Communication Barriers : Notes on Barriers to

effective communication | 2020

ugcnetpaper1.com/communication-barriers/

March 11, 2020

Barriers to Effective Communication

UGC NET Study materiel on Communication Topics for NET Exam has
been covered entirely based on topics provided in the syllabus. In the 5
Parts series which can be referred using below, the first four parts contain
important short study notes useful for your paper 1 preparation while the
5th part contains solved question papers of last almost 12 years MCQ
Question.

Please sequentially go through them to understand them in better ways.

Unit-IV Communication(Based on Latest UGC NET Syllabus)

This part of the blog post will cover the important topic of Communication; in the
past, this has been seen that 2/3 Question was asked based on “Principle barriers in
Communication” & “How to Overcome on them”

Objective
In this part we will cover followings:

Introduction to Categories of Communication Barriers

Main Key Point of Different Categories

Technical Aspects of Communication Barriers

How to overcome those

Suggested Readings

Introduction
The information to be communicated should be clear and accurate. If an individual
sends the message, and the other one receives it and interprets it in the same way as the
sender had intended to express, the process of communication is said to be complete
and successful. However, Communication is not always successful. Certain barriers in
communication affect the clarity, accuracy and effectiveness of the message.

Several things can prevent the message from reaching the intended recipient or from
having the desired effect on the recipient. There may be some fault in the
communication system as well.

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Types of Communication Barriers
As the barriers to communication influence the major variables in the communication
process, they may be categorized on various bases.

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 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

Main Key Point of barriers to effective communication

The ideas and massage have to reach from the transmitter to receive in the same sense.
If it does not happen, it is on account of barriers to communication.

Main Key Point of barriers can be explained as follows:

Semantic barriers

This barrier is related to the process of coding and decoding the message. Various types
of semantic gaps found in the day-to-day use of people are as follows:

Words having similar pronunciation but multiple meaning: Same

pronunciation but are having many meanings. For example sight, site, cite.
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 Badly expressed message: Lack of clarity and precision make the message
badly expressed. Lack of coherence, awkward sentence structure, jargons etc. are
common faults, which lead to such messages.
Wrong interpretation: Whenever one interprets a symbol, his understanding
may differ with others.

The Hindi word ‘kaka’ means uncle in one part of the country but the small boy in
another part of the country.

Technical Language: When technical language is used in the communication

process, it creates barriers in understanding the message in the same sense and
the same spirit. When technical jargons or specialist languages are used in the
communication and conversation process, they create tension, confusion and
misunderstanding between the sender and the receiver.

New meanings given to ordinary words by computer technology; to people who are
not familiar with computers, “mouse” is only an animal, whereas in computer jargon,
it is a device.

Organizational Barriers

It may originate in contradictory management policies or too many levels of

management or the clash between line and staff operations. The specialized nature of
functions or even the special language of those functions may cause it. It may have its
source in formal-informal, or grapevine transactions. Following are the organizational
barriers in communication:

Organization culture and climate: In every organization, there exists a

unique culture and climate. The climate and culture of an organization ultimately
influence the freedom, thrust and interaction pattern among people in an
organization.
Organizational rules and regulations: The rules and regulations of the
organization vary widely from one organization to another. They may be so rigid
that they may influence the flow of information in the wrong direction.
Status relationships: The status, power and position relationship acts as the
hurdle in the effectiveness of communications. Individuals may not be able to say
what they wish to say because of their fear for the position and power of the other
party in the communication process. The complex hierarchical structure of the
organization like too tall or too much of divisionalisation of the organization may
not facilitate the free flow of communication.
Lack of cooperation between superior and subordinate: There may not
be proper cooperation between the superior and subordinate for various personal
or organizational relationships, which may hold to improper communication in an
organization.

Interpersonal Barriers

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The effectiveness of Communication depends a lot on the interpersonal relationship
between two people. If and when the sender and receiver are at the same economic,
educational and status level and also have a good rapport with each other, there is
hardly any barrier arising in communication. But, in case of a difference at any level,
there is a greater chance of Miscommunication. The most common example for this in
an organization is the Barriers relating to Superior and Subordinate.

The subordinate must follow the order of the superior, carry out all work efficiently, and
provide full information related to any matter, which arises in the organization or any
work. Moreover, the superior should have full confidence in himself and the
subordinate.

1. Lack of proper channel: There may be complexity in the organizational

structure, which may influence proper and effective communication from the
subordinate. They may not feel free to communicate because of the pressure of
position power and authority.
2. No interest to communicate: There may not be any interest on the part of
subordinates to have a dialogue, discussion and interaction with their superiors,
which affect the communication process adversely.
3. Lack of cooperation: lack of cooperation and mutual understanding also leads
to the hiding of certain information between the superior and subordinates in the
organization.
4. Lack of trust: There may be a lack of trust and coordination between the
superior and the subordinate, which may lead to infective communication.
5. The poor relationship between superior and subordinate: A good
relationship must develop between superiors and subordinates frequently and
freely. They must interact to improve the upward and downward communication
system. The superior must listen to the subordinates’ suggestion, their problems,
and must have faith in them. In the absence of all this, it may so happen that what
the superior speaks, the subordinate may not understand it.
6. Fear of penalty: If subordinate fees that because of free expression and upward
communication he will face some type of penalty, there is a possibility that he may
not provide a full or correct message to the superior.

Individual / Psycho-sociological Barriers:

Individual or Psycho-sociological barriers are the prime barriers in interpersonal

communication. People have different styles of communication. People also have
personal feelings, desires, fears, hopes, likes, dislikes, attitudes, views and opinions.
The meaning assigned to a message depends upon the emotional or psychological status
of both the parties involved in the process of communication.

1. Style: Style, how a person communicates, involves many elements, though style
overlaps with several of the other factors in the analysis, it adds its distinct
flavour.

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 2. Selective perception: The receiver may make a world of his own around
himself. He projects his interest and expectations as he decodes messages. He
may only take that much piece of information, which may suit his world of
thinking. As a result, the person acquires incomplete and inappropriate
information, which influence the communication process. Having a poor self-
concept or self-understanding, or a poor understanding of others can cause
perceptual distortions.
3. Halo effect: People do not listen carefully because of impressions based on
earlier encounters. Even one of the parties having a halo effect will disrupt the
flow of communication.
4. Status relationship: There maybe status and power relationship, which may
hinder the communication process and affect the effectiveness of communication.
Status effects also hinder communication is as much as people occupying higher
positions in the organization tend to “tell a lot to subordinates but not to listen,
effective communication is not possible.
5. Poor attention and Retention: About half of the information, if not properly
retained, is lost. The sender may suffer from each problem. It also said that about
30% of the information is lost in each oral transmission. Human memory may not
always retain what it is told. This causes communication breakdown and
necessitates the repetition of the message using several channels
6. Inattention: The preoccupied mind of the receiver and the reluctant non-
listening is one of the major psychologies barriers. It is because of it that people
do not react to ideas/messages received in communication.
7. Undue importance of written words: The undue importance given to the
written words may lead to loss of information. The successive information is not
accurate and right. Written communication often tells what is to be done but not
why it should be done. It takes the persuasive quality.
8. Defensiveness: If one feels threatened by a message, one becomes defensive
and responds in such ways that reduce the understanding. Such defensive
behaviour prevents understanding.
9. Closed Mind: Limited intellectual background, limited reading and narrow
interests can cause a person’s mind to be narrow. This limits the ability to take in
new ideas. People with closed minds do not take in any new information or
suggestions to change.
10. State of Health: Physical condition can affect the efficiency in all
communication skills. In the case of the poor health condition, the communicating
ability is reduced as the mind is not alert and perception is low.
11. Filtering: Filtering is the process of reducing the details or aspects of a message.
Each person who receives the message reduces it according to his or her
understanding of the situation. In this process, much of the important
information may be lost or misinterpreted and the sender will fail to convey what
he wants to convey.

Cross-Cultural/ Geographic Barriers:

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Culture is a shared set of values and attributes of a group; it is the total of the ways of
living built up by a group and transmitted from one generation to another. Culture is so
much a part of an individual’s manner of talking, behaving and thinking, that
communication style and competence are influenced by it.

Some of the significant differences between cultures are:

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National Character/ Basic Personality.
Language
Values and norms of behaviour
Social relationships
Concepts of time
Concepts of space
Nonverbal communication
Perception

Words, colours and symbols have different meanings in different cultures. For example:

In England, an invitation for dinner 8 pm would see most guests arriving at

about 8.15; in Germany punctually is king; in Greece, 9 to 9.30 might be the
norm; in India even later- if at all.
In most parts of the world nodding your head means agreement, shaking your
head means no-except in some parts of India, where the reverse is true.
When the Japanese say “Yes”, they mean, “Yes, I am listening”. The Americans
may take it to mean, “Yes, I agree”.
Wearing white colour on marriage may be forbidden in some cultures, whereas,
in other cultures, the main wedding dress is white.

Physical Barriers/ Channel and Media Barriers

Physical distractions cause a lot of noise, often literally: insufficiently insulated rooms
with car noises filtering through, poor lighting, and such things as frequent movement
of bodies postures, with a pen in the hand, even the arrival of coffee at a critical stage on
the communication process are the causes of communication barriers in organizations.
Constant telephone interruptions are one of the commonest physical distractions. These
obstacles prevent a message from reaching the intended recipient.

The following obstacles are considered under this category:

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Noise: Noise is any disturbance which occurs in the transmission process. In face to
face conversation without a microphone, the air may be disturbed by noise in the
environment such as traffic, factory work, a typewriter clattering away in a nearby office
and people talking, and so on. Wider connotation of noise includes many other factors
that are likely to hinder communication. Sometimes, the inner chatting going on in the
mind of the listener, which distracts the message received, is also termed as Noise.

Environment: Interferences may also arise from external transceivers, number of

links in the chain and circumstantial factors:

The same sort of differentiation in circumstances counts for the channels within each of
the levels and in broader terms for the oral, written, and non-verbal communication.

For example, a speech delivered before a small dinner gathering will be different from
the same speech delivered before an auditorium full of people. Everyone is markedly
different while sitting to watch a cricket match rather than a legal hearing. Still another
circumstantial feature a listener who has to stand because the seats are all taken is
generally not the same as he or she would be if seated comfortably

Defects in the Medium: Defects in the devices used for transmitting communication
are external and usually not in the control of the sender or receiver. The telephone, the
postal system, the courier service or even the electronic media may fail or break down.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS IN COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

A few technical aspects in communication barriers are briefly narrated by
Murphy’s Law on communication: Following are the basics in this law on
communication:

Communication usually fails. Except by chance, it succeeds. On account of

various barriers, the possibility of success in the flow of communication is rare.
If the message can be understood, in different ways, it will be understood in
just the way that does the most harm. People receive massage in their way. In
most of the cases, the most harmful side of communication is considered.
It refers to the sender manipulating information so that the receiver will see it as
more favourable. In organizations, the information is condensed and synthesized.
Objective information does not reach to the authority. The more the vertical levels
in the organization’s hierarchy, the more opportunities there are for filtering.
Meta communication. In a communication apart from the message, there is a
Meta message. Meta message exists in the people’s minds because of their actions
such as being hard to contact. It is the most important thing in seat word
language.

Noise in the communication process. Noise can enter the communication

process because of situational factors. It is one of the factors influencing the
communication process. Noise is mostly related to mechanical distractions. A few

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noise distractions are as follows: (i) Human sounds, (ii) Traffic, (iii) Telephone
instruments (iv) Channel defects (v) Birds (vi) Trees (vii) Fans (viii) Chalk writing (ix)
Use of Duster (x) Projector and (xi) Nasal Voice

OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS IN COMMUNICATION

Constant effort is required to overcome the barriers which unconsciously creep up in the
process of Communication. Barriers can be overcome if sufficient effort is put into the
communication process and it is desired that communication be effective and efficient.

One way of reducing the effects of these barriers is to check continuously during the
communication process what the massage is. The actions to be taken by the Sender,
Receiver and together with the two of them, to achieve this are listed below:

Sender: The sender should be clear about the following Ws and H:

WHO To whom should the message go?

WHY Why should I communicate? What are the motives?

WHAT Decide what to communicate. Be clear about what one needs to

communicate.

WHEN The best time for optimum reception is chosen.

HOW Use a language, which the receiver will understand and which is
unambiguous.

WHERE Choose a location which will not interfere with the reception,
understanding and acceptance of the message: Privately? Home or away?
In a group? At work or outside?

Receiver: The receiver can be aware of the following, to overcome the

barriers:

Be fully attentive to the sender.

Listen actively to the message being sent.
Ask for clarification and repetition wherever necessary.
Keep checking the receipt of information with sender.

Both: Receiver and Sender can make the Communication Flawless if they:

Realize that misunderstandings are bound to occur, and be alert for all cues to this
effect.
Listen, listen, listen, and listen again.
Share opinions, feelings and perceptions generated by the message.

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Note thus, both parties separately as well as together have to work to remove the
 Note thus, both parties separately as well as together have to work to remove the
barriers and achieve the communication effectiveness. For example, a manager tries
to get things done through other people. The management of people can be called
leadership, and all of us have our preferred leadership styles, which affect how we
communicate with others, especially our staff.

Measures to Overcome Barriers in Communication

Following are some of the additional measures to overcome the barriers to
communication:

1. Fostering good relationship: Strong relationships must be fostered between

the employer and the employee to avoid misunderstanding and accept each
other’s viewpoints to remove the barriers and to facilitate proper communication
in the organization.
2. Purposeful and well-focused Communication: Communication should be
purposeful and directed to an individual. At the end of the Communication, the
receiver should not be left to feel that communication had been meaningless or
useless.
3. Coordination between superiors and subordinates: In case the superior
thinks on one line, which is different from the subordinate and vice versa, it will
affect the effectiveness of communication. Therefore, there should be good and
proper coordination and cooperation between the superior and subordinate for
effective communication.
4. Avoid technical language: The specialized language should be avoided. There
should be all efforts to use the language commonly understood by the receiver and
sender of the message. There should be the least use of technical jargons in the
communication process.
5. Feedback: The selective perception of the receiver should be minimized through
proper feedback. The drawback of selective perception should be explained to
minimize the barriers.
6. Accuracy: There should be accuracy in the message to be transmitted between
parties to the communication to improve its effectiveness.
7. The clarity in the message: The message to be transferred should be clear,
practical accurate and without any ambiguity.
8. Communication of organizational philosophy: Efforts have to be made in
a planned way to sensitize people with organizational philosophy. It should be
properly communicated to its employees so that they give proper attention to their
day to day communication.

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 9. Flat organizational structure: The organization should have a clear cut and
simple organizational structure. The tall hierarchical structure should be
removed, and it should be changed to a flat structure to avoid excessive control of
information. Wrong information to be transferred to anyone in the organization
will prove detrimental. Proper redesign of organizational structure will reduce the
status gap. The status effect can occur when one person is considerably higher in
the hierarchy than another.
10. Division of labour: There should be proper division of labour between the
persons to reduce information overload and prevent delay in information transfer.
11. Organization policies: The organization should formulate its policies in such a
way that it will give full advantage to all members of the organization. It should be
flexible and easy to implement. While the organization’s goal must be clear,
everyone must know about his position, his right in organizational
communication. The network has to be fully developed so that no such type of
barriers exists. Moreover, there should be consistency when message a passed
from sender to receiver. One should not introduce his view in the message. It must
be clear and understood by everyone easily. Timeline in the message should be
there. If it is not passed in time, such message will be of no use.
12. Minimize semantic problem: People use either the same word in different
ways or different words in the same way. One will be surprised to know that there
are 15 different meanings of the word ‘charge’ in the English language. They also
occur when people use jargons or professional shorthand which they expect others
to understand, or language which is outside the other’s vocabulary.
13. Proper communication channels: If one wants immediate action from the
receiver, there is no need to send a lengthy discussion report. One would probably
pick up the telephone or go to his office to tell him what to do. Remember also
that one picture is worth a thousand words, and in this age of computer graphics,
the information can be produced more quickly in this way too.
14. Right feedback: Although one -way communication is quicker, two -way
communication is more accurate. In complex situations, it helps both the sender
and receiver to measure their understanding and improves their joint
commitment to the task. It enables both parties to identify and correct
misunderstanding leading to a higher quality of reception and acceptance.

To communicate effectively, we need to overcome all the barriers and own skills to
improve the existing communication abilities

Lets Summarize This :

The Communication Barriers are the negative forces that may affect the
effectiveness of communication by acting upon any or all of the basic elements of
the communication process and sender/receiver/channel.

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The barriers to communication can be categorized as follows:
Semantic Barriers: Arising out of different meanings assigned to the
same words by different people or difference in interpretation
Organizational Barriers: Arising out of Organizational Policies, Culture,
Climate, Rules, etc
Interpersonal Barriers: Arising due to the relationship between the
sender and receiver, especially between Superior and subordinate
Psycho sociological/ Individual Barriers: Arising due to personal
characteristics of the sender and receiver and factors like filtering, style,
state of health, etc.
Cross-Cultural Barriers: Arising due to difference in Cultural Values
and Beliefs of sender and receiver. They may be on account of difference in
Language, National Character, Time, etc.
Physical barriers: Barriers of Distance, Defects of Medium,
Environment, Noise, etc.
Technological barriers: Arising due to Technological advancements.
To overcome barriers, the Sender should be aware, as to Whom, Why, Where,
What message is to be transmitted and How is it to be transmitted. The Receiver
should listen to the message attentively.
There are various Measures to Overcome the Barriers to Communication, like
removing Semantic difficulties, giving proper feedback, removing organizational
bottlenecks, and so on.

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