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Unit 8: Communication and Conflict

Cultural Barriers Notes

Understand and accept the cultural variations in individuals and groups. Appreciate them
and adopt your communication style to them.

Psychological Barriers
Try to understand the receiver’s mental makeup and attitudes.
Perception of Reality

Try to understand the different levels of perceptions of a situation and an issue. Be open,
flexible and transparent.

8.6.2 Barriers to Written Communication
Poor stationery, clumsy layout of the letter, the way it has been written or typed can also
be barriers to communicate. The message may be solicited or unsolicited. Yet, it should
arouse the interest of the reader. An attractive envelope and a neatly executed letter will
prove to be better than a sloppily written or typed communication sent in unattractive
package.

8.6.3 Body Language as a Barrier to Effective Oral Communication
In oral communication, our gesture, posture, facial expression, etc. enhance communication
if applied well. They can also distort communication if not matched with the message. A
simple message of “Congratulations” or a compliment, “What a fine job you have done”,
can be communicated honestly and sincerely or sarcastically and ridiculing by appropriate
facial expression.
8.6.4 Barriers Caused by Varying Perceptions of Reality

Perception understands the world around us. Each one perceives the world in his own unique
way and interprets what has been perceived in yet another unique way and interprets what
has been perceived in yet another unique way. When we strongly disagree, we simply say
“I am sorry; our perceptions appear to be different.”

Abstraction: An abstract is a condensation of something. When we communicate, we
unconsciously resort to ‘abstracting’, i.e., keeping to the essentials. We eliminate what we
decide to be superfluous. But the receiver may not be competent enough to understand what
has been eliminated. When you are instructing a lay and illiterate person about cleaning the
house, you have to tell literally to remove cobwebs, sweep, dust and mop. Abstracting at
this situation may not prove to be useful. The worker may not understand that you want
every step and process to be gone through.

Slanting: Slanting is a barrier to communication. A slanted report is judgemental. News
reporters are asked to report news and not give them a slant. A small ‘crowd’ or a large
crowd’ are generally slanted expressions giving only relative meanings. Instead, if you say
a gathering of about five thousand people you avoid slanting. Communication should also
be unaffected by inferences and assumptions. Most inferences and all assumptions are highly
subjective. They tend to become barriers if they form the basis of a message or information.

Abstracting is necessary for good and effective communication but it
should not be done in certain demanding situations. If done it becomes
a barrier.

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