Barriers in communication (Complete)

Communication barriers is a barrier where cultural differences harm communication in employees, customers, and other stakeholders. It is important to understand the barriers to cross-cultural communication and know how to overcome them.

Cultural Barrier- A cross-cultural barrier is a barrier which can affect having trouble communicating with someone from another culture. An example of a cultural barrier is language. Language is a reflection of culture, and different cultures have very different ways of assigning meanings to words. An example is the word "gift" . In Germany the word gift is not quite the same as the English term. The word gift in German actually means 'to poison' whereas in England it means "a present". Many terms do not mean the exact same in many different cultures. Language difficulties such as this can offend both clients communicating as either of them do not understand each other. Cultural difference can also impact the behavior of communicating.Cultural differences in behavior and body languages can also cause miscommunication between two different cultures. For example, in many Asian countries, eye contact is an omen as it allocates a sign of disrespect, whereas in the U.S, it is important to make eye contact with someone who is speaking to you or they may think you are uninterested or  distracted. This barrier effects communication as different cultures can be offended easily and would not want to discuss any more details with racist comments etc.

There are methods to overcome cultural barriers. One method which can be used is learning specific cultures and being open-minded and willing to learning it. This can help to understand cultural diversity and also gives you the ability to communicate with a different language. Understanding their language would help prevent barriers as both individuals understand each others's language and know how to not offend each other. Learning religious views is also a method to overcome cultural barriers. For example shaking hands with your left hand with a middle-eastern culprit is a sign of disrespect as it is used for hygiene. If both individuals understood the barriers between cultures, no offences can be created and would proceed in a much more beneficial communication.  

Barriers to Interpersonal Communication- Interpersonal communication barriers negatively impact how effectively we are able to communicate at work, with our friends, and in our families. Interpersonal barriers will always be present every day of our lives and we have to create methods to get a way around them. Being interpersonal means "we are all different"  and experiencing this can be a challenge to communicate with different cultures as every culture have different interpersonal needs. Interpersonal needs include people with different personalities, emotions, priorities, and feelings.

Methods of getting past interpersonal barriers rely on understanding the audience a person is talking to and the cultural impact it can have.  

Written Communication- written communication is a common way we communicate with on a daily basis, however there are many ways to lose its affection by the structure of how its made. Structure of written communication – sentence/paragraph structure, large blocks of writing are off-putting and can lead a person to lose interest. Structuring in paragraphs makes written communication easier to read and understand. When communicating to another person or business via written communication, setting things out in a logical order is  a must, as it is less confusing, if the writer jumps from one thing to another it can be hard to understand the message being communicated.

Errors – spelling and grammar errors can result to a misleading communication with clients or individuals. If the type of communication includes spelling mistakes or grammatical error, it can make the person being communicated confused and may lead to lose interest and stop reading.