This document discusses various barriers to effective communication. It identifies 5 main types of barriers: noise, semantic barriers, organizational barriers, psychological barriers, and other barriers. Noise can be physical (external distractions) or psychological (internal distractions that prevent focus). Semantic barriers involve issues with common language, vocabulary, jargon, grammar and clarity. Organizational barriers include inefficient communication chains, inappropriate media use, and fear of superiors. Psychological barriers involve assumptions, perceptions, resistance to change, and selectivity. Other barriers include cultural differences, poor listening skills, conflicting information, and incongruity between verbal and nonverbal messages. The document provides examples and explanations for each type of barrier.

1. BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

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MEANING
• Communication is the process through which the source
transmits any message, idea or information to the receiver
through a medium.
• Barriers of Communication are the hindrances or difficulties
involved in the process of Communication whereby the
message is distorted and is not properly understood by the
receiver.

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TYPES OF BARRIERS
• Noise
• Semantic Barriers
• Organizational
Barriers
• Psychological
Barriers
• Other Barriers

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NOISE
• What is Noise?
• Any interference in the message sent and the message received leads to
the production of Noise. Noise here does not mean cacophony, but a
break in the communication process.
• For Example: You have just joined as a trainee at an automobile company.
You go to meet your boss to seek permission to visit the automobile
exhibition being held in New Delhi. While you are talking, two of your
colleagues also come in to get some bills signed. After they leave, you
resume talking but find your boss has not really grasped the message.
• Your colleagues intervention led to you boss’ lack of concentration. This
intervention or ‘NOISE’ did not let your boss decode the message fully.
Hence the communication failed.

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• However, noise can be of two types:
• Physical
• Psychological.
• Physical noise can also be understood in terms of cacophony where
external noise makes it difficult to pass on the message. Ex. Noise of
Heavy machines.
• Psychological noise is when the person has too many things going on in
his mind which make it difficult for him to concentrate on the message
being given by the speaker.
• The example shared in the previous slide refers to physical noise which
does not involve loud sounds but interference prevents communication.
This example also speaks about the Boss’ psychological noise where he
fails to grasp your message because his attention was diverted.

6. SEMANTIC BARRIER
• Lack of common Language: Linguistic barrier occurs when the sender and
the receiver belong to different Language backgrounds. For Ex. A Japanese
and a German might face this barrier in absence of a common language.
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• Poor Vocabulary: An inadequate vocabulary can be a major hindrance in
communication. At times your pen falters or your tongue fumbles as you
search for the exact word or phrase.
• Use of Jargons: Not everyone is familiar with the terms associated with a
particular field of work. Technical terms of one field may sound ‘Greek
and Latin’ to the person belonging to a different field of work. For Ex. A
student of Humanities might be unable to understand the technical terms
of Engineering.

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SEMANTIC BARRIER CONTD.
• Poor Grammar, Punctuation: A major barrier occurs when the sender, in
encoding the message, does not pay attention to the grammatical
structure of the sentences. Punctuation marks, if not placed properly, can
also lead to the distortion of the message. For Ex. 1.(Grammar) I want to
marry my daughter. Correct: I want to get my daughter married. 2.
(Punctuation: Story of the king who ordered to leave a convict to be
hanged, after finding him innocent) Hang him. Not Leave him. Correct:
Hang him not. Leave him.
• Round About Verbiage: This sort of barrier occurs when the speaker does
not come to the subject directly, rather beats about the bush, keeping the
listener/receiver guessing about the actual issue.

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SEMANTIC BARRIER CONTD.
• Lack of Clarity in the Message: If the sender is not able to structure his
ideas accurately and efficiently, barrier of this nature can come up. What
he wishes to say and what he finally imparts may not be the same and the
listener feels that the interaction is a waste of time. This happens when
the sender is not well versed in the topic under discussion and fails to
hold the attention of the receiver.

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ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS
• Too Many Transfer Stations: The more links there are in a communication chain,
the greater are the chances of miscommunication that will occur. Have you ever
played ‘Chinese Whisper’ as a child? This will help you understand this particular
barrier better.
• Negative Tendencies: Bonding between people who share similar values,
attitudes, opinions, beliefs and behaviours is often termed as Group-ism. Often
organizations too create work groups to facilitate certain organizational tasks.
Communication barrier here surfaces often due to a conflict between the
members and non-members or among the members themselves.
• Over/Under Communication- Neither there should be excess of information nor
should it be too scanty. Excess information may confuse the receiver as he has to
figure out the exact import of the message and scanty information would make
him grope for the actual intent of the message.

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ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS CONTD.
• Use of Inappropriate Media: Some of the common media used in
organizations are graphs and charts, telephones, fax machines, boards,
email, films, slides, computer presentations, teleconferencing and
videoconferencing. While choosing the medium you should keep in mind
the advantages, disadvantages and potential barriers to communication. If
the choice of the channel or medium is not right the impact of the
message is lost. This is mostly a physical noise. However, the
responsibility lies with the sender, as he should ensure that all channels
are free of noise before commencing communication.
• Fear of Superiors: In rigidly structured organizations, fear or awe of
superiors prevents subordinates from speaking frankly. An employee may
not be pleased with the way his boss works but is unable to put his point
across because of losing his boss’ goodwill.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
• Wrong Assumptions: Wrong assumptions are generally made when the
sender or the receiver does not have adequate knowledge about each
other’s background or entertain certain false notions, which are fixed in
their mind. Sometimes the speaker does not realize that background,
education and experiences of different people can be different. For Ex. A
doctor may tell a patient to take a medicine only as an S.O.S, (i.e.. In dire
emergency) but does not make it clear to the patient, who in turn thinks it
is to be taken regularly.
• Varied Perceptions: Individuals in an organization perceive situations in
different ways as each man’s understanding differs. For Ex. The story of
the six blind men.

12. Psychological Barriers Contd.
• Resistance to Change: When we come across information which is not in
conformity with our views, habits and attitudes, or appears unfavourable
to us we tend to react negatively or even disbelieve. For Ex. Resistance to
adapt oneself to the advancing technology.
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• Prejudiced Views: Be careful not to hold on to preconceptions about
people or things. We often have a tendency to see what we want to see,
forming an impression from a small amount of information or one
experience, and assuming that to be highly representative of the whole
person or situation. Similarly, emotional outbursts also hinder
communication.

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Psychological Barriers Contd.
• Jumping to Conclusions: Not being aware of facts and drawing inferences
on a given situation on the basis of one’s perception causes this barrier.
Inferences are more dramatic than facts and for this reason they give
more scope for gossip and rumour to thrive.
For Ex. You’ve just returned from a business tour and find two of your
colleagues missing. Not seeing them again for several days on the row,
you jump to conclusion that owing to recession they’ve been laid off. As
you start gossiping about it you learn the fact that actually they’ve been
promoted and transferred.
• Communication Selectivity: This barrier comes up when someone feels
he/she has quite some knowledge on the topic being discussed. They,
therefore, look out only for the information which they do not know and
in this process often lose out on several minute points of the discussion.

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Other Barriers
• Cultural Variations: This is one of the predominant factors in communication
failure. As global residents we need to be aware of the customs, laws, and
business practices of the companies of other nations we are dealing with. For Ex.
Maintaining Eye-Contact during conversation is seen as a sign of self-confidence in
the USA, whereas the same activity is termed rude in Japan.
• Poor Listening Skills: A common obstacle to communication is poor listening
habits. Sometimes the individual is so engrossed in his own thoughts that he is
unable to concentrate on listening.
• Poor Retention: If the listener has poor retention capability, he would probably
get lost in the proceedings. There would be no connection between what was said
initially and what is being said now.

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Other Barriers Contd.
• The ‘I’- Attitude: If the speaker every sentence with “I”, it gradually leads to what
is called the I-syndrome. He would not be receptive to the changes as suggested
by the receiver as they would go against his personal formulation of certain views.
• Conflicting Information: Conflict between the existing information and fresh one
results in the growing confusion of the listener, whereby he loses the entire
message in trying to compare the two differing information.
• Incongruity of Verbal & Non-Verbal Messages: Actions speak louder than words,
and thus, non-verbal cues provide a deeper insight into the sender’s message.
Ignoring non-verbal cues or misinterpreting them can result in the message being
completely misunderstood. For Ex. Your friend has topped the examination and
you go to congratulate him. However, when you do express your joy on his
achievement, your face remains serious, not showing any kind of emotions which
match the spoken message. This leaves your friend wondering whether you are
really happy on his achievement or is it otherwise!

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Ways to over-come Barriers
• Sharpening communication skills
• Use simple Language
• Being receptive to changes
• Improving Listening skills
• Avoid Jargons
• Open-mindedness
• Avoid prejudice
• Message should be clear and brief

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WAYS TO OVER-COME BARRIERS CONTD.
• Avoid fear
• Build credibility
• Understanding receiver
• Selection of proper channel
• Develop emotional stability
• Receive feedback
• Dress according to the occasion.