Barriers To Communication

Assignment 2 Task 3 (P3) Barriers to effective communication

Introduction

In this first part of my last task for assignment 2 I am going to describe to the volunteers about the different barriers to effective communication and I will have 3 examples of barriers in general communication skills, interpersonal skills and written communication.

Definition of barriers to communication

A barrier is an obstacle that gets in the way when you are trying to talk to someone at work or outside of work which will prevent the exchange of ideas. This can be many things such as gender differences, cultural differences, language barriers and physical barriers.

General Communication Skills

I am now going to pick 3 barriers to effective communication which are general communication skills:

Language used (terminology)

The Language that someone uses is an obvious barrier to effective communication because some people from different countries will not be able to understand what someone else is saying and some words might be offensive which people say. People will also use sign language which is used by deaf people who use hand gestures which other people will not understand. Another barrier when language is being used is the terminology which is being used because people outside for an IT business will not be able to understand technical language.

Age

Age is also another barrier of general communication because different generations will know different things. Younger people will know than older people about texting and shortened messaging like lol which means laugh out loud. Older people might also know more words and phrases than younger people and this may affect communication between these two generations in work. 

Cultural Differences

Cultural differences are the last general communication barrier which I am going to write about and different cultures can interpret things in different ways. There are many things that make up to what people refer to as culture but cultural difference is about attitudes and beliefs that come of our life and experience. Cultural differences can also be religious beliefs with their being many different ones which have barriers including Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Some other cultural barriers include age, body language, cultural background and gender. 

Interpersonal Skills

In this next section I am going to pick 3 barriers to effective communication which are interpersonal skills:

Body Language (Talking and Listening)

Body language is an example of a barrier to effective communication which is an interpersonal skill for talking and listening. The tone of voice that you use will show the other person what your mood is and it will show if you like them or not. Also your body language will show another person if you are listening to them or not with no eye contact and no attention shows that you are not listening. We also get impressions about people we interact with which can lead us to handle situations differently with communication not only being verbal but it is the most common. One last thing which you can do is to see how people communicate with movement or positioning of their body. 

Background Noise

Background noise is another barrier to effective communication which is an interpersonal skill. This is often a major barrier of effective communication, for example verbal communication with large background noises can result in individuals having to shout in order to be heard. It is also harder to hear or understand what is being said, which result in misunderstanding between two individuals and this could cause conflict. If a speaker or listener is not good at the language being used, it may also cause confusion between people. 

Negative Emotions

Negative emotions are the last interpersonal skill barrier which I am going to write about and they could be triggered by previous experiences which continue to hurt us. Emotionally excited communicators are unable to organize their message properly; their excited or nervous state of mind does not allow them to think clearly. Negative emotions at work can be formed by work overload, lack of rewards and social relations which appear to be the most stressful work related factors. 

 

Written Communication

In this last section I am going to pick 3 barriers to effective communication which is examples of written communication:

Using an Inappropriate Structure (Format)

Using an inappropriate structure (format) is an example of a barrier of written communication. Using an inappropriate structure is a barrier because it does not go well with the format that is being displayed. Some of the ways that your work can have an inappropriate structure is by not using short paragraphs and sentences which will make the work look bad and people will not want to read long paragraphs. You can also have an inappropriate structure by not having headings to stand out which includes the title of your work. 

Identifying Relevance

Identifying relevance is another important barrier of written communication which I am going to write about. Identifying relevance can be used can be used in a presentation or a document such as a report or letter and identifying relevance basically means that you need to produce a document e.g. a letter by explaining the subject to someone. The recipient will try and identify relevant information but if you have hidden relevant information which is with a lot of other details then you may miss the important facts. Finally relevant information can be identified in a number of ways which include a change in font size or highlighting text in a different colour.

Spelling and Grammar

Spelling and Grammar is the last written communication barrier which I am going to write about and you should proof read and spell check all of your work before presenting it. You might also want to get a second opinion on your work before you publish it and all of your key points in your work might not get across if there are spelling and grammar mistakes.