Barriers of Effective Communication
Describe the barriers of effective communication.
Introduction:
If an individual (Sender) sends a message and the receiver interprets it in the same way as the sender had intended to express,the process of communication is said to be complete. But it is not always so.
Certain barriers in communication affect the clarity, accuracy and effectiveness of the message.
The barriers could be related to the communication system, mechanical devices being used, language or symbols being used for encoding, the sender and the receiver himself.
There exist many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process.
Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time and money by causing confusion and misunderstanding. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message.
Below are some common barriers to effective communication include:
• Physical Barriers: this has to do with poor or outdated equipment used during communications. Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment like background noise, poor lighting, temperatures that are too hot or too cold which in turn interfere with effective communication.
• Organizational Barriers: System design faults refer to problems with the structures or systems in place in an organization. This happens due to the physical distance between the sender and the receiver due to their task, power, and authority and status relationship.
examples could be inefficient or inappropriate information systems, a lack of supervision or training, and a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities which can lead to staff being uncertain about what is expected of them.
• Ambiguity of words/phrases or Semantic Barriers: Different people assign different meanings to one specific message. Hence the communicator must ensure that the
Introduction:
If an individual (Sender) sends a message and the receiver interprets it in the same way as the sender had intended to express,the process of communication is said to be complete. But it is not always so.
Certain barriers in communication affect the clarity, accuracy and effectiveness of the message.
The barriers could be related to the communication system, mechanical devices being used, language or symbols being used for encoding, the sender and the receiver himself.
There exist many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process.
Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time and money by causing confusion and misunderstanding. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message.
Below are some common barriers to effective communication include:
• Physical Barriers: this has to do with poor or outdated equipment used during communications. Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment like background noise, poor lighting, temperatures that are too hot or too cold which in turn interfere with effective communication.
• Organizational Barriers: System design faults refer to problems with the structures or systems in place in an organization. This happens due to the physical distance between the sender and the receiver due to their task, power, and authority and status relationship.
examples could be inefficient or inappropriate information systems, a lack of supervision or training, and a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities which can lead to staff being uncertain about what is expected of them.
• Ambiguity of words/phrases or Semantic Barriers: Different people assign different meanings to one specific message. Hence the communicator must ensure that the