Types of Barriers: The barriers to communication in an organization may be broadly categorized into following groups:
a. Physical Barriers: There are the environmental factors that also reduce the sending and receiving of communication, such as physical distance, noises and other interferences difficulty arises in communicating a message.
b. Socio-psychological or personal Barriers: There are certain socio psychological factors which restrict the free flow of communication. They are the attitude and opinions, status consciousness, ones relations with fellow workers, seniors, and junior’s etc. family background.
c. Organizational Barriers: Organisational barriers arise due to defects in the organization structure and the communication system of an organization. Such barriers include hierarchical distance, diversion, status barriers, goal conflicts etc.
d. Semantic Barriers: Semantic means the relationships of signs of their reference. Semantic barrier arises from the disadvantages of the symbolic system. Symbols have got number of meaning and one has to choose any one of them according to the requirement of communication.
e. Mechanical Barriers: Mechanical barriers include inadequate arrangement for transmission of news, facts and figures. Example poor office layout and defective procedure and the use of wrong media led to poor communication.
The barriers to an effective communication can be reduced by following measures:
a) Clarify the Idea: Clarify in the thoughts of the sender is must for effective ‘communication’.
b) Use of proper people language: Sender should try to make the message meaningful and understandable by using appropriate words.
c) Message should be precise: Lengthy and unwarranted elaboration makes message less meaningful this should be avoided.
d) Ensure proper feedback: The sender of the message should take the feedback from the receiver. Feedback of the conveyed message is an essential tool to the check that the message is duly understood. Facilities like suggestion box complaint box secret box helps in making the communication effective.
e) Good Listener: The sender must listen to receiver’s words carefully on the other hand receiver must also listen with due attention. Attentive listening solves many problems.
