The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
Communication is something that can help organizations takes a step closer to the achievement of their goals, and it can also keep organizations from achieving what needs to be achieved. This is why many organizations these days develop programs to help improve communication in the workplace. Barriers to effective communication could cause roadblocks in your professional and personal life and it could be one of the major hurdles in achieving your professional goals. Many social psychologists opine that there is 50% to 70% loss of meaning while conveying the messages from a sender to a receiver[/i][/b]. They estimate there are four basic places where communication could be interpreted wrongly. A few barriers of effective communication in an organization are given below.
The most common barrier is the physical barriers in an organization include large working areas that are physically separated from others.
Inability to converse in a language that is known by both the sender and receiver is the greatest barrier to effective communication.
Your emotions could be a barrier to communication if you are engrossed in your emotions for some reason.
The receiver could misunderstand his message, and this could lead to a barrier to effective communication.
When a person is under immense stress, he may find it difficult to understand the message, leading to communication distortion.
Communication barriers may be categorized as follows:
Assumptions about you -- Do I really have something to offer?
Is it safe for me to offer suggestions?
Do I really want to share the information?
Will others really understand?
How will the communication affect my self-esteem?
Attitudes about the message itself -- Is the information valuable?
Do I see the information correctly or understand it well enough to describe it to others? Is it organized?
Our minds organize this stream of sensation into a mental map that represents our perception or reality. In no case is the perception of a certain person the same as the world itself, and no two maps are identical. As you view the world, your mind absorbs your experiences in a unique and personal way. Filtering is screening out before a message is passed on to someone else. In business, the filters between you and your receiver are many; secretaries, assistants, receptionists, answering machines, etc. To overcome filtering barriers, try to establish more than one communication channel, eliminate as many intermediaries as possible, and decrease distortion by condensing message information to the bare essentials.
Filtering is screening out before a message is passed on to someone else. In business, the filters between you and your receiver are many; secretaries, assistants, receptionists, answering machines, etc. Those same gatekeepers may also 'translate' your receiver's ideas and responses before passing them on to you. To overcome filtering barriers, try to establish more than one communication channel, eliminate as many intermediaries as possible, and decrease distortion by condensing message information to the bare essentials.
In this way, every person who is part of the organization is able to understand and appreciate the idea of effective communication.
Perception is generally how each individual interprets the world around him. All generally want to receive messages which are significant to them. But any message which is against their values is not accepted. A same event may be taken differently by different individuals. For example : A person is on leave for a month due to personal reasons. The HR Manager might be in confusion whether to retain that employee or not, the immediate manager might think of replacement because his team’s productivity is being hampered, the family members might take him as an emotional support. Often in organization the targets have to be achieved within a specified time period, the failure of which has adverse consequences. In a haste to meet deadlines, the formal channels of communication are shortened, or messages are partially given, i.e., not completely transferred. Thus sufficient time should be given for effective communication.