Common Barriers to Effective Communication
There are many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process. Some are: Use of jargon, Emotional barriers and taboos, Lack of attention, interest, distractions ,or irrelevance to the receiver, Differences in perception and viewpoint, Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties, Physical barriers to non-verbal communication, language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents, Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping ,Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed.
CLASSIFICATION OF BARRIERS Barriers to effective communication 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.
Physical barriers
Physical barriers are often due to the nature of the environment. This is the natural barrier which exists if staff is located in different buildings or on different sites. Likewise, poor or outdated equipment, particularly the failure of management to introduce new technology, may also cause problems. Staff shortages are another factor which frequently causes communication difficulties for an organization.
System design
System design faults refer to problems with the structures or systems in place in an organization. It includes the structure of an organization which is unclear and therefore makes it confusing to know whom to communicate with.
Attitudinal barriers
Attitudinal barriers come about as a result of problems with staff in an organization. These may be brought about poor management, lack of consultation with employees, personality conflicts which can result in people delaying or refusing to communicate,