Barriers to Communication

General Communication

Problems with technology can act as a barrier of communication. People who are not familiar with technology will sometimes have trouble communicating with people who are technologically advanced.

Ways of communicating with people using technology could be podcasting, blogging, telephone calls, instant messaging or video conferencing.

There are many barriers that could take place when communicating with people using technology.

Hardware problems such as there not being enough RAM installed, not having enough hard drive space or having a slow CPU could cause software to run slow or lag.

Network issues could occur such as the internet being disconnected which would stop the user from being unable to connect with the person they are trying to communicate with.

If the user has a virus on their PC they may experience problems with software such as the software not running at all or crashing and the software running slowly or lagging.

If the user has restrictions setup in the firewall of their PC they may experience problems while trying to connect with the people they are communicating with because the firewall will block access to them.

Problems with audio and video equipment such as monitors, projectors, microphones or speakers will stop the user from being able to communicate with people. If the user doesn’t have access to these different technologies then they will not be able to use programs such as Skype, MSN and other video conferencing or instant messaging services.

Interpersonal Communication

Background noise can be disruptive when people are communicating and can therefore act as a barrier to communication.

Examples of disruptive background noises could include noises from outside, loud voices, construction work, telephones ringing or others using the telephone and talking loudly, noises from IT equipment such as printers or the hum of computers and the noise of air conditioning.

Background noises can block out what a speaker is saying by diverting the attention of the person they are talking to and making them lack concentration on what the speaker is saying. This could cause the recipient to percieve what the speaker is saying incorrectly and this could cause them to even take offence to it. 

Written Communication

Spelling and grammar can act as a barrier while communicating with someone.

If words aren’t spelled correctly then the reader cannot perceive the text as the writer intended. Grammar errors can also cause this problem, if there are problems with the spelling and grammar then it can leave a negative effect or it won’t be understood by the reader.

If the text is in an illogical order it can throw the reader off and not allow them to understand  the order how the text should be as the writer intended.

If the text has not been formatted then the reader can have a hard time reading it and will therefore not receive the message.

If the text has not been given headings or subheadings the reader will have a hard time navigating there way through different sections of the text and therefore won’t receive the message. Not using bullet points or numbering can cause the same problem as the user won’t be able to perceive the text how the writer intended.

Also if the text is badly presented or has an inconsistent layout it can come off unprofessional and depending on the reader intended for, the text will not be able to serve its purpose.



Reduce the Impact of Barriers

General Communication

There are many different methods to reduce barriers of communication with technology.

The user could get training in the technology they are using by taking a basic IT class on how to communicate with people via instant messaging, video conferencing or email.

To reduce problems with equipment the user could test it before they use it. The user could test their microphone and webcam to make sure they are in working order. They should then make sure that their equipment is compatible with the software they are using to communicate with the other person.

To reduce issues with the firewall the user could test the firewall settings to ensure that the connections to video conferencing or instant messaging software are setup properly and that the ports that the software needs to access the internet are open and allowed by the network.

Interpersonal Communication

There are several ways to overcome potential barriers such as background noise.

If someone is having a conversation while talking loudly and distracting others, they could use instant messaging instead of talking to reduce the noise of their voice.

If an office workplace is very loud and noisy from people talking, partitions or walls could be put up between the persons chatting to discourage them from talking or getting distracted.

If the noise is coming from outside of the room then closing the windows or doors which are drawing the noise in will help reduce distractions and overall noise. Also if a building is designed with double glazing windows it can also reduce the noise coming in from outside such as construction works.

Noise cancelling headsets could be worn by a person to help reduce the noise in a loud environment such as a concert or even for reducing noise in an office environment such as computer buzzes or printers churning out paper.

Written Communication

There are many different ways to reduce spelling and grammar barriers relating to written communication.

If a person takes time when they are writing in documents such as emails, reports, letters and so on. They will reduce barriers simply because their writing is more likely to be understandable, readable and correct as they took time to think about what they are writing.

When a person has finished writing they should make sure to proof read it and get someone else to proof read it also to make sure it will make sense to the reader. They should also check the spelling of each word in their text as this will ensure that there are no spelling or grammar errors with the text.

To make sure that the text makes sense the user could check that the layout of their text is consistent by using headings, subheadings, bullet points and numbering. They should also make sure the information in their text is in a logical order and will make sense to the reader.

Formatting could be used by  the writer on text such as adding bold, adding italics, underlining or adding different fonts. Adding different formats could help the text become more readable or understandable to the reader.

Depending on the type of document different templates or structure could be used on the text to make sure it comes across to the reader as the writer intended. Examples of templates could be formal letters, tax slips, payment slips or a informal text message.