About Barriers To Communication

Scientists and rhetoricians who study human communication often fail to agree on the perfect model for the process. The various models that have been published in text and professional journals include many like elements, however, and there is general agreement about several known barriers to communication.

Internal Barriers in the Sender

There are many barriers to communication in the way a message is constructed. The person sending the message may have trouble conveying it clearly and concisely. The language may pose a problem and create confusion for the receiver attempting to accurately translate the message, since the speaker has biases, beliefs and background experiences that color the message that is sent. Dr. Edward G. Wertheim, Instructor at the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University, reports that people involved in organizations spend approximately three-quarters of their time communicating in a one-to-one situation. Problems with the initial message can create a fundamental barrier for the majority of messages sent.

Barriers in the Communication Channel

The channel, the way in which the message is carried, also creates barriers to communication. Person-to-person discussions have a different give-and-take than a discussion on a cell phone that requires one of the speakers to pause until the other has finished speaking. "Noise" is the term used by professionals in the analysis of communication. Noise in all forms is a barrier to effective communication. The most obvious noises are direct physical background noise that creates problems with hearing all the message, or electronic interference such as on a cell phone, obscuring parts of the conversation.

Internal Barriers in the Receiver

The listener also brings prejudices, beliefs and background experiences that create barriers to receiving a message. A clear message from a sender that arrives in perfect condition through a communication channel might not be received by a listener due to internal barriers. Other barriers might be less focused. The listener, for instance, may be mentally developing an answer before the other speaker has finished, contributing to a communication failure.

Physical Barriers

The human brain is capable of processing 1,000 to 3,000 words per minute, and the average person speaks 125 to 175 words each minute. During this speaking lag, the brain is involved in other processing that increases distractions. Compounding this difference is the fact that people have a comprehension rate of approximately 50 percent. These two physical issues create additional barriers that must be overcome, according to Joseph DeVito in his text "The Interpersonal Communication Book," published in 2009.

Significance

The National Communication Association (NCA) cites the importance of effective communication in successfully completing education, making social adjustments, maintaining satisfying personal relationships and obtaining and keeping quality employment. People are born with the physical ability to speak, but the ability to transcend the basic barriers that inhibit communication must be taught, according to the NCA.