Barriers to communication
Cassandra Russello
Pasco-Hernando State College
Gary Cores
Introduction
Communication refers to the process of conveying informon and common understanding
from one person to another (Canary & McPhee, 2011). For people to understand one
another they require effective communication. To achieve any type of communication we
have to know all the barriers to communication and how to overcome them. This paper
will discuss the communication process, barriers to communication, and suggest measures
to overcome them.
Communication is very important to human beings since it’s the only way we can relate
and understand one another. It is a social contact that allows the transmission of
information, news, and understanding. In almost all aspects of life there is some form of
either direct or indirect communication. Direct communication through verbal, and indirect
through body language and other means. To be successful in life and business good
communication skills is a requirement.
The communication process involves the exchange of information between the sender and
the receiver. The sender is the person who initiates the communication while the receiver is
the person to who receives the message. During the communication process, the sender
encodes the idea by choosing words, symbols, or gestures for composing a message (an
outcome of the encoding). The message can be verbal, non-verbal, or written language. It
is passed through a medium or channel that can be e-mail, telephone call, or face-to-face
conversation. When the message reaches the receiver, the receiver decodes the message
into meaningful information (Lunenburg, 2010).
Communication can face different kinds of barriers. A barrier to communication is
anything that prevents meanings from meeting (Could, 1969). Barriers make
communication more difficult since they prevent the transmission of messages between the
sender and receiver. Not everyone who can talk can communicate effectively. To
communicate effectively, it is important to know the different types of communication
barriers that we encounter during the communication process and how to overcome them.
These barriers include semantic, language, perception, listening skills, physical, emotional,
and physiological barriers.
Semantic or language barriers
Our choice of words and the meaning we attach to them can greatly affect communication.
Some words can have different meanings to different people. The choice of words that we
use to convey our message reveals certain code that can be associated with our background
and culture. These codes can become barriers on the message we intend to pass. To
overcome these barriers we should try to use the most precise and accurate words at all
times while communicating. We should choose words that are understood by our audience
