Chapter 3 - Barriers to Effective Communication

Flashcards about barriers to effective communication based on lecture notes.

Communication Barriers

Interferences or obstacles that affect the transmission, understanding, and acceptance of ideas or information.

Three main causes for barriers in communication

Deficiencies of the sender, deficiencies of the listener, and inappropriate means of communication.

Classification of communication barriers

Sender-oriented, receiver-oriented, and channel-oriented.

Examples of sender-oriented barriers

Lack of planning, lack of clarity, improper choice of words, difference in perception, wrong choice of channel.

Examples of receiver-oriented barriers

Poor listening, lack of interest, difference in perception, biased attitude.

Examples of channel-oriented barriers

Noise, wrong selection of medium, technical defects.

Types of communication barriers

Physical/environmental, physiological, semantic/language, personal, emotional, socio-psychological, cultural, and organizational.

Examples of physical or environmental barriers

Distance, noise, breakdown of communication media, faulty mechanical equipment.

Noise (in communication)

A blanket term referring to environmental factors that limit sending and receiving messages.

How time and distance can obstruct communication

Time difference, working in different shifts, improper seating arrangement.

Example of wrong choice of medium

Using a PowerPoint presentation for uneducated factory workers.

How surroundings affect communication

Extreme weather conditions causing restlessness or laziness.

Inadequacy of message design

Use of poorly chosen words, long sentences, complex words, poor organization of ideas, use of jargon.

Physiological barriers

Related to a person’s health and fitness, affecting their physical capability to communicate.

Examples of physiological barriers

Stammering, defective hearing, hand injury, poor eyesight.

Semantic barriers

Barriers related to language, causing obstructions in understanding the message.

Common semantic barriers

Misinterpretation of words, use of technical language, vocabulary deficiency, multiple meanings of words.

Jargon

Technical language related to a profession.

Multiple meaning of words

When the same word has different meanings in different contexts, leading to miscommunication.

Personal barriers

Differences in personal and psychological makeup of individuals.

How attitudes and opinions create barriers

Assumptions, negative feelings, fear, lack of motivation.

Lack of self-confidence (as a barrier)

Lack of self-confidence on the part of the sender or receiver.

Emotional barriers

Barriers associated with sentiments and emotions.

Blocked mind

Considering only limited information and ignoring contradictory information.

Bias and prejudice

Closed-mindedness and reacting with anger.

Emotions (as a barrier)

Worry, excitement, fear, nervousness affecting the ability to organize the message.

Socio-psychological barriers

Similar to perceptual barriers.

Selective perception

Selectively seeing and hearing based on needs, motivations, experience, and expectations.

Status consciousness

Differences in status and power causing nervousness or reluctance to pass complete information.

Prejudices (as a barrier)

Not being open to discussions, new ideas, and viewpoints.

Halo Effect

Being too much in awe of or completely distrusting a speaker.

Physical appearance (as a barrier)

Receiver disliking the sender’s physical appearance, voice, or mannerisms.

Cultural Barriers

Culture shaping the way we think and behave, leading to communication differences.

Cultural differences

Developing different norms, values, or behaviors compared to individuals in another group.

Organisational barriers

Complex organizational structure and too many levels which lead to breakdown, distortion or delays in communication.

Complex organizational structure barrier

A complex organizational structure with long communication channels.

Distortion of communication failure

A complex organizational structure with long communication channels, subject to communication breakdown

Too many levels in the organization

As the message has to pass through many levels, there are chances of distortion, delays or total failure of the message.

Time and timeliness

Time pressures can be a serious obstacle as messages are hastily and inadequately communicated by managers.