Overview
This lecture discusses the major barriers to effective communication, their types, examples, and how these obstacles can prevent the intended message from being understood.
Types of Communication Barriers
- Communication barriers block or distort messages, causing misunderstanding between sender and receiver.
- There are five major types: physical, semantic/language, social/psychological, cross-cultural, and organizational barriers.
Physical Barriers
- Physical barriers include noise, faulty equipment, poor office layout, time, distance, and information overload.
- Examples: loud construction, poor phone connections, broken devices, or insufficient lighting.
Semantic and Language Barriers
- Semantic (language) barriers arise from differences in language, dialects, vocabulary, or pronunciation.
- Misunderstandings occur from homophones (same sound), homonyms, homographs, or physical language disabilities.
Social and Psychological Barriers
- Social/psychological barriers include attitudes, emotions, status differences, inattention, closed-mindedness, distrust, and stereotypes.
- Emotions like fear, anger, and stress negatively affect communication; status consciousness can discourage lower-status individuals from speaking up.
Cross-Cultural Barriers
- Cross-cultural barriers stem from differences in values, customs, language, non-verbal cues, and stereotypes.
- Gestures or words may have different meanings in other cultures, leading to misunderstandings or prejudice.
Organizational Barriers
- Organizational barriers result from unclear roles, complex hierarchies, inefficient structures, lack of facilities, and filtered communication.
- Issues like unclear reporting lines, physical separation, or missing communication tools hinder message delivery.
Sample Scenarios and Barriers
- Lack of confidence: social/psychological barrier.
- Poor lighting: physical barrier.
- Not talking to a superior: organizational barrier.
- Differences in customs: cross-cultural barrier.
- Disagreement over word meanings: semantic/language barrier.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Communication Barrier — Anything that blocks or distorts the intended message between sender and receiver.
- Physical Barrier — Environmental or technical obstacles affecting message transmission.
- Semantic Barrier — Problems arising from language differences or meanings.
- Social/Psychological Barrier — Emotional or mental factors that hinder communication.
- Cross-Cultural Barrier — Misunderstandings due to cultural differences.
- Organizational Barrier — Issues within an organization’s structure or process that impede communication.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Reflect on strategies to overcome communication barriers.
- Be prepared to share your answers or examples on overcoming barriers as a class activity or assignment.