.Social factors inhibiting communication

Barriers to communication

Barriers to CommunicationIn communication, as a psycho-semantic process, the word barrier implies, mainly something non-physical that keeps people apart or prevents activity, movement etc.

Negative forces may affect the effectiveness of communication by acting upon any or all of the basic elements of communication process

BarriersPoor communication skillsNoiseLack of planningWrong / unclarified assumptionsLanguage/Semantic problems (relating to words meaning)Cultural barriersSocio-psychological barriersEmotionsSelective perception FilteringInformation overloaded

Loss by transmissionPoor retentionPoor listeningInsufficient period for adjustmentGoal conflictsOffensive styleTime & distanceAbstracting Inferring (conclude)

Barriers - senderLack of planningVagueness about the purpose of communicationObjectives to be achievedChoice of wrong language, resulting in badly encoded messageUnshared & unclarified assumptionsDifferent perception of realityWrong choice of the channel

Barriers - ReceiverPoor listenerInattention MistrustLack of interestPremature evaluationSemantic difficulties

Bias / Lack of trustDifferent perception of realityAttitudinal clash with senderPhysical state

Common barrier both sender & receiverAbsence of a common frame of reference affecting smooth interpretation of thoughts, feelings and attitudes from the sender to the receiver in a specific social situation.

Poor communication skillsLack of writing & speaking skills prevents a person from framing the message properlyIt leads to misunderstandingNervousness and excitement make a persons speech incoherent

NoiseBlaring of loud speakersPoor telephone lineFaulty TV cableAdverse weather conditions interfering transmissionFaulty encodingInattention on the part of listenerFaulty decoding

Lack of PlanningNot properly organized/composedTransmitted through a wrongly chosen mediumWrong choice of timeWrong choice of place

Wrong & unclarified assumptions All communications are made under some assumptions, which are never communicatedThey may turn out wrong & cause communication failureE.g. we often assume that others See the situation as we doShould feel about the situation as we doThink about the matter as we doUnderstand the message as we understand it

All such assumptions may be incorrect. Hence one should try to verify whenever possible as it helps the communication to be effective

Language/Semantic ProblemsThe systematic study of transmission of meaning is semanticsAny problem arising from the expression/transmission of meaning is a semantic problem/barrierIt is of vital importance for the sender to encode his message in such a way that receiver decodes it to get the intended meaningOne must aim at simplicity and clarity to minimize the chances of different interpretations. Use of jargons should also be avoided

Cultural BarriersSame category of words, phrases, symbols, actions, colors mean different things to people of different countries/cultural backgroundsDifferent cultures have different norms and rulesUnderstanding the others culture facilitates cross-cultural communication

EmotionsEncoding and decoding of messages depends to quite some extent on ones emotional state at a particular timeExtreme emotions are likely to hinder effective communicationAnger is the worst enemy of communicationMessage received when one is angry is likely to be interpreted in a very different manner than when one is calm Stress may also lead to build negative emotions, further leading to communication breakdown

Selective PerceptionReceivers selectively see and hear depending upon their needs, motivations, background, experience and other personal characteristics

While decoding the messages they project their own interests and expectations

The fact is we do not see the reality, we interpret what we see and call it reality

FilteringFiltering is the process of reducing the details or unwanted things of a message

The sender manipulates information in such a way that it will be seen more favorably by the receiver

Information Overload

Results-fatigue, disinterest and boredomVery often relevant information gets mixed up with irrelevant details and therefore it is ignored by receiverScreening of information is necessaryMessages should be directed only to those people who are likely to benefit from the informationMajor points should be highlighted leaving out all irrelevant details

Loss by TransmissionWhen messages pass on from person to person in a series of transmissions they are likely to become less and less accurate.

They get diluted on the way

Poor ListeningPoor listening and hasty evaluation is a major problemThe reason is that mostly people are too much involved in their own problems We should keep our eyes, ears open, rise above our egos, empathize with others

Time & DistanceTimeThe frequency of communication encounters affects the human relationship

Different meetings and phone calls at wrong time, affect the communication

Wrong InferencesMore dramatic than facts and give scope for gossipInferences supported by facts are essential for professionals when they analyze material, solve problems and plan procedures

Barriers Socio - Psychological Perceptions are mental images of external work stored in our brain viewpoint, experience, knowledge, feelings & emotionsPerceptions constitute-What we areHow we thinkHow we feel orHow we respond to something

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