How to overcome barriers to communication?

Communication is essential in a business or company as without communication, people cannot understand each other and confusion is created.

There are 3 barriers of communication that I have identified:

·         Background noise

·         Lack of concentration

·         Distraction

Distraction

Distraction can be found anywhere from a home to a business. It can be as simple as spilling coffee on a table or a mobile phone going off inside a meeting. These trivial things can disrupt the flow of communication that is going inside the room and people can start not listening to you because of this distraction. It can also be that you sound nervous if you are publically speaking and people get bored from hearing you.

You can overcome this by asking people to turn off mobile phones when they are inside the meeting or to pay more attention when doing trivial tasks that can be easy but with a bit of distraction, can prove to go wrong. When speaking to people for example during presentation, you can practice your speech more time so you are prepared. You can also try and adjust your tone of voice as it needs to be clear and precise.

Lack of concentration

Lack of concentration can be found when someone is publically speaking even if it’s a presentation or a speech. People can only take up so much information in one go and if the person speaking drags on for hours, people will not pay attention and they will get bored.

A solution to this problem is to keep it simple and short. People will retain more information if it’s given in short bursts instead of long time. Also, the person doing the presentation can try to include maybe puns or jokes so people pay more attention. The presenter needs to keep a calm and precise voice so people can understand everything that is being said and keep tuned.

Background Noise 

Background noise is found everywhere. In the office, at home, outside etc. Even the slightest sound can be distraction and break the flow on concentration in an office space.

A good way to prevent background noise is to close all windows and a door so no noise from outside is distracting. Also, asking employers to keep the music or even sound to a low can increase attention levels. Offices can also include cubicles for the employers to work as they can have their little space and are not distracted by anyone outside.