(umnitatinti: Basir (aneepts

and kils
usines

TO CoMMUNICATION
4.1 DEFINING BaRRIERS
to he
successful, it js essentíal that tthe
communiCation
9r any kind of intended by the sender of th
messaye as
tributes the s a m e meaning to the
a r e not perfect
or succevsful. At
tines,9me nemwap
u t all acts of c o n m u n i c a t i o n

lost
athe message e n c o u n t e r s
various barriers along it passage ffrom eaniny,
the sende
arise at any ot
the tages through which.
aloewayy
o the river. Such barriers may
comnunication.
This variation in mea eaning is
of
passes during the process caled
miscomunicatjon

communication
An Interactional model of
noise/barriers/environment
context/environment

Receiver
Sender

- -.
Sourre: http://www.lnfofanz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/comm-

nodel.bmp

Some of the common problems that lead to the failure of communication are noise,
cultural differences, complexity of subject matter, personal biases, semantic problems,
socio-psychologlcal barriers, filtering, information overload, poor retention, poor
listenig, 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:

a. Sender-oriented barriers, which include lack of planning, lack of clarity about

the purpose of communication, improper choice of words resulting in a badly
encoded message, difference in perception, wrong choice of the channel, unjustified
presumptions, etc.
b. Receiver-oriented barriers, like poor listening, lack of interest, difference in
perception and biased attitude.
C. Channel-oriented barriers, such as noise, wrong selection of medium, technical
defects in the address system or the medium ofcommunication chosen by the sender,
and time and distance.
 ResolvingBarriers to Communication 63

We may define communication as a psycho-semantic process. Therefore, the

barriers that affect the effectiveness of communication are mostly of a social
psychological-linguistic nature. These factors may act upon any or all of the elements
in the process of communication, that is, the sender or the receiver or the channel.
Further, a common barrier for both the sender and the receiver can be the absence of
a common frame of reference, which often leads to the breakdown of communication
in a specific situation.

Fields of experience

Noise
Channel af
Source Encode Message Decode Recever
Communication
Nolse

Feedback Response
Feedback Ioop

Source: http://www.mbaknol.com/wp-content/
uploads/2010/04/communication-process-mbaknol.gif
A common frame of reference is the context in which communication takes place.
A well-defined context helps the sender and the receiver to comprehend the content of
the message in a similar way, with regard to its implications and meaning. Many of the
barriers listed above are easy to understand. But a few of them may require a detailed
explanation.

4.2 TYPES OF BARRIERS

Barriers to communication can be classified into the following broad categories:
1. Physical or environmental barriers
2. Physiological or biological barriers
3. Semantic or language barriers
4. Personal barrierss
. Emotional or perceptional barriers

6. Socio-psychological barriers
 Skills
Concepts and
64 BusinessCommunication: Basic

7. Cultural barriers
8. Organisational barriers

4.2.1 Physical or environmental barriers

technical defecte in
caused due to some
Physical barriers are those barriers which are
media used for communication and/or due to certain disturbances in the suTrou e
environment.
rounding
Often, the term 'noise' is used as a blanket term to refer to physical barriers in g
But noise, in its literal sense, is also one of the factors that give rise to physical barrier
general
riers
during the process of communication.
Besides noise, wrong selection of medium, lack of acoustics, poor lighting, frequent
ighting, frequent
movements of hands, fiddling with a pen, or even serving of tea during an important
conversation are also responsible for creating physical barriers in the
communication
process.

a. Noise
Noise is the first major barrier to communication. Communication is distorted by noise
that occurs at the transmission level.

The meaning attributed to the word

'noise' in the field of communications is
derived from its definition in physics. In
physics, noise refers to a disturbance,
especially a random and persistent
disturbance, which obscures or reduces
the clarity of a signal
Source: http://t1.gstatic.com/
One of the modern-day connotations of
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRGZ35WMXsyBIlj_
HoEv8qP52GwzEGtYHLQuCdKk5- the word 'noise,
apparent in its use in the
eFwHzBB4&t=1&usg=_XzKo4nu field of computer science, is 'irrelevant or
PxAKbkof3hODoNh4ySk=
meaningless data.
For example,
the noise of traffic around a school
obstructs the smooth flow of
information between the teacher and the students. It makes
oral communication difficult.
Similarly, poor signal or static while talking over the
cellphone or using the public address
system watching
or TV also distorts the sound
signals and disrupts communication. Bad
weather conditions may also sometimes interfere
with the transmission of
may lead to breakdown of communication channels. signals and
As discussed above, noise is not only the
disruption of sound signals, but it also
includesall the barriers that may ariseat any of the various stages of communication.In a
 3Resolving Barriers to Communication 65

hroad sense, it denotes semantic barriers, perceptional barriers as well as psychological

barriers.

b. Time and distance

Time and distance may also obstruct the smooth flow of information. Today, because of
technological advancements, we have faster means of communication available, and this
in turn has made the world a smaller place. But at times, these means of communication
may not be easily accessible because of unavailability or due to technical/technological
nroblems. This may lead not only to a physical but also a communication gap between
and the receiver.
the transmitter

Source: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GCTwRpalpMf
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8PBNRX45WOiZmEPoAGDakWCsVLvwbl4&t=1&usg= _01Bh3GMlbwbWZX

1fQP203Irt3k=
 and Skills *
66 Business Communication: Basic Concepts

countries may aftect communication betu.

Time differences between two different
working in different shifts in the same
between
the
the people living in them. Even the people
communicating effectively.
organisation may face problems in
a classroom
or in a c o n r e r e n c e nall act aas
may also act
Improper seating arrangement in
is difficult to maintain eye contact with ons.
a barrier to effective communication as it ne's
audience.
the communicators manan.
Thus, communication can be successful only when nage
the obstacles that crop up due to spatial and
to overcome the barriers by minimising
temporal factors.

C. Wrong choice of medium

This can also create a barrier to effective communication. For example, if an expert uses
charts or graphs or PowerPoint presentations to orient uneducated factory workers or
volunteers to a new method of working, they are bound to be ill-equipped to get any

Information or directions from such sophisticated presentations.

It is important to use the mode of com-

munication that is most appropriate to the
situation.
Source: http://t0gstatic.com/
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3uBzad5

w6CmOfKUoheVvMlvyeDaMrzypY
z2ay43cgZoZefds&t=1&usg=_D
$9uWisayMFwCnlE9E50TOWS_0=

d. Surroundings
Adverse weather conditions affect not only the means of communication, but also have
an impact on the sender and the receiver of the message. When two people have to
communicate with each other in extreme weather conditions, whether too hot or too
cold, their surroundings do have a direct effect on the effectiveness of the exchange that
takes place between them.
Thus, environmental factors determine people's mood and also influence their
mental agility and thereby their capacity to communicate
effectively. Extreme heat and
humidity make people either hyper or listless and thus cause immense stress, which
in turn affects clear
thinking and the attitude of the communicator, whereas extreme
cold weather induces laziness and also
impedes the ability to think clearly and respond
sharply, thereby causing communication failure.
 Resolving Barriers to Communication 67
4.2.2 Physiological or
biological barriers Tooth-rldg9
back part, Nasal Cavity
iront part
Physiological barriers are related to a Hard Paiate
Upper Teeth
person's health and fitness. These may Upper Lip Vetum
Nasal Paesage
arise due to disabilities that may affect
the physical capability of the sender
Lower Lip
or the receiver, for example poor
Lower Teeth_ Tongue
deafness and uncontrolled back
eyesight, Jow middle
ront
body movements. Vocal Cords

Physical defects in one's body may

also disrupt communication. While
communicating, a person uses his/
her: Source: http://www.phon.ox.ac.uk/~jcoleman/
1. vocal (Speech) organs to produce organs.jpeg
sound/speech
2. hand and fingers to write

3. ears to take in the spoken words

4. eyes to absorb the written words
Proper functioning of these body organs is necessary for effective communication to
take place. In case of any defect in any of these organs, the successful completion of
communication will be difficult to accomplish.
Speaking can be adversely affected by stammering, fumbling, utterance of improper
sounds due to defective vocal organ/s, etc.
Listening can be rendered ineffective as a result of defective hearing. Deafness-total
or partial-obstructs the absorption of sound signals. This leads to information loss.
Writing can fail to convey the message successfully because ofillegible handwriting
due to hand injury, excessive
trembling of the hand or
fingers, numbness, etc.

Message Message
Source: http://t2.gstatic.com/
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSjShdUj_k-
kDSkFR7vpmYaCWQWrdPnYh4guc0z
LMIDe5s5vUg&t=1&usg_23tlw0zqG
Pk9VkKpVTW2TeBDy0=
 *
68 Business Communication: Basic Concepts and Skills

Reading can be affected due to poor eyesight. Defective vision impedes the readi.
reading
ability of the receiver. Words may appear hazy, broken, overlapping etc. to th
the
receivers eye.
To overcome such barriers, one must avail oneself of the necessary medical treatme
ent
for defects in the body organs), therapy (to improve speech) or corrective aids (li.
like
hearing aids and spectacles).

4.2.3 Semantic or language barriers

Semantics is the systematic study of meanings in a language. Thus, semantic barriers ara
are
barriers related to language. Such barriers are problems that arise during the process of
encoding and/or decoding the message into words and ideas respectively.
Both oral and written communication are based on words/symbols which are
ambiguous in nature. Words/symbols may be used in several ways and may have several
meanings. Unless the receiver knows the context, he/she may interpret the words/
symbols according to his/her own level of understanding and may, thus, misinterpret
the message.
The most common semantic barriers are discussed below.

a. Misinterpretation of words
Semantic problems often arise because of the gap between the meaning as intended by
the sender and as understood by the receiver. This happens when the receiver does not
assign the same meaning to the word/symbol as the transmitter intended.
Words are capable of expressing a variety of meanings depending upon their
usage
that is, in the context in which they are used. The association between the word/symbol
and the meaning assigned to it is of an arbitrary nature.
For example, the word 'yellow' when used as an adjective can have multiple
connotations depending upon its usage. Words have two levels of meaning--literal
(descriptive) and metaphorical (qualitative). 'Yellow, besides being a primary
colour, also stands for 'freshness, 'beauty', 'sickness, 'decay', etc. Hence, the receiver
is free to interpret it in any of these ways, based on his/her own imagination and
experience.
But for communication to be perfect, it is essential that the receiver assigns to it
the same meaning which the sender had in his/her mind while
encoding the message.
Therefore, there is always a possibility of misinterpretation of the messages. Mostly, such
problems arise when the sender does not use simple and clear words that can convey
the exact meaning to the receiver.
 Resolving Barriers to Communication
b. Use of technical 69
language
Technical or
specialised language, We SYneT
tilizati King
people protessionals who work which
or is used
in the same
by
ic known as jargon. Such field
CU
cepoint
technical language can be a
harrier to communication if the receiver
of the message
is not familiar with it. For
example, in computer
to burn a CD' means to
copy data on
CD'. To a a
jargon,
the word 'burn' may have a very layman,
different meaning.
Source: http://t2.gstatic.com/
C. Ambiguity
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQwriUX3K
Ambiguity arises when the sender and the receiver R8gxg102QuZfgxmK47CF2TqU80
the message attribute different of JYgmN_XP_M7pQEg&t=1&usg=
meanings to the L6iPU_MITyl9PPGwdXA011eFQE8=
same words or use different words to
convey
the same meaning. Sometimes, wrong and
speculative assumptions also lead to ambiguity.
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, and so on. All
such assumptions may turn out to be wrong and
cause communication failure. (A policeman giving directions has a clear
mental image of them, but the man
them has
receiving
a very confused image.)
4.2.4 Personal barriers Source: http://t0.gstatic.com/
Communication is interpersonal in nature. Thus, images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSwsf0
there are certain barriers that are directly linked 317x9E7ATCLyfZDPcZ5ivVMTly_
to the people involved in the communication 1czeS0DfGcrKVNw&t=1&usg=_i3PRQ3UO-
eGRP-DcMnza4SksfSQ=
process, that is the senderand the receiver, which
influence the accurate transfer of the message. These are called
personal barriers.
Personal barriers have to do with age, education, interests and
needs or intentions
that differ from person to person.
When one communicates, one addresses an audience that may belong to different age-
groups. With age, one's choices, preferences and interests undergo enormous changes.
So this factor has to be taken into consideration while
communicating in order to check
the possibility of communication
failure.
Difference in education is another important factor. It determines the sender's ability
to think, compose an intelligible message and convey it successfully. On the other hand,
t also influences the receiver's
capability to read/listen, and to understand and respond
 70 Business Communication: Basic Conceptsand Skills

to the message that

he/she receives. Thus, difference in education can
hamper th
successful encoding and/or decoding of the message, it proper care is not taken
by the
sender and/or the receiver.
Inany business organisation, the attitude of the superiors and the subordinates plays
a
vital role
in determining the success of communication. If the superiors have a
attitude, then there are chances that they may filter information or manipulate messages.
hostile
Sometimes intentionally, in order to achieve certain selfish motives.

Somesuperiors may not be open to suggestions and feedback as they presume that
their subordinates are not capable of advising them. Due to this, the downward flow of
information within the organisation may be badly affected, which in turn leads to
poor
performance.
Besides, superiors may exercise their authority by insisting that their subordinates
approach them only through proper formal channels of communication. If, under any
circumstances, subordinates try to communicate to superiors directly, then they may
take offence as they perceive such an attempt as a challenge to their
position of power.
Such an attitude thus becomes a barrier to effective communication.
On the other hand, there are certain factors that influence the
participation
of subordinates in upward communication. Lack of confidence and fear are the
primary reasons why subordinates fail to communicate openly and comfortably with
superiors.
If they feel that some information may, in some way, harm their prospects/interests in
the organisation, then they prefer to conceal such information. In case, that is not possible,
then they filter the information so that they cannot be held responsible for the same.
Moreover, when superiors do not support the active involvement of subordinates
in the functioning of the organisation by encouraging them to share their ideas andto
give suggestions that would contribute to the success of the organisation, subordinates
become indifferent, and this creates a barrier to upward communication. If subordinates
feel that their ideas and suggestions are of no value to their superiors, then they do not
feel motivated to express them.
Therefore, on the basis of the above discussion, we may conclude that personal
barriers have their origin in the attitudes of the sender as well as the receiver. Personal
barriers often lead to distortion, filtering, and omission of information and thus have an
adverse effect on the fidelity of communication.

4.2.5 Emotional or perceptional barriers

Emotional or perceptional barriers are closely associated with personal barriers.
Personal barriers arise from motives and attitudes (as seen above), whereas emotional
 71
Resolving Barriersto Gommunication

perceptional barriers have an added dimension that includes sentiments and

or

emotions.

r the receiver does not evaluate the information recetved with an open mind, thatis

shiectively, his/her judgment/evaluation would be coloured by biases and/or emotions,

thus him/her to read too much into a message. This would interfere with the
inducing
evact transfer of information and cause misinterpretation
Such a barrier may also emerge at the time of encoding the message. Overenthusiasm
on the partof the sender may lead him/her to invest the message with meaning/s which
not have intended to.
he/she may actualy
Too much aggression passivity while communicating on the part of either the
has an adverse effect on the success of communication. Also,
cender or the receiver also
roc much of emotion clouds reason and sometimes, the communicator, blinded by his/
makes impulsive judgments or illogical decisions. This also results
her own sentiments,
of communication.
in the breakdown
of the sender or
Indolence, apathy, or the tendency to procrastinate, either on the part
of
the receiver, also leads to withholding important
information, thus creating a barrier
stress and depression also get in the
Extreme emotions like euphoria, excitement, anger,
the mind of the
way of effective communication. All these factors may create biases in
sender or the receiver
Therefore, the sender and the receiver may encode and decode the message
etc. This
respectively as per their own perceptions, backgrounds, needs, experiences, make
feedback as well. They tend to
leads to a distinct kind of exchange of ideas and
understand and what they want to see. This is also one kind of
the reality hard to see

filtering that takes place during the communication process.

4.2.6 Socio-psychological barriers

Socio-psychological barriers can also be considered as one of the offshoots of personal
barriers, and is similar to perceptional barriers. 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, but also by his/her approach towards and interaction with the people
around him/her, and hence the need for this fine distinction between the personal, the
perceptional and the socio-psychological barriers.

a. Status consciousness

To begin with, the consciousness of one's position in an organisation has an eftect on

the two-way flow of communication. A vertical channel of communication is present
in every organisation, but its efficacy is heavily influenced by the relationship between
 and Skills *
72 Business Communication: Basic Concepts

the superiors and the subordinates. Though many organisations are now becomina
accustomed to the open door policy, the psychological distance between the superiors
is thus one of the major barriere
prevails. Status consciousness
and the subordinates still
to successful communication.

b. Difference in perception
In a communication situation, the communicators have to deal with two aspects of the
The mind filters the
reality-the one as it and the other as they perceive it.
they see
message, that is, the words/symbols/signs, and assigns meaning to them, according to

individual perception.
Each individual has his/her own distinctive filter, formed by his/her experiences.
emotional make-up, knowledge, and mindset that she/he has attained over a period
of time. Because of this difference in perceptions, 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

At times, this difference in perception causes a communication gap, or a distortion, in
the message. In face-to-face communication, this gap can be easily eliminated as there
is immediate feedback. But in written communication, the semantic gap between the
intended meaning and the interpreted meaning remains unidentified, as the feedback is
delayed or sometimes there is no feedback at all.

C. Prejudices
An integrated or shared meaning model of communication
Context Context People with deeply
ingrained prejudices are
very difficult to commun-
icate with. They are not
Encoding/ Encoding responsive to discussion or
Decodina Decoding to new ideas, information,
Meamge-Feadback viewpoints and opinions.
Chennele
Meemges-Feedbadk
They have a closed
Sender/ Sender mind and tend to react
Recelver Recelver thus
antagonistically,
Pero fite Peception ter ruling out all possibilities
of communication. An
unreceptive mind can,
Area of shared meaning
Context
Context hence, be a great barrier
Source: http://www.infofanz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/ to communication. To
comm-model2.bmp overcome this barrier, one
 Resolving Barriers to Communication 73
chauld be receptive
sh
to new ideas and
should learn to listen with consideration and an
open mind.

d. Halo/Horn effect

Sometimes the listener may be too much in awe of or may completely distrust a
n hath these situations, the chances of success of speaker.
communication are very less.

e. Information overload
Furthermore, information overload leads to poor retention and causes information loss.
So whenever there is some important information to be conveyed, the communicators
should use the written channel of communication.
On the basis of the above discussion, we may thus conclude that socio-psychological
factors do have a profound impact on the effectiveness of communication.

4.2.7 Cultural barriers

Culture is 'the totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs,
institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. Culture is learned
and shared within social groups and is transmitted by non-genetic means. (American
Heritage Dictionary, 2005)
From this definition, we can infer that
culture is the sum total of ideas, customs,
arts, rituals, skills, etc. ot a group of people.

It is handed down from generation to

generation in the form of conventions,
traditions, rules, codes of conduct, etc. To
put it simply, culture is 'the shared ways
in which groups of people understand and
interpretthe world. (Trompenaars, F.1994
Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding
Cultural Diversity in Business. Chicago:
Irwin.).
Each group, categorised on the basis
of nationality, ethnicity, race, religion,
etc, has its own distinctive culture. Thus,
there are varied subcultures that coexist Source: http://www.bizaims.com/files/
Barriersin_Effective_Cultural_Communication
Within a major culture. Such immense
in_Business.JPG
cultural diversity plays a very crucial
 74 Business Communication: Basic Concepts and Skills
role in communication as it has an extensive influence on both verbal and non-vers
communication and may therefore create barriers to eftective communication.
Cultural differences give rise to a great deal of complexity in the encoding and th

decoding of messages not only because of the difference in languages, but also becasause
of a large number of culture-specific assumptions at work in the minds of the sender
as
well as the receiver.
People belonging to different cultures may attach different meanings to words
symbols. gestures and behaviour. They may perceive each others social values, body
language, attitude to space distancing and time, social behaviour and manners, etc., that
is, the entire culture in general, very differently depending upon their own standards
attitudes, customs, prejudices, opinions, behavioural norms, etc., that is, their own
distinct culture.
Thus, cultural barriers arise when people belonging to different cultures insist on
preserving their cultural identities, and at times, judge other cultures as inferior to their
own. (For a detailed discussion on the various elements that can create cultural barriers,
refer to Chapter 6, titled Intercultural Communication'.)

4.2.8 Organisational barriers

Organisational structure greatly influences the flowofinformation within an organisation.
Some major organisational barriers are discussed below:

a.
a. Goal conflicts
There may be goal conflicts within an organisation between the superiors and the
subordinates, among people working in the different departments, among the
colleagues, etc. This may create a hostile atmosphere within the organisation and can
lead to serious communication breakdown.

Source: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:
ANd9GcSPSA3IUt7XvnqegMAthWCRZbOdNCQ
NBLInfsSzFCG8ave9Q&t=1&usg=
qnc9KT3gw7FteeUHPDdjPiwluwa
b. Organisational policies
These are also to a great extent responsible
for determining the kind of rapport that
people working in the same organisation
share with each other. If the organisational
policy is such that it restricts the free flow of
information in all directions (refer to Chapter
7, titled 'Formal and Informal Networks of
Communication'), then communication will
not be successful. In some organisations,
 Resolving Barriers to Communication 75

here may be rules to restrict the flow of certain

messages, and this may deter empioyees
from conveying thoSe messages, however important they may be.

1f an organisation favours the open door

policy, the subordinates would not feel shy
ar reluctant to approach their superiors directly. But in the
organisations
formal channels of communication have to be strictly adhered to, the superiors and
where the

the subordinates share an awkward relationship. They experience a lot of discomfiture

while interacting with each other. Because of this, the objective of communication may
never be accomplished.

C. Organisational hierarchy
The hierarchical structure ofthe organisation mayalso impede the flow
of
and this can cause delay in taking decisions. When the message passes along the
information
chain of command in an organisation, there are chances of filtering and distortion of
the message at almost every level before it reaches the intended receiver. Thus, the
hierarchical structure of the organisation is also one of the important factors that
may create a barrier to effective communication.
Barriers to effective
communication can be summarised
as follows: Policy/ Serior Strategy
Physical barriers: sound, sight, Management
size, light, location, distance, Procedure Middle Tactics
time, surroundings, environment, Management
infrastructural facilities, etc.
Physiological barriers:
Execution Line Operations
Speaking-stammering. fumbling, Management
utterance of improper sounds due
to defect in speech, etc. Source: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:

Listening-hearing impairment, ANd9GCTwQ14AV1VrCs5gMrPbQ3T-bHDC

deafness, etc. FY6lgFg1GYQO5mGcdpzv7TY&t=1&usg=
UQgQvUqf44ECH5qfVgRPJeVcHCc=
Writing-illegible handwriting
due to uncontrolled hand movements like trembling, numbness, etc.

Reading-difficulty in reading due to poor eyesight, perceiving the written words as

hazy, unclear and overlapping, etc.
Differential barriers: difference in age, education, needs, interests, intentions or purposes,
creating a communication gap between the speaker/writer and the listener/reader
Intellectual barriers: use of foreign language, pronunciation, style, tone, vocabulary, etc.
 76 Business Communication: Basic Concepts and Skills *

Socio-cultural barriers: race, religion, culture, habits, behaviour, social values ans
and
manners, etc.
Psychological barriers: attitude, mood, temperament, ego, prejudice, jealousy, rivalm.
alry,
nervousness, excitement, etc.

Organisational barriers: status, hierarchy, policies, filtering, manipulation,

etc.
However, there are certain specific strategies that can heip us to surmount thesa

obstacles and achieve the purpose of communication. These are discussed in detaili

the following section.

4.3 OvERCOMING BARRIErS To CoMMUNICATION

On the basis of the various kinds of communication barriers listed in the previous

section, let us now discuss certain strategies that

will help us to overcome these barriers
and improve communication.
As effective communication is essential for the success of a business organisation, the

Communicators must take care to remove the barriers in the way of communication, to0
the best extent possible.
understood by the audience.
For communication to be complete, the message must be
medium of words-spoken
The communicator shares his/her message through the
etc. Thus, from this we can infer that
or written, through gestures, through symbols,
communication, whether verbal or non-verbal, is symbolic in nature
These two aspects of communication determine
the fundamental difterence between effective and
ineffective communication. If an idea or some
information is known to but not fully understood by the
receiver, then the communication will be ineffective.
The sender can know whether the message has
been understood by the receiver through his/her
response, that is, feedback.
The following are some general guidelines for the
sender and the receiver of the message:
Source: http://t1.gstatic.com/
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSkiw For the sender of the message
Bo5SBe25sai1Y2Lv3_ the
UWT3IrWMw6sX2rRH6OHb640&t=1&usg=_ At the very outset, the sender should reveal
Gy2ZhmFrxlgjBUyL4LRZB85yuwY= purpose of his/her message and the important
 Resolving Barriers to Communication 77
tonics that he/she will deal with. By doing so, he/she prepares the receiver for what is
top
safollow. This helps the receiver to identify the main
points of the message, recognise
the link among the important ideas that the message contains and
meaningful pattern in his/her mind.
organise them in a

The message should be compact and the sender should concentrate

information
that he/she intends to
exclusively on the
ain ideas or
convey. Likewise, the sender should
situate his/her ideas in an appropriate context so that the audience will evaluate and
interpret them within the common frame of reference which the sender has indicated
or suggested.

While communicating, the sender should, at all times, emphasise the

important points
of the message with the help of bulleted lists, charts, graphs, illustrations, body language,
tone, pitch, etc. He/she should also provide a summary at the end of the
presentation
or write-up. This will help the receiver to grasp the overall
meaning of the message,
thus making it easy to understand the various parts, or ideas, in relation to the overall
framework.
The sender should arrange the ideas/information in such way that it is
a
appealing
to the audience's visual and/or auditory senses. In written communication, the writer
may make use of an attractive layout and good quality paper to attract the readers'
attention.

While communicating orally, the sender must take care to minimise noise. He/she
should make sure that his/her surroundings are well equipped with the
necessary
acoustics. Special attention should be paid to facial expressions, gesture, and eye contact
with the audience at the time ofdelivering the message.
The sender should be clear about why he/she wants
to communicate and
his/her
message should be precise and well structured. He/she should take care to select
an appropriate channel or medium so that the
impact of the message is not lost in
transmission. The message should be sent through an effective channel,
keeping in mind
the audience and the purpose of the message, and the sender should select a
channel
where there are less chances of distortion.
The sender should avoid using grandiloquent language in order to avoid the
possibility of misinterpretation of the overall meaning of the message. The sender
should neither burden the receiver with information overload nor
too little information. The
provide him/her with
speaker should identify his/her audience before encoding the
message so that he/she knows what the audience may already know and in what context
the message should be
placed.
The sender should formulate and deliver
the message in such a way that it retains the
audience's interest in what he/she intends to
convey. He/she should do away with all
his/her prejudices and preconceived notions and should communicate clearly and with
 Skills
Basic Concepts and
78 Business(Communication:

sender to have an audience-centri

these will enable the
an open mind. All
while encoding the message
pproach
For the receiver of the message
communication process,
the onus is entirely on the sendo
In the initial stage of the
o n c e he/she starts ahsoe
receiver plays an active role
message. But in the later stage, the
in his/her mind. Thus,
the receiver of the mese n rbing
and processing the information
of communication. also
equally important role in the successful completion
plays an

Not all barriers are sender-oriented.

The barriers arising from the rer.
the side of the
receiver
barrier on the part of the recoi.
are known as receiver-oriented
barriers. The foremost eiver is
is of a complex nature, the receiver.
poor retention. When the message being conveyed may
has initiated communication. To overro
lose track of the context in which the sender rcome
down the important points
this barrier, the receiver must develop the habit
of noting
on the message or if he/she is ne
If the receiver has difficulty in concentrating not
this too will have a direct influence on his/ho
interested in the topic being discussed, e
with such situations, the receiver shouid
ability to listen effectively. In order to deal
accustom his/her mind to absorb and assimilate all kinds of information by making a
conscious effort to generate interest in and concentrate upon what is being conveyed
When the receiver is too judgmental about the message being delivered or too critical
of the style of delivery of the sender, it creates a barrier as the receiver totally misses
what the sender is actually trying to communicate. Thus, the receiver should avoid beine

judgmental and should not be in a hurry to evaluate the message without being aware of
the exact context in which it is articulated.
Prejudices can also create a barrier in the mind of the receiver at the time of the
reception and the decoding of the message. If the receiver is indifferent to or has any
presumptions regarding the sender or what he/she is trying to put across, then the
receiver's biases will create a mental block and interfere with his/her ability to evaluate
the content ofthe message objectively and judiciously. This will lead to misinterpretation
of the message and communication will fail.
Thus, the receiver must take in new ideas/information with an open mind and should
not let biases influence his/her perception and reasoning ability. People with deep-rooted
biases and a rigid mindset tend to be resistant to new ideas. Such inflexibility hampers
listening and leads to miscommunication. Hence, both the sender and the receiver should
be receptive to new ideas in order to overcome such psychological and personal
barriers
To sum up, most of the barriers in communication can be overcome if the sender
encodes the message in a clear and precise manner, leaving no room for misinterpretation
or miscommunication, and if the receiver
acquires effective listening skills and give>
appropriate and timely feedback.
 Resolving Barriers to Communication 79
when the communicators are able to surmount the
barriers and succeed in exchanging
heir
the ideas/opinions/inforimation without any omission,
filtering or distortion,
communication is said to have
achieved its purpose. Let us
now discuss how
cammunication can be achieved
within a business
organisation.
effective
organisations should adopt an open-door policy at all
Business
he an atmosphere of trust and confidence
levels. There should
in the
gan between the superiors and the subordinates
organisation
so that the
communication
may be reduced.
Hierarchies and policies should not deter the free flow of
organisation. The superiors must encourage their subordinates toinformation within an
communicate without
hesitation. Such two-way communication within an
organisation
will definitely help
minimise the communication gap between employees.
The subordinates should be encouraged to
participate in the decision-making process
and also in solving problems or dispelling crises situations in an
organisation. Their ideas
and contributions should be valued as this would motivate them to come with innovative
up
ideas/solutions and share them with their superiors with some conviction. Providing an
open environment which is conducive to free interaction among the
employees will prove
beneficial and will contribute to the growth and success of the organisation.
The simplification, decentralisation and democratisation of the communication
network within an organisation will definitely help in improving communication
and making it effective. There should be frequent meetings, conferences, etc., and the
management should ensure that the subordinates take an active part in the functioning of
the
organisation, not only byexecutingthe orders orcarrying out instructions passively
but also by contributingto the formulation of organisational policies and by sharing
their knowledge and experience which can in turn help the superiors in making better
business decisions. Such a participative and democratic approach will help reduce the
communication barriers to a great extent.

In short, in business communication, there are chances of communication failure

because the message is not only complex in itself but also the stages through which it
passes renders it susceptible to various interferences, or barriers, that are semantic,
personal, psychological, and/or organisational in nature
To become a successful communicator and in order to overcome communication
barriers one must keep in mind the guidelines above.