Chapter 3: Barriers in the communication process

1. Chapter -3
Barriers in the Communication Process
Definition of Barrier or problems of communication:
 Aspects of conditions in a workplace that interfere with effective exchange of ideas or
thoughts.
 Barriers to communication can be anything that distorts or prevents a message from being
properly sent or received.
 A “communication barrier” is anything that interferes with the transfer of intended information
from a sender to a receiver.
Causes of poor communication:
Barriers of communication are the hindrances or difficulties involved in the process of
communication which distort the message from being properly understood by the receiver.

2. 1. Barriers due to organizational Structure:
I. Excessive organizational layering:
 The organization has too many levels in the chain of command.
 In oral communication this type of problems are created.
 Because of many layers the information scattered
Example of Communication Command:
GM
AGM
MANAGER SUPERVISOR STAFFS
II. Indiscipline in organization:
 Principles are formed by mission, vision or organization policy
 In several organizational structures there are no appropriate rules or principles
 It creates indiscipline in organization
 So that, information can’t apply properly
III. Executive- subordinates relation:
 By providing correct information subordinates have to satisfy the supervisor , otherwise
their relation became hampered, which creates problem I their carrier
 Upward information should be correct
 Misunderstanding will be creating if wrong information is provided
2. Individual Barriers:
I. Individual Conflict:
 Varies to person to person
 Every person has two thinking part: 1) Emotional & 2) Practical
 Thinking should be practical & logical in case of formal communication
 Emotional conflict should be avoided to practical conflict
II. Human Perception:
• Evaluating of two types of conflict
• If two sided decision is strict, it faces communication problem
Example: Superior increase subordinate’s work time but they don’t want to increase salary.
Subordinates want to increase salary. Both parties are stable in their own decision.

3. III. Favoritism:
 Personally nepotism
 Showing superior’ s priority to only a group
 So other group cannot provide information with satisfied
IV. Insincerity:
 Losing of faith & trust
 Not to be fruitful by giving word
 Having mutual understanding otherwise barrier in communication
 Lack of cognition (knowledge) on context of the message
V. Fear:
 Darkness in a particular subject
 Not to express what can do
 Not to having conflict & ideas to the task
 Nervousness also causes barrier in communication
3. Language or Semantic Barrier:
I. Ambiguous word:
 Using of hazy & confusing word
 That create misunderstanding
 So create communication gap
Example: Light-weightless
Light-weightless
There are many words having different spelling & meaning but same pronunciation; such as- Dear, Deer.
II. Use of Local dialect:
 Should use regional language
 Must use standard language/ International language
 Regional dialect can create miscommunication
III. Use of Emblematical language:
 Emblematical means visible symbol for communication
 Not to use symbolic language
 A symbol cannot express proper meaning of information
Example: Logo Crown Royalty (Meaningful), Logo(Hospital) Cock ?(meaningless)
IV. Use of mixed Language:
 Should not use various language
 Not to use symbolic language
 A symbol cannot express proper meaning of the information complicated

4.  Such as, now-a-days we make the information complex by using Bangla, English & Hindi
Language integretedly
4. Barriers due to Status or Position:
I. Suspecting Attitude:
 Superior suggests to subordinate’s best
 But subordinates think that is harmful to them
 Then create communication gap
II. Fond of Flattery:
 If employees flattery to his boss
 Not providing healthy message
 So create problem in communication
III. Partial listening:
Being a poor listener is very harmful for the communication. When the receiver listens to the message
partially he fails to decode the message properly. Because he fails some parts of message to listen so, it
is very important being a good listener for a effective communication.
IV. Seniority:
 One party can get more priority without working
 Other party works properly, but don’t priority
 As a result, don’t inform the superior anything
5. Other Barriers of Communication:
I. Lack Of proper Planning:
 Lack of encoding
 Planning of message is unclear
 Must take proper planning
 Without proper planning there create some lacking in communication
 So lack of proper planning barrier to communication
II. Badly Expressed Message:
Use of wrong information or un-necessary sentences can make barrier in communication system. Even
wrong use of comma (,), full stop (.), apostrophe comma (‘) can also effect communication process.
So, importance on correction & correct use of signs must be given in expressing of any message.
Sometime this type of problem can change the meaning of communication. And that would destroy our
communication goal.
III. Rush of Work:
In an organization, Top level manager/supervisor is busy with different work. They usually do work of
making decision, management etc. For this pressure of work there create a weak-bond between Top

5. level manager/supervisor & Employee/subordinate. And this weak relationship between supervisor &
subordinate can make barrier in communication process. For this, up-ward & down-ward
communication became weak & time-consuming. Up-ward communication means flow of information
from low-level employee of an organization to top-level managers & down-ward communication means
vice-versa.
IV. Unclarified Assumption:
 Communication information is not clear
 Both sender & receiver gain wrong idea of information
 They do misunderstanding
V. Fraudulence:
 To create wrong conception about someone
 Reporting against an honest man’s reputation
 Cheating with someone by personal misunderstanding