Sheet 19
BARRIERS AGAINST GOOD COMMUNICATION
People in organizations have no choice but to relate with one another. Every employee would prefer to work under a competent supervisor with a good personality, someone with whom they can get along with, but there is no guarantee that they will be assigned to such a manager. Carrying out their duties, employees often have to communicate with people whom they don't particularly like. Employees in organizations must maintain good communications with other members of staff whether they like them or not.
Most organizations have their own institutionalized system to encourage communication among staff, sometimes at the expense of actually forcing staff to communicate with each other. Even if communication systems exist, however, the following barriers may still impede good communication.
1 Talking to the Wrong Person
If the person you speak to is not the most appropriate person to convey the information to, much as you may believe that you have successfully communicated the message. The person themselves might not understand why they have been informed and, as a result, may not act upon the information.
2 The Inability to Express Information Clearly
Good communication requires that the message to be conveyed is understood accurately by the recipient. If the person's ability to express themselves is poor, the recipient may misunderstand their intention, and is likely to be confused or act upon this misunderstanding.
3 Hesitation
Most people are relaxed when they talk to friends over a cup of coffee. The same people, on the other hand, may feel nervous when they speak at conferences in front of a crowd of people, report to top officials or talk to strangers over something important.
If a person feels nervous or hesitant talking to people they don't know very well, they won't be able to communicate actively and spontaneously. When people hesitate to communicate, communication is unlikely to occur at all.
4 Fixed Ideas or Prejudices
When the recipient has fixed ideas or is prejudiced against the other person, they are likely to misunderstand the meaning or intention behind the message conveyed. They may filter the information through their own preconceptions. When the recipient believes that the person wishes to offend them, for example, they will take everything they say as an insult. Likewise in reverse, when the recipient blindly respects the other person, they may interpret everything they say in a favorable light. Neither of these by any means constitutes good communication.
