Barriers To Effective Communication.
Filtering
Filtering refers to how a sender purposely manipulates information so the receiver will see it more favorably. A manager who tells his boss what he feels the boss wants to hear is filtering information. Factors such as fear of conveying bad news and the desire to please the boss often lead employees to tell their superiors what they think they want to hear, thus distorting upward communications.
Selective Perception
Selective perception appears when receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics. The truth is, we do not see reality, we interpret what we see and call it reality.
Information Overload
Individuals have a finite capacity for processing data. When the information we have to work with exceeds our processing capacity, the result is information overload. What happens when individuals have more information than they can sort and use? They tend to select, ignore, pass over, or forget information. Or they may put off further processing until the overload situation is over.
Emotions
You may interpret the same message differently when you are angry or distraught than when you are happy. Extreme emotions such as jubilation or depression are most likely to hinder effective communication.
Language
Even when we are communicating in the same language, words mean different things to different people. Age and context are two biggest factors that influence such differences. Those new to corporate lingo may find acronyms such as ARA, words such as skeds (schedules), and phrases such as bake your noodle (provide a service) bewildering, in the same way parents may be mystified by teen slang.
In short, our use of language is far from uniform. If we knew how each of us modified the language, we could minimize communication difficulties, but we usually do not know. Sender tends to assume words and terms they use mean the same to the receiver as to them. This assumption is often incorrect.
Silence
It is easy to ignore or lack of communication, precisely because it is defined by the absence of information. Employee silence means managers lack information about ongoing operational problems. And silence regarding discrimination, harassment, corruption means top management cannot take action to eliminate this behavior. Finally, employees who are silent about important issues may also experience psychological stress.
Communication Apprehension
An estimated 5 to 20 percent of the population suffers debilitating communication apprehension, or social anxiety. These people experience undue tension and anxiety in oral communication, or both.