You've heard the “communication is key ” cliché, haven't you? There's a reason that sentiment is often repeated. It's true.
A strong communication process is an essential part of any organization. Without effective communication, it can be hard for employees to work well together and find areas of agreement.
When communication gaps happen, there is a high chance of confusion between team members. This leads to mistakes, lack of understanding, reduced productivity, and frustrated employees.
Clear communication channels make it easy to understand what each employee should do. It allows teams to interact and provide feedback to one another to keep projects running. This boosts productivity and efficiency at every level of the organization.
Effective communication isn't always easy. In fact, it can be downright hard. One poll of 1,000 employees found that 91% of respondents think their leaders lack this critical skill1.
In order to improve your communication strategy it's crucial to have a common understanding of barriers that stand in your way.
So what are the most common barriers of communication? Keep reading to uncover the most common communication challenges with examples so you and your team can overcome them.
Let’s dig into some examples of communication barriers so you can tackle your ultimate communication goals
Physical barriers are things that keep people apart, such as closed doors, high cubicle walls, and blocked-off areas. Physical barriers to communication may include distance.
When team members work in different locations, it makes communication harder. A study by Grammarly of US professionals showed that since the pandemic, people use more digital communication channels2. On the other hand, open floor settings can have a lot of background noise that can make it hard for some people to focus.
You don't have to change your office layout, but there are ways to help your team work around physical barriers, such as:
Technology can either help or hinder your workplace communication. Since most companies are reliant on modern technology, the type of tech you use has a huge impact on your effectiveness of communication.
There is a plethora of collaboration software and messaging apps available these days. Most companies utilize a variety of tools, especially with the rise of remote and hybrid work. Too many tech tools can cause missed messages or a waste of time—especially if they aren't used efficiently. Take a look at our tips and articles on the most popular tech tools for team performance.
Consider accommodating staff by offering a choice of tools that work best for them and their preferred communication devices. Ensure faulty equipment is replaced quickly so no one is slowed down.
Don't get frustrated if you experience technological interruptions when communicating with someone. There are tools and tricks that you can use to avoid tech interruptions.
Cultural fit is one of the biggest communication barriers. Diverse teams are more productive, more creative, and more profitable3. But, having employees of different cultural backgrounds also challenges cross-cultural communication. There are different generations, cultures, races, and more. That means they also have differences in communication skills, including different values, work ethics, norms, and preferences.
Cultural barriers to communication may cause employees to feel like they don't fit in the organization. It's tough to communicate effectively with someone when there is no common ground. It is important for your entire workplace to have an internal common language and a core message of respecting cultural differences.
Having a team with people from different cultures can make communication hard. But avoiding these differences is not the solution. It's important to find ways to share information despite these cultural barriers to benefit from the diversity of the team. Here are a few ideas:
Simply put, a motivated team is an empowered team—and they're more apt to have a positive attitude.
Motivational barriers come into play when there is a lack of motivation to listen to what someone is saying. It can come from preoccupation or boredom and leads to paying less attention, and poor listening and retention. When this occurs regularly it can result in disengaged workplaces.
Motivational barriers to communication prevent people from sharing information with each other. Low self-esteem, lack of drive, fear of failure, or rejection, are psychological barriers to motivation.
A lack of motivation will make employees believe their opinion is unimportant or there is no incentive to speak up. People require encouragement to initiate conversations about communication challenges.
Team morale takes time to build. To improve performance (and overall business performance) you must understand your team's individual motivations. Employees’ individual needs should be acknowledged. By doing so and encouraging good communication, you can boost morale and make everyone feel supported at work. Here are a few ideas:
One of the best ways to understand your unique team culture is to take the free F4S work style assessment.
Based on more than 20 years of research, it asks a series of questions that measure the 48 distinct work traits that influence the way a person conveys and processes information. F4S uses revolutionary AI-powered technology that improves teamwork and collaboration.
To better understand the communication preferences of your team, invite them to complete the F4S assessment. You’ll gain an understanding of their strengths and preferences - meaning you will know what motivates them and what can be draining. This will show up in your dashboard as Team Affinities and will show how your team generates energy, enjoyment, and flow.
When reviewing team analytics you’ll begin to understand how to communicate most effectively at work. By optimizing team dynamics you can simultaneously increase performance and team morale. With F4S your entire team can become skilled communicators.
Systematic barriers make it hard for people in an organization to talk to each other because of how the company is set up or run.
Systematic barriers in communication may include; not having a good way to share information; not teaching good communication skills, or not valuing different perspectives and being afraid to speak up.
These communication obstacles can hurt employee motivation, performance, and the company's success. So, it's important to understand systems thinking to create a successful communication plan.
Fixing communication problems caused by organizational barriers is ongoing and needs everyone's effort to be successful. Here's how:
Language or vocabulary differences can make communication difficult. This can encompass multiple languages or department jargon. Linguistic barriers to communication can be caused by a lack of cultural understanding. It is important to respect different communication styles.
If there's a major language difference in your workplace, you'll need to look into translation services to address fundamental communication issues. But here are some other important things to keep in mind:
Imagine that you went into a meeting with the assumption that it was going to be a major waste of your time. How inclined are you to listen closely? To engage in the discussion? To actively participate?
Your motivation is probably running pretty low, isn't it? That's a perceptual barrier.
The assumptions we carry with us into exchanges influence our communication style. They can actually hinder our ability to get our point across or result in poor listening. This can create difficult situations for employees.
It'd be nice if your own perceptions, biases, and assumptions had a simple “off” switch. While navigating around this barrier isn't quite that easy, these tips can help:
Think of a time when you had to converse with someone who was undeniably stubborn. They insisted that their view was correct, and they refused to listen to any other points of view.
I'm willing to bet that discussion was difficult because you couldn't truly connect with that other person. That's an interpersonal barrier in action.
Interpersonal barriers are difficult to overcome. Especially if someone is withdrawn and isn't willing to engage. Here are a few tips that can start to get things back on track:
When people at work don't trust each other, it can make it hard for them to work together. Employees may be scared to speak up because they fear they might be ridiculed. When trust is low, it can stop people from being creative and making innovative decisions. To fix this, leaders and employees need to make sure they trust each other and respect each other's ideas.
Rebuilding trust in the workplace requires active effort from both leaders and employees. Transparency and teamwork can be improved by ensuring everyone knows what is expected of them, with clearly defined goals. Additionally, consistency from leaders can also foster trust.
Gender barriers in the workplace can impact the entire workplace. This can include stereotypes and generalizations about gender differences in communication.
Pay attention to communication differences between genders. This will help improve the communication ecosystem in the office.
Your best bet is to stay away from generalizations and biased language. Instead, learn more about each of your team members regardless of gender or gender identity. You can do this using the following strategies:
Personality conflicts and emotions can make it hard to communicate effectively. Emotions such as fear, anxiety, or anger often form communication barriers. This can hurt productivity and create a negative communication experience.
Emotions are natural, and they shouldn't be discouraged or reprimanded. Instead, you and your team need to understand how to deal with them. Try some of these strategies:
Effective communication in the workplace is crucial for conveying your core message, but it can be difficult to achieve. To improve communication, be aware of the common barriers mentioned above. Find and understand these barriers to help your team communicate more effectively.
Take the free assessment to discover your unique communication style. Then get ready to build your team up by inviting them to join you.
We've identified 11 common barriers to effective communication so you can learn how to overcome them in your workplace. These barriers include verbal communication, location, technology, culture, motivations, organizational structure, language, perception, interpersonal skills, trust, gender differences, and emotional intelligence. In working on these barriers you can create a more open and productive communication environment.
It's important to consider that each individual has their own communication preferences and style. For example, if someone is predominantly a hearing style learner, sending them an email or report to read can be a barrier to communication. A better way to engage them is with a video recording, phone call, or a meeting.
Barriers to nonverbal communication can include cultural differences, misinterpretation of gestures or body language, physical obstacles, and emotional states. Understanding and addressing these barriers is essential for effective nonverbal communication in diverse interpersonal interactions.
Furthermore, affective communication refers to someone who places an emphasis on nonverbal communication like body language. For someone like this, communication in-person or via video chat will be more effective.
Coach Marlee (your amazing AI-powered personal coach) will analyse your unique traits and goals to personalize the program so you see results as quickly as possible.
“Personal power program was great for me to gain confidence and knowledge on approaching my new leadership role”
“I learned to manage my stress about details”
“I have always found it hard to ‘slow’ down but this helped me to see how I can slow down to speed up”
“I really struggled with the idea and concept of my own power and it was getting in the way of my work, my relationships and my happiness. This program with Marlee has helped me understand why, develop a deeper relationship with my own power and as a result, I'm feeling more confident and competent as ever!”
“I learned to make real progress, take action, review”
“I was able to see that I would still like to direct and author my decisions more effectively”
“Marlee helped me build deeper levels of self-esteem and how I valued myself vis-a-vis the greater world. It also taught me courage to believe in my beliefs, and that it is not about success or failure, but that we give it a go, a try”
“Coaching with Marlee was simply amazing. 200% recommend!”
1. Schwantes, M; August 10, 2017; Survey: 91 Percent of 1,000 Employees Say Their Bosses Lack This 1 Critical Skill; Inc.Australia https://www.inc-aus.com/marcel-schwantes/survey-91-percent-of-1000-employees-say-their-boss.html
2. Grammerly, June 2 2022; Less Casual, More Digital Everything: How Work Communication Has Changed Due to the Pandemic; Grammerly.com; https://www.grammarly.com/blog/pandemic-work-communication-trends/
3 Hunt, Layton, Prince; January 1, 2015; Why Diversity Matters; https://www.fingerprintforsuccess.com/blog/online-collaboration-software
Our tools are trusted by teams like Canva to help improve:
Subscribe to our newsletter for free access to the latest research and expert tips on Mental Health, Wellbeing, Leadership, Career Skills, Team Building & more!
Get started for free with personal (or team) coaching.
Programs are designed by world-renowned coaches & delivered by our incredible (AI-powered) Coach Marlee.
Sessions take just a few minutes and are 100% personalized to fit your unique traits and goals.
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name