handling barriers to communication

Handling Barriers to Communication 

Following are some practical ideas for dealing with attitudinal barriers to communication so that all of your exchanges as a small business owner or part of a team in an office are as productive as they can be:

Engage in face-to-face interactions whenever possible. As you've probably learned from experience, text messages and even emails can be misinterpreted without the nonverbal “assist” of facial expressions, tone and inflection. When timely communication is of great importance, you may have no choice but to send a quick text or email. In this case, be sure to follow up later to seek questions and to ensure that your message was understood as you had intended it to be.

Reduce or eliminate distractions around you. Noise from other people and office machines can sink even the most pleasant interactions, dooming them to a rough start. They interfere with the focus you need to have so that you can counteract any attitudinal barriers. Then again, sometimes a lack of noise from other people, such as if the environment is too quiet, can be distracting; this could mean that people are eavesdropping on your conversation – something you want to avoid. If “the walls have ears,” then move your conversation to another part of the building or go outdoors.

Try to assess the needs of the receiver. This is not an easy objective. But as an employer, look at the bright side: you're privy to some attitudinal variables: age, culture, education, experience, gender and race. Others, such as lifestyle and upbringing, may elude you. Use what you know to develop an empathetic stance and, if possible, tailor your message accordingly. This is another way of saying “know thy audience.” No doubt, you will get better with experience and practice.

Hone your active listening skills. The University of Maine suggests a five-step approach to this alert and engaged listening style: STUDY MATERIAL
 a) Acknowledge the other person's ideas, thoughts or feelings. Paraphrase the other person's words to ensure understanding.
b) Ask questions without judging. Summarize and clarify what you hear. Offer your opinion if it's requested.
c) Organize your thoughts. You don't have to write notes, but if doing so helps you organize what you want to say and how you want to say it, then by all means, start writing. Many communications go haywire because the purpose is hazy in the mind of the sender. And if it's hazy in the mind of the sender, it might be a complete blur to the recipient.

Soften your tone and language. As the boss, you know people watch your every move, so you also know that being courteous and professional is a must in every interaction. To defeat any attitudinal barriers, it can help immensely to maintain a gentle, reassuring tone and use simple, non-confrontational language. Keeping sentences short and direct can also help to prevent any misunderstandings.

Encourage feedback. Even this seemingly benign step can be fraught with peril, if “the other guy” clams up and disses you behind your back. Now might be a good time to remember the advice about how the receiver also bears responsibility for whether a two-way exchange is a success or a failure. All you can do is ask that he understood what you had to say and if he has any questions you can clarify. At least, you will be doing your part as a conscientious communicator.

Described below are some common barriers to effective communication which we must avoid:
1 Second guessing the sender: We do this when we are impatient with the speaker and are in a hurry to finish the sentence for the speaker. It takes away from the speaker the opportunity to compete what was being said. At times, we could be completely off the mark while finishing off the unspoken part and create antagonism in the speaker. We have thus defeated out first principle of seeking first to understand.
2 Stereotyping: We often form stereotypes about those whom we know the least! Once our mental sets are created, all our transactions are affected by these sets, preventing us from effective listening. 3 Halo effect: This is another form of stereotyping. Based on a single characteristic we make up our mind usually positively about the other person. We may like someone's mannerisms or passion while speaking and get so impressed that are unable to see any negatives in this person.
4 Not listening as a status or gender issue: Studies have shown that men listen much less than women do. Similarly those in positions listen less to those who are lower in hierarchy. How well do we listen to our children, or our subordinates? If a woman employee is speaking, are men colleagues as attentive as they would be when a male colleague speaks up?

In addition there are others which we are familiar with such as-daydreaming, private STUDY MATERIAL planning or detouring, fatigue and exhaustion. Typical mannerisms like saying 'you know', 'well', or making gesticulations while talking also act as barriers. These can be observed in both the sender and the receiver. One can overcome these through seeking feedback on one's style of communication.