In order to overcome communication barriers it is important first, to recognize the most common communication barriers and then, understand their negative impact on communication.

Broadly classifying the barriers: there are three kinds of communications barriers, which are: Sender-message, physical, and listener-receiver. When effective exchange of understanding is not taking place, one or more of these barriers is getting in the way. When a barrier is present in a communication exchange, communication will suffer to some degree. The figure below illustrates the strength of the three barriers in relationship to our attempt to identify and reduce them. The figure illustrates that physical barriers are the easiest to identify and reduce or eliminate while the listener barriers are most often the hardest to identify and reduce or eliminate.

These barriers relate to the listeners mind set. Typical mind sets of listeners include not paying attention or daydreaming. The listener generally exhibits resistance toward the sender and/or the message. Listener resistance can also be characterized as uneasy communication, perhaps even confrontational communication.

Examples of listener barriers include:

1. Listener jumps to conclusions.
2. Listeners tend to see and hear what they want to see and hear. This usually means they listen to that which seems to agree with their own preconceived ideas.
3. Listeners tend to reject any message that contradicts their beliefs and assumptions.
4. Listeners may have emotional problems that cause their minds to be preoccupied.
5. Listeners do not ask questions to clarify when they do not understand a point. They tend to fill in with their own ideas.

Listener barriers that arise in situations where communication is taking place for the first time usually happen by surprise after the exchange process starts. In situations such as disciplinary reviews, accident reviews or review of inadequate performance, the receiver may feel resistance at the start of the exchange process.

The title Listener Barrier fixes ownership of this barrier with the listener. Even so, it is the sender’s responsibility to achieve understanding and therefore, the sender’s responsibility to recognize and take action to overcome these barriers. Because the ownership of this barrier is with the listener, there tends to be reluctance by the sender and receiver (listener) to deal with (neutralize) this barrier.

Following are some reasons:

• Sender may not discover listener resistance.
• Sender may be aware of listener resistance, but not know what to do about it.
• Sender may dislike or be disliked by the receiver.
• Sender may be aware of their resistance and not want to do anything about it.
• Listener feels resistance and does not understand why.

No matter what the cause of listener resistance or the reluctance to overcome it, it is necessary to neutralize listener resistance to achieve commitment.

These barriers generally relate to style and content of communication, both of which originate with the sender.

Examples of sender barriers include:

1. Sender has not decided or specified precisely what listener response is expected.
2. Sender incorrectly assumes the listener has adequate knowledge to understand the message.
3. Sender uses words and examples unfamiliar to the listener.
4. Sender continues talking when the listener’s attention has been distracted (i.e. noise, uncomfortably cold or hot, other people, dangerous objects, etc.).
5. The sender may say the message in a way that turns off the listener or may even antagonize the listener to cause a totally different message to come through than the one intended.
6. The 500 most commonly used words in the English language have 14,070 dictionary meanings. They mean different things to different people.
7. More words are used than are necessary to convey the message, which forces the listener to make conclusions about which words carry the real meaning of the message.
8. More than one issue is included in a single message, which confuses the listener.
9. Illustrations or examples used may not be appropriate to get the point across to the listener.
10. The sender may intentionally beat around the bush and never get to the point of the communication.
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Sender-message barriers start to develop before there is any attempt to exchange understanding with anyone else. They continue throughout the exchange whether the exchange is written, spoken, or a combination of both.

The title Sender-Message fixes ownership and responsibility for this barrier with the sender. Oftentimes, there is a reluctance to deal with (overcome) this kind of barrier for the following reasons:

• Sender may not be aware of the barrier’s existence.
• Sender, in a supervisory position, may feel that the receiver is responsible for understanding.
• Senders may be aware of their existence, but not know what to do about it.
• Senders may be aware of their existence, but feel that the urgency is too great to spend sufficient time to overcome it.
• Receivers may not be aware of their existence.
• Receiver may realize that a message is unclear or that the method or style of presentation is causing the barrier, but hesitates to take a risk and mention it to the sender.

Sender's Role in Overcoming S-M Barriers

It is the sender’s responsibility to achieve understanding and, therefore, the sender’s responsibility to take action to overcome sender-message barriers and achieve commitment from the listener to respond as expected. Sender-message barriers are by far the most common barriers and contribute to more communication failures than physical and listener barriers combined.

These barriers usually relate to environmental factors that affect communication. In relation to the sender or the receiver of the communication, these barriers are neutral. They are not originated by the sender or the receiver.

Common examples include:

1. Noise may make hearing difficult.
2. Listener hearing loss.
3. The temperature is uncomfortably cold or hot.
4. The communication may be taking place where there is danger.
5. Distracting activities may be going on nearby.

Physical or environmental barriers most often begin at the start of the communication exchange. They are usually fairly obvious and because they are neutral, there is not risk to anyone’s ego for either the sender or receiver to mention physical barriers when they exist. It usually is a very simple matter to overcome them once they are acknowledged.

Even though physical barriers are neutral, and even though listeners commonly initiate action to overcome them, it is the sender’s responsibility to achieve understanding. It is, therefore, the sender’s responsibility to initiate action to overcome physical barriers to achieve commitment from the listener to respond as expected.

Here is a list of barriers to communication, or reasons why we sometimes find it difficult to take the risk and communicate our true attitudes and feelings to one another. Tick the ones you see as relevant in your relationship.

• Fear of appearing low in the listener’s eyes.
• Fear of exposing your feelings and weaknesses.
• Fear of hurting others or getting hurt.
• Fear of being rejected, blamed, or condemned.
• Fear of not receiving a positive response.
• Fear of a potential conflict.
• Fear of risking self-disclosure.
• Fear of appearing self-centre.
• Fear of appearing stupid.
• Fear of not being taken seriously.
• Fear of not getting the help you think you need.
• Fear of ruining a good situation.