Factors for failure of communication

Communication fails when the message received is not the message intended. The factors responsible are called barriers to communication.

Main factors

1. Physical barriers. Noise, distance, poor telephone lines, faulty equipment or a bad seating arrangement prevent the message from being heard or seen clearly.
2. Semantic (language) barriers. Unclear words, technical jargon, ambiguous or badly structured sentences and different meanings of the same word cause misunderstanding.
3. Psychological and emotional barriers. Anger, fear, stress, prejudice, inattention, lack of trust or a closed mind reduce the receiver's ability to listen or accept.
4. Cultural barriers. Differences in customs, values, gestures, language and etiquette lead to wrong interpretation.
5. Organisational barriers. Too many levels of hierarchy, poor channels, status differences, information overload and lack of feedback delay or distort messages.
6. Personal barriers. Poor listening, lack of interest or knowledge, wrong assumptions, poor memory and selective perception.
7. Poor channel or medium. Using the wrong medium (a long complex message by telephone instead of in writing) reduces effectiveness.
8. Lack of feedback. The sender cannot know whether the message was understood.
9. Poor planning of the message. Unclear purpose, disorganised content or a message that ignores the audience.

Overcoming them

Plan the message, use clear and simple language, choose the right channel, listen actively, ask for feedback and respect cultural differences.