Lecture 3: BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Cards (23)

    1. BARRIERS THAT INVOLVE WORDS
    Semantic Noise.
    Disorganized Messages.
    Information Overload.
  • Semantic Noise occurs when a receiver experiences confusion over the meaning of a source’s word choice.
  • One of the common reasons why we misunderstand each other is when we become too technical in language use.
  • If we have an area of expertise and we use its excessively technical vocabulary, all those jargons can cause a real barrier.
  • We have to remember to speak in everyday language to connect with people in a more natural way.
  • Aside from special jargon and unique word usage, words/phrases from foreign languages (rendezvous, alta sociedad), mispronunciation (gerund, purposive, cupboard, Arkansas, southern), and euphemism (passed away instead of died, sanitation engineer instead of janitor) could also result to semantic noise.
  • Disorganized Messages. If you are talking in a stream of consciousness and end up being incoherent, it is going to be very hard for people to follow. So instead, give an orderly presentation of ideas and always apply conciseness. (Boiling hot, the secretary served coffee VS The secretary served boiling hot coffee)
  • Information Overload. If someone is talking to you for an extended period and it just gets overwhelming, it’s very hard to keep track of every bit of information. Take lots of short talking turns and bounce the conversation back and forth with occasional checking in. That way, there will be much more opportunity to clarify if anything needs to be clarified.
  • Physical barriers in communication can be categorized as the condition of the person or physiological barriers and environmental barriers which are Time, Place, Space, Climate, and Noise.
  • Physical barriers in communication can be overcome by using appropriate communication strategies.
  • Environmental barriers in communication can be overcome by using appropriate communication strategies.
  • 3. TECH BARRIERS
    This has fully evolved into a varied and commonly encountered category of interferences. While using technology, there are barriers that make the process of communication complex. When audio quality is poor or video signals are weak, the message may not clearly reach the target group.
    Erratic power supply and device-related glitches are also under this type of barriers
  • 4. PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
    Psychological barriers are due to the emotional character and mental limitations of human beings. These barriers result into absent-mindedness, the fear of expressing one’s ideas to others, overexcitement, and emotional instability — all accounting to an overwhelming number of communication problems.
  • An attitude is a pre-learned disposition that can be linked closely to a person’s beliefs and values system.
  • Whether your attitude is positive or negative, it can influence the communication process.
  • When your religious or political views are being threatened, you are likely to react emotionally instead of listening attentively to the message.
  • A negative self-image can cause fearful thoughts, such as judging oneself as not intelligent enough to understand the message.
  • An apathetic communicator creates a barrier due to a lack of emotion or interest in what is being sent or received.
  • Apathy causes communication to break down because it interrupts effective listening.
  • An emotional communicator is unable to organize messages properly, for example, a nervous presenter keeps on repeating the same words and expresses his blurred thoughts with gesticulations.
  • An angry person does not understand that the message he wants to convey is ruled by uncontrolled emotion and he is misdirected as the emotion makes him turn a blind eye to reason.
  • Anyone who comes across an irritated person becomes a victim of his unfocused negative emotions.
  • The perplexed, nervous, and excited states of mind never allow smooth flow of communication.