barriers effective communication yousef almulla

Yousef AlMulla 2008 YAM

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Miscommunication happens!

In any communication at least some of the "meaning" lost in simple transmission of a message from the sender to the

receiver.

In many situations a lot of the true message is lost and the message that is heard is often far different than the one

intended.

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Miscommunication happens!

The key point is that everything you do during the communication process is sending a message to your

employees.

As a result, there are countless opportunities for miscommunication and confusion, particularly as the

messages go through your employees filter mechanisms.

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Types of Barriers

Interpersonal Barriers

Organizational Barriers

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Perception and perceptual selection processes Semantics (language) Channel selection Inconsistent verbal and nonverbal communication.

Interpersonal barriers

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Interpersonal Barriers Perception

Communication depends on our perception, or how we perceive people, their motives, and intentions. We consciously and unconsciously choose from streams of sensory data, we concentrate on some bits, and we ignore others. We call this process "perceptual selection". Perceptual selection affects what we hear and how we hear it, and whether and how we are willing to respond (Buchanan and Huczynski, 1997).

Perceptual Biases: People attend to stimuli in the environment in very different ways. We each have shortcuts that we use to organize data. Invariably, these shortcuts introduce some biases into communication. Some of these shortcuts include stereotyping, projection, and self-fulfilling prophecies. Stereotyping is one of the most common. This is when we assume that the other person has certain characteristics based on the group to which they belong without validating that they in fact have these characteristics.

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Interpersonal Barriers Perception

Interpersonal Relationships: How we perceive communication is affected by the past experience with the individual. Perception is also affected by the organizational relationship two people have. For example, communication from a superior may be perceived differently than that from a subordinate or peer

Assumptions-eg. assuming others see situation same as you, has same feelings as you affects the communication.

Receiver distortion: selective hearing, ignoring non-verbal cues.

How to minimize this barrier?

improve our self-awareness of our own values, beliefs, and attitudes and how they affect our perception; and also improve our understanding of, and sensitivity to, others. Examples include recommendations to avoid stereotyping and to improve listening skills. While this advice helps minimize the barrier, it is primarily sender-focused; i.e. it is the supplier of information who is to be more aware and empathic.

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Interpersonal Barriers Semantics/ Language:

Semantics is the study of the meaning of words or other symbols. Typically, we view semantics as a barrier to effective communication in organizations because words can be used imprecisely, inaccurately, or may mean different things to different people.

The choice of words or language in which a sender encodes a message will influence the quality of communication.

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pay careful attention to the choice of words and language so that confusion or offence is avoided.

Interpersonal Barriers Semantics/ Language:

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Interpersonal Barriers Channel Selection

When improving communication in organizations, attention is rightfully given to how to send the message, or the selection of a channel (oral or written media). Selecting a channel that does not fit the message can lead to a breakdown in communication.

For example, we know that emotional or complex messages are usually most effectively communicated face-to-face.

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To date, research has shown that matching characteristics of the message (how clear vs ambiguous, how rational vs emotional, and how routine vs non-routine) to the channel can improve the effectiveness of communication. A complicated message should be sent through a "rich" channel, such as a face-to-face meeting (e.g. Lengel and Daft, 1988).

Interpersonal Barriers Channel Selection

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Interpersonal Barriers Inconsistent verbal and non-verbal communication

We often find in organizations that inconsistent verbal and non-verbal communication can lead to a communication breakdown. Inconsistency confuses a receiver who tries to figure out the "true" message of the sender and then relies heavily on the non-verbal actions to decode meaning.

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Minimize any inconsistencies between words and manner of speaking, facial expressions, and posture.

Interpersonal Barriers Inconsistent verbal and non-verbal communication

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Organizational Barriers

Physical distractions Information overload Time pressure Technical and in-group language Status differences Task and organization structure requirements Absence of formal communication channels

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Organizational Barriers Physical distractions

Physical distractions in organizations include interruptions, noise, and equipment breakdowns. The reality of organizational life is that at best we can try to minimize distractions instead of eliminating them altogether.

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advise supervisors to minimize these distractions whenever possible.

Organizational Barriers Physical distractions

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Organizational Barriers Information overload

Information overload can be a by-product of the sheer volume of information and data that managers deal with on a daily basis. A large part of a manager's job is information-processing (Mintzberg, 1973). One off-cited study has estimated that managers spend up to 80 per cent of every day communicating (Luthans and Larsen, 1986).

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Reduce the amount of information that requires processing or to develop time-management skills to cope with higher amounts.

Organizational Barriers Information overload

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Organizational Barriers Time pressure

Time pressure is another barrier to communication that is ever-present in organizations. We have advised managers to recognize that the timing of a message can affect whether the message influences the receiver in the way intended.

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Recommend sensitivity to organizational time periods. Select the best time when you communicate important messages.

Organizational Barriers Time pressure

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Organizational Barriers Technical and in-group language

Technical and in-group language is another barrier to communication in organizations, particularly when organizational subunits are highly differentiated or when organizational members are highly professionalized. Technical and professional vocabularies make it hard for one individual or group to communicate with another.

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have prescribed recognizing and minimizing specialist vocabularies whenever possible.

Simplify terms and consider the technical level when communicating.

Organizational Barriers Technical and in-group language

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Organizational Barriers Status differences

Status differences can be large or small in an organization. Large status differences are thought to contribute to problems with communication.

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Advocate minimizing status differences with the responsibility on the higher status person to reduce the distance (Hunt, 1985).

Organizational Barriers Status differences

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Organizational Barriers Task and organization structure requirements

Task and organization structure requirements can

provide barriers to effective communication. The tasks people perform will affect who talks to whom, the urgency and speed of messages, and what information people need to share. As a direct consequence of hierarchy, we can find filtering (intentionally or unintentionally leaving out parts of a message), distortion (to serve individual goals), and refusal to communicate (either because of oversight or deliberately not sharing information) (Hunt, 1980).

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Use structural devices such as multifunctional teams, task forces, or integrating supervisors, or decentralize decision making and access to information so that authority is aligned with responsibility.

Organizational Barriers Task and organization structure requirements

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Organizational Barriers Absence of formal communication channels

When there is an absence of formal communication channels, it is difficult to get information from employee to manager, from manager to employee, from subunit to subunit, and from customer to supplier. In organizations we need channels to transmit information about performance, goals and goal achievement, procedures and practices, and to foster coordination and problem solving across the organizational boundaries.

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Develop many ways to improve upward communication (e.g. suggestion systems, performance reports, attitude surveys), downward communication (e.g., videos, newsletters, briefings and meetings) and horizontal communication (e.g. electronic networks and intranets, and quality circles).

Organizational Barriers Absence of formal communication channels

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Internal Noise

These are the internal noise going on in your own head that can distract you and distort what you are saying and hearing including your expectations, biases, wandering mind, or attention focused on other matters.

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When you are communicating with your employees, the best approach is to give them your undivided attention.

Internal Noise They are also the internal noise of the people with whom

you are communicating (can be detected by their questions, their distracted appearance, or their off-target comments.)

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When this occurs, run a reality check to find out what the blockages may be. The best way to do this is to ask a few questions based on what you are observing, such as, Have I missed something?. By focusing the question on your own actions, you make it much easier for your employee to answer honestly.

Depending upon what you learn from your positive questioning approach, you can then adjust your comments to increase the likelihood of having real two-way communication.

The Johari Window

The open (public) area contains things that are openly known and talked about - and which may be seen as strengths or weaknesses. This is the self that we choose to share with others

The blind area contains things that others observe that we don't know about. Again, they could be positive or negative behaviors, and will affect the way that others act towards us.

The unknown area contains things that nobody knows about us - including ourselves. This may be because we've never exposed those areas of our personality, or because they're buried deep in the subconscious.

The hidden (private) area contains aspects of our self that we know about and keep hidden from others.

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References

Several Internet Resources in Effective Communication

Employee Communication & Surveys http://www.employee-communication.com.au/index.jsp

Using vision to improve organizational communication (An Emerald Article by Dawn Kelly) http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/01437730010318183

Be the Boss Your Employees Deserve (A book by Ken Lloyd) http://www.box.net/shared/uhu990qeji

The Importance of Effective Communication (Research by HRD Specialist Edward G. Wertheim) http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/commun.htm#introd#introd

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