Submitted to Samra Javaid, Faculty Interpersonal Communication Skills, IoBM

1. Barriers to Communication
Insight:
Communication Flaws leading to fail
Product Launches
Term Research Report
Presented to
Mrs. Samra Javaid
Interpersonal Communication Skills
By
Zeeshan Valliani (12543)
MBA Executive

2. Barriers to Communication
January 4th, 2012
CONTENTS
CONTENTS................................................................................................................................. 2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................. 5
Letter of Acknowledgment................................................................................................... 5
Letter of Transmittal............................................................................................................. 6
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................. 7
Communication has gained prime importance in today’s world. Its scope begins from
individual level and goes up to organizational level where distorted messages could lead to
lawsuits and tension of serious nature. Realizing the importance of communication there is
no professional program where communication is not being formally taught. Its importance
even increases where diversification is involved either in terms of business areas or global
work force. Even effective communication plays a vital role in the success of failure of a
product in the market. There are numerous examples where best product failed to be
successful due to bad or misleading communication. The following report discusses the
barriers in communication which may distort the message and provides recommendations
that may help in resolving these barriers in effective communication. .................................... 7
Cost of miscommunication could be very high to the organization. A misunderstood message
to a regulatory authority or distorted / unclear details to the taxation department may be
proven a serious threat to the organization. There should be a defined procedure for internal
and external communication in the organization and every employee must be trained on
procedure................................................................................................................................. 7
Common barriers on the sender’s part which may distort the message and create problems
in complete understanding may include ambiguous language, encoding message without
considering intellect level and perception of the receiver, employing inappropriate
communication mode and channel, poor linguistic command and under or over estimating
the importance of message. Even the expressions and body language plays a great role in
successful communication........................................................................................................ 7
While on the receivers end there could be same or various other barriers that could be
threatening to the true delivery of intended message. Some of the common barriers include;
divided or undue attention, poor listening or reading skills, language problem, cultural
differences or bias, mood, emotions, background and semantic noises etc. ...........................7
There are ways and techniques that may be employed to overcome barriers and make
communication process suave and effective. The first and foremost way is to recheck the
message before sending it with a critical eye either it’s a written or oral message. For
organizational communication there should be a written and approved procedure and policy
for internal and external communication which must include reviewing of critical messages
by superiors once they are written before sending. Where public or media communication is
involved as in product launches a formal communication model must be designed in order to
2

3. Barriers to Communication
make it a success keeping in view the target audience and their requirements and
expectations............................................................................................................................. 7
There are some other techniques too that may be employed for verbal and oral messages
and must be considered by teachers and public speakers in order to avoid being
misunderstood by the audience. These include proper body language with right expressions
and posture. Right volume, tone and level of voice is also important. .....................................7
BACKGROUND........................................................................................................................... 8
OBJECTIVES & RESEARCH QUESTIONS...................................................................................... 9
COST OF INEFFICIENT COMMUNICATION............................................................................... 10
INSIGHT: COMMUNICATION FLAWS LEADING TO PRODUCT LAUNCH FAILURES ...................11
POTENTIAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS......................................................................................... 12
Ambiguity............................................................................................................................ 12
Selective Attention and Context......................................................................................... 12
Perceptions......................................................................................................................... 12
BARRIERS IN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION............................................................................ 13
Differences in perception.................................................................................................... 13
Unseemly Filtering ............................................................................................................. 13
Language difficulties .......................................................................................................... 13
Poor Listening .................................................................................................................... 13
Emotions and Moods ......................................................................................................... 13
Differing Backgrounds ........................................................................................................ 14
Cultural Background and Bias ............................................................................................ 14
Noise................................................................................................................................... 14
Ourselves ........................................................................................................................... 14
Message ............................................................................................................................. 14
Environmental Distractions................................................................................................. 14
Oppressing.......................................................................................................................... 15
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4. Barriers to Communication
Stress .................................................................................................................................. 15
HOW TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS....................................................................................... 16
Using Your Body Language ................................................................................................. 16
Some areas to consider while presenting business presentations include: ........................16
Building Relationship using Eye Contact............................................................................. 17
Enhancing Voice Quality..................................................................................................... 18
Voice Component............................................................................................................... 18
Recommendations.............................................................................................................. 18
Articulation......................................................................................................................... 18
Sloppy Articulation.......................................................................................................... 18
Pitch Problems................................................................................................................ 18
Inflection problems......................................................................................................... 19
CASE STUDY............................................................................................................................ 20
Strategies I Pursued for Effective Listening......................................................................... 20
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................... 20
RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................................................. 21
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................ 22
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5. Barriers to Communication
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Letter of Acknowledgment
January 4th, 2012
Dear Readers
I am thankful to Almighty God for giving me the strength and capability to complete this
report on “Barriers to Communication.”
I would like to thank the course instructor of Interpersonal Communication Skills Mrs. Samra
Javaid for putting in all the hard work in this course to make it a memorable experience for all
of us. We appreciate her guidance and shall appreciate the valuable feedback on this report.
Sincerely,
Zeeshan Valliani
Interpersonal Communication Skills
2011-3-07-12543
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6. Barriers to Communication
Letter of Transmittal
January 4th, 2012
Mrs. Samra Javaid
Lecturer Interpersonal Communication Skills
Institute of Business Management
Dear Ms. Javaid,
Presented is my report on “Barriers to Communication.” The project involved secondary
research on communicational barriers and is prepared according to the guidelines provided
during the semester.
I would like to thank you for providing the guidelines & suggestions which enabled me to
complete this report as my final project. I have worked vigorously on this project to bring you
the accurate and reliable results.
Sincerely,
Zeeshan Valliani
Institute of Business Management
2011-3-07-12543
6

7. Barriers to Communication
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Communication has gained prime importance in today’s world. Its scope begins from
individual level and goes up to organizational level where distorted messages could lead
to lawsuits and tension of serious nature. Realizing the importance of communication
there is no professional program where communication is not being formally taught. Its
importance even increases where diversification is involved either in terms of business
areas or global work force. Even effective communication plays a vital role in the
success of failure of a product in the market. There are numerous examples where best
product failed to be successful due to bad or misleading communication. The following
report discusses the barriers in communication which may distort the message and
provides recommendations that may help in resolving these barriers in effective
communication.
Cost of miscommunication could be very high to the organization. A misunderstood message
to a regulatory authority or distorted / unclear details to the taxation department may be
proven a serious threat to the organization. There should be a defined procedure for
internal and external communication in the organization and every employee must be
trained on procedure.
Common barriers on the sender’s part which may distort the message and create problems in
complete understanding may include ambiguous language, encoding message without
considering intellect level and perception of the receiver, employing inappropriate
communication mode and channel, poor linguistic command and under or over
estimating the importance of message. Even the expressions and body language plays a
great role in successful communication.
While on the receivers end there could be same or various other barriers that could be
threatening to the true delivery of intended message. Some of the common barriers
include; divided or undue attention, poor listening or reading skills, language problem,
cultural differences or bias, mood, emotions, background and semantic noises etc.
There are ways and techniques that may be employed to overcome barriers and make
communication process suave and effective. The first and foremost way is to recheck the
message before sending it with a critical eye either it’s a written or oral message. For
organizational communication there should be a written and approved procedure and
policy for internal and external communication which must include reviewing of critical
messages by superiors once they are written before sending. Where public or media
communication is involved as in product launches a formal communication model must
be designed in order to make it a success keeping in view the target audience and their
requirements and expectations.
There are some other techniques too that may be employed for verbal and oral messages and
must be considered by teachers and public speakers in order to avoid being
misunderstood by the audience. These include proper body language with right
expressions and posture. Right volume, tone and level of voice is also important.
7

8. Barriers to Communication
BACKGROUND
Effective communication is a key in today’s fast paced lifestyle where money is important. It
begins at the individual level that helps to navigate through the innovation-decision process
and involves both cooperative construction and exchange of ideas.
As the business world becomes more global and companies are striving for diversification,
Difficulty in communication can cause great frustration from reduced self-esteem to reduced
employee potential. When the communication barriers are addressed and broken down, the
individual experience less frustration, gains self-confidence, and make effective
communication, which lead to increased work productivity, motivation and lower employee
turnover that can ultimately results in Corporate Profits.
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9. Barriers to Communication
OBJECTIVES & RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The Purpose of this secondary research report was to identify the methods to overcome the
barriers to communication and develop and implement strategies through recommendations to
reduce these barriers. The research focused on methods to enhance the ability to communicate
effectively by reducing the barriers.
The research provides answers to the following questions:
1. Identification of common barriers for effective communication?
2. What are the root cause barriers to effective communication?
3. How ineffective communications affect corporate profits?
4. How communication flaws affect new product launches?
5. How to overcome communication flaws while launching new products?
6. How to overcome organizational barriers?
7. Which methods of overcoming communication barriers are effective?
The process used to answer these questions involved review of several research journals,
magazines, newspapers through sources such as libraries, online databases and the internet.
The results of the research identified several communicational barriers. As a result of these
findings, recommendations were made to overcome communicational barriers. A special
insight is provided with the research on how communicational flaws affect business and new
product launches.
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10. Barriers to Communication
COST OF INEFFICIENT COMMUNICATION
A company or organization can suffer huge and substantial monetary losses if the
communication ideas or instructions are miscommunicated. We can understand them by
taking a look at the following examples:
First, suppose we have a work team working on a very important project and hence they meet
five times a week. If there will be communication barriers then these meetings would take
more time than they should, costing the company in the form of wages and salaries wasted.
Time is wasted and time is money.
Second, suppose we have an employee who is very sufficient and has extensive knowledge of
company’s standard operating procedures but however due to communicational barrier we
didn’t passed them through a promotional position which cost the company tremendous in
form of recruitment and retraining someone from outside when this ideal worker could be
trained to improve his/her communication.
Third, Thousands of rupees could be lost due to a misunderstanding of “fifteen thousand”
versus “fifty thousand!”
Finally, What if the idea is never be implemented? Because of the communication barriers,
the employee’s full talent is not being exploited.
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11. Barriers to Communication
INSIGHT: COMMUNICATION FLAWS LEADING TO
PRODUCT LAUNCH FAILURES
In today's always on, social media integrated world, it's much tougher to develop and launch a
new product than even a few years ago. When we think of global Fortune 500 companies like
Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Coca-Cola, perhaps the last word that comes to mind is the
“F” word – failure. Authors Joan Schneider and Julie Hall, owners of Schneider Associates, a
company that specializes in products launches explain why even the best of companies
experience failure in their article, “Why Most Product Launches Fail,” in the April 2011 issue
of Harvard Business Review. Schneider and Hall profile product launch failures from five
companies, from the infamous to the unknown, and offer a list of 40 common reasons why
product launches fail in “40 Ways to Crash a Launch,” available at hbr.org.
According to the Joan Schneider and Julie Hall the reasons most new product launches fail is
also due to the communication flaws
Communication Flaw 1: The product falls short of claims and gets failed
The Lesson: Don’t make false claims
When Microsoft launches Windows Vista in 2007, the media and public had high
expectations and hence the company allocated $500 million for marketing. But the software
failed and had so many problems that even Microsoft’s most loyal customers revolted from
buying the new Windows. Vista flopped and Apple emerges with its own operating system “I
am Mac”.
If Vista were launched today, the outcome might be even worse due to the existence of
negative feedback on social media pages.
Communication Flaw 2: The product defines a new category and requires substantial
customer education – but doesn’t get it
The Lesson: Customers won’t buy the product if they can’t grasp how to use it
In 2004, Procter & Gamble launched a scent “player” that looked like a CD player in the
United States. The company hired singer Shania Twain for its launch commercials. This
confused the consumers, many of whom had thought that this new player involved both music
and scents and the ambiguity caused this new product to fail.
When product is truly revolutionary, celebrity commercials may do more harm than good.
The strong educational campaign may be a better way to go.
Managers must learn to engage the brand team, marketing, sales, advertising, public relations
and web professionals earlier to have their say that can steer a launch.
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12. Barriers to Communication
POTENTIAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS
Ambiguity
There is often ambiguity that results in miscommunication, it occurred due to continued
uncertainty, or lack of interest that leads to it. Traditionally, communication refers to the
process of transmitting information from a sender to receiver. It is a basic model where
people understand each other by encoding and decoding messages. However, communication
researchers have made a different model, called the inferential model, which acknowledges
that a speaker’s intended meaning cannot be entirely understood and that ambiguity exists due
to misunderstandings. 4 Sillars (2002) defined misunderstanding as “intentions, meanings,
thoughts or feelings” that are different from what that is intended by the speaker in a two way
process. There are multiple factors that contribute to miscommunication due to shared
language rules. As a result, there is always some degree of ambiguity that requires inference
when interpreting messages.
Selective Attention and Context
Selective Attention can also result in Misunderstandings. People tend to be selective about
what they hear due to multiple reasons mainly to reduce their mental stimuli to the point
where it’s easy for them to process information; the consequence is that it also creates
potential to pay attention to different signals. People are more likely to pay attention to
messages about scientific findings if they perceive the messages to be relevant to their goals
or needs and will make their life easier.
Perceptions
Perception is also significant in determining the outcome of communicational events. These
perceptions refer to individuals who interpret messages to provide order and meaning to their
environments (Bowditch and Buono 2005). Humans have a natural tendency for long
established perceptions to entrenched, which means they often hear what they expect to hear
rather than what the speaker conveys. This is especially true when they are stereotypes and
make their opinion based on the stereotyping and profiling.
Furthermore, people can be encouraged to maintain imprecise impressions despite
unambiguous information that contradicts these impressions (Sillars and Vangelisti
2006). For example, people tend to interpret information so it is corresponding with existing
beliefs and attitudes because hearing messages that are incompatible with can lead to
emotional dissonance, or internal conflict, which is troubling (Rogers 1995). By hearing what
they want and expect to hear, people can protect their worldviews and identities and reduce
stress.
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13. Barriers to Communication
BARRIERS IN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Communication is not tantamount with talking to other people to accept others point of view.
Regardless of how well a sender expresses him or herself, the receiver will not always agree
with the sender. When sender sends a message with the intent to communicate meaning, the
message itself doesn’t contain any meaning. Here are barriers:
Differences in perception
As we discussed in the previous section that difference in perceptions is one of the major root
causes of miscommunication. Our minds organize stream of sensation inlay mental maps that
represents our perception. As we view the world, our mind absorbs our experiences in a
distinctive and different way. Because our perception is distinctive, the ideas we express
differ from other people. Even when two people have experienced the same event, their
mental pictures of that event may not be identical. As senders, we select the details that seem
important and relevant to our attention. As receivers, we try to fit it every new details into our
existing pattern that distort the information rather rearrange the pattern.
Unseemly Filtering
Filtering is leaking the information out to someone else. In offices, many secretaries,
assistants, receptionists, guards etc. play the role of filtering by screening out or leaking the
information before it is conveyed by you to the receiver. To overcome filtering barriers, try to
establish more than one communication channel and eliminate intermediaries as possible.
Language difficulties
When we start talking and encode our message to the receiver, we signal that we are a
member of a particular culture or subculture and that we know the code. Language imposes
its own barriers because words can have more than one meaning. To overcome language
barriers, use specific words, avoid using jargons and be clear.
Poor Listening
Perhaps the most common barrier to effective communication is simply a lack of attention on
the receiver’s front. People avoid information when they are forced to listen to something that
they don’t want to hear. To overcome listening barriers, paraphrase what you have
understood, try to view the situation through the eyes of other speakers and resist jumping to
the conclusions.
Emotions and Moods
Every message contains a content meaning and a relationship meaning. We often have to deal
with people when they are upset or when we are. An upset person tends to ignore or distort
what the other person is saying and vulnerable to present feelings and ideas effectively. To
overcome emotional barriers, be aware of the feelings that arise in you and in others as you
talk, and attempt to regulate them.
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14. Barriers to Communication
Differing Backgrounds
Age, education, gender, social status, economic position, cultural background, temperament,
health, popularity, religion, even a passing mood are individual backgrounds that separate one
person from another and make understanding difficult. To overcome the barriers associated
with differing backgrounds, avoid projecting your own background or culture onto others.
Clarify your own and understand the background of others, spheres of knowledge,
personalities and perceptions and don’t assume that certain behaviors mean the same thing to
everyone.
Cultural Background and Bias
Cultural Background biases are one of the hardest communication barriers to overcome.
When receiver’s life experiences differ substantially from speaker, communication becomes
more difficult. We allow our past experiences to change the meaning of the message. Our
culture, background, and bias can be good as they allow us to use our past experiences to
understand something new, it is when they change the meaning of the message then they
interfere with the communication process. To overcome the barriers associated with differing
backgrounds, avoid projecting your own background or culture onto others. Clarify your own
and understand other’s backgrounds, spheres of knowledge, personalities and perceptions.
Noise
Noise of any type, either from environment or equipment impedes clear communication. The
sender and the receiver must both be able to concentrate on the messages being sent to each
other. Noise is any interference in the communication process that distorts or obscures the
sender’s meaning and such communication barriers can exist between people and within
organizations.
Ourselves
To remain the center of the attraction we often focus on ourselves, rather than the speaker that
leads to confusion and conflict. The “Me Generation” is out when it comes to effective
communication. Some of the factors that cause this are defensiveness (we feel someone is
attacking us), superiority (we feel we know more than the other), and ego (we feel we are
important).
Message
Educational institutions unfortunately reinforce facts rather than the idea with tests and
questions that results in semantic distractions which occur when a word is used differently
than you prefer. For example, the word chairman instead of chairperson may cause you to
focus on the word and not the message.
Environmental Distractions
Sudden entrance, Bright lights, an attractive person, unusual sights, or any other stimulus also
provides a potential for environmental distraction.
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15. Barriers to Communication
Oppressing
We take it for granted that the impulse to send useful information is automatic. Not true! Too
often we believe that certain information has no value to others or they are already aware of
the facts.
Stress
People don’t understand and see things the way when they are under stress. They see and
believe things based on their psychological frames of references which include beliefs,
morals, understanding, proficiencies and goals.
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16. Barriers to Communication
HOW TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS
Using Your Body Language
Effective communication is more than just talking to your audience. Your body language
plays an important part in communication. Body language including proximity and eye
contact are the three main areas to emphasis upon in nonverbal communication. It is said that
“It’s not what you say, but how you say it matters the most”.
Some areas to consider while presenting business presentations include:
• Facial Expressions: Facial expressions like smiling often convey friendliness, warmth,
and approachability. Smiling is often contagious and others will react favorably. The
audience will be more comfortable around you and more open to the information you are
presenting.
• Posture: Importance of your message is conveyed by the way you hold yourself while
presenting. A person who is slouching or leaning with arms across their chest may be
perceived as being uninterested or unapproachable. On the other hand, standing erect,
facing the audience with an open stance, and leaning forward conveys that you are
receptive and friendly. Similarly, speaking with your back turned or looking at the floor
or ceiling should be avoided as it communicates disinterest and display lack of
confidence.
• Gestures: If energetic style for speaking is adopted, it will capture attention, makes the
material more interesting, and facilitates understanding. Use of the natural movements to
emphasize topics, for example, free, easy arm and hand movements add personality to
your presentation. Consequently, if you fail to gesture while speaking, you may be
perceived as boring and unexciting. Using gestures too often can also be a distraction for
some audience.
• Movement: Moving naturally around the audience increases interaction, adds interest, and
draws attention to the presenter. Staying frozen in the front of the audience can be
distracting and boring for people to watch. Similarly, shuffling feet, moving to and fro
and pacing can convey nervousness and lack of confidence.
• Proximity: Considering the cultural norms are also very important as it dictates a
comfortable distance for interaction with others. When interacting with adults, a
presenter needs to be aware of people’s defined levels of personal space. Discomfort is
caused when you invade other’s space for example, by rocking, leg swinging, tapping,
and gaze aversion. You should not invade a student’s intimate space. Further, most
adults also feels uncomfortable, even if rapport has been established.
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17. Barriers to Communication
Building Relationship using Eye Contact
Normally eye contact helps to control the flow of communication. It also encourages
participation and can be used to develop relationship with the audience. When audience feels
that the presenter is communicating with them as individuals, they are more likely to trust the
presenter and be more open to the learning experience.
Certain tips for using eye contact to build relationship include:
• Length of Eye Contact: Maintain eye contact with one person at a time for small interval
for example at least 3 – 5 seconds or until you deliver a thought. This often establishes a
connection with audience and helps the presenter to avoid darting eyes, which can be
distracting and transmits nervousness.
• Movement of Eyes: Presenter should make direct eye contact towards different parts of
the audience throughout the course of the presentation. Staring for too long in one
direction may cause certain audience members feel less important and distracts them from
the presenter.
• Search for Friendly Eyes: It is very helpful to remember that if you are feeling nervous
during a presentation, you should look for a friendly person in the audience and establish
eye contact with that person. Gradually, it will help to establish eye contact with other
people in the audience.
Certain habits to avoid include:
• Talking to the Ceiling: Never lecture at a spot over the top of the student’s heads. This
conveys negative perception that you don’t care and they may feel that you are “above
them.”
• Talking to the Board: Never lecture to your desk, to the whiteboard, or to your visuals.
This may create distortion as the audience may not be able to hear you and may become
disinterested.
• Clutching Your Notes: Try to be familiar with the content and material of the
presentation. Tied to the notes or a manual keeps you from establishing steady eye
contact. This may also cause students to question your knowledge, preparedness, and
confidence.
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18. Barriers to Communication
Enhancing Voice Quality
Voice is an important tool that can be used in communication to affect the quality of learning
in a presentation. An energetic and audible voice will engage students, while monotone voice
can cause boredom or disinterest amongst the audience. It is most difficult to listen to and
change our own voice that suits for the presentation; however, with awareness and practice, it
is possible to improvise and use voice effectively. To refine your voice, the first step is to
understand the different components of your voice and identify common voice problems.
After identification, the second step involves altering some habits, and practicing new
behaviors on a regular basis, by which most of the voice problems can be improved.
Voice Component Recommendations
Pace Continuously talking too fast or too slow
How long a sound lasts. Talking too • Be aware of your normal conversational
fast causes words and syllables to be pace and keep in mind how tension affects
short while talking slowly lengthens the speed in which you talk.
them. Varying pace helps to • Use breathing and natural pauses to slow
maintain the audience’s interest. down your pace
• Constantly vary your pace in order to
maintain audience interest.
Projection Problems with Projection
The direction of the voice so that it • Avoid projecting from your throat which
can be plainly heard at a distance. can lead to sore throats, coughing, and
Problems with projection are often loss of your voice.
the result of tension, breathiness, • Take slow, deep breaths, initiated from
and breathing from your throat. your abdomen
• Open your mouth fully and speak to the
people in the back of the room.
Articulation Sloppy Articulation
The ability to pronounce words • Speak at a slower pace than your normal
distinctly. It often reflects our conversational tone.
attitude towards the words we are • Take the time to pronounce each letter or
speaking. Clear enunciation reflects sound within a word.
self-confidence and interest, while • Listen for common articulation problems,
slurred or mumbled speech indicates such as dropping the “g” at the end of
insecurity or indifference. words such as finding or going.
Pitch Pitch Problems
The normal range of the voice – its • Adjust pitch to convey different meanings
highness or lowness. Think Pee Wee
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19. Barriers to Communication
Herman for high and James Earl throughout a presentation.
Jones for low. Everyone is capable • To alter pitch, control your breathing;
of a wide voice range. Stress and breathe from your abdomen and slow your
poor breathing can greatly alter the rate of speech.
pitch of your voice. • Take pauses to relax between pitch
changes
Inflection Inflection problems
The manner in which pitch varies as • Use upward and downward inflections
we speak. Inflection serves as verbal appropriately.
punctuation and involves changing • Avoid constant middle inflection where
pitch to convey meaning. Upward the voice neither rises nor falls but just
inflections ask a question, suggest drones on and on.
uncertainty or doubt, and
communicate hesitancy. Downward
inflections give information and
convey strength and authority to the
audience.
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20. Barriers to Communication
CASE STUDY
Think of a time when you were a poor listener. What were the barriers to Listening?
Now, that you are familiar with the strategies, how could you be the better listener next
time
When I was a kid I had very bad listening skills. I completed my early education from a
Catholic Missionary School where most of the students were either British or Christians in
their origin with English as their first language. I used to face problems in comprehending the
pure British accent of the teachers who used difficult words and idiomatic phrases in lectures
and conversations. School culture was very strict and disciplined; questions by students were
usually discouraged. Due to all this I developed an awful habit of pretending that I am getting
things when I was not getting them and seemingly tried to be a good listener. In addition to
above I usually used to lose focus and attention towards lecture in the class and my thoughts
used to get distracted towards unrelated things and events.
Strategies I Pursued for Effective Listening
1. I try to read between the words when I don’t get the accent and draw a mental picture
2. I focus on the ideas and the concept and not just words
3. I avoid distractions by sitting appropriately close to the speaker and avoid sitting near a
window, a talkative neighbor or some noisy place
4. I maintain eye contact with the speaker and ask questions and provide feedback
5. I focus my attention on the subject and stop all non-relevant activities beforehand to
orient myself to the speaker and the topic
6. Whenever my thoughts starts wandering I immediately force myself to refocus
7. I try not to interrupt the speaker while they speak and wait for pause to ask questions
CONCLUSION
The findings of this study are particularly relevant to the corporate sector which incurs huge
operational losses due to ineffective communication which plays a vital role in business,
government and personal life.
Governments pass laws and businesses market their products and services through effective
communication. Much of the communication about innovations is initiated by researchers and
research solicitation experts. With so much potential for misunderstanding due to ambiguity
of communication, inference, and selective attention, researchers and others who strive to
communicate research results need to understand contextual stimuli to the outcome of
communication between researchers and managers.
The findings indicate that Effective communication is an ongoing process with clear purpose
and objectives and people can use knowledge of possible bearings of misunderstanding to
develop strategies aimed at achieving greater mutual understanding between others.
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21. Barriers to Communication
RECOMMENDATIONS
The research identified the need for effective communication and indicates the importance of
overcoming communicational barriers.
Key Research findings:
• Speaker’s intended meaning cannot be entirely understood and that ambiguity exists
due to misunderstandings
• An organization can suffer huge monetary losses if the communication ideas or
instructions are miscommunicated.
• Managers must communicate with the brand team, marketing, sales, advertising,
public relations and web professionals to get their feedback before the launch of a
product.
• People tend to be selective about what they hear to reduce their mental stimuli to the
point where it’s easy for them to process information
As a result of this research several recommendations have been made in the overcoming
barriers section and in the case study.
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22. Barriers to Communication
REFERENCES
1. Ball, Ellison and Adamy, The Costly Challenge of Discovering Consumers' Unmet
Needs--and Meeting Them
http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/archive/05jan/mktg_whatyouneed.htm, date
upload January 2005, Date viewed July 4th, 2011
2. Interview of Schneider and Hall, Harvard Business Review, Lessons from New
Product Launches http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW4g32BW5oY, date upload:
April 13th, 2011, date viewed: July 4th, 2011
3. Schneider, Hall, 40 ways to crash a product launch HBR.org
http://hbr.org/2011/04/why-most-product-launches-fail/sb3 Retrieved April 2011
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