What are barriers to effective communication?

By Yash Gupta2 min read · Posted Mar 11, 2023

4322
Views

Effective communication is essential for a business to operate as smoothly as possible. Whether it is between employees or a conversation with a customer, communication barriers can often go unnoticed and lead to an unpleasant outcome for both parties. This article will cover common barriers that are standing in the way of effective communication and the impact that they can have within a business.

Common Barriers to Communication

Filtering occurs when someone withholds or alters the information that they are giving to someone. This causes a discrepancy between the sender and receiver, which can lead to misunderstandings and more problems down the road. Most of the time, the sender will filter information because it will spark a negative reaction in the receiver. However, this will ultimately harm a business because any problems that need to be addressed may be pushed aside and could lead to costly mistakes.

Selective Perception is when the receiver, often subconsciously, ignores some of the information that they are sent. This will lead to the same issues caused by filtering because the sender feels that the receiver understood everything was said when the receiver did not.

Lack of trust and transparency can lead to issues, as well, especially in downward communication. If your employees feel like they cannot trust or are suspicious of the management, then they will be less likely to comply with management and will uphold less communication, which will cause a standstill and inefficiency in operations. Building trust takes time and is a crucial aspect of any business, more transparency will help increase it.

Lack of Contextwhen communicating with someone will create confusion on the receiver's end – they will not understand what the sender is trying to say because they aren’t aware of the background information that the sender may be referring to in their message. To ensure that the receiver has context, it may be necessary to briefly summarize what has happened at the beginning.

Professional Jargon (terminology that experts in a field use that is hard for ordinary people to understand) when communicating with a customer or new employee could also lead to confusion. For example, if a medical professional uses the term “dictum” when diagnosing a patient, the patient will most likely not know what the doctor is referring to. Instead, saying “a generally accepted truth” will be much easier to understand.

References

About The Author

Yash Gupta

13
Articles
11215
Total Views
26
Total Likes
1
Total Shares

I’m Yash, a high school student, aspiring entrepreneur, and VP of Library at Pitch Labs! With a passion for business and computer programming, I hope to be delivering innovative solutions in the technology world.

See more posts by Yash Gupta

Comments

Your generosity fuels innovation and drives success!

Our resources are assembled by a team of entrepreneurs who donate their time and energy to Pitch Labs to ensure that entrepreneurial resources are available to everyone. Unfortunately, we can't avoid major expenses such as website hosting fees. To ensure our resources remain free to access and use, we rely on donors who are able and willing to give back. Consider donating to be a part of the Pitch Labs mission today!

More in Operations


Operations » Product & Service Management

From Concept to Customer: A Deep Dive into Product Management

by multiple authors ·May 5, 2025

7
Views

Product management is the strategic process of guiding a product’s development and success. Discover the key responsibilities and stages involved in bringing ideas to life. Read more

Operations » Product & Service Management

What are revenue streams?

by Sunnie Souza ·Apr 30, 2025

22
Views

Revenue Streams are the various sources of operational, and non-operational revenue for a company. Read more

Operations » Product & Service Management

How to Manage Customer Relationships

by Deborah Taiwo ·Apr 25, 2025

31
Views

This article explores how businesses can foster genuine connections with their customers to build trust, drive loyalty, and ensure long-term success. It provides actionable steps for understanding and delighting customers. Read more

Operations » Management

Mastering Data-Driven Decision-Making for Your Business

by Christina Molitor ·Apr 23, 2025

26
Views

Data-driven decision-making relies on inputs such as customer preferences, edge analytics, and AI, prioritizing evidence over intuition and helping automate the decision making process. Read more

Recent articles


Technology » Applications

Being Human in the Age of AI: Build These 5 Career Skills for the Future

by Tonya Parker ·May 12, 2025

8
Views

AI is coming to a workplace near you. Discover the human skills you’ll need for a future with AI. Read more

Marketing » Advertising

Products to sell? Explore platforms that could list your products.

by Zainab Anjum ·May 7, 2025

8
Views

This article helps you choose the right online selling platforms based on your business model, target audience, and products. Read more

Technology » Applications

The Benefits and Drawbacks of AI in Learning

by Sunnie Souza ·May 2, 2025

56
Views

The AI boom of the past several years presents a set of benefits and challenges with regard to learning. While generative AI can greatly improve the learning process, there are concerns about integrity and bias. Read more

Financial » Accounting

What Is The GAAP?

by Callie Leff ·Apr 28, 2025

32
Views

GAAP is a set of accounting principles for public businesses, non profits, and government agencies to ensure transparency and accuracy. Read more

Join Our Community


Looking for something else? Get your questions answered in our free online learning community!

Entrepreneurial Resources


Jumpstart your next business with our free resource library.

Disclaimer


Our organization cannot give out official legal/fiscal guidance. All articles are written by volunteers and it may be beneficial to contact professionals to assist your understanding of the information and to guide your action. Pitch Labs bears no responsibility for the results of actions taken based off of article content or any other form of assistance given.