Barriers in Communication

Prof Aparna Rao

25-06-12

FEATURES OF COMMUNICATION Dynamic: Constantly changing Continuous: You cannot ‘not’ communicate Two-way/circular: Never one way Unrepeatable: Same message, same sender can

have different meanings for different listeners Irreversible: Once said… Complex: Multiple cycles, multiple processes at

one time

© Copyright McGraw-Hill. All rights reserved.

15–3

Communication Skills for Managers Barriers to Effective Communication

Messages that are unclear, incomplete, difficult to understand

Messages sent over the an inappropriate medium

Messages with no provision for feedback Messages that are received but ignored Messages that are misunderstood Messages delivered through automated

systems that lack the human element

21st Century Workplace Challenges & Demands

Present workplace Multi-cultural Multiple time zones Languages People Technology Expectations – Knowledge workers Communication

Cultural Differences Global Village – Internet, Skype,

Technology, time zone barriers Not necessary, but useful to be multi-

lingual Accent Neutralization Barriers built in from childhood – mindset –

‘not my fault’ / ‘am so strong’ Mindset evolving towards projection Multi-ethnic

Types of Barriers Physical Psycho-social Cultural Linguistic Semantic Body Language

Physical BarriersPhysical Barriers Challenges of multi-tasking - Man, by nature, not wired

for this Speed of thinking, talking, typing – 200 wpm, 80 wpm,

40 wpm -Deficit Word pickers – During a talk/conversation one word

may trigger a feeling of ‘I know what’s coming’ Concentration time – Linkages – miss the talk, snap

back with change of inflection/tone etc Medium Interference – in communication, eating,

driving, talking on the cellphone while walking on the road/public travel, texting in class…

Cultural Differences The result of U.S. warning to Japan for

unconditional surrender - an ambiguous ‘mokusatu’ – meaning ‘to kill with silence’

Tokyo radio used the word, saying the government would mokusato the declaration and fight on…The English translation became ‘reject’ and the President took it as a rebuff. The result?

Egyptian pilots radioed (in English) their intention to land at an airbase on Cyprus, and the Greek traffic controllers reportedly responded with silence, indicating refusal

The Egyptians’ interpretation of this silence – assent

The outcome? Lives lost…

Cultural Differences Assuming Similarity -Danish Woman with baby

in the US Assuming Difference – Urban/rural;

Eastern/Western/South/North etc. Eye Contact – Critical – Differences in stare,

gaze, lecherous look, business look … Gestures – Thumbs up, Victory sign –

meanings Basic unwritten rule to follow – no

assumptions, no judgments; ‘Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see’

Linguistic Differences Language, Culture & Body Language – inter-

twined E.g. English – You; Yes, yeah Indian languages – Aap, Tum, tu; words

describing relationships – cousin, aunt, mausera bhai, chachera bhai, mausi, chachi, maami etc.

Word bai – in Hindi and Marathi When disrespect is perceived, the message is

lost in the emotional thought process over the disrespect

Semantic Differences French Lemonade – cannot be launched with

the same name in English speaking countries Japanese brand of cold drink Argentinian curry powder - Poo German drink Portugal tuna – Atum bumCommunication is about making meaning…

make sure you communicate what you are meant to

The intended outcome of the message should be clear to sender and receiver

Psycho-Social Barriers

Status Horns/Halo Effect Allness & Closed Mind Resistance to Change Unclarified Assumption Different Perceptions

Organizational Barriers

Communication Relationship Satisfaction Extent to which available information meets

task-related and general information needs of employees in an organization

Perceptions of Justice – Distributive, Procedural & interactional Justice

Evaluated by 4 aspects of communication in an organization – with immediate superiors, peers, top management & overall communication within the organization

Justice – Multi dimensional Construct Distributional Justice – Fairness of the outcome of

the process Procedural – Fairness perceived in the policies,

procedures and criteria followed in the process Interactional – perceptions about the manner of

treatment of people

Premises & Survey Findings There is a positive correlation between CRS

and all facets of organizational communication CRS and top management would provide

strong predictions for distributive and procedural justice

CRS with immediate supervisor is a predictor for interactional justice

Necessary to ensure that messages are routed through communication channels

•PERCEPTUAL BARRIERS

•CONTENT BARRIERS Content Known/Unknown, Disinterest

•PERSONAL BARRIERS Poor Listening/ Thinking of response

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

•ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIERS Light/Air/Noise/Ventilation/Interruption

•LINGUISTIC BARRIERS Language/Semantics/Tone/Delivery Style

•PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS Frustrated/Anxiety/Anger/Status

•PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS Brain-Tongue Speed/ Unwell

Language Barriers

'Ici on parle Anglais'...

'Ici on se rit de votre francais.'

('We speak English here'...

'We laugh at your French here')

What Kind of Barriers Do You See Here?

Types of Barriers Interpersonal – Takes into account uniqueness of individuals

due to age, perceptions, experiences, education, culture, personality – interpretation differs – e.g.???

Causes – Wrong assumptions, varied perceptions, wrong inferences, differing background, blocked categories

Prevent or overcome – ‘You’ attitude, audience oriented choice of words, technical words to be explained, avoid oversimplification

Prevent or Overcome Organizational Barriers

Keep receiver in mind Open communication environment Avoid too many transfer stations Avoid communication when emotionally

disturbed Be aware of diversity in culture, language etc. Use appropriate non-verbal cues Select most suitable medium Analyse feedback

Additional Reading

http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/effective_communication_barriers_and_strategies.html - Strategies

http://www.radford.edu/~kvharring/docs/HRMDocs/5comm.pdf - Communication across cultural barriers

http://healthadmin.jbpub.com/Borkowski/chapter4.pdf - Workplace Communication

http://www.diversity-matters.net/publications-gestures.pdf - Gestures

http://www.languagetrainers.co.uk/blog/2007/09/24/top-10-hand-gestures/ - Hand gestures to avoid

www.vikalpa.com/pdf/articles/2010/page-vol-35-55-65.pdf

Thank You