General Communication Barriers
Barriers can affect a person’s general communication in a number of ways although the main way is the language you use. The language that you use when communicating with others is important because if you try to communicate to someone who does not speak you’re language then they will not understand what you are trying to say. Therefore you must try to explain your point in the simplest way possible so that people can try to make sense of it, or if possible, get a translator to translate it. Language affects many areas of general communication, for example, if a person is hard of hearing then you will need to speak louder for them to hear.
Depending on who you are communicating with depends on the language you use. If communicating with friends then it is acceptable to use slag language and personal jokes. Although when communicating in a professional manner, to either clients or employees, it is important to use correct language and ensure that the language you use is appropriate for the need. For example if you are talking to a client, you will need to explain what the company is about and what they do for people. Although if you were talking to a friend about something that happened it is fine to use slang words and jokes as long as they understand the joke and it is not inappropriate or will hurt their feelings.
The way you explain your ideas to others can also be a barrier as you need to remember that if it is a new idea then you have to try and explain every detail to your colleagues so that they understand your idea for the company. You must also remember that not everyone understands an idea the first time you explain it therefore you may have to go over the idea a few times for some people. It is important that you are patient with these people and do not treat them like they are stupid or belittle them when trying to explain.
When presenting an idea or talking to others there is the risk of your audience losing concentration, therefore it is important that while you are communicating you must keep what you are saying as interesting as possible. If your audience looses their concentration then they will not pay attention to what you are saying and therefore they will not pickup on any important points you have said about the topic.
In conclusion there are a number of barriers that effects people’s general communication. Barriers include language issues if you are talking to a person from another country who does not speak your language fluently. Another issue could include if you are speaking to someone with a hearing problem or speech imperilment, you may have to speak louder or listen more carefully to these people. Insuring that everyone understands what you are saying can be another barrier as you may need to explain yourself several times for some people or if you do not explain what you mean correctly. Yet another barrier can be ensuring that your audience is paying attention to what you are saying, if you over or under explain things it may cause the people who you are communicating with to lose interest in what you are saying. It is important to keep all these points in mind when communicating with others.
Interpersonal Communication Barriers
Communication is about more than just the way you talk to someone. Interpersonal skills play a big part in the way you communicate with others. The way you communicate with your body language, hand movements, facial expressions, concentration and even the environment you are in all contribute to the way you communicate with others.
The body Language you use can have a big affect on what you are saying when and who you are saying it to. If your body language indicates that you are not interested in what you are saying or what the person is saying to you then the person you are talking to may also become uninterested in the conversation. The way you use your hands can also become a barrier, if you move them too much them they can distract from what you are saying. Although some people use hand movements to help put their points across which is alright as long as there is not too much movement.
Facial expressions can also show if you are interested or not in what you are saying or what someone else is saying to you. If you don’t show interest in what someone is saying then they may lose interest in what you are saying also making communication pointless between you both.
Distractions can also be a barrier for communication if there are too many distractions such as too much happening around them or noisy machinery means that it may make it harder for the person to hear. They may not get the full information if they can not hear or are distracted by other things happening around you.
In conclusion there are a number of barriers that can effect a person’s interpersonal communication. These barriers include your body language, facial expressions and distractions among others. Each barrier affects a communication differently from making a person lose concentration by what is happening around them, to the body language you use showing how much you care about the conversation. All of these can make communication difficult to carry out and are important to think about when communication with others.
Written communication Barriers
Written communication has become increasingly popular with the introduction of e-mail, instant messaging and social networking sites. Although some of these may not be formal communication it is still important to remember the way you are writing. It is important to remember the format you are writing in.
If you are writing an email to a boss or a tutor then it is important to remember that you write everything with correct spelling and do not use abbreviations or slang as this looks unprofessional on your part. Whereas if you are talking to a friend on instant messing or social networking sites then it is less formal meaning that abbreviations and slang words are acceptable.
No matter who you are communicating with it is important to remember your spelling as this can be a major barrier if the person you are writing to can not understand the message. It is always a good idea to re read the message you are sending before you send it to check for any mistakes. Although spellcheck picks up on any spelling mistakes it is important to re read it as there are times where you misspell the word you wanted to use but in fact spell another word that doesn’t fit in the sentence.
Another barrier to written communication can be the format in which you write your message. Format doesn’t always apply to instant messaging or social networking unless it is a longer message it may be a good idea to break it up into paragraphs so it is easier to read. For more formal documents such as letters or formal emails then formatting is important.
If there are a number of topics then headings to break the document up is always a good idea as it will allow the reader to know what each part of the document is about so they can go straight to the part of the document they want or need. The alignment of the page can also affect the document. Having the alignment set to justify will make the document look more professional and present it better. Bullet points can also be used to break up the information being given in the document by giving the main points, although too many bullet points may make the document look unprofessional.
In conclusion there are several barriers to written communication which include spelling, abbreviations, slang words and formatting. These can all cause a misunderstanding of what you are trying to say. Rereading is always a good idea when writing to others as it will allow you to pick out any mistakes and fix them. When writing to someone it is always important to remember who you are communicating with and how you are communicating with them as to whether your communication can be formal or informal.
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