 “The act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or

exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to

someone else. human communication. nonverbal communication” -Merriam
Webster
 “Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two
or more persons.” -W.H. Newman and C.F. Sumer Jr.
 “Communication is the process of passing information and
understanding - from one person to another.” -Keith Davis
Every communication involves (at least) one sender, a message and a recipient. This
may sound simple, but communication is actually a very complex subject.

The transmission of the message from sender to recipient can be affected by a huge
range of things. These include our emotions, the cultural situation, the medium
used to communicate, and even our location. The complexity is why good
communication skills are considered so desirable by employers around the world.

The communication brings people together, closer to each other. It bridges the gap
between individuals and groups through flow of information and understanding
between them.

It is the information which is transmitted, studied, analyzed and interpreted and

stored.

It is crucial to communicate effectively in negotiations to ensure you achieve your

goals. Communication is also important within the business.
Effective communication can help to foster a good working relationship between you
and your staff, which can in turn improve morale and efficiency.

Communication is one of the most vital elements of society. People need people, and
to interact, it's essential they be able to convey messages and understand each
other. The communication cycle expresses how the system of conveying and
understanding messages operates.
Different depictions of the cycle may include slightly different steps and
descriptions, but most agree on the basic elements:

 Sender: the person or entity originating the communication

 Message: the information that the sender wishes to convey
 Encoding: how the sender chooses to bring the message into a form
appropriate for sending
 Channel: the means by which the message is sent
 Receiver: the person or entity to whom the message is sent
 Decoding: how the receiver interprets and understands the message
 Feedback: the receiver's response to the message

SENDER

FEEDBACK MEDIUM

RECEIVER MESSAGE

The sender decides what their message is, how it will be expressed and sent, and
who the receiver is. As a general rule, the message should be kept as simple and
direct as possible and all content of the message checked for accuracy.

Many factors must be considered when a sender is encoding a message. Language

barriers, whether between one tongue or another or between two dialects of the
same language, must be addressed, as must cultural differences that may affect
how a receiver perceives the sender's intent. In short, the sender needs to know his
or her audience and take time to anticipate places where breakdown may happen.
The channel through which the message is sent can affect the end result as well.
Some messages are more effective in writing, others when delivered in person, and
still others when sent via electronic means.

When the receiver gets the message, the process of decoding begins. The ball is now
in their court; they must do their best to filter out distractions and take time to
digest the entire message. It's important not to make assumptions or jump to
conclusions, but to rely solely on the information included. In addition, errors in
decoding often occur simply when the receiver isn't sure they understand something
but don't make the effort to ask for clarification or are too timid to ask.

Requesting clarification of elements of a message is part of a good feedback phase of

a communication cycle. Feedback should not be only negative, though. Positive
responses to a sender's clarity, thoroughness, or other good qualities are always
important and appreciated and help the sender to be an even more effective
communicator in the future.

 LACK OF COMMON EXPERIENCE

Many people, when trying to explain something or make a point, tend to refer to
their personal experience. They want to ‘tell a story.’ That is indeed, an excellent
communication technique. But only when the other participants to the conversation
can truly relate to what you are telling them.

it’s a great idea to use examples or stories to explain a point that is being discussed.
However, if the speaker and the audience cannot relate to these examples because
they do not have the same knowledge or have not shared the same experiences then
this tool will be ineffective.

 LANGUAGE

This can seem like an easy one, but even people speaking the same language can have
difficulty understanding each other if they are from different generations or from
different regions of the same country. Slang, professional jargon and regional
colloquialisms can even hurt communicators with the best intentions.

Language is needed for any kind of communication, even people with speech
impairments communicate with sign language and brail. Communication becomes
difficult in situations where people don’t understand each others’ language. The
inability to communicate using a language is known as language barrier to
communication.
Language barriers are the most common communication barriers which cause
misunderstandings and misinterpretations between people.

Most of the people in the world do not speak English or, even if they use, it is their
second or third language. If the speaker and receiver do not use same language and
words, there is no meaning to the communication. Not using the words that other
person understands makes the communication ineffective and prevents message
from being conveyed.

 PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS

Here is how this type of barriers to effective communication works. People hear
what they want to hear, not what you tell them. The sooner you understand that,
the better. When you engage in a conversation with someone, they already have an
expectation of some sort of how that dialogue is going to go. If they believe it will be
awkward or funny, then that’s most likely how they will perceive your messages.

In the same way, when someone is very stressed, they might not be as receptive to
what you have to say. Hence, they have created a psychological barrier to
communication. The personal problems that they have are constantly pressing the
back of their mind. You can be sure that whatever it is you have to say will not be
as important as that.

In fact, the stress factor, as opposed to effective communication, is very

important. The person you were talking to might not even remember having that
discussion with you altogether.

Anger can be another perfect example of barriers to effective communication. We

all know that, when we get angry, we say things we do not mean or that we later
regret.

Then there is also social anxiety and having a poor opinion of one’s self.
People who feel this way often find it difficult to engage in conversations. Moreover,
even if they do, they feel strange and are often prone to reading negative subtexts
even when there are none.
  PERCEPTION BARRIERS

It is a mental-blocks that we create because of the perceptions that we have of

certain people, situations or events around us. Perceptual barrier is one of
numerous barriers within the subclass of intra-personal barriersOpens in new
window.

The problem in communicating with others occurs because we all perceive things
differently based on each individual’s unique experience—we are made and
groomed differently due to our varied socio-cultural background, educational level,
and value system. Everything we interpret is subject to this experience, good or bad.

Perceived factors act as filters on our experiences of people, events and information
around us. If one has had negative experiences with a friend, everything the friend
does or says will be filtered through this perception. Seeing things through the lens
of our own unique life experiences or conditioning may lead to assumptions,
stereotyping and misunderstandings of others whose experiences differ from our
own. This leads to different interpretations of a message and make us the victim of
the perceptual barrier.

 EMOTIONAL BARRIERS

It is due to mental limitations created by one’s own self. Emotional barrier is one of
numerous barriers within the subclass of intra-personal barriers.

Under stress or in an emotional state of mind people are not able to see things as
they otherwise would. Another agent known as Filtering, also plays an important
role here.

Filtering means that more often than not, we see and hear what we are
emotionally tuned in to see and hear. Filtering is caused by our own needs and
interests, which guide our listening. When the sender’s frame of reference overlaps
very little with the receiver’s, communication becomes difficult.

An emotional state of mind plays an important role in the communication. People

base their encoding or transmitting of information on their personal
experiences, perceptions and expectations.
  ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS

Are the barriers that result from the individual’s own attitude and assumptions
that built up over the years based on one’s socio-economic and cultural background
and often get reflected in one’s day-to-day communication with others. Attitudinal
barrier is one of numerous barriers within the subclass of

Attitudinal barriers arise in part due to each individual’s unique frame of reference,
which is the sum of their beliefs, past experiences, fears, hopes and expectations. A
person’s frame of reference consists of personal, professional and organizational
elements, any or all of which can filter, distort or obscure information or result in
selective attention to information.

These barriers may be caused by such factors as poor management, personal

conflicts, personal attitudes of individuals (which may be due to dissatisfaction or
lack of motivation at work brought about by insufficient training) or just resistance
to change.

 CULTURAL BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION

As the world is getting more and more globalized, any large office may have people
from several parts of the world. Different cultures have a different meaning for several
basic values of society. Dressing, Religions or lack of them, food, drinks, pets, and the
general behaviour will change drastically from one culture to another.

Hence it is a must that we must take these different cultures into account while
communication. This is what we call being culturally appropriate. In many
multinational companies, special courses are offered at the orientation stages that let
people know about other cultures and how to be courteous and tolerant of others.

 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE BARRIERS

As we saw there are many methods of communication at an organizational level. Each

of these methods has its own problems and constraints that may become barriers to
effective communication. Most of these barriers arise because of misinformation or
lack of appropriate transparency available to the employees.
  GENDER BARRIERS

Gender barrier have become less of an issue in recent years, but there is still the
possibility for a man to misconstrue the words of a woman or vice versa. Men and
women tend to form their thoughts differently, and this must be taken into account
when communicating. This difference has to do with how the brain of each sex is
formed during gestation. In general, men are better at spatial visualization and
abstract concepts such as math, while women excel at language-based thinking and
emotional identification. However, successful professionals in highly competitive
fields tend to have similar thought processes regardless of their gender.

 INTERPERSONAL BARRIERS

are what ultimately keep us from reaching out to each other and opening ourselves
up, not just to be heard, but to hear others. Oddly enough, this can be the most
difficult area to change. Some people spend their entire lives attempting to
overcome a poor self-image or a series of deeply rooted prejudices about their place
in the world. They are unable to form genuine connections with people because they
have too many false perceptions blocking the way. Luckily, the cure for this is more
communication. By engaging with others, we learn what our actual strengths and
weaknesses are. This allows us to put forth our ideas in a clear, straightforward
manner.

There are a lot of communication barriers faced these days by all. The message
intended by the sender is not understood by the receiver in the same terms and
sense and thus communication breakdown occurs. It is essential to deal and cope up
with these communication barriers so as to ensure smooth and effective
communication.

As, in the previous section we have discussed the major barriers of communication.
Let’s talk about how to overcome these barriers of communication.

 Eliminating differences in perception

The organization should ensure that it is recruiting right individuals on the job. It’s
the responsibility of the interviewer to ensure that the interviewee has command
over the written and spoken language. There should be proper Induction program so
that the policies of the company are clear to all the employees. There should be
proper trainings conducted for required employees (eg.: Voice and Accent training).

 Use of Simple Language

Use of simple and clear words should be emphasized. Use of ambiguous words and
jargons should be avoided.

 Active Listening

Listen attentively and carefully. There is a difference between “listening” and

“hearing”. Active listening means hearing with proper understanding of the
message that is heard. By asking questions the speaker can ensure whether his/her
message is understood or not by the receiver in the same terms as intended by the
speaker.

 Emotional State

During communication one should make effective use of body language. He/she
should not show their emotions while communication as the receiver might
misinterpret the message being delivered. For example, if the conveyer of the
message is in a bad mood then the receiver might think that the information being
delivered is not good.

 Avoid Information Overload

The managers should know how to prioritize their work. They should not overload
themselves with the work. They should spend quality time with their subordinates
and should listen to their problems and feedbacks actively.

 Proper Media Selection

The managers should properly select the medium of communication. Simple

messages should be conveyed orally, like: face to face interaction or meetings. Use of
written means of communication should be encouraged for delivering complex
messages. For significant messages reminders can be given by using written means
of communication such as: Memos, Notices etc.
REFERENCES:

www.learnersdictionary.com › definition › communication

http://articles-junction.blogspot.com/2013/07/meaning-of-communication-definition-of.html

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/what-is-communication.html

https://www.business.qld.gov.au › marketing-sales › managing-relationships

https://www.ifioque.com/communication-barrier/emotional_barrier

https://www.managementstudyguide.com/overcoming-communication-barriers.htm

https://www.govloop.com/community/blog/the-seven-barriers-of-communication/