Communication: Organisation and Innovation Lecturer’s Guide © Pearson Education New Zealand 2005...

Communication: Organisation and Innovation Lecturer’s Guide© Pearson Education New Zealand 2005

Business Communication

Lecture 3By David LIN

[email protected]


Communication Barriers

Week 2 Section 1


Communication barriers

Barriers to communication A barrier is anything that gets in the way of clear

communication between sender and receiver.

Barriers to communication can be physical emotional linguistic (or language-based) psychological gender culture


Physical barriers

Tiredness

Hearing, sight or speech problems

Environment

Technical problems

Grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure


Emotional barriers

Expressing emotions

Not expressing emotions

Being defensive

Being negative

Being assertive

Conflict


Linguistic (or language-based) barriers

Not knowing the language The influence of one language on another Accent Idiom Differing abilities with language Tone Jargon Varying responses to the meaning of words


Psychological barriers

Religion, politics and values Personality Experiences Our confidence or lack of it Feedback (or lack of it) Power Our psychological attitude to communication or

preferred communication style


Gender and culture Gender relates to the sex we are (i.e. male or

female) but has more to do with the roles, expectations and traditions that are associated with either sex

Culture has an enormous influence and impact on communication

‘Intercultural competence requires an ability to move beyond stereotypes and to respond to the individual’ (Lustig and Koester, 2003, p. 154).


Technology as a barrier to communication

A lack of feedback and non-verbal cues Polarisation Generation gaps Socio-economic grouping Overcoming technological barriers to

communication Flexibility and providing a range of options Following through on customer complaints

or trying to find the source of their difficulties


Impact of barriers Barriers block understanding of

messages in many different ways. Barriers affect both sender and receiver. Being aware of barriers can help avoid

communication breakdown and limit the effect of problems in communication.

Removing barriers improves communication for all.

Barriers can cause organisations to lose business, customers and reputation.


Strategies for overcoming barriers to communication

Strategies for overcoming barriers in encoding and decoding: Pay particular attention to choosing

appropriate, simple and clear vocabulary.

Strategies for overcoming barriers in channels: Avoid technology and communicate face to

face.

Strategies for overcoming barriers in perception: Ask questions and gain as much knowledge as

possible about the other person.


Strategies for overcoming barriers between organisations

and clients Communicate with clients regularly

Employ good customer service people in front-line positions

Hold regular meetings with clients

Know and use customers’ names

Ask their opinion about proposed changes

Remember their personal preferences


Being aware of barriers to communication allows individuals and organisations to work to avoid communication breakdown.

Barriers can be physical, emotional, linguistic or psychological and can be based on gender and culture.

Technology can either facilitate communication or act as a barrier: sometimes it can do both at the same time.

Treating others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and acting ethically, openly and honestly can help foster positive communication.

Realising that change and compromise is essential helps avoid conflict and facilitate effective communication.

Summary

Communication: Organisation and Innovation Lecturer’s Guide © Pearson Education New Zealand 2005...

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