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.

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