Barriers To Effective Communication

Barriers to
Effective
Communication
Lecture 2
There are many reasons why interpersonal

communications may fail. In many
communications, the message (what is said)
may not be received exactly the way the
sender intended. It is, therefore, important
that the communicator seeks feedback to
check that their message is clearly
understood.
The skills of Active Listening, Clarification

and Reflection may help but the skilled
communicator also needs to be aware of the
barriers to effective communication and how
to avoid or overcome them.
There are many barriers to communication
and these may occur at any stage in the
communication process.
Barriers may lead to your message becoming

distorted and you therefore risk wasting both
time and/or money by causing confusion and
misunderstanding. Effective communication
involves overcoming these barriers and
conveying a clear and concise message.
Common Barriers to Effective

Communication:
1 The use of jargon. Over-complicated,

unfamiliar and/or technical terms
BTW - By the way

CYA - See you around
LOL - Laugh out loud
BFF - Best friends forever
TTYL - Talk to you later
2 Emotional barriers and taboos. Some

people may find it difficult to express their
emotions and some topics may be completely
'off-limits' or taboo.
A taboo is an activity that is forbidden or

sacred based on religious beliefs or morals.
Breaking a taboo is extremely objectionable
in society as a whole. Around the world, an
act may be taboo in one culture and not in
another.
Slavery - humans are treated as property and

made to work for no pay
Suicide - the taking of ones own life
Wearing shoes inside - in some places, shoes
are not worn inside a house
3 Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or

irrelevance to the receiver.
4 .Differences in perception
and viewpoint
Physical disabilities such as hearing

problems or speech difficulties.
5. Physical barriers to non-verbal
communication. Not being able to see the
non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and
general body language can make
communication less effective.
7. STEREOTYPING Expectations and

prejudices which may lead to false
assumptions or stereotyping. People often
hear what they expect to hear rather than
what is actually said and jump to incorrect
conclusions.
8.Cultural differences.
The norms
of social interaction vary greatly in different
cultures, as do the way in which emotions
are expressed. For example, the concept of
personal space varies between cultures and
A Categorization of Barriers to
Communication
Language Barriers
Language and linguistic ability may act as a

barrier to communication.
However, even when communicating in the
same language, the terminology used in a
message may act as a barrier if it is not fully
understood by the receiver(s). For example, a
message that includes a lot of specialist jargon
and abbreviations will not be understood by a
receiver who is not familiar with the
terminology used.
Physiological
Barriers
Physiological barriers may result from the

receivers physical state.
For example, a receiver with reduced

hearing may not grasp to entirety of a spoken
conversation especially if there is significant
background noise.
Physical Barriers
An example of a physical barrier to

communication is geographic distance
between the sender and receiver(s).
Communication is generally easier over

shorter distances as more communication
channels are available and less technology is
required. Although modern technology often
serves to reduce the impact of physical
barriers, the advantages and disadvantages
Systematic Barriers
Systematic barriers to communication may

exist in structures and organisations where
there are inefficient or inappropriate
information systems and communication
channels, or where there is a lack of
understanding of the roles and
responsibilities for communication. In such
organisations, individuals may be unclear of
their role in the communication process and
therefore not know what is expected of
Attitudinal Barriers
Attitudinal barriers are behaviours or

perceptions that prevent people from
communicating effectively.
Attitudinal barriers to communication may

result from personality conflicts, poor
management, resistance to change or a lack
of motivation. Effective receivers of
messages should attempt to overcome their
own attitudinal barriers
Find more at:

http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/barrierscommunication.html#ixzz423FVGaJ2

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Barriers to

There are many reasons why interpersonal

The skills of Active Listening, Clarification

Barriers may lead to your message becoming

Common Barriers to Effective

1 The use of jargon. Over-complicated,

BTW - By the way

2 Emotional barriers and taboos. Some

A taboo is an activity that is forbidden or

Slavery - humans are treated as property and

3 Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or

Physical disabilities such as hearing

7. STEREOTYPING Expectations and

Language and linguistic ability may act as a

Physiological barriers may result from the

For example, a receiver with reduced

An example of a physical barrier to

Communication is generally easier over

Systematic barriers to communication may

Attitudinal barriers are behaviours or

Attitudinal barriers to communication may

Find more at:

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