Communication Barriers in Relationships

Tap to Read ➤ Rujuta Borkar

There might be several communication barriers in relationships that can prevent a relationship from being open and smooth. Here, we will take you through these barriers and help you understand the same so that you can learn to prevent and avoid them.

Communication. The process of transferring information from one person to the other through the medium of language and/or gestures. So then, communication is a two way process. But for a successful communication to take place, there have to be certain factors fulfilled.

Without these factors, the communication process is incomplete and does not fulfill what it set out to be. It is, therefore, a good idea to be acquainted with the different barriers to communication in relationships. Barriers, as in the factors that prevent a successful communication from taking place.

Barriers to Effective Communication

If you look at any communication process, you'll find that there are several factors that work towards completing it. What are the factors that work towards completing a communication process? These would include the sender, the receiver, the message, the medium and the feedback.

Technically, there could be problems in some or all of these factors which could lead to a failure in the completion of the communication process. It is on the basis of these that several communication barriers in relationships come about.

✏ Communication Between Sender and Receiver

Why is an entire section dedicated only to the people involved in the communication process? This is because, it has been found that it is usually the sender and the receiver who contribute to the barriers. What are the barriers to communication in relationships that can develop between the sender and receiver?

Inability to Listen

One of the main barriers in the communication process is that of listening, or the lack of it. People have the habit of not listening to what is being said with an objective of understanding it.

They also keep interrupting when the other person speaks or do not let him complete what is being said by starting out on a tangent about themselves. Similarly, their gestures could also suggest that they are not interested in what is being said.

Criticism

The other factor that acts as a strong barrier in the communication process is that of criticizing the other person. Putting the other down by labeling them with names or making their work seem unimportant or inconsequential can affect the communication process in no vague ways.

Preconceived Notions

Another important factor that can act as a major barrier is when people have preconceived notions about the other. This can prevent them being open and a closed attitude is always a barrier to proper communication.

✏ Other Barriers

Along with the several barriers that might develop between the sender and receiver, there could also be the other factors that could thwart the success of a regular communication process. The following are some of the same.

Clarity of Message

Sometimes the message that is sent could also be the problem. There might be several possibilities that could cause the message to turn into a barrier.

The clarity of the message, the way in which it is presented or the omitting of certain important factors can cause for an incomplete message to be presented. This will then have a major effect on the success of the communication process.

Problems in the Medium

There can be several problems that might arise in the medium as well which can affect the communication process.

For example, if a person is trying to communicate with the other through the medium of a phone and if the phone line has a lot of disturbance, then it will prevent the message from being communicated well enough.

Then there could be a miscommunication and it could have an effect on the result. Similarly, the other mediums could also pose a problem.

Feedback Problems

Feedback is one of the main factors of the communication process and an inability to provide for a proper feedback can lead to several complications. This then can have an effect on the way in which the communication process is completed.

Barriers to communication in relationships can be several, as we have seen. But, a knowledge of these enables us to learn how to overcome these barriers by learning how to prevent and avoid them. On to a successful communication process then.