barriers to communication a lecture by allah dad khan vp agri university peshawar

By Allah Dad Khan

What is Barrier in communication

1. A barrier to communication is something that keeps meanings from meeting. Meaning barriers exist between all people, making communication much more difficult than most people seem to realize. It is false to assume that if one can talk he can communicate.

2. Because so much of our education misleads people into thinking that communication is easier than it is, they become discouraged and give up when they run into difficulty.

3. Because they do not understand the nature of the problem, they do not know what to do. The wonder is not that communicating is as difficult as it is, but that it occurs as much as it does."

SOME POINTS TO BE REMEBERED

THAT ARE BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

1.Muddled messages

• Effective communication starts with a clear message. Contrast these two messages:

• "Please be here about 7:00 tomorrow morning.“• "Please be here at 7:00 tomorrow morning.“• The one word difference makes the first message muddled and the

second message clear.

2.Stereotyping

1. Stereotyping causes us to typify a person, a group, an event or a thing on oversimplified conceptions, beliefs, or opinions

2. .Thus, basketball players can be stereotyped as tall, green equipment as better than red equipment

3. football linemen as dumb4. Ford as better than Chevrolet5. Vikings as handsome6. people raised on dairy farms as interested in animals. 7. Stereotyping can substitute for thinking, analysis and open mindedness

to a new situation

3.Wrong channel

1. "Good morning." An oral channel for this message is highly appropriate. Writing "GOOD MORNING!" on a chalkboard in the machine shed is less effective than a warm oral greeting.

2. On the other hand, a detailed request to a contractor for construction of a farrowing house should be in writing, i.e., non-oral.

3. These simple examples illustrate how the wrong channel can be a barrier to communication.

4. Language

1. Words are not reality. Words as the sender understands them are combined with the perceptions of those words by the receiver. Language represents only part of the whole.

2. We fill in the rest with perceptions. Trying to understand a foreign language easily demonstrates words not being reality.

3. Being "foreign" is not limited to the language of another country. It can be the language of another farm

5.Lack of feedback

1. Feedback happens in a variety of ways. Asking a person to repeat what has been said, e.g., repeat instructions, is a very direct way of getting feedback.

2. Feedback may be as subtle as a stare, a puzzled look, a nod, or failure to ask any questions after complicated instructions have been given.

3. Both sender and receiver can play an active role in using feedback to make communication truly two-way

6.Poor listening skills

1. Listening is difficult. A typical speaker says about 125 words per minute.

2. The typical listener can receive 400-600 words per minute.3. Thus, about 75 percent of listening time is free time. 4. The free time often sidetracks the listener.5. The solution is to be an active rather than passive listener.

Strategies for overcoming Language barriers

1.Speak slowly and clearly2. Ask for clarification.3. Frequently check for understanding4. Avoid idioms.5. Be careful of jargon.6. Define the basics of business.7. Be specific.8. Choose your medium of communication effectively.9. Provide information via multiple channels10. Be patient

7.Interruptions

• The interruptions may be due to something more pressing, rudeness, lack of privacy for discussion, a drop-in visitor, an emergency, or even the curiosity of someone else wanting to know what two other people are saying

8.Physical distractions

Physical distractions are the physical things that get in the way of communication. Examples of such things include the telephone, a pick-up truck door, a desk, an uncomfortable meeting place, and noise.

9.Attitudinal barriers

These may be brought about by things as 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, brought about by insufficient training to enable them to carry out particular tasks, or just resistance to change due to entrenched attitudes and ideas.

Barriers to Communication

• 1.Physical Barriers • 2. Semantic /Linguistic Barriers • 3.Psycological Barriers/ Psyco socio Barriers• 4.Organizational Barriers• 5.Cross Cultural Barriers• 6. Body Language

1. Physical And Environmental

Barriers

a.Time:

Time has an important role in a communication process. Do we not often hear expressions such as “timely caution”, “timely advice?”. These expressions indicate the role of time as a factor in communication. Quickness of communication is the watchword in the modern world of communication

b.Space

Experts classify an oral communication situation on the basis of the distance maintained between sender and receiver as Intimate, Personal, Official and Public.

C.Personal

• Friends and peer groups who are in a process of communication maintain a distance of about two to three feet which is personal.

e.Intimate:

If the distance between the two, the encoder (sender) and decoder (receiver) is less than a foot and a half (18 inches), the situation is labelled intimate. The mother coddling the baby, the father and the son, or husband and wife in a familial / private situation communicate at an intimate level of space

f. Official

In official situation, the space should be at least four to five feet depending on the message or information.

g.Public

The distance between the speaker (the encoder) and the listeners (decoder, in this context an audience) should be over ten feet, in a public situation.

h.Place

Friction and conflict erupt easily in such places which mar the transaction of any business, leave alone business communication. Even though it is part of office management, its impact on the communication process as a barrier is inevitable. Good ambience and suitably lighted and ventilated places promote effective communication.

i.Climate

“The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere and in a proper climate” say the newspapers. Though the word climate refers to the human relations prevailing there, it is no exaggeration to say that the actual room temperature helps people to keep their heads cool! Unfavorable climate can act as a barrier to communication leading to wrong perceptions or decision

i.Noise Noise is a physical barrier to effective communication. Noise may have its

origin from an external source or may exist even in the communication loop. You do not achieve effective communication by merely shouting.

j.Poor lighting

k.Outdated equipments

l. Distortion

2.Semantic /Linguistic

Barriers

Laguastic Barrier 1. Symbol with different meaning2. Badly depressed massage3. Faulty Translation4. Unclarified assumption5. Specialist languange 6. Lack of Common language 7. Poor vocalbulary8. Use of Jargons9. Poor programmer , punctuation10. Dialects11. Dyslexia12. Language disabilities 13. Language learner

Strategies for overcoming Language barriers

1.Speak slowly and clearly2. Ask for clarification.3. Frequently check for understanding4. Avoid idioms.5. Be careful of jargon.6. Define the basics of business.7. Be specific.8. Choose your medium of communication effectively.9. Provide information via multiple channels10. Be patient

10.Psycholigal barriers

• Psychological factors such as employee’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, family, or marriage, th

• Physiological barriers may result from individuals’ personal discomfort, caused, for example, by ill health, poor eye sight or hearing difficulties en this will probably affect them.

3.Psychological Barriers

Psychological barriers • 1.Attitude and opinion• 2.Closed mind• 3.Distrust of commuication• 4.Different perception• 5.Emotion to communication• 6.Field of experience• 7.Group Identification• 8.Filtering and distortion of message• 9.In attention• 10.Premature evalution• 11.Poor retention • 12.Staus difference• 13. Self image• 14.Under reliance on the written words • 15.Unclarified Assumption • 16.Goal Conflicts • 17. Poor Listening • 18.Loss of transmission • 19.Selective perception

4. Organizational Barriers

5.Cross Cultural Barriers

6. Body Language

Barrier

7. Inter Personal Barriers

Gender Barriers

Gender Barrier

1. Being male or female 2.Gender enequality3.Discrimination4.Gender stereotypes

Channel Barriers

INTERPERSONAL BARRIERS

Individual Barriers

Emotional Barriers

SOCIAL BARRIERS