10 most important Barriers to Communication

Communication, which is sent, must reach the receiver in time and it must be received in the form and in the same seriousness in which the sender is interested.

Wrong communications or barriers to communications may tend to create misunderstanding, friction and even misinterpretation. Ultimately it may cause great damage to the enterprise. Koontz and O’Donnell give the following barriers to communication:

1. Badly Expressed Messages:

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The communication can be expressed using proper words and phrases. Lack of clarity and precision may lead to errors in communication.

2. Faulty Translations:

If a communication is to be passed on to various people it must be translated to suit them. ‘It is often not enough to pass on a communication word for word; either it must be put into words appropriate to the framework in which the receiver operates, or it must be accomplished by an interpretation which will be understood by the receiver’.

3. Loss by Transmission and Poor Retention:

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When communications are passed on from one stage to the other, the accuracy is lost. Oral communication has this danger. Equally important is retention of the message. It must be properly grasped.

4. Inattention:

If an oral communication is sent and the listener is not attentive, it may lead to the failure.

5. Unclarified Assumptions:

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If the subordinate interprets a communication assuming differently, it may affect the process.

6. Insufficient adjustment Period:

When people work under different time, place, shifts, they may not have the time to receive the full meaning of the communication.

7. Distrust of Communication:

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Sometimes messages are changed over the original communication. Such change may delay action.

8. Premature Evaluation:

Some executives may prematurely evaluate the communication, rather than “keep an uncompromised position during the interchange”.

9. Fear:

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If the subordinates are not reporting the truth to their due to scar the communication gap may lead to severe consequences.

10. Failure to communicate:

Sometimes managers may not communicate due to sheer laziness or even to embarrass people deliberately.