Barriers to Communication

Although ideally, communication should be perfect and flawless.

However, in real life, it is never so. No matter, how good the
communicator , communication gap always exists. The free flow of
communication is hindered by various factors which we call barriers
to communication.

Let us understand these barriers.

1. Psychological barrier
This barrier is created in the minds of both the sender and the
receiver. The different beliefs, motives, attitudes and prejudices in the
their minds result in gap in communication. If a sender sends a
message which is unacceptable by the receiver due to some fixed
psychological belief of the receiver, there will be no feedback. The
rigidity exercised by the receiver will hamper communication.
2.Emotional Barrier
Sometimes, emotions may hold you back from communicating what you
want to your teammates. A person facing emotional issues is unlikely to
either communicate well nor will be able to accept the same in a normal
manner. For example, a person under severe emotional strain is unlikely to
take any advice, however, well meant, at that point of time.

3.Semantic Barrier
Semantics is the science of understanding words. Use of difficult words,
ambiguous words which can convey multiple meanings, can create a
barrier in the mind of the receiver. In an organization, various employees
speak various languages. If a common language is not selected to convey a
message, then there will be a communication failure.
4. Organizational Barrier
These type of barriers are created due to the complex communication networks
set-up in big organizations. The administrative staff is so big that a message gets
distorted passing through different departments and staff members. At times,
the actual receiver of the message does not get the message. Sometimes
employees feel frustrated because of the information loss. At times, there is a
loss of meaning of the original message and there is a complete failure of
communication.

5. Physical Barrier
The elements like noise and distance can cause physical barriers. A physical
barrier can be natural or human made and is easy to spot. Noise, bad
architecture and closed doors are all physical barriers to communication. Even a
network disturbance due to a thunderstorm can be considered as one of the
examples of physical barrier.
6. Phonetics Barrier
Phonetics is the science of speech sounds in a language. Uttering a word in
a wrong way can affect the meaning of the message. If a word or words
are not spoken properly, distraction happens leading to failure in
communication.

7. Media Barrier
Media refers to several medium or channels used to communicate
effectively. The sender selects a medium to send message to the receiver.
When a wrong medium is chosen, the medium becomes a barrier.
Ways of overcoming barriers to effective communication

• Be open minded and pleasant

Let your open mind receive information and don’t be in a hurry to judge.
• Don’t lose temper
A cool and calm mind works wonders. You can never communicate until you are
calm.
• Be tolerant
Tolerance is a virtue with which you will be able to communicate better.
• Be humble
When you accept that you don’t know all the answers, you will appreciate the
feedback of others.
• Practice
Practice is vital if want to communicate better. Improve your communication skills.
• Choose right medium
Hundreds of people cannot be addressed without using a speaker.
• Read as much as possible
Reading makes us knowledgeable as well as broad minded. We become
aware of other views and opinions.

A combination of all these will certainly remove these barriers and

make communication freely and easily understood by the the people.