Oral Communication in Context

1. BARRIERS
TO
EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
Richard B. Astorga

2. * The way we communicate
with others and with
ourselves ultimately
determines the quality of our
lives.’’

3. Director’s Notes
Problems That Emanate from the
Source/Sender
In the previous chapters of this unit, you
have learned the importance of every
element of the communication process in the
success or failure of sending and receiving a
message and in fostering a positive relationship
between or among the participants. These very
same elements cam also pose problems or
barriers to the success of the process and may
lead to a communication breakdown

4. • Here are some problems that emanate from the
source/speaker/encoder/sender;
1. Problems in language
proficiency/skills— The receiver
will have difficulty understanding
a speaker who has problems in
any of the following;

5. (1) choosing the right words to express the
intended message;(2) weaving these
words in grammatical or comprehensible
language structure;(3) pronouncing
intelligibly the words and employing
appropriate stress, juncture, and
intonation;(4) organizing ideas; and (5)
using appropriate volume, pitch, and tone
of the voice

6. 2. Lack of sensitively to the receiver’s
background– when the speaker does not
consider the personal background of the
receiver (education, culture, personal
feelings, etc.),a breakdown in
communication may result because the
intended message may not be understood.
Sometimes, the “unintended meaning” of the
speaker may be highlighted and may result
in confusion, misunderstanding or worse, in
a quarrel between the interactants.

7. Recognizing the receiver’s age, culture,
educational background, socioeconomic
status, gender, knowledge, social
status, needs, and preferences assist
the sender/speaker in preparing a
successful encounter with the receiver.

8. 3. Lack of preparation– Usually, in person-
to-person interaction, less preparation is
required especially if the communicators
know the background and character of each
one. Speaking in front of your loved ones
about any subject matter may not require
much preparation, except perhaps when you
are trying to break sad news or information
than can likely hurt or offend them.

9. This may not be the case when you are asked to
prepare for a speech to be delivered in front of a
bigger audience because you will require much
preparation, not only in organizing the content
of your speech, but also in delivering it,
considering the occasion and its purpose and
the profile of those who will be participating in
the event.

10. 4.Negative perception of self and other
emotional problems– A speaker who lacks self-
confidence or who possesses emotional
problems might find talking to other people
challenging or even intimidating , more so to a
bigger number of people. This is called stage
fright or communication apprehension. Doing
some breathing exercises before the actual
speech helps lessen the physical signs of stage
fright. However, a healthy perception of
yourself, a strong belief in your own capabilities,

11. And thorough preparation are good measures to
address any communication apprehensions you
may have. Stage fright lessens with time and
experience. However, there are some people
who never get over their apprehensions;
instead, they learn to control them and
minimize their negative effects.
Prompt;
Increasing volume, say these lines
three times or as many times as
you wish;
“’I can! I can do it

12. Consider the other barriers to communication
given by Tunney (2014); (1)language barrier,
(2)systematic barrier,
(3)attitudinal barrier.
Language barrier– Not only people who speak
different languages have problems
understanding one another, but also those who
speak the same language. In British English,
for example,

13. first floor is the level above the ground floor
In American English,
It is ‘’the floor of a building that is at ground
level’’
(Merriam-Webster); so, the first floor of British
is the American’s second floor.

14. For an English language learner (ELL), this poses
a bit of confusion. It also confuses a British
person and vise versa.
Prompt
Collect other British and
American words that you find
challenging to understand
Collect also some words in
your native tongue that you
yourself find confusing

15. SYSTEMATIC BARRIER
Communication barriers are the objects that
act as barriers during a conversation or a
communication. Following are the
systematic barriers in communication:
-Physical barriers
-Perceptual barriers
-Emotional barriers
- Cultural Barriers
- Language Barriers
- Gender Barriers
- Interpersonal Barriers

16. ATTITUDINAL BARRIER
Attitudinal barriers are behaviors or
perceptions that prevent employees from
communicating properly. Attitudes are
commonly formed by an individual's opinions
or personal feelings on a subject or person
and can be difficult to alter. When attitudinal
barriers override the sense of
professionalism in a workplace, it can
become difficult for a group to engage in
productive communication.

17. Abstracting
• Abstracting can also be referred to as "selective
hearing." It is the attitude that you do not need
all of the details to understand the concept being
presented in a conversation. Your mind
condenses what is being said down into an
abstract, or summary of what is being said. The
problem is that you may be leaving out important
information because you do not understand the
topic completely or you dismiss the information
as unnecessary. The person you are speaking to is
unaware of what information you are filtering
out, and that can create a breakdown in
communication as well.

18. Emotional Editing
• Emotional editing is an attitudinal barrier based on
your personal feelings about a person or topic. If you are
emotionally predisposed to disliking someone or
something, then you may discount what is being said. For
example, if you do not like a particular co-worker, being
teamed up with that co-worker for a special project will
cause communication issues. Another example of
emotional editing is if you are asked to travel to a city
that you do not like for an important business meeting.
Your disposition throughout the entire meeting is
affected by your emotional dislike of its location.

19. Turn Taking
With a partner, take turns to discuss how
same problems or barriers given in
Director’s Input can likewise emanate from
the receiver or listener. Explain how they
also affect the communication process and
suggest some strategies to overcome these
barriers.

20. END’’’
THANK YOU