The Seven Barriers to Communication (2024)

Do you know the seven key communication barriers?

Communicating is easy, right? After all, we communicate every day. So why does interacting with people sometimes feel so difficult, complicated or frustrating?

In these situations, you are probably encountering one of the key communication barriers that can hinder both professional and personal relationships. Here are seven of the most common communication barriers that get in the way of good relationships.

Physical Barriers

Research shows that proximity is important for building cohesive teams, yet workplaces often stifle this with a range of physical communication barriers. These can include desk and office dividers, closed office doors, separate areas for people of different statuses, and ‘team territories’ that others avoid.

The rise in home working has added further communication barriers, giving rise to a wealth of online collaboration tools to help people feel more connected. Nevertheless, there are concerns that an inability to collaborate is directly affecting our creativity and innovation.

To combat this, some businesses are using basic skills training to optimise the way people use online productivity tools. At a minimum, make sure everyone is comfortable with working with Zoom and other platforms so they can make a productive contribution to calls.

If you manage remote team meetings you may be interested in Help Out at Home

Perceptual Barriers

These communication barriers exist in people’s minds based on how they perceive the world around them. They can be caused by the many cognitive biases of the human mind that prevent us from perceiving people and situations accurately. Individuals may also have their own unique biases based on previous experience and the influence of others.

Ask yourself what perceptions might be holding you or others back from communicating effectively. To encourage others to question their perceptions, try this short anecdote.

Everyone falls foul of their cognitive biases from time to time, which is why we should always challenge our thinking. The different perspectives of others can help you see where your own thought patterns can be improved.

Familiarise yourself with the key cognitive biases so you can appreciate when they may be affecting communication. However, avoid tackling people’s beliefs head-on. They will have solid reasons for thinking the way they do, and you need to understand these clearly first.

Emotional Barriers

Emotional communication barriers are the negative feelings we acquire about certain people, places and situations. Whether caused by bad experiences or the influence of others, they evoke emotions such as fear and mistrust that prevent effective interaction.

Sometimes the barrier is simply fear of what others think about us, which may come from being taught to ‘mind our Ps and Qs’ or ‘never speak until you are spoken to’ when we were children. Although caution is wise, excessive fear of what others think stunts development and inhibits your ability to build better relationships.

Most people will have experienced a moment in a difficult conversation when their emotions got the better of them, and the resulting effect it had on personal relationships and the dynamic of a group.

Anger and fear are two of the most powerful emotions, whether directed outwardly or inwardly. When we experience these emotions intensely, we are less able to process what goes on around us rationally. Things become framed in our anger or fear.

If emotion is causing issues, then it may require a proactive solution to enhance the interpersonal dynamics of a group. For example, an angry person needs to cool off, so it’s best to break up the gathering to allow the person time to think.

Bear in mind that emotions can affect our perceptions. To resolve an emotional barrier, try to identify if a misunderstanding or misconception is the root cause of someone’s reaction.

Cultural Barriers

To be accepted as a member of a group, we often need to adopt patterns of behaviour that the group perceives as a sign of belonging. For example, honesty, openness, diligence, banter or a sense of humour.

Cultural communication barriers arise if you don’t understand the group’s required behaviour patterns, which increases the risk of doing something its members frown upon.

To resolve cultural barriers, try to understand their behaviour, how it came to be, and why it sparks negative feelings. Naturally, the context of the environment is everything in choosing how to proceed and what is best overall.

When someone joins a group, it can help to orientate them about how the group works, and even with associated aspects such as how it socialises. As well as being welcoming, this also helps to minimise misunderstandings.

Take a Look at this Article about Cross-Cultural Issues

Language Barriers

Language causes communication barriers if you use words that other people are unfamiliar with. As soon as you introduce these words, you begin to exclude others. Bear in mind this includes expressions, buzzwords and jargon.

In business, we must always talk to people in their own language if we want to understand them and influence their behaviour.

One of the more chilling memories of the Cold War was hearing Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev telling the US,

“We will bury you!”

This was taken to mean a threat of nuclear annihilation, but a more accurate interpretation was simply,

“We will overtake you”

By this, he meant achieving economic superiority.

Effective communicators get to know their conversational counterparts so they can judge which words to use. Talking to someone in their own language doesn’t necessarily mean learning German for a specific meeting, but making sure you only use words that everyone will understand.

Always be sympathetic to other people as they may not recognise the technical terms, acronyms and colloquialisms you use on a daily basis. Furthermore, be careful how you react as people may simply be using the wrong word to express themselves.

Check out Ten Tips For Cross-Cultural Communication

Gender Barriers

Gender barriers to communication can still cause issues occasionally, and are perhaps some of the subtlest to identify. They often arise when someone has an oversimplified or stereotypical idea of how a gender behaves. This can cause them to act in a way that impedes open, honest and appropriate communication with others.

Gender barriers are closely linked to cultural barriers, particularly differences in nationality and age group. Bear in mind that not everyone has the same ability to adapt to the values of a different culture, or ‘move with the times’ as we attempt to progress towards a more equal society.

There are also physiological differences between the genders that affect the way we communicate. Neurology helps us understand which parts of the brain are active when we speak, and how that affects our communication.

To overcome gender barriers, promote equality at all times and look for ways to achieve greater balance within a group. It can also help to educate people about gender bias if you sense it is causing an issue.

See Improving Team Performance Top 10 Tips

Interpersonal Barriers

Interpersonal barriers are patterns of behaviour that prevent you from communicating effectively, or that prevent people from communicating with you.

This could be because of something the person is doing consciously, such as deliberately switching off their phone or closing their door because they don’t want to speak to anyone. However, it is often more likely to be something they are doing unconsciously. For example, our feelings about someone or something can be expressed through our body language. This is perceived by the other person, and causes them to react accordingly.

These communication barriers can be tricky to identify as there may be many drivers. For example, a person may have difficulties at work that causes them to withdraw. They may have issues with self-esteem that drives a lack of assertiveness. They may have superiority issues that give them a tendency towards being overbearing or belittling. Workplace cultures, disorganisation and greater prevalence of distance working can also cause and exacerbate issues.

The best advice is to observe the patterns of communication that occur when people are together, and look for clues as to what might be causing issues.

Break Through The Barriers

Identifying barriers is an essential communication skill that helps with management, networking, sales and generally being able to influence people. It is as valuable to written communication as it is to verbal. This is why great communicators develop a keen sense for when communication isn’t going as well as it should. As soon as you detect this, start looking for the clues.

Ask questions to learn more about the person and their perception of the situation. Listen to what they say, and watch their body language to identify what they might really be thinking and feeling.

Improving the way you communicate is a broad-brush activity that also benefits from looking at many aspects of yourself. As you communicate, try to change your own thoughts and feelings and see how it improves the interaction.

Boost your everyday communication skills

This is often the first step to breaking down communication barriers and building better relationships with colleagues, family members and friends.

This article was originally contributed by Eric Garner.

Read – Assertive Communication 5 Tips For Effective Use

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