What are the Barriers of Communication?

Communication refers to the act of sending or receiving messages from one place or person to another. It is essential for daily life activities, workplace efficiency, and maintaining personal relationships. Unfortunately, it's not always smooth as there are some barriers to communication that distort the system. Identifying these barriers and overcoming them are essential for a smooth workflow. In this article, we will discuss various barriers to communication and how to overcome them.

What Are The Barriers Of Communication?

Barriers to effective communication can be defined as obstacles that people face during communication. If you are wondering what effective communication is, let's talk about it first. An effective communication process requires a sender, a receiver, and a message. When there is some fault in the message or the transfer process, it causes incorrect information between sender and receiver. It can lead to misunderstanding and business loss. Various types of communication barriers are:

1. Physical barriers: Physical communication barriers refer to obstacles due to the environment such as closed doors, faulty equipment, or background noise. For example, if you are working in retail, you need to be in close proximity with customers to understand their issues. Creating distance, and the use of screens or masks can impact the communication process, especially for people with disabilities.

2. Physiological barriers: Physiological barriers to communication refer to obstacles arising due to physiological issues like dyslexia that affect your communication process. The sender or receiver is not in a position to clearly send or interpret the message leading to miscommunication.  

3. Psychological barriers: Psychological barriers to communication are caused due to psychological factors such as anxiety or stress. The sender or receiver might not be in a sound state of mind to correctly send or interpret the message. For example, if someone makes a premature judgment about a communication, they can ignore the original message.

4. Cultural barriers: Cultural barriers to communication are caused due to cultural differences around the globe. An activity might be considered sacred for one culture, but it might be disrespectful in another culture. For instance, often Indians use the Swastika as a symbol of fortune, while a similar symbol in Germany is banned as it is illegal.

5. Language barriers: Humans use numerous languages to communicate with each other. The sender and receiver need to know a common language for effective communication. Else, there might be some distortion of the message while being transferred. It can also be due to the poor quality of the message.

6. Organizational barriers: These barriers to communication are seen in an organization due to their rules and regulations. The hierarchy makes it difficult for effective communication between team members and the message might get distorted while being transferred between different levels. 

How To Overcome Communication Barriers?

We tried answering in the above section what are the barriers to effective communication. Let us learn more about some ways to overcome communication barriers:

1. Clarity of message: If you want to eliminate communication barriers, you need to be clear about your message. Understanding your audience and their communication process can be beneficial for everyone. 

2. Mode of message delivery: Think about different effective modes of communication delivery as per your audience. Using graphs or charts in presentations can make it interesting compared to using words and jargon. On social media, short videos or infographics are gaining attention. 

3. Offer support: One-way communication is not beneficial. You need to pause, offer support, and check if the message is accurately interpreted by the recipient. You should give them the opportunity to ask for clarification of doubts.

4. Digital means of communication: In this digital world, you should switch to digital means of communication to improve productivity. You need to simplify the communication process using digital tools to increase engagement. 

5. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is booming and you need to understand how to use it for your benefit. There are a large number of translation tools that overcome language barriers. Using AI can improve skills, reduce wastage, and save time. 

Conclusion 

Our personal, professional, or social relationships are driven by interaction and communication. Barriers to effective communication can hinder our relationships and productivity. Breaking these barriers can be time-consuming but they are rewarding. Focus on clarifying the message and listening attentively for effective communication.

Amity University Online, the first online university in India to receive UGC approval for Online Degrees, is your best option to get professional courses and build a successful future. We don't let barriers of communication affect your life, as our expert faculty and career advisors prepare you to tackle the complexities of the world. Check our website and enroll in an online course that can be completed from the comfort of your home or office.

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