Page 33 - AI Ver 1.0 Class 10
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Barriers to Effective Communication
There can be many barriers to effective communication. Sometimes the sender may not be using precise words
and content, so the message delivered to the receiver may not be clear. Sometimes the message is misinterpreted
or the feedback given by the receiver is not appropriate, thus leading to a gap in communication. Let us now study
in detail the possible barriers to effective communication.
Physical Barrier
Physical Barriers are due to geographical or environmental reasons. There are many factors in our surroundings
which hinder the smooth process of effective communication.
• Sometimes the noise of the traffic, music playing around, some machines in a factory, Air Conditioner or cooler
and other sounds may either interrupt the smooth delivery of the message or lose the interest of the receiver.
• If the temperature of the surrounding is either too hot or too cold, then the working environment will not be
comfortable.
• Sometimes, different time zones will create problems in connectivity as one person may be in his working time
zone and the other may be about to end his day or sleep or have dinner with his family.
• Sometimes, long-distance communication using e-mail, fax, telephonic conversation may not be functioning
properly due to bad weather or internet connectivity issues.
• Working environment may not be comfortable due to unhealthy surroundings, poor infrastructure, untrained
staff, etc. This also hinders the performance of the employees.
Linguistic Barrier
The inability to communicate using a language is known as a language barrier to communication. This inability
may be due to lack of common language, inefficiency to use the language since it is not a mother tongue or
speaking disability.
• An English person traveling to Japan will not be able to interact with Japanese if he doesn't know Japanese.
• Sometimes, people belonging to different places may be speaking the same language but have different
pronunciation, dialect, meaning and interpretation which may lead to miscommunication, thus altering the
overall process of communication.
• Sometimes, a specific organisation or industry uses certain technical words or symbolic words or jargons and
slangs which make it easy to communicate. If a new employee joins or is transferred to a new environment, then
the efficiency of the whole process may reduce due to lack of knowledge of these words.
• Some people may have language disabilities such as stuttering, dysphonia or hearing loss while others working
with these people in an organisation may be spontaneous and grasp things easily which creates a lot of difficulty
in communication.
Brainy Fact
There are an estimated 7,000 languages in the world today with Asia holding the title for the most
languages in one continent with 2,200.
Interpersonal Barrier
Lack of will to communicate, social anxiety, poor self-esteem, not being willing to talk or express feelings will lead
to interpersonal barriers to effective communication. The Change of thoughts, feelings, and emotional connection
plays a major role to reduce this type of barrier in communication.
Communication Skills-II 31

