Barriers of Communication and Strategies to Overcome Them

This report discusses the barriers of communication, strategies to eliminate these barriers, principles of effective communication, and organizational communication theory. It aims to improve understanding and build good relations in organizations.

Report

Abstract
Communication is important so as to share information so that it can be utilised in achieving
organisational goals. It is thus important that effective communication is established in the
organisation so that flow of information and its understanding can become effective which can
help in achieving better results. In this report the barriers of communication, strategies to
eliminate these barriers, principles of effective communication, organisational communication
theory etc. will be discussed so that effective communication can be achieved which can help in
improving understanding and building good relations in organisations.

Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Literature Review.............................................................................................................................4
Challenges and barriers to effective communication.............................................................4
Strategies to overcome communication barriers....................................................................4
Awareness of cultural influences on communication and negotiation...................................5
Analysis and discussions..................................................................................................................5
Purpose and principles of different organisational communication.......................................6
Principles of effective communication...................................................................................6
Communication practices.......................................................................................................7
Recommendations..................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
Effective communication is important in every business so that flow of information can take
place efficiently which can help in utilising it in a desired manner which can help in maximising
the usefulness of the information. This can also help in building strong relations with customers
by understanding their problems so that effective solutions can be provided to them thereby
increasing the profitability of the business. In this report the barriers of communication which
occurs among Londoners and tourists will be discussed so that effective measures can be taken to
reduce them which can help in improving relations with tourists. Also in this report various
theories of organisational communication will also be discussed which can be applied by UK
transport manager so as to improve communication among people who take London tubes.
Literature Review
Challenges and barriers to effective communication
As per the views of Gini, 2018, there are various barriers to communication which can lead
to distortion of messages leading to confusion, misunderstanding and even offense in some
cases. It is important that these barriers are identified which can help in taking measures in
minimising these barriers so that better communication can be established. Language difference
and the difficulty in understanding the unfamiliar accent can be a barrier to communication
which can lead to misunderstandings. Physical disabilities like hearing problems, cultural
differences, emotional barriers, lack of attention, expectations and prejudices, use of complicated
language etc. are all barriers of communication which can affect the ability of people to interact
properly.
Strategies to overcome communication barriers
According to the views of Kristin, 2018, in order to improve the productivity of a business
and to understand the information better it is important that the communication barriers are
reduced which can help in improving effective communication. Various ways can be used in
order to minimising the barriers of communication like eliminating differences in perception
which can be done by respecting diversity among individuals which can help in promoting
equality among all. Using simple language, active listening, reduction and elimination of noise
levels, proper media selections etc. are the ways through which proper communication can take
place. These methods can also help in improving communication among people talking London

tube so that the local people in London and tourists can communicate better and friendly
environment can be created for them.
Awareness of cultural influences on communication and negotiation
As per the views of Luis, 2020, differences in culture influences communication along with
the negotiation which can affect relationship building and resolving conflicts and so it is
important that the cultural differences are minimised which can help in making better
negotiations. This can also help in making better deals in international market so that
profitability of a business can be maximised and also better understanding of business can be
established. It is important that the cultural barriers are reduced so that better negotiations can
take place leading to better deals and increase in business opportunities in the market.
Analysis and discussions
From the above discussion it can be analysed that communication play an important role in
creating better understanding among people so that they can use information in a better manner
which can help in maximising the use of the information. This also helps in building better
relations among people in all the areas of life which is important in improving the functioning of
businesses and also in enhancing the quality of work through effective communication (West and
Turner, 2018). It can also help in improving communication among the people who use London
tubes so that better relations can be built among people who come to London from outside and
Londoners thereby improving the effectiveness of transport in providing better facilities to
people. Various theories of organisational communication can also be utilised in order to
improve communication:
 Weber’s classic organizational theory of fixed structures: As per this theory which was
given by Max Weber, as organisations have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, the
flow of information is hierarchical, structured and clear which means that there should be
no confusion regarding messages. It is important that the information flows in a
structured manner so that confusions can be avoided and effective communication can
take place (Berger and Roloff, 2019).
 Critical theory: As per this theory it is important that motivation is provided to
employees through communication so that their conflicts can be resolved and they can be
motivated to use their skills and talents in achieving company goals in an effective

manner. This theory can help the top management in boosting the confidence of
employees so that they can perform better and better use information in improving their
productivity.
 Groupware theory: As per this theory with the help of advanced technology like
computers, mobile phones etc. communication can be improved among employees and
the flow of information can be made more effective so that the messages can be
transferred in the same sense as desired (Coombs, 2017).
The above theories can be applied by the UK transport manager so that effective
communication can take place among the travellers in London tube. With the help of Groupware
theory the communication can be made more efficient and effective so that better outcomes can
be achieved.
Purpose and principles of different organisational communication
In an organisation various forms of communication take place so that the information can
flow effectively and it can be used in maximising the positive outputs. In the formal
communication, information flows in three directions which are upward, downward and
horizontal so that this information can be utilised in achieving organisational goals. Informal
communication is the one which random communication takes place among employees and help
in relationship building. These communications help in building a culture so that information can
flow for various purposes and help in creating an effective culture in the organisation.
Principles of effective communication
It is important that certain principles are followed so that effective communication can be
established on the organisation:
 Principle of clarity: The message must be clear and precise so that the target audience
can understand and interpret the information in desired manner (Klyukanov, 2020).
 Principle of attention: It is important that the information must be able to gain the
attention of target audience so that they can be interested in it.
 Principle of feedback: It is important that feedback is collected from the recipient so as
to know if they have understood the information.

 Principle of informality: It relates to communicating information informally so that the
recipients can be more engaged in the information so provided.
 Principle of consistency: It means that communication must be consistent with the
policies, plans, programmes and objectives of organisation so that workers can work
towards achieving company goals (Popovski and Sorensen, 2018).
 Principle of adequacy: The information should be adequate and complete in all respects
so that no confusion is created and better understanding is generated.
 Principle of timeliness: It states that communication must be done at the right time which
can help in effective implementation of the plan so that right decisions can be made.
Communication practices
It is important that 7Cs of communication are followed so that better communication can
take place and effective results can be achieved which are Courtesy, clarity, conciseness,
completeness, correctness, concreteness and credibility. These 7Cs must be included in
communication practice which can help in creating better understanding of information so that
good results can be achieved (Babkin and Stroganova, 2018).
Recommendations
In order to improve communication among people while using London tube it is important
that people follow the 7Cs of communication which can help in improving the flow of
information among them and reducing conflicts. It can also help in enhancing the outputs that are
achieved through effective communication among people. Following are the recommendations
that can be implemented to improve communication practices:
 Use of principles of communication which can help in making the information better
understandable so that interaction of people can become easy and they can understand
each other in a better manner.
 Use of technologies in by the UK transport manager so that information can flow better
in the industry which can help in increasing the convenience of travellers and also the
staff members can perform their roles and duties in a better manner.
 The manager of transport can also follow an organisational structure which can make the
transfer of information among departments better so that better results can be achieved.

Conclusion
From the above report it can be concluded that effective communication plays an important
role in increasing the sustainability of a business along with enhancing customer satisfaction.
Principles of effective communication can be applied in the organisation so that information can
become more understandable and better actions can be taken in reaching organisational goals.
Strategies which can help in improving communication must be implemented in the company so
that the barriers of communication can be minimised and better flow of information can take
place.

References
Books and Journals
West, R. and Turner, L.H., 2018. Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis And Appliaction.
McGraw-Hill Education,.
Berger, C.R. and Roloff, M.E., 2019. Interpersonal communication. In An Integrated Approach
to Communication Theory and Research, Third Edition (pp. 277-291). Taylor and
Francis.
Coombs, W.T., 2017. Revising situational crisis communication theory. Social media and crisis
communication, 1, pp.21-37.
Klyukanov, I., 2020. Principles of intercultural communication. Routledge.
Popovski, P., Nielsen, J.J., Stefanovic, C., De Carvalho, E., Strom, E., Trillingsgaard, K.F.,
Bana, A.S., Kim, D.M., Kotaba, R., Park, J. and Sorensen, R.B., 2018. Wireless access
for ultra-reliable low-latency communication: Principles and building blocks. Ieee
Network, 32(2), pp.16-23.
Babkin, V.A. and Stroganova, E.P., 2018, November. Principles of Indicators Formation for
Quality of Communication Networks Monitoring. In 2018 Wave Electronics and its
Application in Information and Telecommunication Systems (WECONF) (pp. 1-4).
IEEE.
Online
Gini .2018. Barriers to effective communication [Online] Available through:
<https://virtualspeech.com/blog/barriers-to-communication>
Kristin .2018. Overcoming communication barriers [Online] Available through:
<https://crewapp.com/c/resources/overcome-barriers-communication-work/>
Luis0.2020. Cultural influences on negotiations [Online] Available through:
<https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/international-negotiation-daily/bridging-the-
cultural-divide-in-international-business-negotiations/>