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Chapter 17-Barriers To Communication in Business

This document discusses barriers to communication in business. It identifies several common barriers including lack of clarity, technological issues, poor communication skills, jargon, distractions, differing business cultures, long chains of command, and using the wrong medium. Ineffective communication can lead to higher staff turnover, poorer customer service, more accidents, and difficulties implementing changes. Barriers can be reduced through recruitment of skilled communicators, training, standardized written formats, updated technology, flatter organizational structures, social events between departments, and cultural changes to promote open communication.

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194 views14 pages

Chapter 17-Barriers To Communication in Business

This document discusses barriers to communication in business. It identifies several common barriers including lack of clarity, technological issues, poor communication skills, jargon, distractions, differing business cultures, long chains of command, and using the wrong medium. Ineffective communication can lead to higher staff turnover, poorer customer service, more accidents, and difficulties implementing changes. Barriers can be reduced through recruitment of skilled communicators, training, standardized written formats, updated technology, flatter organizational structures, social events between departments, and cultural changes to promote open communication.

Uploaded by

sk001
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GRADE 10

BUSINESS
STUDIES

Chapter 17-Barriers to
communication
Quote:
Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what
makes life meaningful. – Joshua J. Marine
Learning Objectives
• Explain how communication barriers arise.

• Discuss the problems of ineffective


communication.

• Determine how communication barriers


can be removed
Barriers to communication
• Communication barriers are obstacles that prevent effective
communication between the sender and the receiver.
• Examples of communication barriers
1. Lack of clarity
• If the message is not clear, it may be misunderstood or
ignored whic can be poorly written or poorly expressed
messages.
2.Technological breakdown
• A lot of communication is done elctronically. If technology is
faulty, communication may become unclear or breakdown.
Barriers to communication
3. Poor communication skills
Examples include:
• Some people may have limited vocabularly or may not be able
to make themselves understood
• Some people may be poor listeners and may 'switch off' during
the communication process.
• Written messages may contain poor spelling or weak grammar,
errors that can make a message appear untrustworthy.
• Sending messages in anger is an example of poor
communiaction and can act as a barrier.
Barriers to communication
4. Jargon
• Jargon is vocabularly that is used and understood by people in a
specific group;however, outside that group it may be
meaningless.
5. Distractions
• An obvious distraction is noise. Distractions may also occur if
people are under stress as they may be insufficietly focused. This
breaks down communication.
6. Business culture
• If a business fails to keep its employees fully informed of
important events, it can lead to doubt and uncertainty. This may
result in rumours, gossip, suspicion and anger
Barriers to communication
• This is all negative and encourages a mentality in which staff
become isolated and fail to share information with
colleagues.
7. Long chain of command
• if there too may layers of management in the organisation,
the chain of command will be longer. This means messages
take longer to pass through the chain and may become
unclear or inaccurate on the way.
8. Using the wrong medium
• The different methods by which message can be sent are
called communication media.
Barriers to communication
• However, if the sender uses an inappropriate medium, an
important message may be missed.
Examples of appropriateness of the communication media:
• Confidential information should be securely-using letters.
• Sensitive information-Use face to face
• if immediate feedback is required -Use verbal communication
• Standard information is best communicated-using forms
• Complex and detailed information is best communicated in a
report
Barriers to communication
9. Different countries, languages and culture
• In multinational companies people may be working in
different countries where languages and cultures such
differences may make communication more challenging.
• Employees may be in different time zones form one another,
which can delay responses or make real time communication
by telephone or video call difficult.
Key point
Information is more likely to be understood if:
• there is not too much information
• clear and precise language
• it is delivered at a reasonable pace
• the receiver is familiar with the sender and method of
communication
• the message only contains relavant infomation.
The problems of ineffective
communications in business
Ineffective internal communication
• Higher staff turnover and more staff absences.
• Poor customer services
• More work-related injuries
• Difficult in making changes
Ineffective external communication
• Damages relations with customers and suppliers
• Higher legal costs and lower profits
How can barriers to communication
be removed?
1. Recruitment
• Businesses should recruit staff with good communication
skills.
• Training-Train the staff in communication
2. written communication
• one way of removing the barriers created by poorly written
communication is provide standard company letters, which
can be used by staff.
How can barriers to communication
be removed?
3. Technology
• If communication barriers result from faulty technology, a
business may have to repair and replace equipment. The pace
of technology is very fast and businesses will be under
competitive pressure to keep up to date with new
developments.
4. Chain of command
• if this is too long, a business may decide to remove some of
the management levels in the organisation. A shorter chain of
commnad means that information can pass through an
organisation more quickly.
How can barriers to communication
be removed?
5. Social events
• Internal communication may improve if sociaal events are
organised for staff. These provide opportunities for workers
from different departments to come together, which may be
helpful.
6. Culture change
• If a business has a culture of poor communication,it will be
important to make changes. A business might need to
introduce some formal communication systems.
End of lesson

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