What are Some Common Barriers to Communication

A lot of people think that effective communication is very easy to accomplish within the workplace without realizing the many barriers to communication. While it is not the most difficult thing in the world, it can also be a little challenging once in a while. This is especially true if you are faced with communication barriers that hinder you to express what you truly feel or talk to the person about certain things. If you want to be an effective employee or manager, it is important that you learn what these barriers are and know how to handle them so that you have efficient corporate communications. It would do you much good to study them because they will help you learn the tricks on how to go about the barriers or how to get them out of your way so that you will be able to effectively communicate with the people within your organization.

What Are Some Barriers to Communication?

The first barrier to communication is the physical barrier. This means you are physically separated with the people from your organization, which makes it difficult for you to relate to them or talk to them. Some offices have separate cubicles for each employee while others are placed in a secluded office room. Other times the separation is much larger since working from home has been a trend among companies these days. Also, if you have a very large office space, your tables might be placed far away from each other making it difficult for you to go out of your way just to talk to other employees. When this happens, it is always important that you find different means to communicate. You can call them on the phone, spend lunch with your office mates and do other stuff out of work with them to get to know them more. If you have something to say, don’t be afraid to go an extra mile just to be able to relay things to them.

Perceptual Barrier

Another hindrance could be a perceptual barrier. This is one of the most common barriers to communication because our actions, words and mannerisms are open to other people’s interpretation. Perception may differ depending on the cultural, emotional, personal and spiritual background of the person. It is very easy to make assumptions without clarifying what the other person means by what he said or by his movements. When this happens, communication is blocked right away and conflict arises. That is why it is important to clarify things before reacting negatively.

Language Barrier

The language barrier is also a good example of another barrier to communication. Sometimes, we don’t know that we use words that are not easily understood by other people. This could be words from a dialect that is not common to the people in your office or it could be jargon that others don’t know the meaning to. Remember that it is always better to use words and phrases that the majority of people will easily understand rather than showing off the words you know that others don’t.

Interpersonal Barriers to Communication

Interpersonal barriers, on the other hand, are barriers to communication that come as a result of the way different people relate to one another.

Some people may lack the social skills, therefore they withdraw. Others may find it hard to make time to get to know their co-workers on a more personal level because of their routines like work, and after office activities.  Above all else, if you find that you these barriers to communication are causing you friction in your relationships at work, employing some conflict resolution strategies is prudent to ensure that all employees and coworkers can function together as a group.

Related posts:

1. Important Conflict Resolution Strategies