FORMATTED LBC

8/7/2019 FORMATTED LBC

1/7

Raunak Zatakia, Roll No. 162 Semester 1 (Section B) BBA

What are communication barriers? Why must they be removed?

Communication is a process by which a person conveys his message to another personor a group of people; and if the message is conveyed clearly and unambiguously, then itis known as effective communication.

In effective communication, the message send would reach the receiver with very littledistortion. However, a communication becomes successful only if the receiverunderstands what the sender is trying to convey. When the senders message is notclearly understood he should understand that both of them are facing a barrier tocommunication.

Barriers to effective communication could cause roadblocks in your professional andpersonal life and it could be one of the major hurdles in achieving your professionalgoals.

An effective communication barrier is one of the problems faced by many organizations.Many social psychologists opine that there is 50% to 70% loss of meaning while

conveying the messages from a sender to a receiver. A few barriers of effective

communication in an organization are given below.

1. Physical barriers

Physical barriers in the workplace include:

Marked out territories, empires and fiefdoms into which strangers are not

allowed.

closed office doors, barrier screens, separate areas for people of differentstatus.

large working areas or working in one unit that is physically separate fromothers.

Research shows that one of the most important factors in building cohesive teamsis proximity. As long as people still have a personal space that they can call their own,nearness to others aids communication because it helps us get to know one another.


2/7


2. Perceptual barriers

The problem with communicating with others is that we all see the world differently. Ifwe didn't, we would have no need to communicate: something like extrasensoryperception would take its place.

The following anecdote is a reminder of how our thoughts, assumptions and perceptionsshape our own realities:

A traveller was walking down a road when he met a man from the next town. "Excuseme," he said. "I am hoping to stay in the next town tonight. Can you tell me what thetownspeople are like?"

"Well," said the townsman, "how did you find the people in the last town you visited?"

"Oh, they were an irascible bunch who kept to themselves & took me for a fool. Over-

charged me for what I got & gave me very poor service."

"Well, then," said the townsman, "you'll find them pretty much the same here."

3. Emotional barriers

One of the chief barriers to open and free communications is the emotional barrier. It iscomprised mainly of fear, mistrust and suspicion. As a result many people hold backfrom communicating their thoughts and feelings to others.

They feel vulnerable. While some caution may be wise in certain relationships, excessive

fear of what others might think of us can stunt our development as effectivecommunicators and our ability to form meaningful relationships.

How to remove it:Be aware. If at all possible, you should communicate wheneveryone is in a calm emotional state. Because this will rarely happen, however, it'simportant to be aware of any people or situations that are emotionally charged. Beaware of feelings as they arise and then try and control them. If you feel like the personor people on the receiving end were too emotional, try talking to them when thesituation has calmed down.

4. Cultural barriers

When we join a group and wish to remain in it, sooner or later we need to adopt thebehaviour patterns of the group. These are the behaviours that the group accepts assigns of belonging.


3/7


The group rewards such behaviour through acts of recognition, approval and inclusion.In groups which are happy to accept you and where you are happy to conform, there is amutuality of interest and a high level of win-win contact.

Where, however, there are barriers to your membership of a group, a high level of game-

playing replaces good communication.

5. Language barriers

Language that describes what we want to say in our terms may present barriers to otherswho are not familiar with our expressions, buzz-words and jargon. When we couch ourcommunication in such language, it is a way of excluding others. In a global marketplace the greatest compliment we can pay another person is to talk in their language.

One of the more chilling memories of the Cold War was the threat by the Soviet leaderNikita Khruschev saying to the Americans at the United Nations: "We will bury you!"This was taken to mean a threat of nuclear annihilation.

However, a more accurate reading of Khruschev's words would have been: "We willovertake you!" meaning economic superiority. It was not just the language, but the fearand suspicion that the West had of the Soviet Union that led to the more alarmist andsinister interpretation.

How to remove it: Ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification or to restatethe issue or problem to make sure it is understood by everyone. This is also important in

a group context. It's not a bad idea, especially when dealing with more technical orspecialized professions or departments, to clarify anything that not everyone mayunderstand.

6. Gender barriers

There are distinct differences between the speech patterns in a man and those in awoman. A woman speaks between 22,000 and 25,000 words a day whereas a manspeaks between 7,000 and 10,000. In childhood, girls speak earlier than boys and at the

age of three, have a vocabulary twice that of boys.

The reason for this lies in the wiring of a man's and woman's brains. When a man talks,his speech is located in the left side of the brain but in no specific area. When a womantalks, the speech is located in both hemispheres and in two specific locations.

This means that a man talks in a linear, logical and compartmentalized way, features ofleft-brain thinking; whereas a woman talks more freely mixing logic and emotion,


4/7


features of both sides of the brain. It also explains why women talk for much longer thanmen each day.

7 Interpersonal barriers

There are six levels at which people can distance themselves from one another:

1. Withdrawal is an absence of interpersonal contact. It is both refusalsto be in touch and time alone.

2. Rituals are meaningless, repetitive routines devoid of real contact.

3. Pastimes fill up time with others in social but superficial activities.

4. Working activities are those tasks which follow the rulesand procedures of contact but no more.

5. Games are subtle, manipulative interactions which are about winning

and losing. They include "rackets" and "stamps".

6. Closeness is the aim of interpersonal contact where there is a highlevel of honesty and acceptance of yourself and others.

Working on improving your communications is a broad-brush activity. Youhave to change your thoughts, your feelings, and your physical connections.That way, you can break down the barriers that get in your way and

start building relationships that really work.

BARRIERs TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION maybe done away withby being a good listener, by focusing on what the other person is saying


5/7


when they are speaking to you. Look at them and listen to their wordsinstead of formulating arguments or rebuttals in your head, and don'tinterrupt them when they are speaking; you will get your chance to speakeventually. In addition, remove distractions. Don't read notes or lookaround while someone is talking to you; give them the respect of your fullattention. One tip that helps is to rephrase what they have said, or repeat it

back to them.

Communication is essential to a productive work environment, butcommunication barriers can hamper the success and morale of everyonearound. By recognizing communication barriers and then making an effortto remove them, you can improve the overall communication within youroffice.

Sender's Responsibilities

1. Clarify ideas before communicating.2.. Examine the true purpose of each communication.3. Consider the total physical and human setting and the givenenvironment4. Consult with others, when appropriate, in planning communications.5.Be mindful, while communicating, of the overtones as well as the basiccontent of the message.6.Take the opportunity, when it arises, to convey something of help or value

to the receiver.7. Follow up their communication.8. Communicate for tomorrow as well as today.9. Be sure that their actions support their communications.10. Communicate in order to seek, not only to be understood, but tounderstandbe a good listener.

Receiver's Responsibilities

1. Stop talking.2. Put the speaker at ease3. Show the speaker that you want to listen.4. Remove distractions.5. Empathize with talkers..6. Be patient.


6/7


7. Hold your temper.8. Go easy on argument and criticism.9. Ask questions.10. Stop talking.

Active ListeningActive listening is a term popularized by the work of Carl Rogers andRichard Farson (n.d.) and advocated by counselors and therapists(Brownell, 2009; Burstein, 2010). The concept recognizes that a sender'smessage contains both verbal and nonverbal content as well as a feelingcomponent. The receiver should be aware of both components in order tocomprehend the total meaning of the message. For instance, when a staffmember says to her supervisor, "Next time you ask me to prepare a report,please give me some advance notice." The content conveys that the staff

member needs time, but the feeling component may indicate resentmentfor being pressured to meet a deadline with such short notice. Thesupervisor, therefore, must recognize this feeling to understand the staffmember's message. There are five guidelines that can help schooladministrators to become more active listeners (Rogers & Farson, n.d.).1. Listen for message content.2. Listen for feelings.3. Respond to feelings.4. Note all cues, verbal and nonverbal.5. Rephrase the sender's message.

ConclusionCommunication is the process of transmitting information and commonunderstanding from one person to another. The elements of thecommunication process are the sender, encoding the message, transmittingthe message through a medium, receiving the message, decoding themessage, feedback, and noise.

A number of barriers retard effective communication. These can be dividedinto four categories: process barriers, physical barriers, semantic barriers,

and psychosocial barriers. To improve the effectiveness of communications,schools must develop an awareness of the importance of sender's andreceiver's responsibilities and adhere to active listening skills.REFERENCE

http://www.hodu.com/barriers.shtmlhttp://www.communicationskills.co.in/communication-barriers.htm


7/7

Documents

FORMATTED LBC