Barriers to Communication - CCS 10 - Q1 - Week 3

Barriers keep us from understanding other’s ideas and thoughts. Barriers can appear at any point of the communication model—from the sender, the channel, the receiver, the context, and up until the feedback. 

Noise

Noise refers to anything introduced into the message that is not included in it by the sender and may disrupt communication. There are two types of noise:

External Noise pertains to mechanical and environmental noise that affects communication. This may include distortion of the voice on the telephone, interference with a television signal, loud construction sounds in the background, or a dog barking.

Internal Noise is mostly concerned with things happening inside a person’s body and mind that may interrupt communication such as hunger, stress, and extreme emotions.

Time.

Across cultures, time perception plays a large role in the communication process. The use of time can affect lifestyle, daily agendas, speed of speech, movements, and how long people are willing to listen. Lack of time is one of the most common barriers of communication which may cause misunderstandings. 

Message Quality.

This barrier pertains to how the message was encoded by the sender. Did the sender choose to use appropriate words? A common mistake in encoding is the use of jargon, or specialized terms used by a group or profession.

Jargon can be an obstacle to effective communication if the receiver does not have the same vocabulary as the sender.

For instance, the word “virus” may mean differently for a medical doctor and an IT professional. Thus, it is important to properly explain terms, or use simpler terms to promote understanding.

Ethnocentrism.

This concept means thinking one's own group's ways are superior to others or judging other groups as inferior to one's own. Communicating with people of different cultures and backgrounds means becoming aware of the differences in values, beliefs and attitudes that people hold. Respect for differences must prevail when communicating.

Conflict of Ideas.

Different words mean different things to different people. Age, education, and cultural background are all factors that influence how a person interprets words. The less we consider our audience, the greater our chances of miscommunication will be. Therefore, it is important to consider the background of the person we are communicating with, in order to consider the words or the channels we choose.

Prejudgment.

This phenomenon arises when people make judgments about individuals or groups without thinking clearly. Biased language can offend or stereotype others. If communicating effectively is our goal, we must let go of our biases and be open to diversity.