12.3 Barriers to effective communication
Operations are hampered by ineffective communication practices. Many things can interfere with the process of communication. We call these barriers to communication.
Some common examples of barriers are:
- language - when people do not have a common language or they are not comfortable with the same language. Sometimes this can simply be the accent, not the ability to use the language, that is the problem;
- emotions - when people allow their feelings to get in the way of effective communication;
- noise and distraction - when too much noise (such as machinery, traffic, telephones, interruptions, other people's conversations) prevents effective communication;
- organisational barriers - where the manner in which people are organised prevents them from communicating effectively;
- cultural differences - when people from different cultures interpret a situation in different ways;
- body language - when how you sit, stand or move your head, for example, sends an inappropriate message to the receiver;
- jargon - when the use of terminology or acronyms that are common to a profession or industry confuses communication with receivers who are not familiar with the jargon.
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