Barriers to Communication
Successful communication is a huge, and rare, accomplishment. People tout “communication skills” in their resumes, it”s something that married couples work on throughout their marriages, and it”s one of the most complicated and sometimes frustrating aspects of our relationships with one another. Working on communication requires at least a broad understanding of various modes of communication, as well as a working knowledge of what hinders successful communication. Exploring the barriers to communication will give fresh insight to your endeavors to achieve better and better communication abilities.
There are so many different barriers to communication that it has become common practice to categorize the types of barriers to communication. Even becoming familiar with these categories will allow you to become more aware of what may be disrupting your communication with others.
Physical Barriers to Communication
Physical barriers to communication can be in effective in a variety of different settings. For instance, there can by physical communication barriers between whole populations; it”s harder to communicate with someone on another continent than it is to communicate with someone in the same room as you. But physical barriers to communication can also apply on a smaller scale. One example, is a trendy office layout that has no cubicles, which some view as a hindrance to flowing communication. In this case, cubicle walls were considered a communication barrier and were done away with.
Cultural Barriers to Communication
Cultural barriers to communication are another area that is becoming more and more of an issue as the world is getting smaller and smaller with the Internet and other global modes of communication. Culture permeates us. It is a huge part of who we are, and it affects everything we say and do. Clearly, communication is no exception.
Culture can be active on several different levels. For instance, we all presumably have some sort of ethnic culture, national culture, and even family culture at least. Our cultures cause us to have a certain, often unspoken, idea about how things are done and what things mean. Obviously, our assumptions color the way others of different cultures interact with us.
Practical Barriers to Communication
In addition to the somewhat philosophical types of barriers to communication discussed above, there are also many types of barriers to communication that come into play on a more practical level. For instance, competition is one practical barrier to communication. It occurs when something else is competing for the listener”s attention. This could be background noise, another person who is trying to talk them, or engaging in other activity while they are listening to you.
Practical barriers to communication could be specific to your particular situation with the person you intend to communicate with. Consider instances when communication has failed and when it”s been successful to see if you can determine what helps communication and what hurts it.