PREFACE 1.Barriers of communication * Defining barriers of communication * Types of barriers * Physical or environmental barriers * Physiological or biological barriers * Semantic or language barriers * Personal barriers * Emotional or perceptional barriers * Socio-psychological barriers *Cultural barriers *Organizational barriers 1 -21 1 DEFINING BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION For any kind of communication to be successful, it is essential that the receiving attributes the same meaning to the message as intended by the sender of the message. But all acts of communication are not perfect or successful. At times, some meaning is lost as the message encounters various barriers along its passage from the sender to the receiver. Such barriers may arise at any of the stages through which a message passes during the process of communication. This variation in meaning is also called miscommunication. Some of the common problems that lead to the failure of communication are noise, cultural differences, and complexity of subject matter, personal biases, semantic problems, socio-psychological barriers, filtering, information overload, poor retention, poor listening, goal conflicts, slanting and inferring. Barriers to communication can be classified as follows on the basis of the stage of the communication process during which the problem/s arise: 2 Receiver-oriented barriers. Example: . You are pretty comfortable with the working of the organization. etc.Sender-oriented barriers. In this particular example. As an insider of the group you are not sure of how much information can actually be divested. improper choice of words resulting in a badly encoded message. This invitation has come to you suddenly and you are not prepared for it. The manager asks you to sit and talk about the problems experienced by the younger group and asks you whether similar problems were faced by the senior members who have already left. wrong choice of the Channel. In the process of trying to figure out how much information must be revealed you are unable to bring clarity in your message. which include lack of planning. lack of clarity about the purpose of communication. difference in perception. like poor listening. 3 . unjustified presumptions. difference in perception and biased attitude. lack of interest. a. The young batch of recruits has a lot of problems with the functioning of the joint and the group and the oldest member of organization to represent the cause of the old and fresh recruits. All your friends have moved to other organization and you are oldest in the organization.you have been working in the fast Food joint for the last five years. you are caught Off-guard. Financial resources are restricted and any innovations in terms of projects have to be curtailed as it will indicate an increase in costs. Channel –oriented barriers.” Presentation of conflicting information creates doubts in your mind: “Have I joined a rich company which gives preference to quality or have I joined an ordinary company in which costs determine the quality?” the mind oscillates between conflicting information provided by the same sender. We may define communication as a psycho-semantic process. 4 . such as noise. Result-poor receptivity of the message.Example: . These factors may act upon any or all of the elements in the process of communication. Therefore. b. We are working in a rich company which always gives preference to quality over costs. It may need experimentation before it is finalized and work can actually begin. wrong selection of medium. the barriers that affect the effectiveness of communication are mostly of a social-psychological-linguistic nature.you have recently joined an organization and your team leader calls all the team players and informs that the organization is going through a very bad patch. technical defects in the address system or the medium of communication chosen by the sender and time and distance. the same team leader calls all of you and tells you that a new project has been assigned to the group. Two days later. The meeting closes with the following statement: “Do not worry about the costs. But a few of them may require a detailed explanation. Types of Barriers Barriers to communication can be classified into the following broad categories: Physical or environmental barriers.that is. Which often leads to the breakdown of communication in a specific situation? A common frame of reference is the context in which communication takes place. Physiological or biological barriers Semantic or language barriers 5 . A well-defined context helps the sender and the receiver to comprehend the content of the message in a similar way. Further. a common barrier for both the sender and the receiver can be the absence of a common frame of reference. Many of the barriers listed above are easy to understand. the sender or the receiver or the channel. with regard to its implications and meaning. The meaning attributed to the word ‘noise’ in the field of communications is derived from its definition in physics. Noise Noise is the first major barrier to communication. is also one of the factors that give rise to physical barriers during the process of communication. frequent movements of hands. poor lighting. fiddling with a pen. noise refers to ‘a disturbance. Communication is distorted by noise that occurs at the transmission level. or even serving of tea during an important conversation are also responsible for creating physical barriers in the communication process. Cultural barriers Organizational barriers Physical or environmental barriers Physical barriers are those barriers which are caused due to some technical defects in the media used for communication and/or due to certain disturbances in the surrounding environment. lack of acoustics. wrong selection of medium. the term noise is used as a blanket term to refer to physical barriers in general. especially a random and persistent disturbance. Personal barriers Emotional or perceptional barriers Socio-psychological barriers. For example. which obscures or reduces the clarity of a signal. But noise. It makes 6 . in its literal sense. In physics.’ One of the modern-day connotations of the word ‘noise’ apparent in its use in the field of computer science is ‘irrelevant or meaningless data’. Often. Besides noise. the noise of traffic around a school obstructs the smooth flow of information between the teacher and the students. Similarly. perceptional barriers as well as psychological barriers. Thus. This may lead not only to a physical but also a communication gap between the transmitter and the receiver. noise is not only the disruption of sound signals. and this in turn has made the world a smaller place. Bad weather conditions may also sometimes interfere with the transmission of signals and may lead to breakdown of communication channels. it denotes semantic barriers. Time and distance Time and distance may also obstruct the smooth flow of information. but it also includes all the barriers that may arise at any of the various stages of communication. Time differences between two different countries may affect communication between the people living in them. communication can be successful only when the communicators manage to overcome the barriers by minimizing the obstacles that crop up due to spatial and temporal factors. Today. these means of communication may not be easily accessible because of unavailability or due to technical/technological problems. oral communication difficult. As discussed above. Improper seating arrangement in a classroom or in a conference hall may also act as a barrier to effective communication as it is difficult to maintain eye contact with one’s audience. 7 . poor signal or static while talking over the cell phone or using the public address system or watching TV also distorts the sound signals and disrupts communication. Even the people working in different shifts in the same organization may face problems in communicating effectively. we have means of communication available. In a broad sense. because of technological advancements. But at times. if an expert uses charts or graphs or Power Point presentations to orient uneducated factory workers or volunteers to a new method or working. Surroundings Adverse weather conditions affect not only the means of communication. whether too hot or too cold. When two people have to communicate with each other in extreme weather conditions. C. they are bound to be ill-equipped to get any information or directions from such sophisticated presentations. their surroundings do 8 . Wrong choice of medium This cans also a barrier to effective communication. For example. but Also have an impact on the sender and the receiver of the message. thereby causing communication failure. Extreme heat and humidity make people either hyper or listless and thus cause immense stress. Thus.have a direct effect on the effectiveness of the exchange that place between them. which I turn. Physiological or biological barriers 9 . whereas extreme cold weather induces laziness and also impedes the ability to think clearly and respond sharply. environmental factors determine people’s mood and also influence their mental agility and thereby their capacity to communicate effectively. affects clear thinking and the attitude of the communicator. the successful completion of communication will be difficult to accomplish. for example poor eyesight. numbness. Physical defects in one’s body may also disrupt communication. *writing can fail to convey the message successfully because of illegible handwriting due to hand injury. These may arise due to disabilities that may affect the physical capability of the sender or the receiver. Physiological barriers are related to a person’s health and fitness. Hand and fingers to write Ears to take in the spoken words eyes to absorb the written words Proper functioning of these body organs is necessary for effective communication to take place. broken overlapping. etc. This leads to information loss. etc. 10 . etc. Defective vision impedes the reading ability of the receiver. *speaking can be adversely affected by stammering. a person uses his/her: Vocal (speech) organs to produce sound/speech. Words may appear hazy. to the receiver’s eye. deafness and uncontrolled body movements. excessive trembling of the hand or fingers. utterance of improper sounds due to defective vocal organ/s. *listening can be rendered ineffective as a result of defective hearing. fumbling. *reading can be affected due to poor eyesight. Deafness _ total or partial_ obstructs the absorption of sound signals. While communicating. In case of any defect in any of these organs. Words/symbols may be used in several ways and may have several meanings. thus. Words are capable of expressing a variety of meanings depending upon their usage. Such barriers are problems that arise during the process of encoding and/ or decoding the message into words and ideas respectively. The association between the word/symbol and the meaning assigned to it is of an arbitrary nature. 11 . This happens when the receiver does not assign the same meaning to the word/symbol as the transmitter intended. he/she may interpret the words/symbols according to his/her own level of understanding and may. Both oral and written communication is based on words/symbols which are ambiguous in nature. The most common semantic barriers are discussed below. Semantic or language barriers Semantics is the systematic study of meanings in a language. Thus. Unless the receiver knows the context. For example. therapy (to improve speech) or corrective aids (like hearing aids and spectacles). that is. in the context in which they are used. semantic barriers are barriers related to language. Words have two levels of meaning literal (descriptive) and metaphorical (qualitative). Misinterpretation of words Semantic problems often arise because of the gap between the meanings as intended by the sender ad as understood by the receiver. misinterpret the message. the word ‘Yellow’ when used as an adjective can have multiple connotations depending upon its usage.To overcome such barriers one must avail oneself of the necessary medical treatment (for defects in the body organs). based on his/her own imagination and experience. which is used by people or professionals who work in the same field. Personal barriers 12 . there is always a possibility of misinterpretation of the messages. All such assumptions may turn out to be wrong and cause communication failure. ‘beauty’. and so on. Ambiguity Ambiguity arises when the ender and the receiver of the message attribute different meanings to the same words or use different words to convey the same meaning. Such technical language can be a barrier to communication if the receiver of the message is not familiar with it. Sometimes. ‘to burn a CD’ means ‘to copy data on a CD’. A sender often assumes that his audience would perceive the situation as he/she does or have the same opinion about an issue or understand the message as he/she understands it. ‘decay’. To a layman. Therefore. such problems arise when the sender does not use simple and clear words that can convey the exact meaning to the receiver. in computer jargon. the word ‘burn’ may have a very different meaning. But for communication to be perfect. the receiver is free to interpret it in any of these ways. it is essential that the receiver assigns to it the same meaning which the sender had n his/her mind while encoding the message. is known as jargon. Mostly. hence. ‘sickness’.‘Yellow’. also stands for ‘freshness’. wrong and speculative assumptions also lead to ambiguity. etc. For example. Use of technical language Technical or specialized language. besides being a primary color. Communication is interpersonal in nature. education. Thus. interests and needs or intentions that differ from person to person. When one communicates. the downward flow of information within 13 . So this factor has to be taken into consideration while communicating in order to check the possibility of communication failure. the attitude of the superiors and the subordinates plays a vital role in determining the success of communication. Personal barriers have to do with age. one addresses an audience that may belong to different age groups. difference in education can hamper the successful encoding and/or decoding of the message. These are called personal barriers. which influence the accurate transfer of the message. in order to achieve certain selfish motives. Thus. On the other hand. one’s choices. With age. It determines the sender’s ability to think. preferences and interests undergo enormous changes. If the superiors have a hostile attitude then there are chances that they may filter information or manipulate messages. it also influences the receiver’s capability to read/listen. and to understand and respond to the message that he/she receives. that is the sender and the receiver. Due to this. sometimes intentionally. Difference in education is another important factor. there are certain barriers that are directly linked to the people involved in the communication process. if proper care is not taken by the sender and/or the receiver. compose an intelligible message and convey is successfully. Sometimes superiors may not be open to suggestions and feedback as they presume that their subordinates are not capable of advising them. In any business organization. In case. On the other hand. superiors may exercise their authority by insisting that their subordinates approach them only through proper formal channels of communication. then they do not feel motivated to express them. which in turn leads to poor performance. when superiors do not support the active involvement of subordinates in the functioning of the organization by encouraging them to share their ideas and to give suggestions that would contribute to the success of the organization. we may conclude that personal barriers have their origin in the attitudes of the sender as well as the receiver. Such an attitude thus becomes a barrier to effective communication. Therefore. and this creates a barrier to upward communication.the organization may be badly affected. If. then they prefer to conceal such information. there are certain factors that influence the participation of subordinates in upward communicate openly and comfortably with superiors. Besides. in some way. then they may take offence as they perceive such an attempt as a challenge to their position of power. then they filter the information so that they cannot be held responsible for the same. If subordinates feel that their ideas and suggestions are of no value to their superiors. Moreover. and omission of information and thus have an adverse effect on the fidelity of communication. harm their prospects/ interests in the organization. If they feel that some information may. subordinates try to communicate to superiors directly. under any circumstances. that is not possible. 14 . Personal barriers often lead to distortion. filtering. subordinates become indifferent. on the basis of the above discussion. Extreme emotions like euphoria. stress and depression also get in the way of effective communication. also leads to withholding of important information. Indolence. makes impulsive judgments or illogical decisions. too much of emotion clouds reason and sometimes. or the tendency to procrastinate. the communicator. If the receiver does not evaluate the information received with an open mind. the sender and the receiver may encode and decode the message respectively as per their own perceptions. excitement. 15 . blinded by his/her own sentiments. that is. apathy. Also. thus creating a barrier. thus inducing him/her to read too much into a message. Too much aggression or passivity while communicating on the part of either the sender or the receiver also has an adverse effect on the success of communication. Such a barrier may also emerge at the time of encoding the message. Emotional or perceptional barriers Emotional or perceptional barriers are closely associated with personal barriers. This also results in the breakdown of communication. Therefore. Personal barriers arise from motives and attitudes (as seen above). anger. This would interfere with the exact transfer of information and cause misinterpretation. Over enthusiasm on the part of the sender may lead him/her to invest the message with meaning/s which he/she may actually not have intended to. whereas emotional or perceptional barriers have an added dimension that includes sentiments and emotions. All these factors may create biases in the mind of the sender or the receiver. backgrounds. objectively. either on the part of the sender or the receiver. his/her judgment/evaluation would be colored by biases and/or emotions. the communicators have to deal with two aspects of the reality-the one as they see it and the other as they perceive it. Socio-Psychological barriers Socio-Psychological barriers can also be considered as one of the offshoots of personal barriers. Status consciousness is thus one of the major barriers to successful communication. Difference in perception In a communication situation. Status consciousness To begin with. but its efficacy is heavily influenced by the relationship between the superiors and the subordinates. etc. and hence the need for this fine distinction between the personal. this leads to a distinct king of exchange of ideas and feedback as well.needs. and is similar to perceptional barriers. experiences. the consciousness of one’s position in an organization has an effect on the two-way of communication. Though many organizations are now becoming accustomed to the open door policy. We need to study it as a subcategory of personal barriers because a person’s attitude is shaped not only by his/her instincts and emotions. that is. the perceptional and the socio-psychological barriers. the psychological distance between the superiors and the subordinates still prevails. This is also one kind of filtering that takes place during the communication process. A vertical channel of communication is present in every organization. the 16 . but also by his/her approach towards and interaction with the people around him/her. The mind filters the message. emotional make-up. or a distortion. But in written communication. They have a closed mind and tend to react antagonistically. formed by his/her experiences. in the message. this difference in perception causes a communication gap. as the feedback is delayed ors sometimes there is no feedback at all. the semantic gap between the intended meaning and the interpreted meaning remains unidentified. Because of this difference in perceptions. information.worlds/symbols/signs. this gap can be easily eliminated as there is immediate feedback. be a great barrier to communication. viewpoints and opinions. different individuals respond to the same word/symbol/sign based on their own understanding of the situation and assign meaning to it on the basis of their unique filter. and assigns meaning to them. thus ruling out all possibilities of communication. According to individual perception. and mindset that she /he has attained over a period of time. At times. In face-to-face communication. Each individual has his/her own distinctive filter. They are not responsive to discussion or to new ideas. To overcome this barrier. Prejudices People with deeply ingrained prejudices are very difficult to communicate with. Halo/Horn effect 17 . one should be receptive to new ideas and should learn to listen with consideration and an open mind. An unreceptive mind can. knowledge. hence. and all other products of human work and 18 . institutions. Information overload Furthermore. Sometimes the listener may be too much in awe of or may completely distrust a speaker. Cultural barriers Culture is ‘the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns. the communicators should use the written channel of communication. On the basis of the above discussion. beliefs. the chances of success of communication are very less. arts. information overload leads to poor retention and causes information loss. we may thus conclude that socio-psychological factors do have a profound impact on the effectiveness of communication. In both these situations. So whenever here is some important information to be conveyed. customs. 19 . Thus. etc. categorized on the basis of nationality. People belonging to different cultures may attach different meanings to words. their own distinct culture. Each group. Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Cultural diversity in Business. They may perceive each other’s social values.. 1994. Culture is learned and shared within social groups and is transmitted by non-genetic means. Chicago: Irwin. gestures and behavior. social behavior and manners.). opinions. codes of conduct. to put it simply.thought. but also because of a large number of culturespecific assumptions at work in the minds of the sender as well as the receiver. rules. rituals. customs. prejudices. culture is ‘the shared ways in which groups of people understand and interpret the world’. (Trompenaars. traditions. 2005) From this definition. has its own distinctive culture. It is handed down from generation to generation in the form of conventions. f.. ethnicity. symbols. etc. skills. arts. Such immense cultural diversity plays a very crucial role in communication and may therefore create barriers to effective communication. that is. of a group of people. behavior norms. the entire culture in general. there are varied subcultures that coexist within a major culture. etc. we can infer that culture is the sum total of ideas.. attitude to space distancing and time. etc. race. attitudes. that is. etc. (American Heritage Dictionary. body language. very differently depending upon their own standards. religion. Cultural differences give rise to a great deal of complexity in the encoding and the decoding of messages not only because of the difference in languages. among working in the different departments.) Organizational barriers Organizational structure greatly influences the flow of information within an organization. Organizational policies These are also to a great extent responsible for determining the kind of rapport that people working in the same organization share with each other. If the organizational policy is such that it restricts the 20 . refer to chapter6. judge other cultures as inferior to their own. titled ‘Intercultural Communication’. Thus. among the colleagues. cultural barriers arise when people belonging to different cultures insist on preserving their cultural identities. among people working in the different departments. this may create a hostile atmosphere within the organization and can colleagues. this may create a hostile atmosphere within the organization and can lead to serious communication breakdown. etc. (For a detailed discussion on the various elements that can create cultural barriers. etc. and at times. Some major organizational barriers are discussed below: There may be goal conflicts within an organization between the superiors and the subordinates. stammering. etc. etc. surroundings. time. Physical barriers: sound. sight. size light. etc. etc. titled ‘Formal and informal Networks of communication’). perceiving the written words as hazy. *Reading. Physiological barriers: *speaking. 21 . fumbling. etc. infrastructural facilities. *writing. location. environment.difficulty in reading due to poor eyesight. utterance of improper sounds due to defect in speech.illegible handwriting due to uncontrolled hand movements like trembling numbness. *listening – hearing impairment. distance. then communication will not be successful.free flow of information in all direction (refer to chapter 7. unclear and overlapping. deafness.