A barrier, in general, is something which stops or interprets the free flow of a process. Barrier in the process of communication results in misunderstandings leading to drastic consequences at times. Barriers in listening could be in two forms as:
Environmental or Physical Barrier-
A physical barrier is the environmental condition that acts as a barrier in the process of listening. This includes noise in any form or distance. Noise is any unwanted sound which causes a great disturbance and reduces the effectiveness of communication. It becomes difficult to pay attention in a noisy surrounding. When the speaker is speaking over a phone and there arises a problem in the network, it causes disturbances in the flow of communication. Similarly, unpleasant atmosphere or improper lighting creates uncomfortable feelings and disrupts the attention of the listener, thus acting as a barrier. Information overflow is another barrier which strains the listener from paying constant attention.
Psychological barrier or Cognitive Barrier-
A psychological barrier is the psychological influence or state of mind, which creates an obstacle and prevents the listener from paying attention to what is said. This noise that stems out from our psychological state of mind can impede the listening process. State of mind has a great impact in influencing the communication process. If a listener is not in a good state of mind or is angry, his listening and interpreting ability gets blurred. Hence whatever he listens is understood according to his mood, and thereby, he fails to take the message in its actual sense. Perception is the mindset of the person which decides the interpretation of a message.
Attitude is the established way of understanding, and this also depends on previous experience encountered with the concerned speaker. If we don’t have a cordial relationship with the speaker, obviously there arises a barrier in our mind which prevents us from paying attention to the speaker. This results in misunderstanding as the view of the person is already set. Some people tend to jump to conclusions without involving active listening or resort to selective listening. This ultimately lowers the morale of the speaker. Emotions such as anger, nervousness, restlessness, etc also have a role in listening and communication process.
Prejudice is another preconceived opinion or feeling, which is irrational and dangerous. A prejudiced person makes less effort to listen or understand. However, this barrier can be overcome by making a conscious effort to have control over one’s thoughts, by being in the present and respecting knowledge and skills of the person irrespective of their background.