Handouts: Topic 3

Communication Skills
Course Code: ENG 2091
Instructor: Mehreen Ahsan
Spring 2016
Recognizing the most common communication barriers and
understanding how they impact on effective communication is
very important. Removing barriers is one of the easiest ways to
improve communication. This article briefly studies the major
obstacles to communication.
Some of the principal barriers to communication are:
noise (interruptions, physical distractions)
physical (geographical considerations, time and space)
mental attitude (perceptions, stereotyping, prejudice,
personal beliefs, status, relationship between
communicators, culture, emotionality)
poor feedback
poor listening skills
selection of inappropriate medium or language used
body language (non-verbal communication)

Noise
The loss of meaning which may block communication is
referred to as Noise
Noise is any interference that occurs between the communicators,
i.e. the sender of the message, and the receiver. Noise appears in
many forms it can be distractions due to pictures on the wall, or
objects in the room. In written forms of communication it can be

the inclusion of irrelevant material, or an unsystematic approach

to the topic. Other forms of noise can include: interruptions by
other people, a ringing telephone, or external noise such as traffic
outside a building, or people having a conversation close by.
Physical distractions are the physical things that can get in the
way of the communication process. A basic physical distraction
can be the environment the room may be too hot or too cold, or
chairs can be uncomfortable. A person sitting behind a desk or
standing behind a lectern automatically creates a physical barrier
between sender and receiver.
Time and space also serve as barriers to effective
communication. When departments of an organization are
geographically separate, quick, face-to-face communication
becomes much more difficult. In global organizations, the time
difference between colleagues in other continents can be a key
communication barrier.

Mental attitude, perceptions and context.

Some sources of error are not tied to specific stages in the
communication process. For example, both sender and receiver
may have differing perceptions or make assumptions. It is
therefore important to examine the following main types of
barriers. Circumstances which affect concentration such as being
too hot or too cold, feeling ill, etc. Emotional barriers, such as one
person feeling angry or unhappy, can affect the atmosphere in a
meeting and distort messages.
Pre-judgement

People who tend to jump to the conclusions also bear

emotional differences which create communication block.
Close-minds

People with rigid minds are considered conservative; thus,

they are found very difficult to communicate with.

The environment in which the communication takes place

may contain physical barriers. Physical barriers include:
interference distractions, noise, problems with technology
discomfort.

The attitude of both the sender and the receiver can act as an
obstacle in the communication process. Factors here include:
respect, culture, and assumptions based on personal bias or
stereotyping.
Lack of empathy between the communicators can create a barrier
as this entails putting aside preconceptions and prejudices. The
relationship between the sender and the receiver is also
important if the relationship is good, communication
automatically has a better chance for success. Another key factor
here is emotionality, e.g. if the speaker or the listener feels very
strongly about a certain subject this will influence the
communication process.
Perceptions The term perceptions encompasses a range of
thought processes, including the assumptions we make, and our
subconscious attitudes that inform our values and beliefs.
Differing perceptions can form major barriers in communication.
Because perceptions are often invisible and subconscious they
frequently go undetected. In some cases perceptions are used to
manipulate peoples thinking.
Culture: can impact on the interpretation of non-verbal signals.
There is a range of noticeable cultural differences in the ways that
people: greet each other. For example, some cultures kiss while
other are satisfied with the briefest of handshakes use of
gestures: such as pointing with the forefinger can be offensive to
some Asian cultures use personal space: in general, northern
Europeans and Americans are less comfortable with touching than
southern Europeans, Indians and people from the Middle East.

Guirdham (1995) says that to work successfully with people of

other cultures, you must understand their ways of working. For
example, Americans value direct verbal interaction and straight
speaking whereas the Japanese value spiral logic and indirect
verbal interaction. Both the Japanese and Chinese place great
importance on saving face and ensuring that neither the sender
nor receiver of a message is embarrassed. Consequently they
may appear to understand a message when they dont, or to
agree with you when they have no intention of complying with
your wishes.
Cultural Values:
The process of understanding and accepting people from other
cultures is often hampered by two barriers: Ethnocentrism and
Stereotyping. These two barriers can be overcome by developing
tolerance, powerful and effective aid to communication.
Ethnocentrism:
The belief in the superiority of ones own culture is known as
ethnocentrism. This natural attitude is found in all cultures.
Ethnocentrism causes us to judge others by our own values. If you
were raised in America and on your business trip to an Arab or
Asian country you might be upset at time spent over coffee or
other social rituals before any real business is transacted. So
personal relationships must be established and nurtured before
talks may proceed.
Stereotyping:
A stereotype is a perception of a behavioral or a characteristic
that is applied to the whole group. Our perceptions of other
cultures sometimes cause us to form stereotypes about group of
people. For example The Swiss are hardworking, efficient and
neat: Germans are formal, blunt and reserved: Americans are

loud, friendly and impatient: Asians are humble and gracious.

These attitudes may not describe the cultural norms but when
applied to individual business communicators, such stereotypes
may create misconceptions and misunderstandings.
Xenophobia :
A fear or hatred towards strangers and unfamiliar people. Not
accepting others just because they are not known to us. This
particular type of distance between the communicators is called
as Xenophobia. Cultural, social, psychological or religious gap can
be the reason for this. Entirely xenophobic societies tend not to be
open to interactions from anything "outside" themselves,
resulting in isolationism that can further increase xenophobia.
Poor feedback
Feedback is the receiver sending back the message to the sender
as they have perceived it. It is reaction and without this, it is
impossible for the sender to know if the receiver has accepted
and understood the message. It can occur in a number of ways:
people can be asked to repeat what they have said, or non-verbal
communication such as a frown or a nod can provide valuable
feedback to the sender. Feedback is especially important to help
clarify muddled messages.
Poor listening skills
Listening skills can have a major impact on the effectiveness of
communication. A typical speaker will say about 125 words per
minute, while a listener can receive 400-600 words per minute.
Therefore, about 75% of listening time is free time, which can
distract the listener. Barriers to communication here include not
paying attention or daydreaming, so some or all of the message
gets lost in the communication process.

Channel / Medium
Selecting the correct channel for communication is crucial, as
using the wrong channel can hinder the communication process.
In any situation, one medium may work better than another,
although sometimes a combination of media will be the most
useful. Simple messages can usually be transmitted orally, while
more complex messages should be transmitted orally and in
writing.
Language or Semantic Barrier
The language chosen is also vital to effective
communication. Using exclusionary language such as jargon,
slang and abbreviations can be a major obstacle in the
communication process. Similarly, the level of language used
must be chosen carefully. The level of education and
knowledge of the intended audience must be considered, as
must their social and cultural background. Language is at the
heart of the coding and decoding processes. Problems can
arise if the language used is unfamiliar to one of the parties,
for example: Jargon: many professions rely heavily on
jargon and have their own language that is impenetrable to
outsiders. Senders can use jargon as a form of power over
those who are not in the loop. Acronyms and
abbreviations: although these can form a useful shorthand,
they exclude receivers who are not familiar with their
meaning. A prime example of the problems that
inappropriate language can raise is the use of text
language in transmitting both phone messages and emails.
Although the message may be perfectly comprehensible to
someone who texts regularly, it will be meaningless to others
who havent acquired this skill. A second problem with
language is that we assume words have the same meaning
for different people. Our understanding of a word is
influenced by our background knowledge, culture and
experience. Words are symbols so cant have precisely the
same meaning for everyone.

 Even if you are skilled to comprehend jargons and overly

pompous words, you may still run into semantic blocks.
This problem arises due to explicit and implicit meanings of
words i.e.
Denotation
Connotation
Denotation is the literal meaning of a word, the dictionary
meaning, a direct specific meaning as distinct from an
implied or associated idea.
Connotation is the implied meaning of a word, or the
suggesting of a meaning by a word apart from the thing it
explicitly names.
Acronyms
A word formed from the initial letters of the several words in the
name e.g. NTU (National Textile University). IBA ( Institute of
Business Administration)
Euphemisms
An inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one
that is considered offensive or too harsh e.g. Cheap/ inexpensive,
shrinkage is the retail trade's euphemism for shoplifting.
Homonyms
Words pronounced or spelled the same way but have different
meanings e.g. bank, mole, race etc.
Non-verbal communication
About 55% of the meaning of a message is communicated
through non-verbal interaction. This includes posture, gestures,
facial expression, tone and pitch of voice, style of dress, eye gaze
and proximity (personal space). However, non-verbal cues can be
ambiguous and their meaning can vary with respect to culture,
context and intention. Random gestures can be interpreted to

have some significance when none was intended. Style of dress

can also have a huge influence on non-verbal communication as
this can affect peoples perceptions and stereotypes.
The different types of barriers to effective communication can all
reinforce each other, leading to vicious cycles. By anticipating
potential barriers and attempting to avoid them wherever
possible, the impact of communication can become greatly
increased.