Page 20 - SREENARAYANAGURU OPEN UNIVERSITY

1�2�1�6 Organisational Barriers of the time it saves through its structured flow
Barriers resulting from organisational struc- of communication, this mode of communica-
ture, rules, and regulations are referred to as tion is seen as effective. Reports, job descrip-
organisational barriers. The numerous forms tions, work orders, information about sales and
of communication impediments can be pres- inventories, etc. are examples of formal com-
ent as a result of superior-subordinate inter- munication. There are four different types of
actions which prevent open communication. formal communication such as upward, down-
The complexity of organisational structures ward, vertical, and horizontal.
and the presence of numerous managers can 1�2�2�1 Vertical Communication
occasionally make it challenging to commu-
nicate ideas clearly, resulting in distorted and Vertical communication, which directs the
misunderstood informations. flow of information both up and down the
chain of command, follows the organisational
1�2�1�7 Semantic Barriers structure. The general practice in most business

Semantic barrier is another term for lan- communication is to go either from superiors to
guage barrier. Ineffective communication subordinates or from subordinates to superiors.
between the sender and the receiver is the root Hence, in this context, communication takes
cause of these barriers. Semantic barriers in place when information is passed from lead-
communication can be seen in many situations. ers, management, or superiors to lower-level
When conveyed, a message should be clear employees, or when front-line employees may
and simple to understand so that the recipient ask questions to or bring up a concern to the
can easily understand the information. Seman- higher authorities, who then respond. Hence,
tic barriers can occur occasionally as a result the process of communication is up and down,
of the sender’s unclear or complicated infor- or more precisely, vertical.
mation-delivery method. Linguistic barriers 1�2�2�2 Horizontal Communication
can also occur when an information is sent
using technical words that the recipient does When teams, organisations, or people who
not understand. By functioning as a barrier to are at the same hierarchical level in an organ-
efficient communication, it causes uncertainty isation communicate with one another and
and misunderstanding between the sender and exchange messages, it is known as horizontal
recipient. communication. An organisation can foster
internal communication among its staff mem-
1�2�2 Formal Communication bers who hold similar functional positions by

In academic and professional settings, using horizontal communication. According to
formal communication is used to convey infor- Betty and Kay, “Horizontal Communication
mation in a structured and systematic way. occurs between workers at generally equal
So, formal communication is the exchange levels in an organization.”
of information using the proper channels. It 1�2�2�3 Diagonal Communication
is also known as official communication.
Formal communication includes conversations Diagonal communication is the flow of
between superiors and subordinates. Making information that is neither vertical nor hori-
sure that the message has been delivered accu- zontal but rather diagonal or zigzag. Here,
rately and having a proper conversation are the personnels from various departments can com-
major goals of this communication. Because municate with one another. Diagonal commu-

14 SGOU - FYUGP - SLM - English for Communication