BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

INTRODUCTION Communicating in the workplace isn't an easy task. We

all come from different backgrounds & bring different experiences to the table.

Unclear language can create a hindrance in understanding, as can delivering in a tone or manner that is counterproductive to the meaning of the message.

Closing off your body while suggesting you are open to communicating, for instance, creates a barrier.

Finally, everyone communicates differently. Understanding individual differences is an important way to keep your business communication effective and barrier-free.

COMMUNICATION & BARRIERCommunication is the process by which

the source transmits any

messages,ideas,information to the receiver

through a medium.

Barriers to communication are the

hindrances or difficulties involved in the

process of communication which distort the

message from being properly understood by

the receiver.

  Barrier Explanation

Language The communication message might not use vocabulary that is understood by the receiver.

Noise Various things stop a message from getting through or being heard .

Overload Too much information can cause problems.

Emotion The relationship between the sender and receiver of communication might adversely affect the message – which could be ignored or misinterpreted

Gaps Too many intermediaries might prevent or distort the message.

Inconsistency If people receive conflicting or inconsistent messages, then they may ignore or block them

SOME BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

PHYSICAL BARRIERS

THESE ARE:

Physical Barriers consist of any sound that prevents a person from being heard.

Physical noise interferes with a speaker's ability to send messages and with an audience's ability to receive them. 

Physical blocks include mumbling, speaking too fast, distracting gestures, noise inside the room such a ringing telephones etc - or outside the building such as traffic or aeroplanes.

Contd..

The major environmental / physical barriers are Time, Place, Space, Climate & Noise. Some of them are easy to alter whereas, some may prove to be tough obstacles in the process of effective communication. These factors may just cause distraction leading to inattentiveness or totally alter the message, causing miscommunication.

TIME AS A BARRIER Time has an important role in

a communication process. Quickness of communication is

the watchword in the modern world of communication

You have to choose a face-to-face oral communication channel to give instructions to a worker, a public address system to reach a large member of people scattered over a large area, a visual signal in crowd management & a courier system to reach clientele spread over and at distance & so on.

OTHERSSPACE

Space plays an important role in an oral communication situation. It can act as a barrier to communication or act as an aid promoting good communication.

Experts classify an oral communication situation on the basis of the distance maintained between sender and receiver as Intimate, Personal, Official and Public.

PLACE The place or the location

where a communication process takes place can degenerate into a barrier to effective communication.

A simple comparison of the surroundings in a Government / Municipal office & ambience provided in a MNC will show how place & surroundings play an important role in effective communication.

DEFECTS IN THE MEDIUM

Defects in the devices used for transmission are external and not within control.

The telephone postal service or electronic media might fail causing transmission of wrong or incomplete messages.

Partial failure is much more dangerous than complete failure.

Eg: when we send a fax, the number noted could be wrong or the fax can be unclear.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

Too much information also causes a barrier.

Some of it gets blocked in the transit and does not reach the intended person.

Eg: advertising is an overload. So much communication about the product floats through that a good deal of it does not reach the buyer.

CLIMATE “The talks were held in a

cordial atmosphere and in a proper climate” say  the newspapers.

Though the word climate refers to the human relations prevailing there, it is no exaggeration to say that the actual room temperature helps people to keep their heads cool!

Unfavourable climate can act as a barrier to communication leading to wrong perceptions or decision.

NOISE Noise is a physical barrier to

effective communication. Noise may have its origin from an

external source or may exist even in the communication loop.

You do not achieve effective communication by merely shouting.

Shouting at a machine does not help in achieving successful communication. Instead he should choose a better place with less noise to communicate his message / information.

Noise distorts messages & acts as a barrier to effective communication.

LANGUAGE OR SEMANTIC BARRIERS

DEFINITION

Semantic ,a greek word, is the study of words or their meanings.

It focuses on relation between signifiers such as, words ,phrases , signs and symbols and what they stand for.

It also means pertaining to or arising from the different meanings that people attach to words or other symbols.

Chief Semantic Or Language Barriers:

1. Wrongly expressed message:Causes:

Wrong choice of words. Uncivil words. Wrong sequence of sentences. Frequent repetitions.

Contd..

In English one word may have more then one meaning

When the reader or the listener draws a different meaning of a word than the writer or the speaker,there arises a barrier.

CASE STUDY Albert came from a small town where majority of the people did not

speak english. When I met him his collegues said he was not really putting words together. When he spoke, his sentences were immature-sounding and he was making below-age-level grammar mistakes (referring to females and males both with the pronoun “he;” dropping the “is” verb occasionally; and mis-producing past tenses of verbs, especially the irregular verbs like “go-went.” He was also having difficulty with syntax (word order), especially question syntax so that when he asked me “how that get in there,” he meant” how did that get in there” Albert also had difficulty with precisely expressing his thoughts in specific words and phrases. This seemed to reflect problems with word retrieval, choosing just exactly the word needed to express his intent, and it also included difficultly organizing his thoughts into sentences that exactly expressed his intent. For example, one day he was describing a birthday party he had attended and he spoke of the birthday boy’s mother putting “firesticks” on the “birthday food thing.” When he came to a word or phrase that was hard to retrieve, he substituted a vague word or series of words that negatively affected listener understanding. Albert was also experiencing difficulty with reading comprehension and expression as well as writing, and spelling.

Contd..

Questions

What were the communication barriers Albert was facing?

What could be the possible reasons for Albert’s communication problems?

2.FAULTY TRANSLATIONS:

A little carelessness in this procedure leads to a barrier in communication.

A manager receives a lot of information from his superiors and subordinates

He translates it for the other employees according to their level of understanding.

Hence the information has to be moulded according to the understanding of the receiver.

3.UNCLARIFIED ASSUMPTIONS: Sometimes a sender takes it for granted

that the receiver knows some basic things & therefore it is enough to tell him about the major subject matter.

This point of view of the sender is correct to some extent with daily communication.

But it is absolutely wrong in case of some special message

Special messages should be made absolutely clear ,otherwise there is some possibility of some wrong action in the absence of clarification.

4. USE OF TECHNICAL LANGUAGE:

Technical terms are limited to the group of persons who work together or work in the same kind of occupation.

Often, these terms have a different meaning in ordinary language and are differently understood by people who do not belong to that occupational group.

5. LACK OF COMMON LANGUAGE:

Semantic difficulty may

arise because of unfamiliarity with words.

For example, because of a word of some foreign language of which the receiver has no knowledge.

• A problem with the pronunciation and tone of the speaker e.g . influence of mother tongue while speaking English.

6.PRONUNCIATION

7. BODY LANGUAGE

SOME OTHER CAUSES OF BARRIER

Semantic barrier may further be created by body language being inconsistent with the verbal communication.

Speaker’s non-verbal mannerisms are distracting.

A manager who praises the honesty and sincerity of his or her subordinate in a sarcastic tone creates doubts in the minds of the subordinate as to the course of action he or she should adopt in a given situation in future.

SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL

BARRIERS

SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

All people are not skilled communicators.

Most people have problems which come in the way of good communication .

In order to be a good communicator you have to watch yourself constantly and make an effort to overcome your deficiencies.

It is useful to understand how barriers develop in people and what problems prevent communication from being successful.

Birth Of Different Psychologies In People

People have personal feelings,desires,fears & hopes, likes and dislikes,attitudes,views & opinions.

Some of these are formed by family background & social environment, individuals own intelligence, inherited qualities,education & personal experiences.

They form a sort of emotional filter around the mind & influences the way we respond to messages that we receive.

Factors like time,place and circumstances of a particular communication also influences our understanding & response.

DEFINITION

Problems of understanding interpretation & response to communication arises partly from our socially-learnt attributes & partly from our personal attributes. These are called socio-psychological barriers.

SELF –CENTERED ATTITUDES We tend to see & hear

everything in the light of our own interests, needs & desires.

We pay attention to messages which are useful to us & often do not pay enough to those which do not interest us.

GROUP IDENTIFICATION

Our values & opinions are influenced in some matter by the group to which we belong.

All persons have a sense of belonging to a group like family, relatives, people of same city, age group, nationality, gender. Many of our ideas, attitudes are picked up from the group.

SELF IMAGE

We have a certain idea of ourselves,some people even take care to project an image of themselves.

Self image is our idea about what we are, what we look like , and what impression we make. It is usually based on some truth and some exaggeration of our good points.

SELECTIVE PERCEPTION

Sometimes, we fail to get the complete message which is sent to us.

We see, read or hear according to our own needs, interests & experience.

DEFENSIVENESS

If we feel threatened by a message, we become defensive & response in such a way that reduce understanding.

We may question the motives of others or become sarcastic or judgmental.

FILTERING

Filtering is a process of reducing the details or aspects of a message

Each person passes on a message that reduces or colors a message accordingly to his/her understanding.

STATUS BLOCK

A boss who is conscious of status finds it difficult to receive any suggestion from subordinates.

People in senior position often develop the feeling that they know everything about how to do business.

RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

This is a serious psychological barrier. Some people strongly resist new ideas which are their established opinions or traditions or social customs.

They may avoid new ideas since they feel insecure or afraid of change in method or situation.

CLOSED MIND

Limited intellectual background, limited reading & narrow interests can cause a mind to be narrow. This limits the ability to take in new idea.

Persons with a closed mind do not accept any suggestions for change.

POOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS Lack of skills in writing &

in speaking prevents a person from framing the message properly.

Oral communication can be handicapped by a number of problems; nervousness in facing an audience may affect the clarity of the person.

STATE OF HEALTH

Physical condition can affect communication.

Pain or fever certainly makes a person disinclined to engage in communication.If the mind is not sufficiently alert , there will be gaps in attention while reading or listening.

Organizational Communication

Barriers

Organizational Communication

The exchange of information & instructions which enable a company to function efficiently and employees to be properly informed about developments. It covers information of all kinds, the channels along which it passes and the means of passing it.

(Hannigan 1996)

A COMPLEX NETWORK Internal Communication Your exchange of information & ideas with

others in the organisation is called the Internal Communication.

External Communication Exchange of ideas & information with those

outside the organisation is called External Communication.

This exchange may be over formal or informal

channels.

THE FORMAL NETWORK

Basically, The Formal Network is well established  mainlines of operational communication that handle bulk of the communication that an organisation needs to operate. It consists of-

Downward information flow Upward information flow Lateral information flow

DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION

Manager

Supervisor

Worker

Provide job description Managers make policies, rules and

regulations Workers carry out the tasks Feedback on performance

Downward communication Barriers

Often One-Way Loss of message due to

poor transmission Superiors hold back

information Badly or poorly expressed

messages cannot extract the best of expected results

Lack of trust

Dilution of Information in Downward Communication

100% Board of directors63% Vice president

40% Plant manager56% General supervisor

30% General foreman20% Worker

Final Message

Original Message

UPWARD COMMUNICATION

Manager

Supervisor

Worker Employees feel valued Managers understand how an

employee feels. Relay problems Suggest improvements

UPWARD COMMUNICATION BARRIER

Intimidation Status and authority of superior

levels Limited communication channels for

lower level Filtering of the message

LATERAL COMMUNICATION

Manager ManagerSupervisor Supervisor

Worker Worker

Generally co-ordinates

Usually saves time

Improves efficiency and accuracy

LATERAL COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Competition between groups

Increased Specialisation

Lack of motivation

Barriers To The Ethical Behaviour

Three communication-related barriers to ethical behaviour in business organisations are:

‘Moral silence’, failing to speak up about issues that are known to be wrong; ‘Moral deafness’, failure to hear or attend to moral concerns raised by others; ‘Moral blindness’, failure to recognise the moral implications of actions. (Bird 2002)

Other Organizational Barriers

A weak delivery.

A mixed message.

Environmental distractions.

Dependence on written communication.

Lack of Planning.

Lack of Standards.

CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS

Cross-Cultural Communication Barrier Occurs when people from different

cultures communicate with each other.

CULTURE

“Culture is the software of

mind that can influence people’s patterns of thinking & behaving.”

-Hofstede

Causes Of Cross-Cultural Miscommunication

Effective communication requires deciphering the basic values,motives,aspirations & assumptions that operate across geographical lines & different cultures.

Given some dramatic differences across cultures in approaches to such areas as time,space & privacy,opportunities for miscommunication are many.

Different Work Style Perceptions

I should ask his opinion coz he’s

my boss!!!!

Oh! Does

he need to ask this???

?

Swedish independent

thinking

Chinese subservient

thinking

Some Hilarious Examples Of Communication Barriers•Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in Southeast Asia by emphasizing that it whitens your teeth.They could not sell because local natives chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth which they find attractive. PEPSODE

NT WHITENS

YOUR TEETH

????But Black

teeth are attractive

na?

•When Pepsico advertised Pepsi in Taiwan with the ad “COME ALIVE WITH PEPSI”,they faced problems as in chinese it meant “PEPSI BRINGS YOUR ANCESTORS BACK FROM DEAD.”

Forms Of Cross-Cultural Communication Barriers

Language

Values

Concept of space

Thought processes

Non-verbal behaviour

Appearance

Paralanguage

THE LANGUAGE

HELLO

BONJOUR

SALAAM

HOLA

• People speak different languages.• Using jargon & slang.

eg.throw me under the

bus,stop on a dime etc.

• Many words cannot be translated exactly.•Some words may have different significance in different countries.

VALUES

Notions of good & evil vary between cultures.

Norms,rules & manners of cultures differ.

U’re late!

Hmm…. Just 5 minute

s

Western culture

Eastern culture

CONCEPT OF SPACE

During a conversation,in some cultures speakers stand close enough to touch while others maintain distance to denote respect.

People in South Asian countries like India & Sri Lanka maintain less interpersonal distance while Americans stand 5 ft apart during conversation.

THOUGHT PROCESSES

Thought proceses vary;some are strictly logical & rational while others may be holistic & emotional.BLACKS PERCEIVE

WHITES AS DETACHED,DEVIOUS,IMPERSONAL,

CONDESCENDING,HYPOCRITICAL,

AVOIDING EYE CONTACT, AND TOO SILENT..

WHITES  PERCEIVE BLACKS AS

AGGRESSIVE,OVER-

EMOTIONAL,ANGRY ,CONFRONTATIONAL,

INTERRUPTIVE,TOO PERSONAL

NON-VERBAL BEHAVIOUR

Body language says a lot, but can be interpreted differently.

Some of the gestures which mean differently in different cultures are:-

Shaking heads Eye contact Shaking hands

APPEARANCE

An unconscious basis for evaluation.

Includes Biological appearance(colour

& texture of skin,hair & eyes)Acquired appearance(style of

dress & grooming)

Eg.Wearing of headdress by some communities is not acceptable in countries like France.

Mummy!

Ghost…

ghost….

PARALANGUAGE

Way we use our voice is strongly influenced by cultural customs & causes cross cultural confusion.

Eg.Indians are known to speak loudly while some western cultures speak in such low voice appearing to be secretive.

PARALANGUAGE Amount of silence Eg.Japanese believe

“those who know do not speak-those who speak do not know”

Americans are embarrassed by silence.

•Turn taking in a conversation

Ma’amHello!

Interrupting between a conversation

Waiting for a conversation to end

OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO

COMMUNICATION

OVERCOMING BARRIERS

Overcoming

Barriers

Use simple

language

Reduce noise levels

Listen

Show less emotionsSimple

organizational

structure

Avoid informati

on overload

Give constructi

ve feedback

Proper media

selection

Flexibility in

meeting targets

USE OF SIMPLE LANGUAGE

Use of simple & clear words should be emphasized. 

Use of ambiguous words & jargons should be avoided.

Reduction And Elimination Of Noise Levels• Noise is the main communication barrier

which must be overcome on priority basis. 

• It is essential to identify the source of noise & then eliminate that source.

LISTENING

• Listen attentively & carefully.

• There is a difference between “listening” & “hearing”. Active listening means hearing with proper understanding of the message that is heard.

• By asking questions the speaker can ensure whether his/her message is understood or not by the receiver in the same terms as intended by the speaker.

EMOTIONAL STATE

• During communication one should make effective use of body language.

• Should not show their emotions while communicating as the receiver might misinterpret the message being delivered.

 • For example, if the conveyer of

the message is in a bad mood then the receiver might think that the information being delivered is not good.

SIMPLE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

• The organizational structure should not be complex.

• The number of hierarchical levels should be optimum.

• There should be a ideal span of control within the organization.

• Simpler the organizational structure, more effective will be the communication.

AVOID INFORMATION OVERLOAD

• The managers should know how to prioritize their work.

• They should not overload themselves with the work.

• They should spend quality time with their subordinates and should listen to their problems and feedbacks actively.

GIVE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK

• Avoid giving negative feedback.

• The contents of the feedback might be negative, but it should be delivered constructively.

• Constructive feedback will lead to effective communication between the superior and subordinate.

PROPER MEDIA SELECTION

• The managers should properly select the medium of communication.

• Simple messages should be conveyed orally, like: face to face interaction or meetings.

• Use of written means of communication should be encouraged for delivering complex messages.

• For significant messages reminders can be given by using written means of communication such as : Memos, Notices etc.

FLEXIBILITY IN MEETING THE TARGETS

• For effective communication in an organization the managers should ensure that the individuals are meeting their targets timely without skipping the formal channels of communication.

CASE STUDY

BARRY AND COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

CASE STUDYBarry & Communication Barriers

Barry is a 27-year old who is a foodservice manager at a casual dining restaurant.Barry is responsible for supervising and managing all employees in the back of the house.Employees working in the back of the house range in age from 16 years old to 55 years old.In addition, the employees come from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.For many,English is not their primary language.

Barry is ServSafe certified and tries his best to keep up with food safety issues in the kitchen but he admits it’s not easy.Employees receive “on the job training” about food safety basics(for example, appropriate hygiene and handwashing,time/temperature, and cleaning and sanitizing).But with high turnover of employees,training is often rushed and some new employees are put right into the job without training if it is a busy day.Eventually,most employees get some kind of food safety training.

The owners of the restaurant are supportive of Barry in his food safety

efforts because they know if a food safety outbreak were ever linked to their restaurant;it would likely put them out of business.Still,the owners note there are additional costs for training and making sure food is handled safely.

Contd.. One day Barry comes to work and is rather upset even before

he steps into the restaurant.Things haven’t been going well at home and he was lucky to rummage through some of the dirty laundry and find a relatively clean outfit to wear for work.He admits he needs a haircut and a good hand scrubbing,especially after working on his car last evening.When he walks into the kitchen he notices several trays of uncooked meat sitting out in the kitchen area.It appears these have been sitting at room temperature for quite some time.Barry is frustrated and doesn’t know what to do.He feels like he is beating his head against a brick wall when it comes to getting employees to practice food safety.

Barry has taken many efforts to get employees to be safe in how they handle food.He has huge signs posted all over the kitchen with these words:KEEP HOT FOOD HOT AND COLD FOOD COLD and WASH YOUR HANDS ALWAYS AND OFTEN.All employees are given a thermometer when they start so that they can temp food.Hand sinks,soap,and paper towels are available for employees so that they are encouraged to wash their hands frequently.

Contd..

Questions:- What are the communication challenges

and barriers Barry faces?

What solutions might Barry consider in addressing each of these challenges and barriers?

What are some ways Barry might use effective communication as a motivator for employees to follow safe food handling practices?

BIBLIOGRAPHY Business communication , Effective communication -Urmilla Rai &S.M. Rai

Business correspondence & report writing-RC Sharma

Importance of effective communication - Edward G.Wertheim

Cultural & language barriers in the workplace-www.charlotteworks.org

Overcoming barriers-www.managementstudyguide.com

Yuniarthidyah.wordpress.com

Images-Google

Videos-Youtube

Case Study-www.extension.iastate.edu

PROJECT BY: JAGRITI BHANDARI 107

GUNEET CHATRATH 108

PARIL CHHEDA 109

VENISHA CHITALIA 110

DHYANI DESAI 111

KARAN DESAI 112

THANK YOU