Common challenges and barriers to effective communication with COVID-19 and lockdown situation

This article discusses the common challenges and barriers to effective communication in the context of COVID-19 and lockdown situation. It covers physical, technical, people's attitudes and emotional state, interpersonal, and organizational structure barriers. The article also provides effective strategies to overcome these barriers, such as using clear language, making use of technology, providing feedback, and ensuring social distancing measures.

Common
challenges and
barriers to
effective
communication
With covid-19 and situation of lockdown
the company has been facing challenges
while communicating with employees
that are working from their homes.
Physical barriers: The first and foremost
barriers are physical barrier as employees
are working apart from each other, at
their home.
Technical barriers: While, employees
are working at their respective home,
they might have some technical issue
such as less internet connection, problem
in computer and many other issues..
People's attitudes and emotional state:
Another challenge or factor that acts as
barrier in effective communication is
people attitude and emotional states.
Interpersonal barriers – Employees are
feeling nervous to talk with individual
after covid-19 because of less interaction
between all the individual during the
circumstances.
Organisational structure barriers:
Lack of ventilation and social distancing
measures at the workplace.

Effective
strategies for
overcoming
communication
barriers
There are different strategies that could
be adapted by the Brit-tech to eradicate
communication challenges as well as
barriers such as providing better
technology, equipment and network
connection to employees.
 It should have make use of
language to which the other
individuals are familiar with so
that there is no chance of
confusion in future circumstances.
 Video call can also be made with
the employees to know their
emotions and attitude or actual
problem that they are facing while
completing their work at home.
 So, that the task can be completed
as desired by company in limited
time as well as cost.

Common challenges and barriers to effective communication
Communication is important process of exchange of information from one individual to another so that effective
coordination exists between both the employees and employers for completion of task in desired manner. The common
challenges and barriers pertaining to effective communication can be described in detailed as follows:
Physical barriers: Hence, there is no physical contact between the individual related to the way task can be completed which
might result in confusion and conflict (Ratheeswari, 2018.). As there is no physical contact between employees, the chance of
misinterpretation is more.
Technical barriers: All these result in causing interruption in effective exchange of information among the employees as well as
from employer to employees. It may also lead in delay of delivery of services to customers for satisfaction of their wants.
People's attitudes and emotional state: As every individual have different state of mind, attitude and emotional states at
specific period of time (Sillars and Vangelisti, 2018). For examples: there are some of the individual that has not be vaccinated
so they are being worried about discrimination being taken at workplace which result in perceptual barrier. Therefore, it is
difficult for the manager of Brit-tech to understand what actual problem is being faced by the employees while working in the
organization.
Interpersonal barriers: Due to lockdown they have not much communicated with other individual so think or feel that they
have lost their interpersonal skills.
Organisational structure barriers: many of the employees of Brit-tech think that company does not have sufficient social
distancing measure as well as Brit-tech ventilation within the workplace that may resulted in causing harm to their overall health
and well being.
Effective strategies for overcoming communication barriers
Taking feedback from them related to know what actually they are feeling in context of doing job from work from home
(Waisbord, 2019). It will also contribute in knowing and monitoring the task they do and the way it will lead in growth and
expansion of firm. Thereby, effective strategies for overcoming communication barriers can be explained in detailed as follows:
 First and foremost, steps that need to be taken to remove physical barriers, is being making use of clear language that the
person understands. Use of simple words that can be easy to understand so that there are no chance of confusion in
completing task.
 Along with it, communication barriers can be improved through making use of effectively technology, internet connect
that contribute in continuous exchange of information from one individual to another in limited time frame (Sillars and
Vangelisti, 2018). It will helps in maintaining continuous flow of information from one person to another in the
organisation.
 Furthermore, providing respect to other individual while sharing information and checking that the person has
understood the message correctly or the manner in which it has been desired. For examples: Taking feedback from them
related to whether they have understood or need more explanation.
 Company should make necessary arrangement with workplace so that they can maintain social distancing and ensure
health of employees while they are working in the firm for achievement of its goals.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Back, A., Tulsky, J.A. and Arnold, R.M., 2020. Communication skills in the age of COVID-19. Annals of
internal medicine, 172(11). pp.759-760.
Ratheeswari, K., 2018. Information communication technology in education. Journal of Applied and Advanced
research, 3(1). pp.45-47.
Sillars, A.L. and Vangelisti, A.L., 2018. Communication: Basic properties and their relevance to relationship
research.
Waisbord, S., 2019. Communication: A post-discipline. John Wiley & Sons.