Reference no: EM132345022

Question:

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What are the five barriers to communication and how do you remove them?

Effective Communication is a very important aspect in the development of an organization. It is thought this that managers can plan, organize, motivate and control the processes in the organization. Communication is however, not an easy task and it is often hindered by several barriers. The five barriers of communication are: negative or ambiguous relationships, poor credibility, conflicting belief systems, conflicting interests, and communication mismatches.

The process of removing these barriers to communication is not easy, and requires a tailor-made solution for each of them. Starting with the first barrier, to remove the barrier of negative or ambiguous relationships, it is important to take the time to get to know what is important to the people you work with. This would give you the ability to establish, maintain, and deepen your connection with people. Hence, understanding and appreciating the ideas and inputs of others will ensure that there is better communication and flow of ideas in the work place (Shortell, Kaluzny, & Burns, 2012). Secondly, to overcome the barrier of credibility, one must work on three characteristics that can change other perspectives; these are: competence (make sure that you make good on your commitments), expertise (make sure that all your sources are credible, and that other's expertise is considered), and trustworthiness (be truthful). Credibility is very critical in communication because it works to assure the other party of the importance of the items being communicated. The three characteristics above are critical because if the communication lacks any of them, it no longer becomes credible. Take for instance, the case of trustworthiness where the other party finds out that what is being communicated is not truthful. Thirdly, we have Conflicting belief systems, which can be overcome by basing ideas in core believes of the stakeholders. However, if an idea contradicts these core beliefs, one must break down the proposal into small pieces to reduce the dramatic change required. Fourthly, we have Conflicting interest, which can be removed by ensuring that one's idea somehow furthers the stakeholder's interest. Studies in psychology show that, people pay much closer attention to messages that they see as having important personal consequences. Finally, we have communication mismatches, which can be overcome by remembering that the audience's point of view is more important than yours. This and ensuring that the problem is simply defined will lead to the audience being more receptive of one's message. In any communication process, focusing on the audience is very important, because if directly influences how the message is delivered (Shortell, Kaluzny, & Burns, 2012).

In conclusion, effective communication should be emphasized on in every single organization. At the same time, the five barriers to communication should be addressed in a professional manner to ensure that the communication process is clear, and the right message is delivered to the audience.