Accounting technicians scheme west africa
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| F.7 Barriers to Effective Communication Barriers as used here, refers to factors within the organisation or individuals) which impede the flow of communication. Examples of such barriers areas follows ab Semantics:b This has to do With the use of technical jargons, unfamiliar words, high- sounding words, poor sentence structure etc. communication. Semantics is a problem because people attach different meanings to words and as one writer aptly observes, a breakdown in communication can occur in interpretation as a result of misunderstanding, since words can have various meanings and those used by one person can be interpreted by another in away contrary to what was intended b) Poor Listening Skills: Some people may not be able to communicate effectively with others because they don't listen when others are talking. c) Differences in background: Differences in age, social status of people communicating with each other could impede communication between them. db Conflicts:b Conflicts between individuals or work groups in an organization could impede communication flow in the organization. e) Emotional problems such as frustration, poor perception, hostility, anger, fear and mistrust might make it difficult for some people to communicate with others. f) Communication overload: communication maybe impeded if managers are buried with too much information from several sources and find it difficult to process them. g) Poor organizational structure: communication in an organisation maybe impeded by long chains of command, highly centralized authority structure and unsuitable span of control. h) Physical layout of the organization: where employees are physically isolated from each other because of the layout of the office, communication might become ineffective. i) Lack of planning: communication in an organization maybe ineffective where managers fail to plan before communication. j) Inappropriate channels of communication: communication in an organization maybe impeded by the use of inappropriate media or the absence of the right media in the organization. Summary This section equally discussed communication as a veritable tool for avoiding organisational conflict, except where constructive conflicts become absolutely inevitable. Barriers to effective communication as well as guidelines for communication application were amplified for the 319 purpose of creating an undiluted understanding of the role of effective communication to organisational success. |