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Barriers in Communication
Prof Aparna Rao
25-06-12
FEATURES OF COMMUNICATION Dynamic: Constantly changing Continuous: You cannot ‘not’ communicate Two-way/circular: Never one way Unrepeatable: Same message, same sender can
have different meanings for different listeners Irreversible: Once said… Complex: Multiple cycles, multiple processes at
one time
© Copyright McGraw-Hill. All rights reserved.
15–3
Communication Skills for Managers Barriers to Effective Communication
Messages that are unclear, incomplete, difficult to understand
Messages sent over the an inappropriate medium
Messages with no provision for feedback Messages that are received but ignored Messages that are misunderstood Messages delivered through automated
systems that lack the human element
21st Century Workplace Challenges & Demands
Present workplace Multi-cultural Multiple time zones Languages People Technology Expectations – Knowledge workers Communication
Cultural Differences Global Village – Internet, Skype,
Technology, time zone barriers Not necessary, but useful to be multi-
lingual Accent Neutralization Barriers built in from childhood – mindset –
‘not my fault’ / ‘am so strong’ Mindset evolving towards projection Multi-ethnic
Types of Barriers Physical Psycho-social Cultural Linguistic Semantic Body Language
Physical BarriersPhysical Barriers Challenges of multi-tasking - Man, by nature, not wired
for this Speed of thinking, talking, typing – 200 wpm, 80 wpm,
40 wpm -Deficit Word pickers – During a talk/conversation one word
may trigger a feeling of ‘I know what’s coming’ Concentration time – Linkages – miss the talk, snap
back with change of inflection/tone etc Medium Interference – in communication, eating,
driving, talking on the cellphone while walking on the road/public travel, texting in class…
Cultural Differences The result of U.S. warning to Japan for
unconditional surrender - an ambiguous ‘mokusatu’ – meaning ‘to kill with silence’
Tokyo radio used the word, saying the government would mokusato the declaration and fight on…The English translation became ‘reject’ and the President took it as a rebuff. The result?
Egyptian pilots radioed (in English) their intention to land at an airbase on Cyprus, and the Greek traffic controllers reportedly responded with silence, indicating refusal
The Egyptians’ interpretation of this silence – assent
The outcome? Lives lost…
Cultural Differences Assuming Similarity -Danish Woman with baby
in the US Assuming Difference – Urban/rural;
Eastern/Western/South/North etc. Eye Contact – Critical – Differences in stare,
gaze, lecherous look, business look … Gestures – Thumbs up, Victory sign –
meanings Basic unwritten rule to follow – no
assumptions, no judgments; ‘Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see’
Linguistic Differences Language, Culture & Body Language – inter-
twined E.g. English – You; Yes, yeah Indian languages – Aap, Tum, tu; words
describing relationships – cousin, aunt, mausera bhai, chachera bhai, mausi, chachi, maami etc.
Word bai – in Hindi and Marathi When disrespect is perceived, the message is
lost in the emotional thought process over the disrespect
Semantic Differences French Lemonade – cannot be launched with
the same name in English speaking countries Japanese brand of cold drink Argentinian curry powder - Poo German drink Portugal tuna – Atum bumCommunication is about making meaning…
make sure you communicate what you are meant to
The intended outcome of the message should be clear to sender and receiver
Psycho-Social Barriers
Status Horns/Halo Effect Allness & Closed Mind Resistance to Change Unclarified Assumption Different Perceptions
Organizational Barriers
Communication Relationship Satisfaction Extent to which available information meets
task-related and general information needs of employees in an organization
Perceptions of Justice – Distributive, Procedural & interactional Justice
Evaluated by 4 aspects of communication in an organization – with immediate superiors, peers, top management & overall communication within the organization
Justice – Multi dimensional Construct Distributional Justice – Fairness of the outcome of
the process Procedural – Fairness perceived in the policies,
procedures and criteria followed in the process Interactional – perceptions about the manner of
treatment of people
Premises & Survey Findings There is a positive correlation between CRS
and all facets of organizational communication CRS and top management would provide
strong predictions for distributive and procedural justice
CRS with immediate supervisor is a predictor for interactional justice
Necessary to ensure that messages are routed through communication channels
•PERCEPTUAL BARRIERS
•CONTENT BARRIERS Content Known/Unknown, Disinterest
•PERSONAL BARRIERS Poor Listening/ Thinking of response
BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
•ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIERS Light/Air/Noise/Ventilation/Interruption
•LINGUISTIC BARRIERS Language/Semantics/Tone/Delivery Style
•PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS Frustrated/Anxiety/Anger/Status
•PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS Brain-Tongue Speed/ Unwell
Language Barriers
'Ici on parle Anglais'...
'Ici on se rit de votre francais.'
('We speak English here'...
'We laugh at your French here')
What Kind of Barriers Do You See Here?
Types of Barriers Interpersonal – Takes into account uniqueness of individuals
due to age, perceptions, experiences, education, culture, personality – interpretation differs – e.g.???
Causes – Wrong assumptions, varied perceptions, wrong inferences, differing background, blocked categories
Prevent or overcome – ‘You’ attitude, audience oriented choice of words, technical words to be explained, avoid oversimplification
Prevent or Overcome Organizational Barriers
Keep receiver in mind Open communication environment Avoid too many transfer stations Avoid communication when emotionally
disturbed Be aware of diversity in culture, language etc. Use appropriate non-verbal cues Select most suitable medium Analyse feedback
Additional Reading
http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/effective_communication_barriers_and_strategies.html - Strategies
http://www.radford.edu/~kvharring/docs/HRMDocs/5comm.pdf - Communication across cultural barriers
http://healthadmin.jbpub.com/Borkowski/chapter4.pdf - Workplace Communication
http://www.diversity-matters.net/publications-gestures.pdf - Gestures
http://www.languagetrainers.co.uk/blog/2007/09/24/top-10-hand-gestures/ - Hand gestures to avoid
www.vikalpa.com/pdf/articles/2010/page-vol-35-55-65.pdf
Thank You