The Barriers to Effective Communication By Rupal Jain .docx

The Barriers to Effective Communication
By Rupal Jain
D.E. McFarland has defined Communication as the process of
meaningful interaction among
human beings. More specifically, it is the process by which
meanings are perceived and
understandings are reached among human being. But there may
be some faults /barriers in the
communication system that prevents the message from reaching
the receiver, these barriers are as
follows:-
1. Language Barrier; - Different languages, vocabulary, accent,
dialect represents a national/
regional barriers. Semantic gaps are words having similar
pronunciation but multiple meanings
like- round; badly expressed message, wrong interpretation and
unqualified assumptions. The
use of difficult or inappropriate words/ poorly explained or
misunderstood messages can result in
confusion.

2. Cultural Barriers: - Age, education, gender, social status,
economic position, cultural
background, temperament, health, beauty, popularity, religion,
political belief, ethics, values,
motives, assumptions, aspirations, rules/regulations, standards,
priorities can separate one person
from another and create a barrier.
3. Individual Barrier: - It may be a result of an individual's
perceptual and personal discomfort.
Even when two persons have experienced the same event their
mental perception may/may not
be identical which acts as a barrier. Style, selective perception,
halo effect, poor attention and
retention, defensiveness, close mindedness, insufficient
filtration are the Individual or
Psychological barrier.
4. Organizational Barrier: - It includes Poor Organization's
culture, climate, stringent rules,
regulations, status, relationship, complexity, inadequate
facilities/ opportunities of growth and
improvement; whereas; the nature of the internal and external
environment like large working
areas physically separated from others, poor lightening, staff
shortage, outdated equipments and

background noise are Physical Organizational Barrier.
5. Interpersonal Barrier: - Barriers from Employers are :- Lack
of Trust in employees; Lack of
Knowledge of non-verbal clues like facial expression, body
language, gestures, postures, eye
contact; different experiences; shortage of time for employees;
no consideration for employee
needs; wish to capture authority; fear of losing power of
control; bypassing and informational
overloading, while Barriers from Employees includes Lack of
Motivation, lack of co-operation,
trust, fear of penalty and poor relationship with the employer.
6. Attitudinal Barrier: - It comes about as a result of problems
with staff in the organisation.
Limitation in physical and mental ability, intelligence,
understanding, pre-conceived notions, and
distrusted source divides the attention and create a mechanical
barrier which affects the attitude
and opinion.
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7. Channel Barrier: - If the length of the communication is long,
or the medium selected is

inappropriate, the communication might break up; it can also be
a result of the inter-personal
conflicts between the sender and receiver; lack of interest to
communicate; information sharing
or access problems which can hamper the channel and affect the
clarity, accuracy and
effectiveness.
To communicate effectively one need to overcome these
barriers. Working on breaking the
barrier is a broad-brush activity and here are certain measures.
DO'S FOR BREAKING THE BARRIER:
- Allow employees access to resources, self expression and idea
generation.
- Express your expectations to others.
- Use less of absolute words such as "never", "always",
"forever", etc.
- Be a good, attentive and active listener.
- Filter the information correctly before passing on to someone
else.
- Try to establish one communication channel and eliminate the
intermediaries.
- Use specific and accurate words which audiences can easily

understand.
- Try and view the situations through the eyes of the speaker.
- The "you" attitude must be used on all occasions.
- Maintain eye contact with the speaker and make him
comfortable.
- Write the instructions if the information is very detailed or
complicated.
- Oral communication must be clear and not heavily accented.
- Avoid miscommunication of words and semantic noise.
- Ask for clarifications, repetition where necessary.
- Make the organisational structure more flexible, dynamic and
transparent.
- Foster congenial relationship which strengths coordination
between superior and subordinate.
- Focus on purposeful and well focused communication.
- The message of communication should be clear and practical.
- Get Proper Feedback.
DONT'S FOR BREAKING THE BARRIER:
- Be a Selective Listener, this is when a person hears another
but selects not to hear what is being
said by choice or desire to hear some other message.

- Be a "Fixer", a fixer is a person that tries to find other
person's fault.
- Be a daydreamer.
- Use long chain of command for communication.
- Use too many technical jargons.
- Jump to conclusions immediately.
- Interrupt the speakers and distract him by asking too many
irrelevant questions.
RUPAL JAIN, LECTURER, ATHARVA INSTITUTE OF
MANAGEMENT STUDIES
(MUMBAI) and I can be reached at [email protected]
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Unit 1:
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT BASICS
What I hear, I forget;
What I see, I remember;

What I do, I understand.
-Confucius
In this unit you will be introduced to the basic concepts of
training and development. Although often linked, these are
distinct concepts and therefore it is important to differentiate
them from one another and from related constructs.
Additionally, you will learn how training is related yet distinct
from concepts like education, motivation, and consultation.
Finally, the unit considers how training is in fact a
communication process.
Training
is the direct delivery of skills, through some formal process, to
enhance human performance
Human performance in work settings is a function of the
performance equation, which is a combination of:
motivation
employee abilities/skills
opportunities and/or constraints imposed by the social system in
which the work takes place
Different Types of Skills
Training essentially involves teaching skills. So it is important
to understand different types of skills. Skills can be
differentiated as either:

Hard or Technical
involve precise procedures to follow (e.g.,
computer training, equipment operation) and relate
the production of a product or the delivery of a
service
Soft or
skills related to managing people, information and
Human Relationship
ideas (e.g., conflict management, negotiation,
team collaboration, presentation skills)
We often associate training with beginning a new position and
certainly trainings is always necessary when we do so. But

training can take place at any time during an employee’s career.
Training might be necessary when:
a new worker must be trained in procedural skills
a worker who wants to be promoted needs to be trained in
supervisory skills
new managers must be trained to deal with specific problems
that accompany their new position
teams need to learn team-building skills
organizational changes require employees to learn new systems
and protocols
Training, in turn, can occur for many reasons and can take many
forms. The types of training include:
Informational
purpose is to teach someone about something
Training
(learn thoughts and ideas about topics — e.g.,
company policy, customer service orientation, mission
statement — lacks actual physical exposure to the topic)
Behavioral
deals with specific ways to act or perform tasks
Training

(teach trainees how to do something via experience with the
activity — achieving knowledge and expertise through activity)
Results-Oriented
training designed to have an effect on the
Training
organization with the goal of improving
productivity
Development
Includes, but goes beyond training. It incorporates an emphasis
on “why” or “how” certain skills and behaviors fit into the
wider context of the whole organization.
Development, then, entails situating employees and their roles
in relationship to others in the organization through self-
awareness.
Concerning the performance equation, development relates more
to motivation and opportunities/constraints whereas training
equates particularly to skills.
It is important for people to know and understand their roles in
a given organization. Development serves to help employees
recognize their importance of their roles relative to the
enterprise as a whole.
Thus, training might emphasize building the skills necessary to
effectively handle customer service interactions, whereas
development would help employees understand the importance

of customer service to the larger operation of the company.
Within organizations we all have two types of roles:
Functional Roles
Defined by the responsibilities set forth in our job
description.
Behavioral Roles
The way in which we interact with others in the
workplace. This can be thought of as an informal role, which
might include the difficult teammate, the helpful colleague, or
the obstinate coworker.
It is important to realize that the two roles do not necessarily
correspond.
Training then focuses on specific skills and behaviors, whereas
development aims to help people achieve their full potential —
both personally and professionally
Regardless of whether or not we are involved in training,
development, or some of both, we will be dealing with adults.
Thus, spending some time on what is relevant to adult learners
is critical.
How is Training Different from Education, Motivation, and
Consulting?
Training
the process of developing skills in order to perform a specific
job or

task more effectively
-to train is to develop skills
-a skill is a defined behavior that can be repeated when needed,
the ability to do something as apposed to knowing something
-focuses on developing specific actions, skills, and behaviors
-the goal of training is that the worker will perform his or her
job with greater skill and effectiveness
1. Training and Education
training emphasizes doing while education emphasizes knowing
training emphasizes achieving a certain level of skill attainment
while education often evaluates by comparing one student to
another
training is less concerned with evaluating you in comparison to
others and more concerned with determining your competency
to perform a specific skill
training operates as more of a closed system, while education
operates more as an open system (i.e., skills require specific
abilities and answers whereas education allows for greater
creativity in finding multiple possible answers)
training emphasizes the requirements for performing specific
skills linked to a particular job or role, whereas education is not
as readily linked to performing a specific job
training is more likely to offer a comprehensive list of skills
required to perform a specific behavior, whereas education is

less likely to provide a summary of all information on a specific
subject (knowing everything there is to know versus
understanding that there is still more to learn)
2. Training and Motivation
Motivation
an internal state of readiness to take action or achieve a goal
trainers are more likely to seek individual and organizational
change by teaching skills, whereas motivational speakers
attempt to stimulate emotions and attitudes to instill change
skills have staying power while emotional and attitudinal
change may not persist
3. Training and Consulting
Consulting
an expert brought in to address a specific organizational
concern with
the goal of personal and organizational development
can be external or internal
consulting can be enacted from several different approaches
These include the purchase, doctor-patient, and process
approaches.
Purchase
a solution to an already identified problem is purchased

from a consultant
Doctor-patient
the consultant provides a diagnosis and a treatment
program for addressing the identified problem(s)
Process
overall vitality of a company is assessed, problems
identified, and recommendations made for addressing
issues
Training and Communication
Communication and training relate in several ways.
communication is a transactive process whereby both senders
and receivers of messages make sense of those messages and

attend to them as they are sent and received
thus training is a communicative process that involves the
interplay of message exchange between trainers and trainees
training is rhetorical too in the sense that it involves persuasion
— because trainers need to persuade trainees of the importance
and necessity of the skills being addressed
finally from a practical standpoint training is not only
communicative in nature but often focused on communication as
the skill set to be addressed
in fact, training is a multibillion-dollar industry and the number
one skill for employees in organizations is effective
communication
thus training and communication come together in the process
of training, in the argument for needing training, and as the
outcome of training
For the final portion of this unit, we will review the training
and development process. Double click on the document below
to see an overview of this process. These are the standard steps
involved in training and development and for that reason the
course is organized around these steps. The following units
introduce you to these various steps/processes.
_1234567890.pdf
Training & Development Intervention Process Overview

While the types of training that occur can vary widely, training
is a process
that follows a very clear cut set of steps. This unit is devoted to
introducing and
reviewing those steps. Subsequent units address each of these
steps in much
greater detail, but for now it is important to understand the
overall process (the
whole) before jumping into more specific detail on the specifics
(the parts).
Accordingly, the traditional steps that T&D follows include:
1. Needs Assessment
2. Training Intervention
3. Training Evaluation
The broad steps follow a particular logic:
1. What are the needs that should be addressed?
2. How can training be used to address these needs?
3. Was training effective in addressing these needs?
So at a fundamental level training is a simple and logical
process. However,
each of the broad steps above entails several subcomponents.
The outline below
provides a better sense of what constitutes each of these steps.
I. Needs Assessment

This is the step where one determines the training needs of a
given
organization or unit.
There are two subcomponents to a Needs Assessment:
Data Collection
Data Analysis
II. Training Intervention
This is the step where the actual training designed to address
the
identified needs occurs.
There are several subcomponents that must be completed in
order to
conduct the training intervention. These include:
Developing Training Objectives
Selecting Training Materials
Selecting Training Activities
Organizing Training Materials/Activities
Determining Training Methods
III. Training Evaluation

This is the step that tests whether or not the training was
effective at
addressing the needs identified.
There are several subcomponents that must be completed in
order to
evaluate training. These include:
Collecting Evaluative Data
Analyzing Evaluative Data
Composing an Evaluation Report
Training for Hard and Soft Skills Activity
Conduct an Internet search to find either an actual training
module or a description of training for each of the following:
(a) hard/technical skills and (b) soft/human relationship skills.
For each provide the information requested below, use as much
space as necessary. Type your responses directly in the spaces
provided under each question.
1.
Hard/Technical Skills
What skill(s) does the training address?
What is involved in the training? (Provide a brief description of
the training).
What are the expected outcomes of the training with regard to

this skill?
Source: Where did you find/locate information about the
training?
2.
Soft/Human Relationship Skills
What skill(s) does the training address?
What is involved in the training? (Provide a brief description of
the training).
What are the expected outcomes of the training with regard to
this skill?
Source: Where did you find/locate information about the
training?
Physical Barriers in Communication
There are different types of barriers that can pose challenges to
effective communication. In this
article, we will take a look at the physical barriers in
communication.

Communication is one of the most effective ways of expressing
our thoughts and emotions.
Communication can be verbal or non-verbal. Both these forms
of communication are important
in ensuring that we are able to put across our message clearly.
However, there are times when
there might be some hindrances to communication, which can
mar its effectiveness, resulting in
miscommunication or lack of clarity. Researchers have studied
the various forms of barriers to
effective communication, let us take a look at these.
Physical Communication Barriers
There are a host of physical factors that can prevent individuals
from having an effective
communication. Physical barriers relate to disturbance in the
immediate milieu which can
interfere in the course of an effective communication. Let us
take a look at some physical factors
to communication.
Environment
Some barriers are due to the existing environment. If you are

standing in adverse weather
conditions, your conversation would be hampered because you
would not be able to pay full
attention to what the other person is saying. The ambiance in
which you are having a
conversation also plays an important part in the quality of a
conversation. If the place is too
noisy, or two crowded, you may not be able to clearly listen to
the speaker. For example, if you
are having a conversation with someone along the roadside, the
honks and noise of the passing
vehicles can make it difficult for you to concentrate on what
you are saying, apart from
interfering in effective listening. Similarly, if you are talking to
someone in scorching heat, then
the physical discomfort can easily cause you to be disinterested
in the conversation.
Distance
Distance also plays an important part in determining the course
of a conversation. For example,
if the staff in an organization are made to sit in different
buildings or different floors, they might
have to substitute face to face communication with phone calls

or emails. This prevents the
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communication.html
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/barriers-to-effective-
communication.html
employees to have effective communication with each other.
For example, if a manager and his
subordinate are seated at different buildings of an organization,
then the manager may have to
give out instructions over the phone or over the email, which
can sometimes lead to a lack of
effective communication.
Ignorance of Medium
Communication also includes using signs and symbols to
convey a feeling or a thought.
However, if there is a lack of ignorance about the medium in
which sender is sending the
message, the conversation can be hampered. For example, the
use of signs to communicate can
be seen in games like soccer and hockey, where players do not
want each other to know about
their plans and may converse through codes and signs.
However, if a member of a team is not

acquainted with these signs, it can lead to a lack of
communication.
Physical Disability
Physical disability can also prove to be a barrier for effective
communication. People with
physical disabilities generally are at a disadvantage when it
comes to gaining employment.
Disabled people have been marginalized through ages, and this
can cause them to have a low
self-esteem and social anxiety. It can cause a physically
challenged person to have face
difficulties in self-disclosure and can hamper his interpersonal
skills.
Other Types of Barriers in Communication
Perceptual Barrier
Perceptual barrier has got to do with the prejudice that most of
us tend to form before meeting an
individual. If we form a prejudice about someone, then we may
not be able to have an effective
communication with the person.

Emotional Barrier
Emotions can play an important part in any conversation. Have
you ever noticed that your voice
acquires an aggressiveness when you are speaking on an issue
you feel strongly about.
Emotional barriers can cause interruptions in conversation,
apart from making the speakers to
form unfair assumptions about each other.
Cultural Barrier
Cultural barrier is one of the widely seen barrier in
communication. Ignorance about each other's
cultures may make us skeptic and we may shy away from
expressing ourselves freely.
Linguistic Barrier
Linguistic barriers also affect a conversation and this is not
limited to difference in people's first
language. English, which is one of the widely spoken languages
of the world is spoken
differently in England, America, Australia, South Africa etc.
This can cause lack of
understanding and confusion.

These were some types of physical barriers that can prove
detrimental to effective
communication. It is important that these barriers are
recognized and corrective steps are taken to
prevent or reduce their impact on communication. In the end,
we hope that this article would
have helped you in getting some information about physical
barriers to communication apart
from helping you to get a gist on the other types of barriers to
effective communication.
By Rahul Pandita
Published: 6/27/2011
http://www.buzzle.com/authors.asp?author=69597
Assignment 1
Communication Inhibitors
Please note that your final paper in WRTG 394 is a research-
based report. The work you do for
this first writing assignment might lead to an excellent topic on
which to write your final paper.

Overview:
For this assignment, you are asked to collect real-life examples
of barriers (inhibitors) to
communication that occur in your work or community
environment. The examples of
communication barriers that you collect can be from documents,
conversations (face-to-face or
digital), email messages, or meetings.
This assignment consists of four parts:
Part I:
Think about your work or community and come up with 3-4
real-life examples of barriers
(inhibitors) to written and verbal communication that occur in
that environment. The
communication examples you come up with can be from
documents, conversations (face-to-face
or digital), emails, or meetings.
Then write one or two detailed paragraphs of 100-125 words
each in which you describe the
following:
• your workplace or community setting you have chosen to
analyze
• the communication barriers in that setting that you are
describing
• other details you think might be relevant to the context
Various types of communication inhibitors, and examples of
them, can be found in the four
articles that are available to you through eReserves. These

communication barriers include but
are not limited to the following:
connotative meanings of words organizational barriers
personal censors and filters nonverbal barriers
noise (real and semantic) competitive barriers
audience expectations lack of writing purpose, organization,
support or clarity
communication structure (or lack of) artificial voice
direction of communication forced collaboration
physical barriers faulty level of technicality
cultural barriers faulty level of formality
experiential barriers faulty direction
perceptual barriers poor timing
motivational barriers excessive subjectivity
emotional barriers linguistic barriers
Part II:
After you've collected at least 3-4 communication barriers and
have identified the inhibitors they
represent, define the inhibitors in a bulleted list. The definition
you provide should identify the
general characteristics of the inhibitor and how it works to
impede communication. The
definitions should not mention your specific work environment.
Please consult the video on this assignment and the two sample
student submissions to this
assignment in order to see a demonstration on how this part

might be written.
Part III:
Analyze these 3-4 communication inhibitors as they apply to
your workplace or community
environment. List them in a table with three columns:
• the communication example either as a direct quote or
paraphrase
• the name of the inhibitor(s) at work in the sample
• a justification of your selection of the inhibitor(s)
Again, please consult the video on this assignment and the two
sample student submissions
to this assignment in order to see a demonstration on how this
part might be written.
Part IV:
Using a scale of 1 to 100 (with a score of 75 considered
average), rank your organization's
communication effectiveness. Justify and explain the score you
award. Your justification
should be one to two paragraphs, about 175-250 words total.
Please continue to the next page for additional instructions.

Reading Material to Draw Upon for this Assignment:
For this assignment, you will want to draw on the following
reading materials about
communication inhibitors in the eReserves area of LEO.
• “10 Barriers to Communication”
• “Communication Barriers”
• “Physical Barriers in Communication”
• “The Barriers to Effective Communication”
The items are available as eReserves in our class in LEO.
You can access the articles by taking the following steps:
• click Content
• select Class Resources
• select eReserves
• select the icon for eReserves in the middle of your page.
• in the list of items that appears, locate the articles and
download them
Format:
Your text should be single-spaced.
The following page has a template to use in completing this
assignment.

I. Description of community setting, including a description of
the 3-4
communication inhibitors that occur in that setting.
II. Definitions of the 3-4 inhibitors:
III. Table of the 3-4 communication samples and the inhibitors
they represent:
The communication
example either as a direct
quote or paraphrase
The name of the inhibitor(s)
that the example represents
A justification of your
selection of the inhibitor
IV. Short paragraph rating the organization’s communication
effectiveness on a

scale of 1 to 100 and justifying the ranking:
Overview:Reading Material to Draw Upon for this
Assignment:Format:

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