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For the convenience of study the different
barriers can be divided into four parts:
(1) Semantic Barriers
There is always a possibility of misunderstanding
the feelings of the sender of the message or
getting a wrong meaning of it. The words, signs,
and figures used in the communication are
explained by the receiver in the light of his
experience which creates doubtful situations.
This happens because the information is not sent
in simple language.
The chief language-related barriers are as
under:
(i) Badly Expressed Message:
Because of the obscurity of language there is
7/9/2016 4 Different Types of Barriers to Effective Communication
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always a possibility of wrong interpretation of
the messages. This barrier is created because of
the wrong choice of words, in civil words, the
wrong sequence of sentences and frequent
repetitions. This may be called linguistic chaos
(ii) Symbols or Words with Different
Meanings:
A symbol or a word can have different meanings.
If the receiver misunderstands the
communication, it becomes meaningless. For
example, the word ‘value’ can have different
meanings in the following sentences:
(a) What is the value of computer education
these days?
(b) What is the value of this mobile set?
© Value our friendship.
Faulty Translation:
A manager receives much information from his
superiors and subordinates and he translates it
for all the employees according to their level of
understanding. Hence, the information has to be
moulded according to the understanding or
environment of the receiver. If there is a little
carelessness in this process, the faulty translation
can be a barrier in the communication.
(iv) Unclarified Assumptions:
It has been observed that sometimes a sender
takes it for granted that the receiver knows some
basic things and, therefore, it is enough to tell
him about the major subject matter. This point of
view of the sender is correct to some extent with
reference to the daily communication, but it is
absolutely wrong in case of some special
message,
(v) Technical Jargon:
Generally, it has been seen that the people
working in an enterprise are connected with
some special technical group who have their
separate technical language.
Their communication is not so simple as to be
understood by everybody. Hence, technical
language can be a barrier in communication.
This technical group includes industrial
engineers, production development manager,
quality controller, etc.
(vi) Body Language and Gesture Decoding:
When the communication is passed on with the
help of body language and gestures, its
misunderstanding hinders the proper
understanding of the message. For example,
moving one’s neck to reply to a question does not
indicate properly whether the meaning is ‘Yes’ or
‘No’.
(2) Psychological or Emotional Barriers
The importance of communication depends on
the mental condition of both the parties. A
mentally disturbed party can be a hindrance in
communication. Following are the emotional
barriers in the way of communication:
(i) Premature Evaluation:
Sometimes the receiver of information tries to
dig out meaning without much thinking at the
time of receiving or even before receiving
information, which can be wrong. This type of
evaluation is a hindrance in the exchange of
information and the enthusiasm of the sender
gets dampened.
Lack of Attention:
When the receiver is preoccupied with some
important work he/she does not listen to the
message attentively. For example, an employee is
talking to his boss when the latter is busy in
some important conversation. In such a situation
the boss may not pay any attention to what
subordinate is saying. Thus, there arises
psychological hurdle in the communication.
(iii) Loss by Transmission and Poor Retention:
When a message is received by a person after it
has passed through many people, generally it
loses some of its truth. This is called loss by
transmission. This happens normally in case of
oral communication. Poor retention of
information means that with every next transfer
of information the actual form or truth of the
information changes.
According to one estimate, with each transfer of
oral communication the loss of the information
amounts to nearly 30%. This happens because of
the carelessness of people. Therefore, lack of
transmission of information in its true or exact
form becomes a hindrance in communication.
(iv) Distrust:
For successful communication the transmitter and the receiver must trust each other. If there is
a lack of trust between them, the receiver will
always derive an opposite meaning from the
message. Because of this, communication will
become meaningless.
(3) Organisational Barriers
Organisational structure greatly affects the
capability of the employees as far as the
communication is concerned. Some major
organisational hindrances in the way of
communication are the following:
(i) Organisational Policies:
Organisational policies determine the
relationship among all the persons working in
the enterprise. For example, it can be the policy
of the organisation that communication will be
in the written form. In such a situation anything
that could be conveyed in a few words shall have
to be communicated in the written form.
Consequently, work gets delayed.
(ii) Rules and Regulations:
Organisational rules become barriers in
communication by determining the subjectmatter,
medium, etc. of communication.
Troubled by the definite rules, the senders do not
send some of the messages.
(iii) Status:
Under organising all the employees are divided
into many categories on the basis of their level.
This formal division acts as a barrier in
communication especially when the
communication moves from the bottom to the
top.
For example, when a lower-level employee has to
send his message to a superior at the top level
there is a lurking fear in his mind that the
communication may be faulty, and because of
this fear, he cannot convey himself clearly and in
time. It delays the decision making.
(iv) Complexity in Organisational Structure:
The greater number of managerial levels in an
organisation makes it more complex. It results in
delay in communication and information gets
changed before it reaches the receiver. In other
words, negative things or criticism are
concealed. Thus, the more the number of
managerial levels in the organisation, the more
ineffective the communication becomes.
(v) Organisational Facilities:
Organisational facilities mean making available
sufficient stationery, telephone, translator, etc.
When these facilities are sufficient in an organisation, the communication will be timely,
clear and in accordance with necessity. In the
absence of these facilities communication
becomes meaningless.
(4) Personal Barriers
The above-mentioned organisational barriers are
important in themselves but there are some
barriers which are directly connected with the
sender and the receiver. They are called personal
barriers. From the point of view of convenience,
they have been divided into two parts:
(a) Barriers Related to Superiors: These
barriers are as follows:
(i) Fear of Challenge of Authority:
Everybody desires to occupy a high office in the
organisation. In this hope the officers try to
conceal their weaknesses by not communicating
their ideas. There is a fear in their mind that in
case the reality comes to light they may have to
move to the lower level,
(ii) Lack of Confidence in Subordinates:
Top-level superiors think that the lower- level
employees are less capable and, therefore, they
ignore the information or suggestions sent by
them. They deliberately ignore the communication from their subordinates in order
to increase their own importance. Consequently,
the self-confidence of the employees is lowered.
(b) Barriers Related to Subordinates:
Subordinates-related barriers are the
following:
(i) Unwillingness to Communicate:
Sometimes the subordinates do not want to send
any information to their superiors. When the
subordinates feel that the information is of
negative nature and will adversely affect them,
an effort is made to conceal that information.
If it becomes imperative to send this information,
it is sent in a modified or amended form. Thus,
the subordinates, by not clarifying the facts,
become a hindrance in communication,
(ii) Lack of Proper Incentive:
Lack of incentive to the subordinates creates a
hindrance in communication. The lack of
incentive to the subordinates is because of the
fact that their suggestions or ideas are not given
any importance. If the superiors ignore the
subordinates, they become indifferent towards
any exchange of ideas in future.