BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

MEANING

Communication is the process through

which the source transmits any message,
idea or information to the receiver through
a medium.

Barriers of Communication are the

hindrances or difficulties involved in the
process of Communication whereby the
message is distorted and is not properly
understood by the receiver.

TYPES OF BARRIERS

Noise
Semantic Barriers
Organizational
Barriers
Psychological
Barriers
Other Barriers

NOISE

What is Noise?
Any interference in the message sent and the message
received leads to the production of Noise. Noise here does
not mean cacophony, but a barrier in the communication
process.
For Example: You have just joined as a trainee at an
automobile company. You go to meet your boss to seek
permission to visit the automobile exhibition being held in
New Delhi. While you are talking, two of your colleagues
also come in to get some bills signed. After they leave,
you resume talking but find your boss has not really
grasped the message.
Your colleagues intervention led to you boss lack of
concentration. This intervention or NOISE did not let your
boss decode the message fully. Hence the communication

However, noise can be of two types:

Physical
Psychological.
Physical noise can also be understood in terms of
cacophony where external noise makes it difficult to pass
on the message. Ex. Noise of Heavy machines.
Psychological noise is when the person has too many
things going on in his mind which make it difficult for him
to concentrate on the message being given by the
speaker.
The example shared in the previous slide refers to
physical noise which does not involve loud sounds but
interference prevents communication. This example also
speaks about the Boss psychological noise where he fails
to grasp your message because his attention was
diverted.

SEMANTIC BARRIER

Lack of common Language: Linguistic barrier occurs

when the sender and the receiver belong to different
Language backgrounds. For Ex. A Japanese and a German
might face this barrier in absence of a common language.

Poor Vocabulary: An inadequate vocabulary can be a

major hindrance in communication. At times your pen
falters or your tongue fumbles as you search for the exact
word or phrase.

Use of Jargons: Not everyone is familiar with the terms

associated with a particular field of work. Technical terms
of one field may sound Greek and Latin to the person
belonging to a different field of work. For Ex. A student of
Humanities might be unable to understand the technical
terms of Engineering.

SEMANTIC BARRIER CONTD.

Poor Grammar, Punctuation: A major barrier occurs

when the sender, in encoding the message, does not pay
attention to the grammatical structure of the sentences.
Punctuation marks, if not placed properly, can also lead to
the distortion of the message. For Ex. 1.(Grammar) I want
to marry my daughter. Correct: I want to get my daughter
married. 2. (Punctuation: Story of the king who ordered to
leave a convict to be hanged, after finding him innocent)
Hang him. Not Leave him. Correct: Hang him not. Leave
him.

Round About Verbiage: This sort of barrier occurs when

the speaker does not come to the subject directly, rather
beats about the bush, keeping the listener/receiver
guessing about the actual issue.

SEMANTIC BARRIER CONTD.

Lack of Clarity in the Message: If the sender is not

able to structure his ideas accurately and efficiently,
barrier of this nature can come up. What he wishes to say
and what he finally imparts may not be the same and the
listener feels that the interaction is a waste of time. This
happens when the sender is not well versed in the topic
under discussion and fails to hold the attention of the
receiver.

ORGANIZATIONAL
BARRIERS

Too Many Transfer Stations: The more links there are in a

communication chain, the greater are the chances of miscommunication
that will occur. Have you ever played Chinese Whisper as a child? This
will help you understand this particular barrier better.

Negative Tendencies: Bonding between people who share similar

values, attitudes, opinions, beliefs and behaviours is often termed as
Group-ism. Often organizations too create work groups to facilitate
certain organizational tasks. Communication barrier here surfaces often
due to a conflict between the members and non-members or among the
members themselves.

Over/Under Communication- Neither there should be excess of

information nor should it be too scanty. Excess information may confuse
the receiver as he has to figure out the exact import of the message and
scanty information would make him grope for the actual intent of the
message.

ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS
CONTD.

Use of Inappropriate Media: Some of the common

media used in organizations are graphs and charts,
telephones, fax machines, boards, email, films, slides,
computer presentations, teleconferencing and
videoconferencing. While choosing the medium you
should keep in mind the advantages, disadvantages and
potential barriers to communication. If the choice of the
channel or medium is not right the impact of the message
is lost. This is mostly a physical noise. However, the
responsibility lies with the sender, as he should ensure
that all channels are free of noise before commencing
communication.

Fear of Superiors: In rigidly structured organizations,

fear or awe of superiors prevents subordinates from
speaking frankly. An employee may not be pleased with

PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS

Wrong Assumptions: Wrong assumptions are generally

made when the sender or the receiver does not have
adequate knowledge about each others background or
entertain certain false notions, which are fixed in their
mind. Sometimes the speaker does not realize that
background, education and experiences of different
people can be different. For Ex. A doctor may tell a patient
to take a medicine only as an S.O.S, (i.e.. In dire
emergency) but does not make it clear to the patient, who
in turn thinks it is to be taken regularly.

Varied Perceptions: Individuals in an organization

perceive situations in different ways as each mans
understanding differs. For Ex. The story of the six blind
men.

Psychological Barriers Contd.

Resistance to Change: When we come across

information which is not in conformity with our views,
habits and attitudes, or appears unfavourable to us we
tend to react negatively or even disbelieve. For Ex.
Resistance to adapt oneself to the advancing technology.

Prejudiced Views: Be careful not to hold on to

preconceptions about people or things. We often have a
tendency to see what we want to see, forming an
impression from a small amount of information or one
experience, and assuming that to be highly representative
of the whole person or situation. Similarly, emotional
outbursts also hinder communication.

Psychological Barriers Contd.

Jumping to Conclusions: Not being aware of facts and
drawing inferences on a given situation on the basis of
ones perception causes this barrier. Inferences are more
dramatic than facts and for this reason they give more
scope for gossip and rumour to thrive.
For Ex. Youve just returned from a business tour and find two
of your colleagues missing. Not seeing them again for
several days on the row, you jump to conclusion that
owing to recession theyve been laid off. As you start
gossiping about it you learn the fact that actually theyve
been promoted and transferred.

Communication Selectivity: This barrier comes up

when someone feels he/she has quite some knowledge on
the topic being discussed. They, therefore, look out only
for the information which they do not know and in this

Other Barriers

Cultural Variations: This is one of the

predominant factors in communication
failure. As global residents we need to be
aware of the customs, laws, and business
practices of the companies of other
nations we are dealing with. For Ex.
Maintaining Eye-Contact during
conversation is seen as a sign of selfconfidence in the USA, whereas the same
activity is termed rude in Japan.

Poor Listening Skills: A common

Other Barriers Contd.

The I- Attitude: If the speaker every

sentence with I, it gradually leads to
what is called the I-syndrome. He would
not be receptive to the changes as
suggested by the receiver as they would
go against his personal formulation of
certain views.

Conflicting Information: Conflict

between the existing information and
fresh one results in the growing confusion
of the listener, whereby he loses the

Ways to over-come Barriers

Sharpening communication skills

Use simple Language
Being receptive to changes
Improving Listening skills
Avoid Jargons
Open-mindedness
Avoid prejudice
Message should be clear and brief

WAYS TO OVER-COME BARRIERS

CONTD.

Avoid fear
Build credibility
Understanding receiver
Selection of proper channel
Develop emotional stability
Receive feedback
Dress according to the occasion.