r

trI

.,

{
Barriers

to Communication

t
I

he desircd
up saying
attentively
ise due to
nadequate

eed to be
. colllmon
being sent
is talking
about the
t extent if

the likely
;five

3l

The term communication barrier. or that wlrich

inhibits or distorts th- message, is an expansion of the

i
I

but a break or disturbance in the communication

Figure

2.1

Noise interferes in the correct

transmission of messages

be removed by correcting the technological faults.

However, if the noise is due to human error, the

p4es

involved in the communication process need to take corrective measures.

el
interference in the
$orsq S defin4g a"y unplanned
:oTunYcatign
as
channglauf,
qrv
lassified
vr
r^rLee%
UrU trans
affEts the
@ELA

y\o rS.
/

n /
,u.

\ \ (zJ
n\

noise is anJ interference

jc"Xa^hcof
C har.,r,el

t""nA

steps

in the mechanh{ of thi medium used to send a message. F?ldldrar exa\Ples

charurel noiSe are distortion

d""

t,o

fuulty

lu.!qo"1d,g^"_*]"l"pho"" li""t,

ot to.

ry

can Fe

asEffiannel

noise develops

enms in the

internalQ,

.at

"x"r"ilfttg@j,

oob,

b_gr*rdrd

by the sender and the receive{For examp

in a positive manner,
the word'condescend' may
the
might interPret it
but
receiver
implyrnggrace or dignity of manner,
aS;umftion of superioitl.
a negafive manner, related to a (base

there is

correctly,

ruous'sentence structure,

sked your
so. When
,imonthly.
as io your
ffnd that

CLASSI FICATION OF BARRIERS

Quiet
or
quite?

--?
sihration,
solutions.
meaning,

and

To

of your position, you need to know how barriers

uTes

and how to
6".,1"..)

*i"i*ir"

g through

th"ir

""g"ti*

How often have you said, 'I

does not
h.11, either

communication barriers crop up and our written and spoken

messages are misunderstood. ff *" Lqlq${y lj{Tjrugg.d4g-

I the four

!g &q

nce come
ever let it

and how
rarriers to

@ o Inhapersonal
@

plqqeqpe.s

Pqqsage forrnatig! 1ld d_elivery, we can

ldenE& fuee_]lpes:

@t

LrterPersonal

G.

organizationll

lntrapersonal Barriers
As discussed in Chapter 1, individuals are unique because of differences in perceptions,
experiences, education, culture, personality, etc. Each of us interprets the same information
in different ways, as our thinking varies. These differences lead to certain inbuilt or
intrapersonal barriers. l,et us explore all the common causes that lead to these inhapersonal

luction of

barriers:

{,'

32

Technical Communication

./
u/

rp.

rr

ool; n

lJ)e

ilr,

qh

Wrongassumptions

F).

G*r

g).

Ditrering background
Blockea categories

i "-t'lo,p t, eo,.,

o(

La, ,\

u,a , -

Varied perceptions

-g). mo.rg inferences

6)o Categorical thinking

ossurnptions

For exampre, when a doctor terrs

her

[H,?;X:'.:,::
_1,::::",
T.:*p,i:,,:.
has to take
o'o"{{lne
some J"y"",._y;;.;;

il;'.ffi;##"ryj#*:;

knowing whether the -patient

term 'SOS', she is creating a ""a".ii""ir'""
barrier in their
communication. Here the doctor
has made a
y.orrq assuE:tion about her patient,s level of
knowledge.
lfllrrg_r.umptions ?r sen era IIrr

s
\

'...

or entertains ce

your skills aGrcorrrn

uni.atoffi

to

in the shoes of the listener. This

'Ioke thrc medicine only SOS

ond i

hove o
Make

p.rtfoirr"ff

listene

exercise will

hend ir
diferer

prevent making ldrong assumptions

about the

receiver.

and

*E

Yglied lerceptions (v i rw
3oi,i,ls)

vYe au
We
all know theil
the story of the six biind men
and theirdescription of an elephant.
The elephant
was.perceivedbyeachmaIrasafan,arope!awaII.asworrl,cnoLo^-J^.''
a rope, a waII, a sword, a snake,
and
a
bee.
the blind men were wrons, as
None of
the part .r,r,"
ix;l,i"T[;
"r"pii,
well with the various objects th"y

i"I,

#i IH:#T"I

Gomm

i,

";J.-iri,
,"r.ri.r*

how different individuals hold

differen,
about the same situation.

Similarty,Gdiviaua:s

in an organization

, ,.r

.l

:s

rll

also

individuals. If you ar"-.lose to

one of ther.l you
are likely to be biased. you may
perceive your
friend's arguments as correc! oodhir.",
0."

to appreciare his/her

"?lS
ue*.Llt ir

of

to overcome 1m?fl"r
this barrier

p"r

.ouv.rot

oppor"rtk

is to stup

o*r,

e best way

ba.k and take a

wider, unbiased perspective of the

issue.

@
r,'

:lbr,Rlanceicorrniunication

skills, it..is

necessary to know the baclground

of tJre audience. Vor..n

use that information

your message.

t.Tt

tlt"-lsgreeeu&y"
di-fferent due to

st

difler.

aL

to"..o?Ongly
constrLict

2. Se

te

nced earlier

Iar

j:
:,:.;

Barriers to Communication

33

professor talks about his rock-climbing advenhrre.

Studen* who have experienced rock climbing

may be able to appreciate the professor's talk,
while others who have never been into adventure
sports may not find it interesting at au@
representative of a complter ggTPlqy Yoll4lot
make much sense to a $oup of doctors if in his/

: tells her
), without
tands the
r in their
s made a
s level of

the hardr,r'are aspects of the com

communication skills, it is necessary

to know the background of the audience. This
information can accordingly be used to conskuct
h1 or identification with another

generally

iver does
re other's

'...ond if you clip o corabiner to eoch end of the sling,you

hove o quickdrow...'

concepts,

make an effort to undersbaad what the listener can find difficult to

comprehend in our message because of the difference between our
background and that of the listener. The language understood by
the receiver should be used to avoid amblguity and reduce multiple

hengthen

yourself
rcise will
t

Lbout the

meanings.

elephant

None of
ompared
This is

C.

ewpoints

tion

also

luays.

Irt

'een two
lem, you
,ive your

maynot
point of
best way

The exact meaning of a word resides in the mind of the speaker; therefore, one ought to
be caufious while using words. The multiple meanings of a word can astronomically increase
the problem of communication barriers. A word can have several connotations (implied
meanings) and definitions. The more a word is prone to multiple meanings, the greater are
the chances of it being misunderstood. A conscientious speaker is careful to explain her
message in context by rephrasing and repeating words that can be confusing.

rd take a

3. lf you have

l. Think of your audience. How well do they under-

i can be
onmenl
: in how
d earlier

rere the

Ho* much do they know

stand the language?

about your logicl
'
2.'select your *ords withicare, especiilly technical
termi.Words hust be suited to your audince's
language skills.

to use slightly diflicult or unfamiliar words,

try to explain these as part of your communicadon.

4. Do not fall into t}e trap, howeier, of oversimplifying your language; yciur audience could get put
off if you use words that sound unprofessional or
non-technical.

3,1 |

Technical Communication

Suppose you have returned from a business trip and you ffnd that two of your colleagues
are absent. They do not turn up for several days. Since there is a recession or, yo,, dr"*

an inference that they have been laid

off The

fact is that they have been promoted and

It has happened
because you failed to distinguish between what actually exists and what you had assumed
sent to another deparhnenl This is an example of
fact-inference confusion

to exisl
more dramatic than

for

and for this reason they can provide more scope

and

and plan

[ng

it is essential that inferences be supported

specialists,

advertise{

ms
and. others must work

on various premises and draw inferences after collecting factual data. When presenting
any inference in the course of your work, you could use qualifters such as ,evidence
suggests' or 'in my opinion' to remind yourself and the receiver that this is not yet an
established fact.
Blocked

In general,
and

to information only if it

,i,'nilav 1aconsonarrtpwit!)our own views

Conversely,

and attitudeq or
to react
or
distortion, and avoidance are three common,
,md
ve reactions to unfavourable
Communication and other technologies ari advancing so rapidly today that many
people find it difficult to quickly adapt themselves to these developments. Insiead of taking
advantage of these developments, which help expe&te
process, such
people tend to resist and criticize them. This is a result
g a closed mind.#
aeeple-are called mrsozearls. They tend to ignore variations
h
unreliable conclusiorlsl Some peopiEEffiTEffi- p
so deeply embedded in their
mind that these cannot be challenged.
Similarly, people who are very rigid in thea opinions rhay face problems in communicating
effectively. For example, one of your fellow students may think that only shrdents of science
are good in reasoning; another might be of the opinion that young executives are more
efficient than older ones. Such people fall into blocked categories, because they may not be
able to accept any deviation from thet points of view.
vlews,

) cq:ggllor th,"q!g
it dl' are calJed, pariiopnrcs.fihis rlpe of
know everythins about a
subiecl and the
further information on that topii.llFor
in a general
your organization, you are to be
the annual
However,
People who feel that they 'know

who

exists in

Barriers to Communication

35

ur
been briefed about it
feel you have
you propose that new vehicles have to be bought. Imagine your
embarrassment when you realDe that the topic was &scussed and a decision has ult""dy
can Pose a major barrier,
been taken in the general body meeting. This type of thi
recervers
lesd;ng to a failure in communication. In
atbention because

er

:olleagues

you draw

Ifa

roted and
rappened

Gr,c{tllo,,'-.-=::--*

rroblems,

I
I
/'/
\
I
L

resenting
evidence

rt yet an

,<'\

c/

. Be empathetic
o Not asslune anything
. Stick to the subject
o Listen, and above all, paraphrase
. *.rr"*ber that generalizations do not always hold good in all situations

lnterpersonal Barriers

IntrapersonalU@

rtively or
rble, and

The two broad

due to the i
into which these

or halits, whereas inter:personal

between

tw65iE6i6

tlassiffed are:

Ineffi cient communication skills

,4.

at many

Negative aspect nurhrring in the climate

The second point refers to a situation when negative tendencies nurtured by

of taking
:ss, such
rd. Such
leads to
I

and
the

communicators should:
t n. nonjudgemental

analysts,
rust work

wn views
personal

'neaer,

contains too

distorted.lTo avoid this barrier, substitute these words with phrases

like 'in most situatioilrE'm6st-likely'. Label your opinions with phrases like, 'it appears
to me' or 'the evidence indicates'. ff your data is inst fficienj, it is betterlF admit that you
are una\.vare of the rest of the information rather than being indirecl(To sum up, good

assumed
ore scoPe

in ourselves and in others is

time and their opposites like none,

some

people affect others around them. This leads to a barrier as individuals start thinking only
negative.

in their

.-

micating
I science

re more
y not be

exists in

e refrue

of
do not

reting

[-Interpersonal barriers creep in as a result of the limitations in the communication skills of

the e''rcoder or the decoder, or of both. In addition, they may also occur because of some
disturbance in the channel or medium of communicauon. Ifffi
kaits that distinzuish them as individuals can be the root cause of a
co
communication
In a business environmen! we neither attempt to change these traits, nor can we do iQ
the role of di-fferences among individuals that lead to
however, we can t y *d
for i
communica[on breakdowns. lThe most

36 |

Technical Communication

t o
l, o

Poor listening skills

LJ

Noise in the

channel I

Lbnited uocabulary Inadequate vocabuiary can be a major hindrance in communication.

At times, we find ourselves searching for the exact word or phrase that would be appropriate
for what we are trylng to express. For example, during a speec[ if you are at a loss for words,
your communication will be very ineffective, and you will leave a poor impression on the
audience. On the other hand, if you have a varied and substantial vocabulary, you can
create a favourable impression on your listeners.

Merely having a wide vocabulary is of no use unless the communicator knows how to use iL
In communication, the denotative (literal or primary) and connotative (implied or suggested)
meanings of the words used should be absolutely clear to the receiver. Therefore, one
should make consLant efforts to increase one's vocabuluy by regularly reading a variety of
books and listening to native speakers of the language. Thereafter, using a wide vocabulary
regularly will also help to make its usage comfortable and natural. Chapter 24 discusses
vocabulary development in detail
lncompotihility of verbol and non-verbol messoges

Imagine a situation where your CEO inhoduces the newly recruited middlelevel manager
to the other employees. Irr a small speech, he conveys the message that he is very delighted
to have the new marlager appointed in his office. However, the expression on his face shows
just the opposite of what he is saying. The stark difference bef,veen the verbal and non-

verbal aspects of his communication leaves his

listeners feeling confused and pr,"zled.

communicator should acclimatize himself

to the communication environment think from
the angle of the listener, and then communicate.
Misinterpreted non-verbal communication acts
as another barrier to effective information flow.

As we have learnt in Chapter 1,

soid in the lost

half hour moke ony sense

to youl'

The fir:st impression about people

is most often made on ihe basis of
their physical appearance, which
significantly affects the qualitf of
communication.

verbal communication. Non-verbal cues provide a

deeper insight into the sender's messafe. Ignoring
non-verbal cues or misinterpreting them can result
in the message being completely misunderstood.
Thus, one should not only try to accurately gauge
others' non-verbal cues but also be aware of one's
own body language.

Generalizations,

b as

ed on assumptions ab out physical appearance

or dress, can also lead to severe communication barriers. Physical

appearance ofien serves as one of the most important non-verbal
cues. For instance, many people initially formed negative impressions

of Einstein because of his worn-out appearance.

non-verbal

communication usually enhances and enlivens

'Did whotever

tr

Barriers

to Communication

37

Guidelines to improve your appearance:

o Dress according to the occaiion.

o Choose an appropriate hairstyle.

mication.

Wear clean and polished shoes.

to guard against For instance, there is great dlsparif in the use and interpretation of nonverbal messages across countries and cultures. For example, in Kenyq a mother-in-law and
a son-in-law avoid eye contact- In fact they turn their backs to each other. In Americq this
would be a sign of disrespecl

n on the
you carr
use

Wear neat and clean clothes.

While interpretation of non-verbal cues requires keen observation, there are also pidalls

propriate
rr words,

'to

In brief, your non-verbal cues should consistently match your verbal messages, adding to
their effectiveness and enhancing your image as a competent and interesting communicator.

it

ggested)
Emotionol outburst

}re, one
ariety of

Imagine that you are the hesident of a well-established company. There are rumours
floating amongst your employees that you have indulged in fraudulent activities. You are
firlly aware that these rumours are baseless. However, when you are asked to address the
same employees, you are unable to put your point across, as you are flushed with anger.
Despite the fact that you are a confident public speaker, your communication tailed as you
were overwhelmed by your emotions.
In most cases, a moderate level of emotional involvement intensiffes communication,
making it more personal. However, excessive
emotional involvement can be an obslacle in

:abulary
liscusses

nzrnager

elighted
e shows

communication. For example, exheme anger can

create such an emotionally charged environment
that a rational discussion becomes impossible.
f,ikewise, prejudice, stereotJping, and boredom

od non-

r es his
himself
Lk

all hinder

effecdve communication. Positive

emotions such as, happiness and excitement also

from

rnicate.

tn

interfere in communication, but to a much lesser

acts

extent than negative feelings.

n flow.

Emotions are an integral part of our being,

r-verbal

whether in business or in personal encounters. By

sharpening self-a-wareness, intuition, and empathy,
emotions can help in developing ar environment
that is highly conducive to good communication. Yet situations often arise where people
react negatively. Depending on their nature and the sihration, this negative reaction may be
classiffed as hostile or defensive. Hostility can be considered as a move to counter-aftack the
threa! whereas defensiveness is resistance to it. Both reactions occur when the receiver of
the message perceives some kind of threat. Both these responses have an extremely negative
impact on the communication. Messages are misinterpreted, ignored, or overreacted to by
people displaying such behaviour. Those who witness such behaviour are most likely to
lower their opinion of such people.
It is important to maintain one's composure in all kinds of communication. Viewing issues
from different perspectives helps develop objectivity and rational thinking, which in turn
can eliminate many of the causes of hosulity or defensiveness. When confronted with such

nlivens
ovide a

;noring
result
rstood.
n

gauge
'f one's
arance
hysical

verbal
:ssions

ia

38

Technical Communication

negative behaviour, it is essen[al to avoid reacuqg. The person displaying these emotions
should be calmed down. They should preferably be taken to a quiet place to h-y *rd sort out
the problem that caused their emotions to spin out of conhol.
Communicotion serectivity

'

When the receiver in a communication process pays attention only to a part of the message,
he/she is imposing a barrier known as communication selectidty. This happens because he/
she is interested only in that part of the message which may be of use to himAer. In such a
sihration, the sender is not at fault. It is the receiver who breals the flow of communication.
Take for example, a meeting held by the CEO of a company. She has called all her senior
executives from various divisions-production, marketing finance, human resource [IR),
etc. During the meeting she discusses diverse topics. However, she may not be able to get
the entire message across to each one of the participants, unless she gets their undlvided
attention. ff the production manager and the marketing manager pay aEention only to
matters related to their respective areas, they may not be able to get the total perspective of
what the CEO is conveying.
Communication selectivity may act as a barrier in written forms of communication as
well. When you read any documen! if you read only the parts you consider usefitl, you are
posing this barrier.
Cukurol voriotions

This is one of the predominant interpersonal factors conkibuting to communication

failure. As businesses are crossing national boundaries to compete on a global scale, the
outlook of the global and domestic workforce has changed drastically. European, Asian,
and American ffrms have expanded their businesses worldwide to create international ties
through parhrership, collaborations, and affrliations. The management and employees of
such companies need to closely observe the laws, customs, and business practices of their
host countries, while dealing with their multinational workforce. To compete successfirlly in
such a business envi.ronment, one must overcome the communication inadequacy arising
due to different languages and cultures.
This factor holds good in the area of education as well. You will prove to be a successfi.rl
communicator abroad, during the course of your higher studies, if you take pains to
understand the culture of the educational campus in which you would be studying. Success,
whether as a student or as a professional, lies in knowing the business practices, social
customs, and etiquette of the particular county one is dealing *ith.
Poor listening skills

common obstacle to communication is poor listening habits. We should remember

that listening and hearing are not the same. Hearing is a passive exercise while listening
requires careful attention and accurate decoding of the signals received from the speaker.
Misunderstandings and conllicts can be avoided if people listen to the message with attehtion.

The various dishactions that hinder listening can be emotional disturbances, indifference,
aggression, and wandering attention.

..

Sometimes, an individual is so engrossed in his/her own thoughts and worries that he/
If a superior goes on shifting the papers on hisTher
'desk while listening to his subordinate, without making eye contact with the latter, he/she
she is unable to concenkate on listening.

Barriers to Communication

3t

affects
message. This divided attention adversely
pays divided attention to the speaker's
distorting the communication' chapter 4
superior-subordinate relatinship, besides

) emotions
od sort out

the

&scusses listening skills in detail'

Noise in the chonnel

in the transmission of signals' Noise is any unwarrted

As &scussed earlier, noise interferes
limited
flow of communication' It is not necessarily
signal that acts as a hindrance in the
visual, audio-visual, written, physical' or
to audio disturbances, but can also occur in

message,

ecause he/
.

In such

psychologicatforms.Alltheseformsofnoisecommunicateextraneousmatterwhichmay
'airt
even irritate himr&er'
u"t tie ."cei rur. from the message, and
Technicalorphysicalnoiserefers=tothedinofmachines'theblareofmusicfromastereo
the listener difificult. Human noise cart
,y,**, o, oth".^,,.h sounds which make the task of
beexperiencedwhen,forinstance,employeesgatherforameetingandamemberarriveslate
distractingeverybody,sattention.Disturbance.i,,t"l"pho',elines,Poorlydesignedacoustics
ofaroom,dimtypescripts,andillegible*rritingafesomemoreexalnPlesoftechnica]noise.

runication.
her senior

rce

[FIR),

rble to get
undivided

rn only to
rpective of
rication

Organizational Barriers

as

to an in1fulg!
unication barriers are not on1 limited
ctive of its

rl, you are

*ional

des

ployees of
es of their
:essfully in

tcy arising
successfril

h describe the

pains to

5. Success,

ces, social

remember
e listening
e speaker.
r attention.
:lifference,

on

kis
to have an in

with a flat structure

but exist in

as its own

:-

izations wnete uw
In larse orgaruzatrons

aunication
scale, the
an, Asian,

tlvo

k.
T6

*tfrrt "*"ny aurrr", .oo'*"'ication barriers' formal and informal (grapevine) methods of
*ffi;'r*lt;;cussed in detair the large companies are realizing that a rigid'

Io .reJ-..
ttprui',-s
.^

communication existing in organizations. Most

,
This is because there
CL*-r^,,r(iort,, hierarchical structure usually restricts the flow oftocommunication'
flow in these hierarchical systems'
knal,o^rcl*1i are numerous transfer points for communication
il";
deray, or rose the message' Ts-eb+ B-"
'
these points hu. the potential to distort,
of
"u.h
Trr")" JLrrf,l

';;" ar,,ir, rr:,r:*::iil,, r*#:'lli:x:x

Ltt''rte
uortact

"r

;;;;

t;;t.

:T,,,,

":

iJs*",:::"il:ilt#ilffiI

f{te Ghe main organizational barriers are as follows:

')
J eirclcn' 4
^ro Fear of superiors
.-.foo ,oany trarrsfer stations
l
.u. u." n'
6;Wu
..
,Lro^r.frro Negative tendencies
' use of inappropriate media Y -/
"
o Infornafion overload
^j ^,^rJI
lerols-J
Ioo

monY tronsfer stotions

Themorelinksthereareinacommunicationchain,thegreaterarethechancesof
to ccnvey a nlessage

professor asks you

miscommwfcation. lmagine, for instance, that your
sheer laziness, ask your friend It to. do this
to x. You, because of some inconvenience or

:s that he/
on hisTher
ler, he/she

job.Now,.i,".",,"to*peopleinvolvedinthiscommunicationchannel.Letusseehowthe
messagegetsdistortedasaresuitoftheincreasednumberoftransferstations:

!
..n

iiL

40 |

Technical Communication

Professon X was supposed to meet me today regarding the submission

of an assignment on Magnetic
Theory. But I want X to meet me on Friday, as r am going out of station
tomorrow.
You (to your friend Y): Ask X to meet the professor tomorrow,
regarding the assignment, as the
professor is going out of station today.
Your friendY(to X): X, you have to meet the professor
today as he will not be available tomorrow.
This is an example of how messages get distorted in huge orgarrzauons
with several layers of
communication channels. The message gets distorted at each level not
only because of poo.
i;-t_fi#ra.i.ns 'wjth many teveti g listening or lack of concentration, but also because of several othdr
oi'ioririiunicition,*"rr"g", hr""r reasons. S.ome employees may filter out the parts of the message
I
consider unimportaat. Whatever the reasons for filtering
of being distorted.
lr
ff;1.11.d1n.:
i
'':thl!'r'tciirs dtie to poor: list*ingt T",
distorting the .r".rag", having too many transfer stations is always

$
,,, ob,talte to" effe&v"
f
uv'u.uuu@uuu 4uu
and )uuur(r
";'"-'" .o*t,.,i.ation
should be
ue avoloed'
avoided.
*::::i:lTl,"j:r"llj":::I
leave
out,part
$qnde!ry,.&r
" of
- tt"
-* I --^--,,liansler .-.,
me.iasi, . ,

stations do serve a purpose, but having too many of them

is counter-productive.

Feor ofsuperiors

In rigdly skuctured

organLations, fear

or awe of superiors prevent5 subordinates from

speaking frankly. An employee may not be pleased with the way

his/her boss exhacts work
from himrrher but is unable to put hisrher point across because of fear
of losing the boss,s
goodwill' As a supervisor, it is essential to create an environment which
people to
".rable-,
speak freely. An open environment is conducive to increasing the

confide.r."

urjgood-ilI

of a communicator.
To avoid speaking directly to their boss, some employees may shun all
communicaflon
with their superiors. At the other exkeme, they rnuy pr"r"rt ull tii" information
they have.
This is because they feel that they will be viewed in an unfavourable
light by leajrng out
some vital information. In written communication, this results ln
.,,ih"."

l<-

*
:
,:

bulky ieports,

essential information is ch'bbed with unimportant details.

Such unfocur."d me.sages result

*
-

in a lot of wasted time. Such practices need to be eliminated by superiors

to ensure that
communication flows effectively in their organizafions. Moreover,
by encouraging active

z;

participation from their subordinates, senior offtcers pave the way for
more ideas, resources,
or solutions to come forth from their subordinates.

-.
1-.

Negotive tendencies

Many organizations create work groups. While some groups are formed
according to
the requirements of the task at hand, such as a..o*plishing a
parucular pro;ect, mLy
other small groups are also formed for recreatio.rul, so.ial, o. .orn*,r.rity
purposes. These
SrouPs may be formal or informal, and generally consist of people *ho ,h.." similar
values, attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and behaviours. Nevertheless,
on some occasions, a
communication barrier can exist due to a conflict of ideas between the
members and nonmembers of a group.
For example, the student members of the sports club of an educafional
insbitution may
be annoyed with non-members who oppose the club's demand
for allocating *"." n
i;
purchase sports equipment. This
"j.
|pe of opposilion gives rise to insider-outiider equations,
which in tum pave the way for negative tendencles in the organi
zation. Once these negadve
tendencies develop' they create noise in interpersonal communication.

Cor

idea

-i

't
i
:

Barriers to Communication

Magnetic

Use

of inoPProPfiote medio

are graphs and charts, telephones'

Some of the common media used in organizations
fllms and slides, computer presentations'
facsimile machines, boards, email, telephones'
choosing the medium for a particular
teleconferencing, and video conferencing. While
poten[al barriers to communication must be
bccasion, the advantages, disadvantages, Ld

It, as the

norrow.

of
of poor

ayers

il

I 4l

considered.

wrn" a".lairrg upon th" *"di"^,

the following factors should be considered:

o Cost
r Intended

o Time
r Type of message

other

oessage

au&ence

Thetelephone,forinstance,wouldnotbearridea]mediumforconveyingconfidential
information.Suchmessagesarebestconveyedinpersono..,if.h"receiverislocatedin
letters, which provide permanence' a're
another offrce, by private"chat messenger. Printed
a mix
requiles to be stored for future reference' Usually'

ring or
always

roided.

preferable for information which

For exalnple, after booking an order online' a
of media is best for effective communication.
order has been placed'
follow-up call can be made to verify whether the

rf them

lnformation oveiload
today is the decrease in efficiency resulting
One of the major problems faced by organizations
Tlte
#oun-t of data. This is known as information oaerload'
from manual frurrah.rg ;f huge
-o,re.load

s from
s work
boss's

usual results of

cple to
rodwill

info;ation

are fatigue, disinterest, and boredom' Under these

circumstances, further communication

is

simply not possible. Very often, vital, relevant

information gets mixed up with too many

ication
, have.

irrelevant details, and is therefore ignored by

the receiver. Thus, the quality of information
is much more important than the quantitl'

ng out

To reduce information overload in

where
i result

an

organization, screening of information is

mandatory. Messages should be directed

re that
active

only to those people who are likely to benefit

from the information. Major points should
be highlighted, leaving out all irrelevant

)urces,

details.

ing to

for communication failure' one can

Bearing in mind all these possibilities and reasons
take pre-emptive measures to avoid these barriers'

many
These

imilar
)ns, a
I non-

Tips for Efrective

these
Constant practice and rigorous implemdntation of
communicator'
excellent
an
become
you
help
ideas will
r Always keeP the receiver in mind'
o Create an oPen communication environment'

I may
nds to
rtions,

o
o

gative

.L

Always keeP the receiver in mind'

Avoid having too many transfer stations'

C"T"lunittq"l
Do not communicate when you are emotionally
disturbed.
a

Be aware of diversity in culture, language' etc'

Use appropriate non-verbal cues'

Select the most suitable medium.

Analyse the feedback.

!'
42 |

Technical Communication

INFORMATION GAP PR!NCIPLE-GIYEN AND NEW INFORMATION

A barrier could exist between the sender and the receiver because of various
reasons.
These could be different perceptions, huncated information,
language difference, limited
viewpoints, preconceived notions, biases, unwanted sounds,
physicai dlscomforts, d.isinterest
in subjec! drab topic, given and new informaton, etc. In this
section we will d.iscuss the gap
between known and new information as a communication
barrier.
The given information may not be elaborated upon properly
by the speaker sometimes,
a"ssuming that the aud"ience already has some idea
alout it. For example, a malager assumes
that the sales executives have gone through the sales report
of the previous quarter and have
based their presentation on that data. If the execufives do
not hure th" sales report data
ready with them, there will be a breakdown in communication.
Similarly, while iehvering
new information, it is important to know the audience's background.
Tuis'tretps to gauge the
skill set of the audience. In providing ne\/ information then,
one can move from the known
to the unknown. This strategy would make the audience feel
more confident.
Whenever new information is delivered, there are chances
of communication gaps, as
some listeners may not have the prerequisite knowledge.
The use of .technical .iargon can
also lead to barriers. For example, reporters seldom wikress
airplane crashes, but they are

often able to interview surviving passengers, people who saw

the crash, or people who
arrived on the scene shortly after the c.ash occu.red. From this
information, the

:'

..irl;*iri,
:, . '.6nrn

. i,

nit',iiili
*'$lei

';r.otr

'

l:

toi.vaQ9ul
:

'

th;ls6t*
ttitipi
the.1.r,!!e1
causel:Qf:

the.,:!i!tr
ttrat,&iS

Bniiie
'intrap,g{s
penn!..1f

suc-h,4i.\i

'u"e@
and::.ddte

*ew

reporter

reconstructs the event as best as he/she can. In this news-gathering

process, gaps could edst
in the original observation, in the narration of ig or in the
semanuc difficuhes involved in the
use of language for description. Readers and listeners
may not always interpret words in the
sense intended by the reporter.

l.

ldentifl

each o'

(a)

uP

(b)

FILTERS

'Er

yo

cc

We have learnt that when information from the sender gets

distorted, a barrier is created.
The barrier could exist at the sender's end, in the chariel,
or

at the receiver,s end. In a

communication environment there are nlunerous signals
being sent out, but an individual,s
mind can grasp only a few. If the individual is alert and the ligrul.
are shong, he/she ull
be-able to,srasp them easily' If a stimulus reaches an lndividual
and causes aieaction, this
indicates that the signal has gone through the mind's
filter. At this point, the brain gives
meaning to the stimulus, and this meaning mainly depends
on the condition of the receiver,s
filter' The filter here means the mental make-up of the receiver
of the message. Like a
physical filter, the mental filter allorvs only selective information
to pass through, uid igrro.",

the rest of it.

The fi'lter varies according to individual perceptions of events,

past experiences, and
beliefs and attitudes. There are as many fllters as th"."
ur" people in the audience, so the
same thing can hold different meanings for different
indirriduui*. For example, the word,
'home' does not mean the same to a destihrte and an affiuent
person. It can bring bitterness
in the mind of one and sound pleasant to another. It is because
of this fi.lter that a cerlain
artist may find a grain of sand beautiful. It can, therefore,
be said that beauty lies not in the
eyes but in the fflter of the mind.

Re

(c)

Te

re

St

(d)

'T

hr

Pr

(e)

'lr

s'l

al

(f) \
e

(e) 'l

2. ldent
may

re these barrted office

or

'talkative

ffiasles 0f Tee hnical

:lient

eomrurunication

>rkplace

's mentioned

l'

""

.,'

. the obiectives and characteris:

tics of technical communication

. dre constituehts'

Of

submissions on diverse topics. Likewise, at the workplace, we interact

with superiors and subordinates) converse with them face-to-face or

over the telephone, and read and ltrite emails, letters, reports, and

rl'dte com.'

munication process.:...

involving speech or writing: conversation with friends, professors, or

colleagr.res to achieve various purposes; seminars, group discussions,
written tests, and examinations; and laboratory or project report

You should study the chapter

know '

INTRODUCTION
In the academic environment, we encounter various siluations

oBrEcrlYEs
to

..r

the different levels of

....,,'

com-

proposals.

muntcatton

All these activities have a common dsnorninalel-the sharing

of information. For exampie, when you request your professor to
explain a concept you could not understand very well in class, you

. how communicacion flows in an

org1qizatign, :;. ,:' ,.,' ,,. .,, . ,:'..,
1.1:.

. what gorhmunicrtio,Bilerwo!.kli..

transmit the information to him,/her that you need some clariffcafion.

are and the function of different

network models

Now, the professor receives this information, understands i! and

responds by giving an explanation which clears your doubt. If you
are satisfied with this explanafion, you thank the professor and the
communication comes to an end. If you are still in &ubt, trqu once
again request clarification, and the process .orrtirrJH. m#hFo."r,
involving the transmission and interchanse of
courses of action is knonin as the process o.f communicat
get, or share informaton with others dur-ing this process. Whether

. how and why visual aids are

used in technical communication

the communication is oral or written. this

t^

Ir
i

When one becomes a part of an

{li

communicate effectively.
sunalve wl
undertakes

commumcauon

No

organization can

at

communication
greater are our chances of quick
However skilful one may b@
thoughts, and organization, without proper communication, those are

46 |

Technical Communication

of little use. For inslance, though you may have an excellent academic record, you may
not be successfirl in an interview if you are not able to express your ideas clearly to those
on the other side of the table. It has been observed that people who are successfir.l in their
careers generally have excellent communication skills, which is one of the very reasons for
their success. Most of this is technical clmmunicatiln, so let us ffnd out more about what role
technical communication plays in arr organ2ation.

oBJEiTIVE AN D CHARACTERTSTT CS OF TECH

ICAL COM

MUN

ICATION

As discussed in Chapter 1, general-puroose communication and technical communication

are quite different. Technical communicalion takes place when professionals discuss a topic
with a specfic purpose with a well-deffned audience. Technical communication usually has
the following objectives:
o To provide organized information that aids in quick decision-making
o To invite corporate joint ventures
r To disseminate knowledge in oral or written form
Let us take an example of a customer who has bought a washing machine and does not
know how to use it. The customer reads the instructions in the user manual and gradually
learns to operate the washing machine without any assistance. This is an example of
successful technical comrnunication. \4rhen you are confused about which carnera to buy,
the salesperson explains all the technical feahrres of each model to you. If that helps in your
b"fog decision, it is successful technical communication again.
l'echnical communication has to be correc! accurate, clear, appropriate, and to the
point. Correct information is objective information. The language should be clear and easy
to understand. If t}te communication is through a user manual for a phone] remember that
people will usually never use it unless they are stuck. And if they a.re stuck, they will look
for instant information to solve their problem. The information must be brief and arranged
sequentially so that it is easy for a user to find relevant inforrnation. It is also vital that the
technical inforrnation provided in the manual be accurate.

PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
whom communication, which is an lnteractive process, ca"not tuk@
time, one is active
owever, tNs is not s
also

therd.

communicate, the sender

x thi:itichange of
ideas;

what they have to

iver mutualiy influence each

accepted code of s
uD a cofiunon

Communication can be

arid'kriowledge betwden

a sendei'and a receiver through

anraccepted code of symbols,.

it becomes miscommunicationl

So,

(o^rnL(n;

cato'

Lilcb

'

Basics ofTechnical

Communication

47

rd, you may

arly to those
,ssfirl

in their

reasons for

rut what role

rtoN
nmunication
scuss a topic
r usually has

Figure

3.1

The process of communication

Communication Cycle
nd does not
rd gradually

example of
rera to buy,
Lelps in your
and to the
lar and easy
nember that
ey will look
rd arranged

,ital that the

er-without

t any given
rere should

ey have to
ruld have a
nguage. So,
Ltion, ideas,

m accepted
zer receives

. Othenyise

Consider the communication process shown in Figure 3.1. The comrnunication cycle involves
various elements, as discussed in the following paragraphs.
to be
ioz. wherein the sender forms the content of the
,kn
sent.. This formulatiogdepends on the level of experience,
e. The sender encddes
once formed. is called the
used-words, actions,
but the I
the
usins a basic to\l. This tool is no
the message
language,
using.proper
e encoded
o
s throueh cha{nels or media of communication.
This de
is readv to be deli
such as the Intemet.
electronic or di
It can be face-to-face. on
age received is the
on
ih.llf
it.
and
acts
the
message,
receiaer receives
there will still be a
responseif
not,
e an appropriate
breakdown
or unexpected one, as there has
nse, but

0 teisl

which

or interference in the communi

ient of
from the
when there is a
Iete
communication cycle is
is
received.
the
re-sent.
to
be
needs
erwise, the message
notice
For example, you put up a
been successfullv delivered to the other
asking the members of your student council to anenT a meeting on a specified date, at a
particular time, at the location mentioned. On the day of the meeting, you find that some
of them have come while the others have not turned up. In this case you have obtained
both posifive and negative responses to your message. However, since you have got some
feedback, the communication process is complete. You also know that it
'l-lciw:rr,idll $re : cqntmunic:ite:
has been effective, at least from your side. Hence, to know whether the

is determined not by how

wellWeriiy. tlria8st,' buc,how.
well )v!,arrer understood.'.r,.

.,,. .,

Jr(r9w6rove
***-*,**,**"1

communication has been successful or no! there must be some feedb4ck,

which is nothing but an observafion of the recipient's ,"rpon
"O4,
communicalion is fullv effectiue onlv when there is a desired resbonse from
tlte receiu{r. )

((tn"rUt,(,on

--a

r
E
a

48 |

-x

Technical

(
I
I

/
J

Commpnication

:l_ firrla;,.in **r^ie^.h*.Tff".ti*.ommunicatign-takes

fr^.S,Tir"

place

!
l

".'

u *"tt-d"tred,"t-up This is called

.!

the

communication enuironmenrl@. classroom is the communication environment when a teacher

deli rers lectures to students. If such a communication is attempted without a proper

environment, it will not have the desired effect. Similarly, a teacher's cubicle becomes the

\ essentials of effectbe communication are as follows:

.Awelldefinedcommunicationenvaonment
I
l_,.,
o CooPerafion between the sender and the receiver
'l
I
L.

'

Selection of an appropriate channel

o Correct encoding and decoding of the

e Feedback

message

T1.,!-

LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION

".J-'

Having understood the communication process, let us now shrdy the various levels at which
human comrnunicafion takes place:
o Exhapersonal
. Intrapersonal

o Interpersonal
o Mass

Organizational

Extrapersonal Communication
Communication between human beings and
non-human entities is exkapersonal. For
example, when your pet dog comes to you
wag$ng its tail as soon as you return home
from work, it is an example of extrapersonal
communication. A parrot responding to your
greeting is another example. More than any
other form, this form of communication requires
perfect coordination and understanding between
the sender and the receiver because at least one

of them transmits information or responds in

sign language only.

lntrapersonal Communication
Intrapersonal communication takes piace within an individual. We know that the brain is
linked to all parts of the body by an electrochemical system. For example, when you begin
to 'feel hot', this information is sent to the brain and you may decide to 'turn on the cooler',
responding to instructions sent from the brain to the hand. In this case, the relevant organ is
the sender, the electrochemical impulse is tire message, and the brain is the receiver. Next,
the brain assumes the role of sender and sends the feedback that you should switch on the
cooler. This completes the communicalion process. This kind of communication perLains to
thinking, which is the basis of information processing. Without such internal dialogue, one