The 10 barriers to communication

The 10 barriers to communication can be present in every act of communication, so it is advisable to review them in order to detect them and be able to work towards effective communication, in which any obstacle is avoided..

As is well known, communication is a process that involves the exchange of ideas, and that has as protagonists a sender and a receiver. The sender encodes the message and the receiver will decode and capture it.

For it, it is important that there is a channel through which the information reaches the receiver, in addition to the need for both to handle the same code so that there is a true understanding of what is received.

However, in the communication process not everything is so simple, since communication barriers exist and interfere with communication..

The 10 barriers to communication

Communication barriers can be defined as accidents that have a negative impact on the act of communication. Some of these accidents or impediments are the following:

1. Physical barriers

It refers to any obstacle that is present in the environment and that can distort the communication process, either partially or totally, such as: environmental noises, defects in a recording, various communicative acts at the same time that prevent understanding any of them.

2. Semantics

This communication barrier is related to the communicative code, which may have marked differences between the one used by the sender and the receiver, which makes it difficult for the message to be understood.

This usually happens when two people try to communicate and their native languages ​​are different, or when a text is read in another language. It can also occur when a word is used that may have different connotations in the same country or in other countries..

3. Physiological

This communication barrier refers to the physiological defects, just as its name suggests, or defects that make it difficult to emit and understand the language. For example: aphonia, deafness or blindness.

4. Psychological

Psychological barriers are those imposed by the same receiver or sender, since these involve aspects such as the state of mind, the emotionality or personality of the speakers.

In certain cases, communication becomes difficult because there is a psychological predisposition on the part of one of the participants. This can also include distraction, the presence of nerves, being afraid of something, among others..

5. Administrative barriers

Usually, this type of communication barriers are present in work environments with a lot of presence.

They are related to the lack of planning, distortions in the meaning of the messages, budgets without transparency, little retention of the information received, early evaluations, distrust, presence of threats, among others..

When the information is presented in an overloaded form, this could also overwhelm the receiver and prevent the communication process from being successful.

6. Don't listen

It is also considered as an obstacle or barrier to communication, since the basis of human relationships is based on the ability to know how to listen and for this it is necessary to learn to be silent and not act as if it were a verbal battle.

7. Power and status

As some people use their authority to impose their opinion and this, in addition to affecting the communication process, also negatively interferes in human relationships.

8. Prejudices

They are also somehow barriers to communication, since involve guessing or guessing and this prevents the reality or the message from being captured objectively.

9. Negative attitudes

If negative attitudes hinder the communication process, in addition to the relations between the sender and the receiver, since it is a limitation in human relationships.

10. Destructive criticism

While good feelings unite, destructive criticism separates and create walls of prejudice between people.

These are some of the communication barriers, however, we can take some steps to avoid them and have effective communication.

How to avoid communication barriers?

Although it is not always possible to establish communication without barriers, since it is very likely that they are always present, we can adopt some strategies to make the communicative act a more fluid process.

Some strategies to avoid communication barriers include the following:

• Try to send clear messages. If the code of the participants is different, then clarity should be one more point to work.
• Ensure that the environmental factors are the most appropriate. For example, if there is a loud noise in the environment, then a dialogue will not be established, but a monologue. Context must be addressed to verify that the message will reach the recipient without problems.
• Accept feedback: avoiding erecting one's own voice as the only and valid one. If what the other tells us is not accepted, then there is no dialogue, but monologue.
• Make sure the channel is the most suitable to promote communication: and this is also equivalent to verifying that the receiver is in a position to capture the information without being distracted by other interlocutors.
• Have a good mood: to be able to communicate effectively.
• Know how to listen: not only impose a voice, but actively listen to what the other has to say to us.
• Avoid using prejudice: this does not feed the communication process, but rather hinders it.
• Not using power: the authority you have or the position you occupy in society to impose your own opinion and subtract merits from what the interlocutor thinks.

The communicative process is quite complex, therefore it is convenient to be aware of the communication barriers that may arise, in order to reduce them and that the communication is fluid, understandable and sustained by dialogue and feedback..

If the purpose of communication is to convey an idea, then the sender must also work on their side to make it so, especially with regard to active listening, which is essential in the act of communication..