Barriers to Communication and the strategies to overcome barriers || Bcom Communication English

A Communication barrier is anything that prevents us from receiving and understanding the massages others use to convey their information, ideas and thoughts.

Barriers of communication are obstacles that hinder the effective exchange of information between individuals or groups. These barriers can be categorized into several types:

1. Physical Barriers: These include physical obstructions such as noise, poor lighting, distance, and even the layout of the space where communication occurs.

2. Psychological Barriers: These are internal factors that affect communication, such as preconceived notions, biases, emotions, and differing perceptions between sender and receiver.

3. Language Barriers: Differences in language, dialects, jargon, or technical terms can impede understanding between parties.

4. Cultural Barriers: Variations in cultural norms, values, customs, and beliefs can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations during communication.

5. Semantic Barriers: These arise from ambiguity, imprecise wording, or misuse of words, leading to confusion or misunderstanding of the intended message.

6. Organizational Barriers: These stem from organizational structures, hierarchies, policies, and procedures that may inhibit free flow of communication within an organization.

7. Technological Barriers: Issues related to the use of communication technology, such as poor internet connection, malfunctioning equipment, or unfamiliarity with digital tools, can disrupt communication.
By recognizing and addressing these barriers, individuals and organizations can enhance the effectiveness of their communication processes.

Overcoming communication barriers requires lot of efforts at different levels.
Individual efforts should be there both on the part of the sender and receiver
At the organizational level, the management should ensure free and flawless communication.

1. Overcoming Perceptional barriers
• Wrong and negative perceptions regarding an individual leads to communication barrier.
• This type of perception results in false egotism and individualism.
• We need to sharpen our observation about others and increase awareness and transform our perceptions.

2. Effective Listening
-Effective listening plays a significant role in overcoming communication barrier.
• It should not be identified with submissiveness and subordination.
• A sincere and emphatic listening results in more trust and paves the
way for free and open communication.

3. Create Synergistic Environment
• Before every communication, it is necessary to create healthy and congenial environment.
• This positive environment will result in more cooperation, mutual trust and understanding.

4. Convey Emotional Contents of the Message
• Every communication situation requires conveying of the content of message as well as the emotional impact of the message.
For this, the sender should consider the emotional reaction of the receiver whether the message will be interpreted as positive or negative.

5. Use Appropriate Language
• For communicating with others, one should use appropriate language or words that other persons can easily understand.
• The language of the communication should be designed according to the needs, interest and knowledge of the audience.

6. Use Proper Channel
• Every communication situation requires use of different communication channels. The sender should use those channels in effective way to overcome barriers.
• To communicate with a small group face-to-face communication is best.
• For conveying information to a large number of illiterate and semi-literate workers, oral and visual communication is more effective.
• In case of formal relations, written communication should be followed.

7. Encourage Open Communication
-In an organization, there should be open communication policy where employees are encouraged to approach immediate and higher superior for any matter of the organization.
-With this communication gap among different employees and executives can be overcome.

8. Ensure Two Way Communication
• One way communication breeds misunderstanding and negative emotions.
• Therefore there should be two way communication with sound feedback system.
• With two way communication, classification can be made of the message, and filtering and distortion of the message can be prevented.

9. Make Best Use of Body Language
• While communicating make use of the body language as more than 55% communication takes place through body language. Every message should be backed by appropriate gesture and tone of voice.
• Only then the sender can interpret the message in true sense.