The process of communication has multiple barriers. The intended communication will often be disturbed and distorted leading to a condition of misunderstanding and failure of communication. The barriers to effective communication could be of many types like linguistic, psychological, emotional, physical, cultural, etc. Below, we will discuss these types in detail-
Linguistic Barriers-
The language barrier is one of the main barriers that limit effective communication. Language is the most commonly employed tool of communication. The fact that each major region has its own language is another barrier to effective communication. Sometimes even a thick dialect may render the communication ineffective.
As per some estimates, the dialects of every two regions changes within a few kilometers. Even in the same workplace, different employees will have different linguistic skills. As a result, the communication channels that span across the organization would be affected by this. Thus, keeping this barrier in mind different considerations have to be made for different employees. Some of them are very proficient in a certain language, and others will be ok with these languages.
Psychological Barriers-
Various mental and psychological issues may be barriers to effective communication. Some people have stage fear, speech disorders, phobia, and depression. All of these conditions are very difficult to manage sometimes, and will most certainly limit the ease of communication.
Emotional Barriers-
The emotional capacity of a person determines the ease and comfort with which he/she can communicate. An emotionally mature person will be able to communicate effectively. On the other hand, people who let their emotions take over will face certain difficulties. A perfect mixture of emotions and facts is necessary for effective communication. Emotions like anger, frustration and humor can blur the decision-making capacities of a person and thus limit the effectiveness of communication.
Physical Barriers to Communication-
They are the most prominent barriers to effective communication. These barriers are mostly easily removable in principle at least. They include barriers like noise, closed doors, faulty equipment used for communication, closed cabins, etc. Sometimes, in a large offices physical separation between various employees combined with faulty equipment may result in severe barriers to effective communication.
Cultural Barriers-
As the world is getting more and more globalized, any large offices may have people from different parts of the world. Different cultures have a different meaning for several fundamental values of society. Dressing, religions or lack of them, food, drinks, pets, and general behavior change drastically from one culture to another.
Hence, it is a must that we must take these different cultures into account during communication. This is what we call being culturally appropriate. In many multinational companies, specialized courses are offered at the orientation stages that let people know about other cultures and how to be courteous and tolerant of others.
Organizational Structure Barriers-
As we saw, there are many methods of communication at an organizational level. Each of these methods has its problems and constraints that may become barriers to effective communication. Most of these barriers arise because of misinformation or lack of appropriate transparency available to the employees.
Attitude Barriers-
Certain people like to be left alone. They are the introverts or just people who are not very social. Others like to be social or sometimes extra clingy! Both these cases could become a barrier to communication. Some people have attitude issues, like huge ego and inconsiderate behaviors.