Barriers to Communication
P3 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
No matter how good the communication system in any organisation is barriers can occur. This may be caused by a number of factors which can usually be summarised as being due to physical barriers, system design faults or additional barriers.
Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment, for example, the natural barrier which exists, if staff are located in different buildings or on different sites. Staff shortages are another factor which frequently causes communication difficulties for an organisation. Whilst distractions like background noise, poor lighting or an environment which is too hot or cold can all affect people's morale and concentration, which in turn interfere with effective communication.
Attitudinal barriers happen as a result of problems with staff in an organisation.
For example, by poor management, lack of consultation with employees, personality conflicts which can result in people delaying or refusing to communicate, the personal attitudes of individual employees which may be due to lack of motivation or dissatisfaction at work, caused by insufficient training to enable them to carry out particular tasks, or just resistance to change due to entrenched attitudes and ideas.
Another barrier could be psychological factors such as people's state of mind. We all tend to feel happier and more receptive to information when the sun shines.
Equally, if someone has personal problems like worries about their health or marriage, then this will probably affect them.
Different languages and cultures can cause a barrier which is particularly important for organisations involved in overseas business or who recruit foreign workers.
The use of difficult or inappropriate words in communication can prevent people from understanding the message. Poorly explained or misunderstood messages can also result in confusion. We have all had times when we have listened to something explained
No matter how good the communication system in any organisation is barriers can occur. This may be caused by a number of factors which can usually be summarised as being due to physical barriers, system design faults or additional barriers.
Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment, for example, the natural barrier which exists, if staff are located in different buildings or on different sites. Staff shortages are another factor which frequently causes communication difficulties for an organisation. Whilst distractions like background noise, poor lighting or an environment which is too hot or cold can all affect people's morale and concentration, which in turn interfere with effective communication.
Attitudinal barriers happen as a result of problems with staff in an organisation.
For example, by poor management, lack of consultation with employees, personality conflicts which can result in people delaying or refusing to communicate, the personal attitudes of individual employees which may be due to lack of motivation or dissatisfaction at work, caused by insufficient training to enable them to carry out particular tasks, or just resistance to change due to entrenched attitudes and ideas.
Another barrier could be psychological factors such as people's state of mind. We all tend to feel happier and more receptive to information when the sun shines.
Equally, if someone has personal problems like worries about their health or marriage, then this will probably affect them.
Different languages and cultures can cause a barrier which is particularly important for organisations involved in overseas business or who recruit foreign workers.
The use of difficult or inappropriate words in communication can prevent people from understanding the message. Poorly explained or misunderstood messages can also result in confusion. We have all had times when we have listened to something explained