Barriers to Effective Communication

See also: Improving Communication Skills

Effective communication is the accurate transfer of a message from one person to another—that is, the person on the receiving end of the message hears or understands exactly what the person sending the message intended. This might occur during speech, by body language or facial expression, or in writing. This sounds simple, but there are many reasons why interpersonal communications may fail, including barriers that affect both the transmission and reception of the message.

These barriers to communication may occur at any stage in the communication process. Barriers may lead to the message becoming distorted, or simply not being heard and received at all. They may therefore cause confusion and misunderstanding. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message. That means that it is important to understand what may cause barriers to communication, and also how to reduce or remove them.

Common Barriers to Effective Communication:

There are many issues that may cause barriers to communication. For example:

The use of jargon. If the person sending the message uses over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms, the recipient may not understand fully.
Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may find it difficult to express their emotions, and some topics may be completely 'off-limits' or taboo. Taboo or difficult topics may include, but are not limited to, politics, religion, disabilities (mental and physical), sexuality and sex, racism and any opinion that may be seen as unpopular.
Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver. See our page Barriers to Effective Listening for more information.
Differences in perception and viewpoint. People often find it harder to fully hear and accept messages that they do not agree with.
Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties. These can cause messages to be unheard or garbled, or simply make it harder to communicate.
Physical barriers, especially if they affect non-verbal communication. Not being able to see non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can make communication less effective. Phone calls, text messages and other communication methods that rely on technology are often less effective than face-to-face communication.
Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents. Different pronunciations and emphasis can make communication less effective. Accents can also simply be distracting because of the rhythm of the words (see box).

Case Study: A distracting accent.

Julie was tasked with taking notes in a meeting at work. One of the attendees had a very strong accent from the northwest of England, and a soft, gentle voice. As he spoke at length, she found herself fascinated by the sound of his voice and the rhythm of his accent.

Pulling herself up sharply, she realised that she had no idea what he had been saying. She had been so caught up by his voice that she had lost track of his message.

Explaining this lapse—and the consequent gap in her notes—to her boss later was somewhat challenging...
Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping. People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions. Our page on The Ladder of Inference explains this in more detail.
Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings. See our page on Intercultural Awareness for more information.

A skilled communicator must be aware of these barriers and try to reduce their impact by continually checking understanding and by offering appropriate feedback.

A Categorisation of Barriers to Communication

It is also possible to categorise barriers to communication. The categories below are generally agreed to include most of the common barriers to communication.

Language Barriers

Language and linguistic ability may act as a barrier to communication.

When two people do not share a common language, this may make it harder to communicate effectively. Similarly, if one person’s linguistic ability is less—as happens with children—this may cause issues. It is easy to appreciate that small children do not always understand what adults are saying—and vice versa.

However, even when communicating in the same language and at the same level of ability, the terminology used in a message may act as a barrier if it is not fully understood by the receiver(s). For example, a message that includes a lot of specialist jargon and abbreviations will not be understood by a receiver who is not familiar with the terminology used.

To overcome language-based barriers to communication, it is helpful to consider your audience before you start speaking. In particular, you should consider their level of understanding of your topic and the language in which you are speaking.

For more about this issue, see our pages Effective Speaking and Know Your Audience.

Cultural Barriers

Cultural barriers are similar to language barriers, but caused by differences in culture.

They may be connected to language. For example, regional colloquialisms and expressions may be misinterpreted or even considered offensive. However, regional or national differences may also cause barriers even with a common language.

England and America are two countries separated by a common language.

Attributed to George Bernard Shaw, although it is unclear if that is correct

There are also issues related to non-verbal communication (and our page on Non-Verbal Communication contains some examples of how gestures may differ internationally). Failing to understand and respect cultural norms can also get you into a lot of trouble. It is therefore important to be aware of, and appreciate, the cultural norms of your audience and/or location.

For more about this, see our pages on Intercultural Communication and Intercultural Awareness.

Psychological and Emotional Barriers

The psychological state of both communicators will influence how the message is sent, received and perceived.

This is particularly true if someone is engaged emotionally. For example, if they are afraid about what might happen to their job, or stressed for either personal or work reasons, this will affect receptivity to communication. This is one reason why it is impossible to over-communicate organisational change.

If someone is preoccupied by personal concerns, they may not be as receptive to communication at work as normal. Similarly, if your partner is very stressed about work, it is probably not the best time to bring up problems in your relationship, or tell them when your parents are coming to stay—at least, not if you expect them to respond and remember.

Stress management is an important personal skill that affects our interpersonal relationships both at home and at work. See our pages What is Stress? and Avoiding and Managing Stress for more information.

Anger is another example of an emotion that creates a psychological barrier to communication.

When we are angry, it is easy to say things that we may later regret, and also to misinterpret what others are saying.

See our pages: What is Anger? and Anger Management for more information.

Ideally, it is best not to have important conversations when one or other of you is in a heightened state of negative emotion. Leave it until later, when you are both more receptive.

More generally, people with low self-esteem may be less assertive and therefore may not feel comfortable communicating. They may feel shy or embarrassed about saying how they really feel, or read unintended negative sub-texts into the messages that they hear.

Visit our pages on Improving Self-Esteem and Assertiveness for more information.

Physiological Barriers

Physiological barriers to communication may result from the receiver’s physical state. They often relate to permanent or temporary disabilities or disorders.

For example, a receiver with reduced hearing may not fully grasp the content of a spoken conversation, especially if there is also significant background noise or other physical barriers. Someone with a speech and language disorder (see box) may find it hard to convey their meaning effectively. This may be especially true with a new audience who is unfamiliar with them and their way of speaking.

Speech and language disorders

Speech and language disorders are problems that affect either how speech is produced physically (a speech disorder) or how words and sentences are composed in the head, and then expressed (a language disorder).

Stammering, where speech gets ‘stuck’;
Cluttering, where your brain goes faster than your speech can follow; and
Dysarthria, a difficulty in speaking caused by muscle weakness.

People with speech disorders generally know what they want to say, but find it hard to produce speech. Examples of language disorders include:

Aphasia, where you cannot ‘find’ the right word in your head; and
Developmental language disorder, where someone’s use of language does not match their age or intellectual ability.

In a language disorder, there is not usually a problem with the production of words, only in their use.

All these disorders act as barriers to communication, and our pages on each one explain how best to communicate with people with each disorder. A good starting point to find out more is our glossary of terms, which contains links to the relevant pages.

Processing disorders like dyslexia and conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also affect the ability to receive and transmit messages. People with dyslexia may find it harder to listen and process information for long periods. Those with ADHD can also have problems with concentrating that can affect their receptivity to communication.

Physical Barriers

Physical barriers to communication are tangible issues that may physically come between the message sender and recipient.

For example, geographic distance between the sender and receiver(s) is a physical barrier to communication. Communication is generally easier over shorter distances because more communication channels are available, and less technology is required. The ideal communication is face-to-face. However, even face-to-face, there may be physical barriers to communication such as background noise.

Modern technology often helps to reduce the impact of physical barriers, but can also raise its own issues. For example, a poor-quality microphone or poor internet connection can have a big impact on the effectiveness of communication via a video call. It is therefore important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each communication channel so that you can choose the appropriate channel to overcome the most crucial physical barriers.

It is worth being aware that there are generally fewer barriers as you get closer to face-to-face, and that there is more potential for things to go wrong if you use more technology. For example, a video call is better than a phone call for overcoming the barriers, because you can at least see facial expressions, and some gestures, even though much body language is lost. However, you need good quality equipment and a reliable internet connection.

Systematic or Organisational Barriers

Systematic barriers to communication are structures or norms within organisations or societies that influence the transfer of messages.

For example, they may exist in structures and organisations where there are inefficient or inappropriate information systems and communication channels, or where there is a lack of understanding of the roles and responsibilities for communication. In such organisations, people may be unclear of their role in the communication process and therefore not know what is expected of them.

These barriers to communication can also be caused by hierarchical approaches that discourage ‘upward challenge’. One example of a systematic barrier is the (thankfully now outdated) idea that ‘doctors know best’. In the past, this is known to have prevented both patients and other healthcare professionals from asking questions, and resulted in more than a few errors and accidents because those around them felt able to challenge a doctor.

The best way to overcome systematic barriers to communication is awareness and education.

It should therefore be clear that this is a long-term process, and cannot be managed in a single ‘hit’. It also ideally needs to be addressed in a top-down way, because it is very hard for those lower down in the organisation to have much impact.

Attitudinal Barriers

Attitudinal barriers are behaviours or perceptions that prevent people from communicating effectively.

Attitudinal barriers to communication may result from personality conflicts, poor management, resistance to change or a lack of motivation. Stereotypes and bias also fall under this heading.

To be an effective receiver of messages, you should attempt to overcome your own attitudinal barriers to help ensure more effective communication.

Self-awareness is crucial in this process.

Overcoming Barriers to Communication

The classification above contains some specific ways in which each type of barrier can be overcome. However, there are also some very simple and effective ways to overcome any barriers to communication.

In one-to-one interpersonal communication, one very good way to check that your message has been clearly heard and understood is to seek feedback directly and immediately.

For example, you might ask the listener to summarise what they have heard, or ask questions to check their understanding.

Don’t patronise your listener

When asking for feedback, make sure that you don’t patronise your listener. This is as much about whether you have transmitted the message effectively as whether they were ‘listening’—so don’t be tempted to imply in any way that a gap in understanding is ‘their fault’.

To invite questions, you might say something like:

“I’ve probably rushed through that, I tend to do that, so I expect you’ve missed some of it. Can I check what you’ve got, and then I can recap anything you’ve missed?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t sure what level to pitch that at, so I may have gone a bit over-technical. Can I check what you got?”

The listener can also help by checking their understanding using clarification techniques such as questioning or confirm the message by reflecting it back to the speaker. They may also find it helpful to use active listening techniques.

In Summary

To improve your overall communication skills you need to be aware of, and attempt to minimise, any barriers to communication that are present.

By developing your emotional intelligence, you will become more aware of how to communicate with others in the most appropriate and effective ways.

You may find it helpful to take our Interpersonal Skills Self-Assessment to find out your strengths and weaknesses, so you can start to address them.

Continue to:
What is Communication?
Avoiding Common Communication Mistakes