Barriers to Communication
August 1 activity/Section F/Group 5
Interpersonal Barriers to Communication
• Faulty transmission: When the list of the treasures to be located was passed
on from the originator (Faculty) to the transmitter (Decision Maker) it was
subjected to omissions, such as face powder was noted down as powder,
which led to confusion and the task had to be performed twice increasing the
overall time taken to complete the task and hence reduced productivity. The
perception that powder and face powder are no different could be one of the
possible reasons.
• Written Communication: When the list was passed to the group members,
the handwriting, spellings and legibility impacted the understanding of the
group members.
• No Feedback: Since the Decision Maker was restricted to interact with his
own group members, other then passing on the list, he couldn’t obtain a
feedback regarding the correct understanding of the team members of the
listed items.
Interpersonal Barriers to Communication
• Fear: The fear of breaking any rules and getting disqualified pre-occupied the
minds of group member, leading to decreased focus on the task at the hand.
• Mistrust: The moderator was perceived as a competitor by the team
members leading to lack of trust which hindered effective communication
and lead to ineffective utilization of the help available to the group members
by the moderator.
• Nervousness: Enthusiasm/ celebration of other groups created a sense of
nervousness and hurry among the team members.
• Difference of opinion: Team members were having situations where it was
difficult to reach at a definite conclusion on what to be done next, causing
delay and leading to confusions.
Environmental Barriers to Communication
• Time: The limitation of time made the communication less effective as people
were always in a hurry to perform the task without having complete/ proper
information.
• Place: Since multiple teams were present in an enclosed classroom with lots
of Noise disturbed the flow of communication. It always kept the
environment chaotic and stressed. There were frequent interruptions and
lack of privacy which made us sceptical while making the strategy.
• Information Overflow: Several members were trying to contribute or explain
at the same time causing information overflow for the treasure seeker.
• Rules and Regulations: Rules and Regulation pertaining to the game made
the communication among team members difficult such as no usage of
communication device (Mobile Phones).
Moderators Notes & Inputs
• Sequencing: The order of treasure seekers was decided from the very beginning of the
task.
• Collaboration: Team members collaborated with each other and ensured that the task
at hand was completed in spite of several hinderances.
• Coordination & Effective listening: Team members were cooperative and diligently
followed the sequence as decided by the Quick thinker of the group.
• Loud Emotion Display: Some team members displayed loud emotions which may have
hindered or vitiated the task. With conscious persuasions and efforts such emotions
were overcome by the team members.
• Lack of trust on the moderator: For some queries / doubts, the team members
directly approached the faculty without approaching the moderator. Also the team
was susceptible and was not willing to disclose the strategy / task performed.