Communication Barriers: Exchanging Information Process

Communication is a process of exchanging information between two or more people (Liraz 2013). A communication barrier is an obstacle that hinders the receiver and sender of a message from understanding and expressing their ideas respectively. Communication barriers are caused by natural and man-made causes and thus it is necessary to understand them before establishing effective measures on how to eliminate or manage their effects. This discussion explores different ways a manager can eliminate communication barriers in an organization.

A communication process refers to the way a message is sent or received and the steps involved in doing so. Communication processes include the channels used by senders and recipients of messages (Chapman 2012). If I am a manager of an organization, I will ensure that workers use appropriate, affordable, available and efficient channels of communication. In addition, I will advise workers to use different channels of communication to ensure their messages are not misinterpreted. I will reduce the number of participants in communication by encouraging employees to come to my book appointments to discuss with me issues that affect their performance and avoid writing letters and dropping them at my secretary’s office. Moreover, I will encourage face to face communication in my organization to ensure there is no distortion of messages.

Personal barriers involve emotions, trust, understanding, assumptions, experience, interest and physical disability (Monarth 2013). These obstacles occur when an individual attaches feelings to a message and this affects the quality of communication between people. I will advise members of my organization to be objective when communicating with each other to ensure they understand the intention of other employees. In addition, I will encourage them to understand their colleagues to avoid issues that may lead to poor communication among them. I will advise them to stop assuming that they know what other people want to communicate before listening or paying attention to them. Moreover, I will encourage my staffs to use English language for communication since everybody understands it very well.

Physical obstacles are features like distance, noise, invisibility and walls that interfere with sending and receiving messages (Chapman 2012). However, the presence of physical barriers, limits the ability of communicators to engage in face to face or prolonged discussions. I will ensure noise pollution is minimized to help workers to communicate without shouting. In addition, I will advise employees to use written communication to pass their messages to relevant departments. Moreover, I will add more notice boards and suggestion boxes to ensure employees have access to information and can express their ideas without fear.

Semantic barriers involve issues that affect an individual’s understanding and use of language to communicate (Liraz 2013). I will advise employees to understand the context of the words, grammar and expressions used in their messages to ensure they do not misinterpret their meanings. I will propose training programs that will help workers to understand how to use language for meaningful purposes. This may include hiring communication experts or taking employees to seminars to be educated on the effective use of language.

Barriers to communication hinder the effective delivery, interpretation and use of messages. Therefore, people should choose communication channels that are not complicated. In addition, they should avoid all issues that may affect the quality of their messages. Lastly, they should understand the use of vocabularies and expressions and write short sentences to avoid confusing their audiences. The meaning and purpose of messages may be distorted if these barriers are not eliminated during communication.

References

Chapman, S. G. (2012). The Five Keys to Mindful Communication: Using Deep

Listening and Mindful Speech to Strengthen Relationships, Heal Conflicts, and Accomplish Your Goals. New York: Shambhala.

Liraz, M. (2013). How to Overcome Communication Barriers in the Workplace – Identify Barriers to Effective Communication and Improve Your Communication. Illinois: Liraz Publishing.

Monarth, H. (2013). Breakthrough Communication: A Powerful 4-Step Process for Overcoming Resistance and Getting Results. New York: McGraw-Hill.

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