Facilitators & Barriers to Communication
A facilitator of the communication process is anything that helps the communication process. The
aim of communication is for the message to be received and understood. Facilitators include:
✓ Appropriate message format – The format of the message will aid the communication
process if it is suitable for the message and the audience. Example: If the Prime Minister
of a country wants to address the nation on a current state of emergency, a suitable format
would be a speech.
✓ Appropriate language – The language of the message must be one that is known to the
audience. The sender must consider the audience’s knowledge and ability to decode the
text of the message and this should influence his/her choice of words. Etc. In the Caribbean,
the situation is complicated by the existence of a continuum between Creole and Caribbean
Standard English. The sender must ensure that the language he/she uses is appropriate to
the context of the situation in which he/she is attempting to communicate.
✓ Accessible channel – For communication to be effective, reaching the target audience is
key. When choosing a channel, the sender must ensure that the channel is available to the
audience and that a message sent by that channel will reach all of the target audiences.
Example: consider again the prime Minister addressing the nation. A suitable channel
might be television as this would reach the majority of the nation at the same time.
✓ Aids that enhance the encoding of the message – audio and visual and audiovisual aids may
help to make the message more audience-friendly and easier to understand. Example
microphones, projectors and ICT.
Barriers to the communication process
A barrier to communication is otherwise known as noise, it is anything that interferes with or
hinders the communication process. Anything that causes understanding of the message to be
negatively affected is considered a barrier. Some common barriers are:
 Ambiguous message – ambiguity comes in when the message is unclear or it there is more
than one possible interpretation of the message. It can cause confusion and may result in
the message being misunderstood.
 Inappropriate message format – If the message format is not suitable for the audience, this
will affect how well the message is interpreted. Example: if the audience is a group of
people who weren’t exposed to formal education, an inappropriate format to convey a
message to them is a letter or some other written form of communication. A message
communicated in this way would be ineffective.
 Inaccessible channel – A channel needs to be available and reachable in order for
communication to be effective. Example: if postal mail is used as the channel to send a
message and there is no postal service where the receiver is, this adversely affects the
communication process.
 Language barrier – if the sender and the receiver are from different language communities,
the language chosen for communication needs to be one that is understood by both.
 The use of jargon – This can be seen as a similar point to language barrier. In fact, the use
of any words not familiar to the receiver will make the message more difficult to
understand.
 Gender – Sexist and/or chauvinistic language may lead to communication breakdown.
 Generation Gap – A difference in age may also be a factor in lack of proper communication.
 Cultural differences – if the sender and the receiver are from different cultural
backgrounds, there may be a language barrier as well. Example: different cultures use body
language differently. Additionally, the sender needs to be mindful that some words may
mean other things in different cultures.
 Expectations and prejudices – These can affect both the encoding and the decoding of the
message, with the result that the message is not received as it is intended.
 Internal barriers – are those conditions peculiar to the receiver that may affect his/her ability
to focus on and / or interpret the message accurately or even at all. Example: fatigue,
hunger, stress, headache or hearing impediments
 External barriers – are conditions outside the receiver’s control that may have a negative
impact on his or her ability to interpret the message accurately. Example: actual noise or
other disruptive environmental factors, the speaker having a speech impediment.
 Technical factors – Jammed radio frequency or electricity cut will hinder communication.
 Geographical factors – forests, valleys and mountains may act as geographical barriers to
communication.
Verbal and non-verbal communication
Verbal communication is communication that is spoken and written. When we speak to each other
face-to face, on the telephone via Face Time or Skype, we are engaged in spoken communication.
Written communication is another form of verbal communication. The average student uses
several forms of written communication every day. Students write notes and essays. Students also
have access to emails, texts, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp etc.
Non-verbal communication refers to information sent not using words. Physical gesture, art forms
and symbols fall into this category. Nonverbal communication can be further divided into:
o Body language
Human beings communicate by the use of their bodies. The way we look at someone or
something, the way we stand or sit all communicate something that we are feeling.
We often communicate our inner responses to situations through our body language
therefore it is important not only to listen to what is being said by a person but also to note
the body language that goes with what is said.
o Proxemics
This is how human beings use personal space. E.T Hall coined the term in 1963 and his
research suggests that differences in space can lead to anxiety or relaxation. Proxemics is
usually downplayed but it plays an important role in business and personal interaction.
People skilled in communication know how to use space to influence behaviour of others
and know how to effectively read the messages sent through proxemics.
Interpersonal space:
Intimate distance: 15-45cm, for embracing, touching or whispering
Personal distance 45-120cm, for interactions among good friends
Social distance: 1.2-3.5cm, for interactions among acquaintances
Public distance: over 3.5m, for public speaking.
Distances are contingent upon cultures. The above refers to American culture, but it has
been found that in Latin cultures the distances are smaller, while in Nordic countries the
distances are significantly larger. Knowing the differences in culture helps us to
communicate across cultures. This is especially significant in the Caribbean because of our
dependence on tourism.
o Kinesics
This term was coined in 1952 by Ray Birdwhistell, a ballet dancer who later became an
anthropologist. Kinesics is the systematic study of the relationship between nonlinguistic
body motions (such as blushes, shrugs, or eye movement) and communication. Birdwell
studies how people communicate through posture, gesture, stance and movement. He
concluded that only 30 to 35 percent of social meaning of conversation or interaction is
carried by words.
o Chronemics
This refers to the use of time, waiting or pausing. When listening to politicians speak,
there are instances where they pause for greater effect. This is of course a way of getting
the audience attention and is often used to signal some piece of information that the
politician wants us to have.
o Dress
How many of you realise that dress is a way of communicating? In all cultures we are
concerned with how we look and we make judgments based on looks and dress. Dress
communicates, social standing, especially in cultures where only certain attire is worn by
specific people. In other instances, certain garbs are symbolic, like robes for Catholic or
Anglican priests, it suggests their position or the season like Easter or Christmas or Advent.
School uniforms signal that you belong to a specific group, the way a student wears the
uniform also indicates the student attitude towards their school – is it clean, dishevelled,
neat?
o Graphics and symbols
Have you studied geography, chemistry or mathematics? Each subject has its own symbolic
forms. In chemistry there is the periodic table, in geography there are maps and symbols to
indicate terrain or populated areas.
Braille is another symbolic way of communicating ideas graphically, as dots and position
of dots represent words. Braille was developed by Louis Braille. It comprises raised script
in the form of dots that enable a blind person to feel the arrangement of the dots and
understand their meaning.
o Paralanguage
According to the Oxford Dictionary paralanguage is the non-lexical component of
communication by speech for example intonation, pitch and speed of speaking, hesitation
noises, gesture and facial expression. The elements of paralanguage may be consciously or
unconsciously expressed. Whenever we speak we reveal our emotions and attitudes. Stress,
intonation and speed of our voice all reveal certain feelings. For instance you are more
likely to speak loudly when you are angry.
Paralanguage is also revealed in messages via the Internet. The emojis. These allow the
writer to express emotions in an exciting way. The colour of our background or the actual
text, the use of ALL CAPS and son on aid in expressing ideas.
Another aspect of paralanguage is associated with sounds other than words. Our laughs,
cries and moans all mean something and it communicates such, these are known as vocal
characterisers and often have different meanings across cultures. Vocal qualifiers like
pitch, volume, rhythm and tempo are also means of communicating something about
ourselves and our culture. Vocal segregates like ‘oooh’ ,‘eh’ ,‘mmmh’, ‘humm’ may
appear incomprehensible but has some special meaning whether it is acceptance,
agreement or uncertainty.
Activity: Create a record of a part of your day and note the types of communication that
are being used at each stage.
Functions of Non-verbal Communication
Contradiction – this is inconsistency between your verbal and non-verbal communicators. It’s the
old saying, “Your lips say yes, but your eyes say no.” This can often lead to communication
misunderstanding or failure.
Non-verbal messages are much harder to manipulate than verbal messages. An example of
inconsistency is sarcasm. Sarcasm occurs when the words used and the tone of those words
contradicts each other. “You look good” can mean two different things depending on how those
words are spoken. Another example is the phrase, "Shut up." This can mean either "Be quiet" or
"Are you kidding?" depending on the tone used.
Regulation – these are nonverbal acts which sustain and regulate the back-and-forth nature of
speaking and listening between two or more interactants.
Regulators are related to the conversational flow, the pacing of the exchange. They are intended
to tell the speaker to continue, repeat, elaborate, hurry up, become more interesting, less salacious,
give the other a chance to talk, etc.
The most common regulator is the head nod, the equivalent of the verbal mm-hmm; other
regulators include eye contacts, slight movements forward, small postural shifts, eyebrow raises,
hand movements, and a whole host of other small nonverbal acts. The regulators can also tell the
listener to pay special attention, to wait just a minute more, to talk, etc.
Accentuation – these are used to accentuate/emphasize what has been stated. For example, when
a teacher tells the class that last week’s assessments were unacceptable and slams the book on the
table.
Substitution – this type is used in place of verbal communication. For instance, we may express
sorrow or sympathy for someone without words; a hug, a light touch on their arm, hand or squeeze
of the shoulder.
Reinforcement/ repetition - Non-verbal communication is typically used to reinforce what is
being said through verbal communication. For instance, we are told to remember two things and
someone holds up two fingers.