Page 19 - SREENARAYANAGURU OPEN UNIVERSITY

Discussion it another way, those who allow their emotions
1�2�1 Barriers of Communication to rule them will encounter some challenges.
A person’s ability to make decisions might be
A communication barrier can be anything clouded by emotions like anger, impatience,
that restricts or hinders communicators from and humour, which limits the efficiency of their
delivering the correct message to the right communication. Hence, effective communica-
person at the right time. In a workplace, the tion requires the ideal balance of information
information that is passed from a sender to a and emotions.
receiver tends to be obstructed by a number of
communication barriers. 1�2�1�3 Physical Barriers

In a business context, communication fail- The physical barriers stand out as the big-
ures are commonly cited by the managers as gest obstacles to effective communication.
one of their most serious challenges. Yet, com- They consist of barriers such as noise, defec-
munication issues are frequently just a sign of tive communication devices, enclosed cabins,
deeper issues existing in the system. Poor plan- etc. In a large office, there may occasionally
ning, for instance, could result in confusion be significant physical impediments to good
regarding the firm’s direction. Similar to this, communication between different employees
an organisation that is badly structured may fail due to the physical distance between them.
to explain organisational relationships clearly. 1�2�1�4 Cultural Barriers
Individuals might be uncertain about what is
expected of them if performance requirements Anyone working in a large organisation
are vague. In order to avoid simply address- may have colleagues from different countries
ing the signs of communication issues, the because of the growing globalisation of soci-
insightful manager will search for their root ety. Some fundamental societal principles have
causes. There may be obstacles in the sender, distinct meanings in different cultures. Cloth-
the message’s transmission, the recipient, and ing, religions, food, and general behaviour
the feedback. Some of the important barriers differ greatly among cultures. So, it is imper-
of communication are as follow: ative that we consider these various cultures
when we communicate. This is what we mean
1�2�1�1 Psychological Barriers by cultural sensitivity. Many multinational cor-

A number of mental and psychological porations offer specialised orientation sessions
issues might make it difficult to communicate to teach new employees about other cultures
effectively. Some people struggle with depres- and how to be polite and tolerant of others.
sion, phobia, speech issues, stage fright, etc. 1�2�1�5 Physiological Barriers
All of these factors can be extremely hard to
manage at times, and they will definitely affect Effective communication among the various
the effective communication among people. channels of an organisation may also be ham-
pered by specific problems, illnesses, or other
1�2�1�2 Emotional Barriers limitations. Physiological barriers to effective
The ease and comfort with which someone communication include dyslexia, shrill voice,
can speak depends on their emotional IQ. Effec- and others.
tive communication requires emotional matu-
rity, which only some people possess. Putting

SGOU - FYUGP - SLM - English for Communication 13