HSI 101 Soft Skills

August 17, 2023

Barriers to Communication
5 minute activity
• 1. Remember a time you had a “misunderstanding” that should not
have happened.
• 2. Why did the misunderstanding happen?
• 3. What can you do different next time?
Barriers to Communication
Barriers

• an object that keeps people or things separate or prevents them moving from one place to another

• something that causes problems or makes it impossible for something to happen

Communication Breakdown/Barrier 5

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Communication Barriers
What are Communication Barriers? 6

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Communication Barriers
Any step in the communication process
which blocks, restricts or interferes with
the smooth flow of messages can be
termed as communication barrier.
Why do barriers arise? 7

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Communication Barriers
Perceptual and language differences
Restrictive environments
Distractions
Deceptive techniques
Information overload
Different Categories of Barriers 8

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Communication Barriers
Breakdown at source 9

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Communication Barriers
 Perception is people’s individual interpretation of the sensory world.
 Perception of reality
- selective perception
 Language –an arbitrary code
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is
the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”
- Mark Twain
Contd. 10

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Communication Barriers
 Faltering with words
 Indecisive about content
 Unfamiliarity with audience/environment
Restrictive Environments 11

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Communication Barriers
 Communication climate
 Information at times gets distorted, blocked/fragmented
 Lack of management interest /effective means
Distractions 12

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Communication Barriers
Physical
Emotional
Non- verbal
Deceptive Tactics 13

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Communication Barriers
 Organization of message
 Avoid the following:
- exaggerating
- hiding negative information
- presenting opinions as facts
- presenting big pictures
Information Overload 14

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Communication Barriers
 Excessive dependence on technology

 Constantly tied to task

 Lack of time to think

Communication Barriers: Types 15

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Communication Barriers
Intrapersonal Communication Barriers
• Differences in background and language
• Differences in perception
• Fact-inference confusion
• Rigid categories
(frozen evaluation, polarization)
• Categorical thinking
• (know it all, or the “allness syndrome”)
Interpersonal Barriers 16

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Communication Barriers
• Emotional reactions
• Negative emotional behaviour
• Negative attitudes about a message or source (lack of
credibility/interest)
• Ineffective information gathering (PL)
• Inappropriate timing of messages
Organizational Barriers 17

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Communication Barriers
• Organizational Characteristics
• Fear of Superior’s Perception
• Negative attitudes in organization
• Misunderstood application of Media
• Information Overload
 Gender Based Barriers 18
 Different socialization experiences of men and women

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Communication Barriers
 Men are encouraged to be independent and strong

 Women are encouraged to value relationships and emotions

 Cultural differences determine to what extent one becomes assertive in

dealings with the opposite gender.

 They also decide and condition the levels of assertiveness acceptable in

the behavior of people of different gender

 Gender biases often present themselves as normal, status quo, and

equitable.

 Such barriers differ from country to country.

Ethical Considerations 19

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Communication Barriers
 Difference between what you have a right to do and what is the right thing to do
 Plagiarism
 Misquoting
 Predictions
 Cultural Barriers 20

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Communication Barriers
 Multi-cultural setting

 Non-verbal aspects

 Team work ethics

 Global issues - environment, pollution, peace

 Gender sensitivity
High- and Low-Context Cultures 21

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Communication Barriers
 "High-" and "low-"context cultures typically refer to 
language groups, nationalities, or regional communities.

 Also apply to corporations, professions and other 

cultural groups, as well as to settings such as online and
offline communication.
Contd. 22
 High context culture

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Communication Barriers
 Japan, China, Spain, Mexico, Greece and Arab
 believe in non verbal cues
 more flexible, sociable and derive meaning even from the people’s gestures
 Value interpersonal relationships
 involves less-direct verbal and nonverbal communication, utilizing
communication gestures, reading more meaning into less-direct messages
 Prefer oral communications
 Focus on longer forms of communication that do not always focus on basic
questions.
Contd. 23
 Low context culture

Communication Barriers
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 German, Scandinavian, American, English, French and Italian
 Individualistic
 value tasks over relationships
 members form several short-term relationships
 direct verbal communication is needed to properly understand a
message being communicated
 Relies heavily on explicit verbal skills. Rarely is anything
implicit or hidden.
 Low-context cultures favor written communications
 Superstition 24
 In Mexico

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Communication Barriers
Saloon where people gather to drink pulque, a
distillate of cactus, is considered good fortune to
get worms in your cup
 In Japan
Maneki neko (beckoning cat)
 In China
Phonetic sound of 8 is most fortuitous of numbers
auguring prosperity
Some instances of cultural differences 25

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Communication Barriers
 Leaning on a wall
 Using an index finger
 Moving things with one’s feet
Areas of Concern in Intercultural 26

Communication

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Communication Barriers
 Self-awareness
 Self-respect
 Interaction
 Empathy
 Adaptability
 Certainty
 Initiative
 Acceptance
Measures to overcome barriers 27

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Communication Barriers
 Adopt an audience- centred approach
 Encourage open communication climate
 Reduce the number of levels
 Facilitate feedback
 Commit to ethical communication
 Create lean, efficient messages
Other Measures 28
 The greater the differences between cultures,

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Communication Barriers
the greater the chances for misunderstanding.
 Respect other cultures as you respect yours.
 Be generous and patient .
 Avoid making false assumptions.
 Factors for Effective 2
9
Communication

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Communication Barriers
 Ensuring Cordiality & Co-operation
 Listening Skills
 Comprehending Messages
 Communicating to build a positive culture
Barriers to Communication

• The communication process might seem simple, but so much can go wrong with it at any point
Commonly Encountered Barriers
• Absence of a common frame of reference (Communication happens with common
purpose, common language and common background)

• Badly encoded messages (cause problems due to mismatch of what is indented and
what is meant)

• Disturbance in the transmission channel (Technical glitches)

• Poor retention (Limitations of memory and attention)

• Inattention by the receiver

• Premature evaluation of the message

• Unclarified assumptions (Assuming that we have more in common when it is not so)

• Mistrust between the sender and the receiver

Contd.
• Different perceptions of reality (One man’s saint is another man’s sinner)

• Semantic difficulties (Inappropriate use of language)

• Vagueness about the objectives

• Misinterpretation of the message (Misunderstandings)

• Clash of attitudinal nuances of the sender and the receiver (Different attitudes
leading to gaps and clashes in communication)

• Selection of a wrong variety of language (Use of same language but a different

regional variety. For ex. Hindi of Varanasi and Hindi of Mumbai)
Psychological Barriers
• Rigidity of thought (overlooking the difference of backgrounds)

• Know-it-all attitude (Self-imposed sense of superiority)

• Complaining Behaviour

• Use of words like all, always, everybody, none, never, nobody

REMEDIES

• Empathy (Putting oneself in the shoes of the other)

• Understanding of human psychology (Being able to see the positive side of the communication)

• Awareness of differences in backgrounds, perceptions and points of view (Respecting and

accommodating differences)
Barriers in Interpersonal Transactions

• Emotional reactions (Thoughtless action/reaction)

• Negative attitudes(Being negatively critical)

• Wrong timing of message (Mostly has an adverse effect

on communication)

Remedies

• Maintaining a calm composure (Being a sympathetic

and patient listener)

• Using persuasive force (To be able to convince and

change the thinking of the other with positivity of
thought and action)
 Organizational Network as a Barrier
• Too many transfer stations (It may lead to delay in transmission)

• Processing of information by several hands (Might result in tampering with the original
message)

REMEDIES

• Direct access from top to bottom (Might ensure intactness of the message)

• The dissemination of information through several hands (Might help in curbing corruption)

• Establishment of a feedback system involving more than one source (Helps in separating
add ons from the crux of a message)
 Cultural Barriers
Communication is culture-specific

• The system of symbolic beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations and patterns of behaviour differ from
culture to culture

• These are manifested in the notions of status, attitudes towards time, decision-making habits, use of
space and distancing, body language, social behavior, rituals, religious belief, manners and
mannerisms and food habits

REMEDIES

• Be more open minded, tolerant, courteous and keenly perceptive of the non-verbal symbols

• Increase awareness about other people and cultures

• Guard against stereotyping and ethnocentrism (Believing that one’s own culture and race are superior to
that of others)

• Observe social behaviour, values and analyze your audience

 Ethical Barriers
Related to the practices and dealings in an organization such barriers arise due to

• Malafied intentions of some employees

• Misrepresentation of facts due to vested interests (Facts are misrepresented for personal
gains)

REMEDIES

• Setting high ethical standards— promoting integrity, honesty, and transparency in dealings

• Ensuring loyalty towards the organization (Putting employee welfare schemes in place)

• Optimising work-life balance

• Creating an atmosphere of fair competition

• Giving personal touch and feel to the employees

 Physical Barriers

Structural obstacles in natural or manmade environments that prevent or block mobility (moving
around in the environment) or access

• Disruption of road, air or rail transport

• Strikes, bands, natural disasters etc.

• Barriers arising out of physical debility

• Harsh climatic conditions

REMEDIES

• Having access to and knowledge of alternative ways to reach out to the intended destination or
person

• Anticipating such factors at the time of preparation and keeping all options open
 Linguistic Barriers
• Usually occur when two people who speak different languages cannot understand one another

• When people of different backgrounds communicate using typical domain-specific, region-specific

language

• Physical language disabilities like stuttering, articulation disorder and hearing loss may also lead to
such barrier

Remedies

• Using a common language and a common variety of the language

• Being articulate to the extent possible, ensuring clarity of voice

• Following a proper grammar, intonation and cultural context while interacting

• Increasing your proficiency with a language