Barriers.

Obstacles of communication Process

Communication $ effective communication process:
The successful occurrence of any communication event is possible when all the seven elements of communication process should not only be present but they should be working properly as well. Due to some problems with any of the element communication process is not completed or is not effective. These problems are usually referred to barriers obstacles, hurdles at communication or effect the communication process.

1. Physiological Barriers:
These barriers are caused due to some problems with either the source or receiver elements of communication process e.g if the source is handicapped in encoding his/her thoughts or the receiver is having some physical impairment to decode the communication message, it is because if these barriers. The person who are mad, deaf and dumb, blind or without hands or legs. The people who are victims of these impairment are said to be physiological barriers. Due to these barriers simple communication process is not completed. These are the barriers of simple communication process and are caused due to some problems with the channel element of communication process E.g Suppose you are sitting in front of your T.V set (channel) to watch the speech (message) of the president (source) of Pakistan who has already get his speech recorded (encoding) in the T.V studio. Now when at the given time if the T.V screens become black due to load shedding, then its problem is because of physical barriers. Similarly if being as a source of a communication event you encode your thoughts in the form of a letter (message) you addressed that letter to your desired receiver and posted it to the channel at post office. Now if the post man due to negligence on his part dropped that letter away in spite of conveying it to the desired receiver, there would be no communication. ___naming of telecommunication signals are its another example of such barriers.

How can we overcome physical barriers?

Professional communicators suggest the redundancy method to overcome such barriers. This method is referred to repeating a message again & again to the desired receiver.

Psychological Barriers:
Occur due to some problem with encoding or decoding elements of communication process.

There barriers usually do not disturb the simple communication process rather they do not let a communication event to be effective. There are number of examples of psychological barriers some of them are given below. Customs, Culture patterns, value systems, habits etc. A message communicated to the receiver and that message is not compatible with the culture values and habits would not able to generate positive feedback e.g the campaign of controlling population or family planning is not getting desired results because its messages are not according to the religious values of Pakistan.

Types of Barriers 2. Physical barriers:

i) Noise It interferes with the transmission of the signals. It also refers to the unwanted signals of messages, which interferes and disturbs the reception of unwanted signals. This disturbance is usually in the form of sounds, but it need not to be always the sounds. It can be in audio, visuals, written or psychological form also. ii) Distance The distance between the race and communication can be a strong barrier to communication if the technical devices of communication such as telephone are out of order. iii) Time The frequency of communication counters affects the human relationships and the intensity of human relationship is affected by the amount of time that passes between these encounters. If the employee does not communicate with their superiors for a long time or if husband or wife do not talk with each other for a long time it may create communication gap between them which may affect their relationship. Time can act as a barrier in communication in other ways also e.g if a guest who arrives at midnight will not be able to communicate well with host who might feel disturb in his sleep. Time will not allow to communicate to talk to each other if they work in different ships.

3. Language Barriers
i) Difference of common language: It becomes a communication barrier if either the source or receiver of communication event belongs to two different set of language. ii) Semantic Barrier:

Words are said to no meaning but they represent arbitrary meanings associated with them. A word may have variety of meanings and the meanings attached to the word by the communicator may not be the same as that of the receiver associated meanings of that word e.g word light, chair. iii) Poor Vocabulary, Grammar & Expressions: Poor vocabulary makes our message more difficult and less effective. Similarly poor knowledge of grammar is a barrier to verbal communication. A good vocabulary is useless unless the communicator has knowledge of how to use it in a sentence. So handsome amount of words & proper knowledge of Grammar makes your expression improve effective.

4. Psychological Barrier
These are many in number some are given below. i) Customs, traditions, values, cultures, habits, value system of a society: A communication event would never be able to get positive feedback if message of such communication is not compatible with the local culture, values, beliefs, traditions etc. ii) Expression: Message will not be effective if it is not in accordance with situation e.g if you tell some of your friend about recent rise in your salary but in a sad manner or you inform some of your friend about and untimely death in your family but in a very pleasant mood the other person who not be able to judge how response. iii) Taste: It is again a barrier of effective communication. A communication event may not be effective if the taste of receivers is not compatible with the taste of source e.g girls students are less responsive in communication events regarding the issues of national politics and international relations. iv) Cognitive dissonance: Sometimes we are having one very long operation on a issue & we are unable to choose on out of them at that time we become victim of cognitive dissonance & it acts as a barrier of effective communication. If we opt 2nd opinion against a communication event that happened earlier. Suppose you go to a doctor who prescribes that you should be giving up smoking as it causes different types of cancers & heart diseases. You agree with the doctor but dont give up in actual because of having another opinion from friend who claims that whose grandfather is smoking since childhood & is healthy and alive. v) Frame of reference/ difference of perception: It is a barrier of effective communication, in frame of reference we perceive the things and it is constructed because of the environment of different factors including origin, race, religion, age, education, social, status etc. vi) Field of experience:

It is a barrier of effective communication in a way that if the source of communication event is having different field of experience compared to the receivers field of experience compared to the receivers field of experience e.g if a professor of physics would try to teach student of sociology about coulombs law it will be a field of experience.