereotypes are negative or even hostile and are a serious
barrier to workplace communication
Physical Barriers
There are a host of physical factors that can prevent individuals from having an
effective communication. Physical barriers relate to disturbance in the immediate milieu
which can interfere in the course of an effective communication.


Let us take a look at some physical factors to communication:
(i) Environment

Some barriers are due to the existing environment. If you are standing in adverse
weather conditions, your conversation would be hampered because you would not be
able to pay full attention to what the other person is saying.

The ambiance in which you are having a conversation also plays an important part in
the quality of a conversation. If the place is too noisy, or two crowded, you may not be
able to clearly listen to the speaker.
(ii) Distance

Distance also plays an important part in determining the course of a conversation. For
example, if the staff in an organization are made to sit in different buildings or different
floors, they might have to substitute face to face communication with phone calls or
emails. This prevents the employees to have effective communication with each other.
(iii) Ignorance of Medium

Communication also includes using signs and symbols to convey a feeling or a
thought. However, if there is a lack of ignorance about the medium in which sender is
sending the message, the conversation can be hampered.

For example, the use of signs to communicate can be seen in games like soccer and
hockey, where players do not want the opposing team to know about their plans and
may converse through codes and signs. However, if a member of a team is not
acquainted with these signs, it can lead to a lack of communication.
Overcoming the Barriers to communication
In order to remove hindrances in the way of communication
the following steps are worth consideration:
(1) Clarify Ideas before Communication

The person sending the communication should be very clear in his mind about what
he wants to say. He should know the objective of his message and, therefore, he should
arrange his thoughts in a proper order.
(2) Communicate According to the Need of the Receiver

The sender of the communication should prepare the structure of the message not
according to his own level or ability but he should keep in mind the level, understanding
or the environment of the receiver.
(3) Consult Others before Communication

At the time of planning the communication, suggestions should be invited from all the
persons concerned. Its main advantage will be that all those people who are consulted
at the time of preparing the communication plan will contribute to the success of the
communication system.
(4) Be Aware of Language, Tone and Content of Message

The sender should take care of the fact that the message should be framed in clear
and beautiful language. The tone of the message should not injure the feelings of the
receiver. As far as possible the contents of the message should be brief and excessive
use of technical words should be avoided.
(5) Ensure Proper Feedback

The purpose of feedback is to find out whether the receiver has properly understood
the meaning of the information received. In the face-to- face communication, the
reaction on the face of the receiver can be understood.

But in case of written communication or some other sort of communications some
proper method of feedback should be adopted by the sender.
(6) Emotional State

During communication one should make effective use of body language. He/she
should not show their emotions while communication as the receiver might misinterpret
the message being delivered. For example, if the conveyer of the message is in a bad
mood then the receiver might think that the information being delivered is not good.


(7) Simple Organizational Structure

The organizational structure should not be complex. The number of hierarchical levels
should be optimum. There should be a ideal span of control within the organization.
Simpler the organizational structure, more effective will be the communication.
(8) Avoid Information Overload

The managers should know how to prioritize their work. They should not overload
themselves with the work. They should spend quality time with their subordinates and
should listen to their problems and feedbacks actively.
Conclusion
There are a lot of communication barriers faced these days by all. The message
intended by the sender is not understood by the receiver in the same terms and sense
and thus communication breakdown occurs.

It is essential to deal and cope up with these communication barriers so as to ensure
smooth and effective communication.

A proper communication and a smooth flow of words and feeling with sufficient gestures
and correct syntax will ensure a good and effective communication between parties and
will delete the chaos caused by improper communication.