Barriers to Communication

It is obvious that there are barriers that effects the way everyone communicates. Most people experience these barriers everyday. If you talk to someone it is typical that you may experience a barrier that effects the communication between two people. These barriers are often things that are oblivious to most people and can be overlooked barriers such as the age of an audience and what sort of gobbledygook they are used to can disrupt the effectiveness of the communication. For example there was the use of the word gobbledygook instead of jargon which can effect communication.

Age of the Audience 

The age of the audience provides plenty of barriers. The most commonly stated barrier for this type of communication is the jargon used. What is meant by that is, that the jargon used to talk to a younger audience about computers can be more detailed and complex but if talking to pensioners about computers you need to use widely average jargon so that they can understand. The words we use should be selected carefully. A possible way to overcome this barrier is by:

• Use familiar words in place of the unfamiliar
• Use concrete words in place of the abstract
• Use short words in place of long
• Use single words in place of several
• Use bullet points were these other opinions can’t help

Cultural Considerations

There are plenty of different religions, races and language. The language we use can be a barrier and a difficult one to overcome. Normally if someone came from a different country to live in a new country a person instantly wouldn’t know the language or some of the slang, but over time they would learn. Till this time however the person would need a way of communicate with other people. Of course they would be able to communicate amongst those in there culture but with the people who were born and raised in this country. Unfortunately they wouldn’t be able to, hence why a perfect way to overcome this barrier is by asking some to interpret what they are saying (i.e. an Interpreter). This would allow them to communicate with those who reside in the country and allow them to pick up on the slang and language through the use of an interpreter. Although a better way would be not to use slang but still use the interpreter to communicate. But if an interpreter is not available another way of overcoming a language barrier and translate the document using translation software. But if all else fails you can use repetition or use diagrams to explain your point.

Background Noise

There are plenty of situations were background noise effects and disrupts effective communication. Due to this there has been advancements in the way the people combat background noise such as headphones. These advances in technology to counteract noise has help communicate in noisy built up areas. Headphones now have microphones attachments to help communicate and hear what people say when talking on the phone. This can also be used in video conferencing and general presentations. Work with the doors and windows shut this will also reduce the background noise but if a worker still is distressed by the noise move to a room that would have no background noise.

Being Deaf

Unfortunately for the deaf community the use of sign language at work is only starting to be seen as a major barrier for effective communication. This seems crazy but there is a group called D.E.A.F (Deaf Entrepreneurs of America Foundation) that are working on getting ride of this barrier all together. They are working on recruiting signing interpreters and also trying to get a hearing aid for those who require it. They are working hard to demolition the wall that deaf people have to contend with but the use of signing interpreters and hearing aids can significantly improve the effectiveness of there communication skills. There are many other ways of communicating with the deaf for example someone could easily use pictures or flash cards so that if they don’t know sign language they can still communication using either of these techniques. The flash cards are especially handy as they teach the person how to use sign language. It is essential to keep up-to-date with medical advances by consulting qualified hearing specialists and getting yourself fitted with the most appropriate hearing aids for you. If you have the correct hearing aid it can help someone with communicating. All of these techniques, Hearing aids, interpreters and picture/flashcards can all help people who suffer with being deaf communicate.

Grammar and Spelling

This can in fact be one of the most destructive forms of communication. For example spelling mistakes can make innocent sentences into highly offensives comments, grammar can also make sentences seem worse than what they were intended to be. The use of techniques such as proofreading and software such as spell check can help reduce the amount of errors and help people understand the true meaning behind there letter, memos and comments. It can help people read and understand what they are talking about and reduce spelling errors making communication much more effective. With the use of proofreading and spell check it is easy for people to use written communication.

Bullet Points and Key Points

The use of bullet points reduces the amount of time it takes someone to search through reams of text to find important facts or details. All this can improve the effectiveness of communication by limiting the risk of spelling errors and grammatical errors. It makes reading through there reports easier as it highlight the most crucial details of a topic. The use of these can prevent many barriers of effective communication.

In conclusion these barriers can be tricky to navigate through but with a few helpful tips and people such as interpreters, these barriers can be overcome with considerable ease. The use of all these tips and tricks can improve any bodies communication skills and help prevent confusion and misunderstanding.