Barriers of Communication
1.
Physical Barrier:
 It can occur both in oral & written communication.
 Poor light, stammering, improper pronunciation, all comes
under physical barriers.
 The 3 important points to study under physical barriers are__
Noise:
 This has both, literal and technical meaning.
 Literal is something, which is loud, unpleasant and
disturbing.
 People around you may sometimes talk very loudly when you
are attending a phone call or sometimes a cracker may burst
outside or a noise from a loudspeaker can create barrier to
communication.
 Even when you yourself raise your voice a little too much or
shriek, communication becomes unpleasant. It disturbs both
the sender & receiver.
 Technical may be silent but still, it disturbs the process of
communication.
 Extra signals other than the signals of communication create
noise.
 Noise on radio and audio system is auditory noise & the
visual noise on your television or computer set can be noise if
there are unwanted signals, communication loses clarity.
Time & distance:
 Physical distance & improper timing affects communication.
 Modern techniques like mobile, internet, fax, telephone, etc.
have helped us to overcome this barrier largely.
 Distance does not matter much now because no matter where
you are, you can connect with the other person immediately.
 Conference calls have also helped in-group interaction, which
saves both time and money.
 But these techniques have their own drawbacks;
 The lines get jammed when too many people start using the
system at a same time.
 A virus can enter the computer & snap your connectivity.
 In older days, communication to distant places was done
through sound & visual signals like flames or drumbeats to
save time and send the message immediately.
2.
Symantic Barrier:
 This means different meanings of one word or phrase in all
languages.
 Thus, a person should not just be aware of all meanings but we
should also know to use the right word at the right time.
 The word used must be understood & make sense to the receiver.
This can be further divided in 3 parts…
Interpretation of Words:
 In some of the languages, including English, one word will
have multiple meanings & the meaning, which you like to
communicate, may not be received by the receiver.
 This creates a major barrier in the communication. E.g. Mum
- food/mother/quiet
 It is necessary to use words & phrases that are common in the
area or country you live in.
E.g. In India-Gas means
-Cooking gas while in America-Gas means –Petrol/Gasoline.
Technical Jargon:
 It refers to words or expression used in particular profession,
which has a précis meaning & is difficult to understand
outside the context.
E.g. “Software”-Computer terminology that may not mean
anything else outside its context.
Idioms & Phrases:
 Group of words that has a special meaning different from the
meaning of the individual words used decoratively are called
idioms.
E.g., Cock & Bull Story- means to make up a story.
 Phrases are group of words, which form a natural part of a
sentence but give a new meaning and not a literary meaning.
 These two are not barriers, rather they make communication
more effective provided they are used under the following
three conditions_
_Idioms should not be an old one.
_It should fit the context
_ it should be understood by the receiver.
3.
Psycho-Sociological Barrier:
 Each individual is different from the other in terms of thoughts,
feelings, temperament, senses, educational and social
background, etc.
 Therefore, this difference ought to show in one to one or group
communication.
Status Block:
 There is a hierarchy in any organization and people in
horizontal line find it easier to communicate with each other
because they have similar education and social background and
they may hold some rank or position in any organization.
 However, on vertical line, there is difference in ranks,
education and social standing, because of which when they
communicate difference shows.
 The difference is in language, fluency and confidence.
 In spite of the fact, the superior tries to be positive & amicable
with his junior.
 This communication cannot be as natural as between two
members of the same level.
 This status block makes communication difficult.
Closed-mind:
 If a person, holding a superior position in a Company has an
air of superiority, he may not open to outside influences and
views.
 Such people are highly opinionated and egoistic.
 They are very difficult to deal with.
 If you try to persuade in communicating with them, they may
lose their temper.
 Communication becomes impossible under such circumstances.
Emotions:
 Being at the same level, physically, mentally and emotionally,
is an important condition for effective communication.
 When you are in anger, you cannot communicate well.
 Similarly, when you are in grief or you are going through any
extreme emotional condition, communication becomes difficult.
 You are not at your rational best.
 You do not get to say right words at the right time, so it shows
that you can communicate better only when you are your
natural self.
 A prejudiced mind is also as enemy of good communication,
because if you are prejudiced, you form opinions about a person
even before he/she speaks to you.
 A cool well-balanced personality with good communicative
skills makes one an ideal communicator.
Group Identification:
 Man is a social animal and his thinking is shaped by the
attitudes and beliefs of his/her family, school community and
friends.
 This thinking prompts us to have selective interaction and
prejudiced responses.
E.g., we may not like to speak to people belonging to a particular community, region, class, gender, etc.
because of the prejudice we have against them.
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This becomes a barrier in communication.
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It is important for people at both the ends to be aware of this
so that they can overcome this barrier.
Within an organization, steps should be taken to minimize the
chances of group identification created by a mental block that
is based on religion, region, gender, social class, etc.
Better official communication takes place only when
individuals share common office culture.
4. Poor Communication Skills:
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Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing are basic verbal
communication skills without which basic communication
becomes difficult.
A good knowledge of the language is required for day-to-day
& corporate communication.
If we take for granted that the language of communication in
an office or an organization is English then the workers who
may not be good at the language may find it difficult to
communicate with their seniors who are good at it.
This barrier can be removed by training the workers to learn
English language but sometimes it may not be possible for
these workers to learn the language at this stage of their life,
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but the problem may be solved by expecting the officials at the
higher level to know both English and the local language well
enough so that it narrows down the possibility of the
communication gap between them.
Providing help by training the workers in etiquettes, manners
and body language can make communication easier and
effective.
5. State of Health:
 Good communication is possible only with a healthy mind
and body.
 Before communicating, a person needs to plan his line of
action and organize his ideas; only an alert mind can do
this.
 An effort to communicate when you are sick may not be
fully satisfactory.
 Even with age, when hands shake, voice stammers, sight
and hearing grows weak, communication becomes difficult
so the state of health plays an important role in
communication.
6. Cultural Barrier:
 India has a vast cultural variety.
 In the corporate world people from different religious,
social, economical and educational background
sometimes it creates a gap and misunderstanding
between them which results in a communication barrier.
 Individual should play down their cultural background
& become a part of the uniform corporate culture.