Barriers of Communication Essay

Everyone has experienced, at one time or another frustration of feeling misunderstood and being unable to make us understood by others. Communication should be simple but is often difficult because people tend to create barriers. Barriers often lead to your message becoming unclear and confusing to others. For communication to become more effective one has to overcoming these barriers to send a clear message. Cultural Differences can be a barrier to communication because of the variations between cultures and the different background, beliefs and opinions of others. Some people may think your being racist because of the way you speak to them and if you argue back to them about their opinions and beliefs, they may get offended. Cultural Differences can also be the way people dress, their religions, interests and the kind of food they may eat. Read more:  Identify different reasons why people communicate  essay Also certain hand gestures in America may have different meaning in other countries which could distort your message. A way to overcome this barrier is to respect other people’s opinions and beliefs and to educate yourself. Foreign languages are also barriers to communicate because you might attempt to speak to someone in English but the other person may speak Spanish. You wouldn’t be able to communicate with them due to the language you speak. A way to overcome this barrier would be attempting to use the other individual’s preferred spoken language to communicate or get an interpreter to help you. One barrier of communication can be the surroundings of which the communication is going to take place. The space of which the communication is being held is very important, as it is vital that all people communicating can see one another’s facial expressions. Since we spend more time hitting the letters on a keypad than actually participating in face-to-face communication it is important to try and overcome this barrier when possible. For example when you’re having a conversation with another via text messaging or emails it is very easy for the message to be misinterpreted because emotions are sometimes hardier to decipher. A lot of communication is based on body language when talking face to face. When we communicate things that we care about, we do so mainly using nonverbal signals. Wordless communication, or body language, includes facial expressions, body movement and gestures, eye contact, posture, and the tone of your voice. By texting and emailing this barrier is created and confusion can happen. So, if it is an important conversation or an important message to relay to another person it is best to talk to them face to face. This would lower ones chances of distorting the message or creating more problems because of a distorted message. Identify the barriers that you put up can help you overcome them and communicate better with others. Effective communication helps us better understand a person or situation and enables us to resolve differences. By learning these effective communication skills, you can better connect with your spouse, kids, friends, and coworkers. References MUSCARELLO, P. (2012). Breaking the Communication Barrier. Business Officer, 46(1), 11-13.