Barriers to Communication in Business

➔ Communication is about passing messages between people or organisations. 

Barriers to communication 

A barrier to communication is something that stops communication happening or makes communication less effective. There are a number of barriers to effective communication. 

Some communication barriers include: 

• poor explanations 
• poor spelling and grammar 
• incorrect/different language 
• technology issues/breakdowns 
• Distractions 
• Long change of command 
• poor structuring of information 
• use of jargon, technical language or slang 
• lack of understanding 

If communication is not received or understood properly, the result may be reduced business efficiency and mistakes. Ineffective communication may also confuse customers or stop them receiving a message, which can ultimately impact a business’ sales and profitability. 

The problems of ineffective communications in business 

Poor communication can have a number of negative impacts. For example: 

• Mistakes – poor communication can reduce quality and increase costs. 
• Confusion – poor communication may frustrate customers and reduce sales, as customers’ needs are not being met. 
• Poor reputation – the business will become known for making mistakes and confusing customers. 
• Expensive problems – high staff turnover, more staff absences, etc. 
• Low motivation – less productive 
• More conflicts between workers/employees 

How can Barriers to Communication be Removed?

➔ Recruitment – Businesses should seek employees with good communication abilities. The quality of people’s written communication in job applications may provide a guide to their ability. 

➔ Training – Business must overcome barriers to communications. One way is to train communication. 

➔ Written communication – One strategy to remove barriers created by badly written communication is to issue standard letters from the company that all employees can use. 

➔ Technology – If communication barriers arise from faulty technology, a business can have equipment repaired or replaced. 

➔ Chain of Command – if the chain of command is too long, a business may decide to remove some of management levels in the organisation. 

➔ Social Events – Internal communication may improve if social events are organised for staff. 

➔ Culture Change – If a business has a culture of poor communication, it will be important to make changes. This can be overcome by introducing formal communication systems. 

Vocabulary:

Formal communication refers to flow through proper, defined channels and routes for official information.