Managerial

Communication
 Barriers to Communication
Most communications do not reach the other end
100%. This may be due to various reasons.
Anything that obstructs communication is
called a noise. In other words it may be called
“barrier” to communication or an obstacle to
communication.
 1. Wrong choice of medium
The choice of proper medium is very crucial to the
success of communication.
Examples:
 If you want to apologize for some mistake
particularly when the person is nearby, the best
in this context is personal communication with
the accompanying tone, facial expression and
bodily movements.
 If you want to congratulate anybody urgently a
rightly worded telegram will do. Instead a very
long letter does not serve the purpose.
 If you have to file your weekly report of the
business you have to prepare an exhaustive report.
Instead, if you speak of it over the phone, the
message is lost.
 2. Physical Barriers:

1. Noise: Noise is quite often a barrier to

communication. In factories, oral communication
becomes difficult by loud noise of machines.
2. Time and distance: Time and distance also act as
barriers to the smooth flow of communication. The
use of telephone along with computer technology
has made communication very fast and has, to a
large extent, overcome the space barrier. However,
sometimes mechanical breakdowns render these
facilities ineffective. In such cases, the distance
between the transmitter and the receiver becomes a
mighty barrier. Faulty seating arrangement in the
room can also become a barrier to effective
communication.
 3. Semantic Barriers

1. Interpretation of words: Most of the

communication is carried on through words,
whether spoken or written. But words are
capable of communicating a variety of
meanings. It is quite possible that the
receiver of a message does not assign the
same meaning to a word as the transmitter
had intended. This may lead to
miscommunication.
2. Vocabulary (Bypassed): Bypassing is said to have
occurred if the sender and the receiver of the
message attribute different meanings to the same
word or uses different words for the same
meaning.
Example: An officer manager handed to a new
assistant one letter with the instruction, “Take it
to our stockroom and burn it.” In the office
manager’s mind the word “burn” meant to make
a copy on a company machine which operated by
a heat process. As the letter was extremely
important, he wanted an extra copy. However,
the puzzled new employee, afraid to ask
questions, burned the letter with a lighted match
and thus destroyed the only existing copy.
What is the meaning of the word ‘value’? What
do we exactly mean when we say, “Radium is
a valuable metal”? Do we refer to its utility or
its price? Or both?
 What is the value of this ring?
 What is the value of learning about
communication?
 I value my good nature

From the above sentences we say the word

‘value’ has a series of meanings, or more
accurately, a series of areas of meaning.
3. Lack of Clarity: The communicator should be
very clear in what he says before
communicating anything there should be
clarity in thought, clarity in vocabulary, and
clarity in delivery.
 4. Denotations and connotations: Words have
two types of meanings: denotative and
connotative
The literal meaning of a word is called its
denotative meaning. It just informs and names
objects without indicating any positive or
negative qualities. Words like ‘table’, ‘book’,
‘account’, ‘meeting’ are denotative.
In contrast, connotative meanings arouse
qualitative judgments and personal reactions.
‘Honest’, ‘competent’, ‘cheap’, ‘sincere’, etc.,
are connotative words.
Example: Look at the following two sentences:
They gave us cheap stuff- Connotation
At this shop, they sell things cheap- Denotation
In the first sentence ‘cheap’ refers to quality, in the
second one it refers to prices.
 4. Psycho-sociological barriers
1. Inner disturbance: When we listen to something
sometimes our mind should be at peace. Any
lingering doubt within yourself will create ‘noise’
within you which is a big barrier for
communication.
2. Diversity between verbal and non-verbal message:
There should be perfect balance and unison
between one’s oral message and written message
with non-verbal message. For that matter, even
mime contributes a lot to communication. It is
better to be sincere in your words and
corresponding bodily movement to convey the right
message.
3. Selective Perception: Selective perception
often acts as barriers to effective
communication. If an information agrees
with our opinions and attitudes, we tend to
receive it favorably. It fits comfortably in the
filter of our mind. But if an information
disagrees with our views or tends to run
contrary to our accepted beliefs, we do not
react favorably. If a change in the policy of
an organization proves advantageous to an
employee, he welcomes it as good, if it
affects him adversely, he rejects it.
4. Poor Feedback: In communication, the best is to
have correct feedback and further
communication is limit on it.

5. Poor listening: Good listening is very important

because it is the basis on which the next
statement is founded. Are you able to
communicate to a particularly deaf person? All
your statements are heard wrongly and the
corresponding reply is totally off the point.
6. External barriers: May be because of the past
experience, we may not like the person and
on that basis we are not ready to listen to him
now.
7. Defects in the medium: Our communication
suffers badly because of throat trouble,
severe cold etc.
8. Organizational defect: In the organizational
setup itself there may be a defect in sending
communication. The routing of
communication may be defective and hence
is suffers.
 Effective communication
Effective communication is defined as “The
meaning generated by one person gets
smoothly transmitted to another with the
minimum of interference or distortion”.
 Essentials of Effective
Communication
1. Capability: The communicator must know
his subject thoroughly, supported by
experience and expertise.

2. Credibility: The communicator must be very

careful in all his statements since the spoken
word cannot be rectified.
3. Content: The content must be clearly stated in
unambiguous (clear cut) terms with the style
commensurate (proportionate) with it.

4. Context: Words and sentences do not appear

as isolated units of expression. We must be
aware of how the receiver will receive it. The
reaction of others must be observed, coming
closer, going far away, withdrawing, and going
against us. Each person’s idea about another
person’s view provides a context.
5. Channel: The proper channel must be chosen for
communication.
6. Consistency and clarity: Clarity is half the success
of communication. In oral communication
clarification can be demanded on the spot. The reader
does not have this chance. Absolute clarity of ideas
adds much to the meaning of the message. The first
stage is clarity in the mind of the sender. The next
stage is the Makes comprehension easier
transmission of the message in a manner which
makes it simple for the receiver to comprehend. As
far as possible, simple language and easy sentence
constructions, which are not difficult for the receiver
to grasp, should be used.
7. Concrete: Words should not be vague or
double edged. Words should create visual
picture.
Vague: Concrete:
a. Meet me sometime tomorrow Meet me on
Sunday at 3 pm
b. Write a small Para Write 10 lines
8. Sentence construction: It has become a bad habit
now to use passive construction.

Active (to be used) Passive (to be avoided)

We will reward you You will be rewarded
Be silent Let there be no talking

The dog bite the boy The boy was bitten by the dog

We made mistakes Mistakes were made by us

9. Avoid too many infinitives: An infinitive will
always begin with to.
Example: Instead of using ‘It is my duty to tell
you’, you should use ‘I tell you duty fully’.
Similarly instead of using ‘I am very sorry to
tell you’, you should use ‘I tell you with
sorrow’.
10. Avoid Jargon: Jargon is a peculiar language
specific to trade groups. For an example, the
words RAM, Hard Disk Drive, CPU are jargon
terms related to computing.
11. Ambiguity: Ambiguous expressions have
double disadvantages. They are not understood
and they are wrongly understood.
He passed away from me
They are looking for teachers of French, German
and Japanese. (Are they looking for teachers
who can teach one language or all three
languages)
12. Completeness: Incomplete communication
creates more confusion

13. Time: Punctuality communicates your

character as man. Sticking to deadline, time
schedules are part of the broader world of
communication.
14. Space: Physically placing yourself is a silent
communication. Physical distance
communicates many things. Keeping oneself
too faraway reveals your dislike or
indifference.