Communication gaps

Communication gap is a very grave situation since it involves detachment from the society in terms of interaction. This occurs because one isn't able to relate to the other or doesn't have the cognition to understand what the opposite person is trying to tell.

There can also be the fear factor to relate with a person of a higher position or stature to whom one feels down or cannot face.
People from some cultures don't trust information that comes directly from a manager, for example, preferring that the word comes instead from a leader of the employee group, a headman, or shop foreman.

Some workers don't feel comfortable being singled out for praise in front of the entire employee group—a typical way to dish out praise in the U.S. For these workers, quiet praise in a private office is much preferred.

Keep in mind that the best way to bridge the communication gap is to set a good example, says Miller. "Do not wait for them to come through the open door, go to them. Ask them about their concerns and questions. Nothing is more credible than setting the example. An open door goes both ways."

The ability to quickly connect and build bridges with people of different cultures is increasingly becoming a specialized and desired skill in the world of business as companies look to innovate around the world.

 

[nehagandhi]

Re: Communication barriers

There are various barriers in communication which hamper the smooth flow of information from the sender to the receiver.
An important barrier to effective communication is NOISE.It is a disturbance in the environment which is mainly caused by external factors.Eg:If we are trying to communicate with somebody over the phone and there is a music system being played in our immediate neighbourhood,the noise made by the music system will be a hurdle in our conversation and the message may be misinterpreted.
A POOR PRINTOUT or a bad handwriting also disrupt the smooth flow of written communication as the receiver cannot make out the meaning of the message properly from the print out.
FILTERING in communication is a bottleneck as in filtering,the message passes through various channels and the information of the message is manipulated.
SELECTIVE PERCEPTIONS on part of the sender or receiver also hamper the process of communication,because here,either party believes only what he wants to believe.They dont not pay proper heed to whatever
either of them has to say.
WRONG CHOICE OF MEDIUM is also a barrier as there are certain messages which require a particular medium but due to use of improper medium,the message is not communicated well.
POOR RETENTION-Human memory is such that people tend to forget this and so a person cannot retain an oral message for a long time.So,for proper retention of the message,i should be in written form.

These were a few barriers to effective communication,the removal of which will make it easier for the information to flow in a smooth manner.