Communication is the exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to another.

It involves a sender transmitting an idea to a receiver. Effective communication occurs only if

the receiver understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to transmit.
Many of the problems that occur in an organization are the direct result of people failing to
communicate. Therefore, this academic essay will try to outline and explain the barrier to
effective communication.

According to Keyton (2011), communication is the process of transmitting information and

common understanding from one person to another.

Additionally, Koontz (2001) defined communication as the process of transferring information

from the sender to the receiver with the information understand by the receiver so as to produce
feed back to the sender.

On the other hand, Koontz (2001) defined communication barrier as anything that prevents us
from receiving and understanding the messages others use to convey their information, ideas
and thoughts. It can interfere with or block the message you are trying to send. In other words,
these are difficulties involved in the process of communication which distort the message being
properly understood by the receiver “barriers prevent the communication from being effective”.

One of the keys to a successful relationship is good communication. Therefore, communication

is a process of transferring information between two individuals, the sender and the receiver.
For communication to be a success, the receiver must understand the message that the sender
intended. Because communication is a complex, give-and-take process, breakdowns anywhere
in the cycle can block the transfer of understanding.

However, there are a number of barriers that interfere with effective communication. The
following are some of the barriers to effective communication.

One of the major barriers to communication is the physical barrier. Physical barriers are present
in the area surrounding the sender and receiver. Physical barriers include a work environment
that has a lot of background noise, poor lighting or unstable temperature. These barriers can
affect how individuals try to send and receive messages. If there is a lot of background noise
than the receiver may not hear what the sender is saying (Newstrom et al., 2008).

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Similarly, if the temperature in a work environment is too hot or too cold the sender may not be
as focused on the message that they are trying to send. If people in the work place are separated
by others, communication is not as effective. As long as people still have a personal space that
they can call their own, proximity to others aids communication because it helps us get to know
one another.

Lack of subject matter could be a barrier to effective communication. Abrell (2004) states that if
a person who sends a message lacks subject knowledge, they may not be able to convey their
message clearly and the receiver could misunderstand the message, thus affecting
communication. If the sender is not familiar with the subject content that he is trying to send,
then it may be too vague and the receiver may not receive relevant details.

Furthermore, the inability to converse in a language that is known by both the sender and
receiver is the greatest barrier to effective communication. Communication-type.com reports
that when a person uses inappropriate words while conversing or writing, it could lead to
misunderstanding between the sender and a receiver. If the sender doesn’t clearly speak the
same language as the receiver then they may be using words that do not make sense (Weiss,
2011).

Gill (2012) stipulates that emotions could be a barrier to effective communication. If you are
engrossed in your emotions for some reason, you tend to have trouble listening to others or
understanding the message conveyed to you. For instance, if someone is angry, resentful, happy
or excited, that person may be too preoccupied with emotions to receive the intended message.
Emotions mainly involve fear, mistrust and suspicion. Excessive fear of what others might think
of us and what we say can interfere with what we want to communicate and our ability to form
meaningful relationships.

Besides, Patrick (2009) asserts that another common cause of communication breakdown in a
workplace situation is people holding different attitudes, values and discrimination. An example
of this is differing perceptions people have of power and status. Some people may think that
they should treat people or be treated differently based on what they perceive as their status or
power within a workplace or in the community. If they think that managers and supervisors
have power over staff, for example, that they can allocate duties, reward, promote, or dismiss
staff, this may lead to barriers before the communication even takes place.
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Moreover, the behaviours like bias, generalizations and stereotyping can cause communication
barriers. Having these attitudes and not confronting them is not just wrong, it’s bad for
individuals. For instance, in the workplace, such attitudes can cost the organization time and
money.

Newstrom et al. (2008) points out that, stereotyping occurs when you assume we know
something about a person because of their cultural or social background. Our views may come
from a bias you may have against a particular behaviour, appearance, possession or even a
particular geographical area.

Notwithstanding, human memory cannot function beyond a limit. One cannot always retain all
the facts/information about what is being told to him/her especially if he/she is not interested or
not attentive. This leads to communication barrier or breakdown.

Psychological factors such as misperception, filtering, distrust, unhappy emotions, and people's
state of mind can jeopardize the process of effective communication. We all tend to feel happier
and more receptive to information when the sun shines. Similarly, if someone has personal
problems such as worries and stress about a chronic illness, it may impinge his/her
communication with others (Keyton, 2011).

According to Abrell (2004), another barrier to effective is cultural values and attitudes. Culture
shapes the way we think and behave. It can be seen as both shaping and being shaped by our
established patterns of communication. Cultural barrier to communication often arises when
individuals in one social group have developed different norms, values, or behaviors to
individuals associated with another group.

Cultural difference leads to difference in interest, knowledge, value, and tradition. Therefore,
people of different cultures will experience these culture factors as a barrier to communicate
with each other (Keyton, 2011).

Furthermore, individual linguistic ability may sometimes become a barrier to communication.

The use of difficult or inappropriate words in communication can prevent the people from
understanding the message. Poorly explained or misunderstood messages can also result in
confusion. The linguistic differences between the people can also lead to communication

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breakdown. The same word may mean differently to different individuals. Consequently,
communication breakdown occurs if there is wrong perception of the meaning of the message
by the receiver.

Often, time pressure may be a barrier to effective communication among individuals. For
example, in organization the targets have to be achieved within a specified time period, the
failure of which may have adverse consequences for the employee. In a haste to meet deadlines,
usually an employee tries to shorten the formal channels of communication that can lead to
confusion and misunderstanding among the various levels of supervisors, hence leading
distorted communication. Therefore, sufficient time should be given for effective
communication (Gill, 2012).

Lack of feedback is another barrier to effective communication. Abrell (2004) states that
feedback is the mirror of effective communication. Feedback mirrors what the sender has sent.
Without feedback, communication cannot be considered complete. Both the sender and the
receiver can play an active role in using feedback to make communication truly two-way. In
addition, faculty and staff tell their leaders that they want feedback. However, feedback
improperly given can impede communication rather than improve it.

Finally, if someone has awful experiences in the past related to some particular situation, then
he/she will try to avoid communication in that situation. For example, a staff nurse who, while
providing detailed information regarding the patient care at the time of routine clinical round to
her boss, is always facing negative body language and discouraging words from her boss will
ultimately limit her communication to the boss at that time.

In conclusion, we see that communication is the process of transmitting information and

common understanding from one person to another. However, a number of barriers retard
effective communication. These include; Lack of subject matter, emotions, holding different
attitudes, Psychological factors, Cultural difference, individual linguistic ability, time pressure,
inappropriate feedback, and awful experiences etc. Thus, effective communication is necessary
no matter what level or position you occupy.

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 REFERENCES

Abrell, R. (2004). Preventing Communication Breakdowns. Reston, VA: National

Association of Secondary School Principals.

Gill, H. (2012). Brilliant Communication Skills. Great Britain: Pearson Education.

Newstrom, J.W. & Devis, K. (2008). Organizational Behaviour. New Delhi: McGraw-Hill.

Keyton, J. (2011). Communication and Organizational Culture: A Key to Understanding

Work Experience. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Patrick, C. (2009). Speak with Power and Confidence. New York: Sterling Publisher.

Weiss, B. (2011). How to Understand Language in Communication: A philosophical inquiry.

Montreal, QUE: McGill University Press.

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