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made with the forefinger and thumb stands for ‘OK’, while in the Southern states, it is construed as obscenity.
The thumbs-up gesture is commonly used in many cultures to signify a job well done. But in Greece or in the
Middle East, it is taken as an obscene gesture.

Perceptual Barriers

Different world views can create misunderstanding and lead to selective perception. It means that the receivers
selectively see and hear depending upon their needs, background, motivations, experience, and other personal
characteristics. While decoding the messages, most of the receivers protect their own interests and expectations
into process of communication leading to a particular kind of feedback that may become a communication
problem.

Information Overload Barriers
Unchecked inflow of information very often becomes another barrier to communication. When people are bogged
down with too much information, they are likely to make errors. They may also delay processing or responding
to information at least for some time. And delay may become a habit, causing serious communication problems.
People may also become selective in their response, and selectivity is not communication-friendly.

Emotional Barriers
When a person is consumed with emotion, he/she will have difficulty in understanding what is being
communicated. Anger, fear, hostility are some of the emotions that make a person a poor listener leading
to serious communication problems. Too many people are interested in talking and mostly talking about
themselves. They are so much involved with themselves that they do not have patience to listen. The result is
that they are not interested in the speaker whose words go waste.

Samkit is so talkative in nature. He does not have much patience to listen. Can you suggest What
kind of barrier occurs when someone talks to him?

Measures To Overcome Barriers in Effective Communication
To overcome different barriers in communication, sufficient effort should be put into the communication process
to make it effective and efficient. It can be done by planning the conversation with clear ideas. The words should
be reinforced with action. The message should be conveyed clearly and effectively. Our communication skills
play an important role in enhancing our self-promotional skills. For example, people who listen attentively and
make thoughtful, informed comments are often seen as more influential than those who don’t listen well, or
those who speak thoughtlessly.
Here are some measures we can use to overcome barriers in effective communication:

Face-to-face Interactions

Text messages or emails can be misinterpreted as they are not accompanied by facial expressions, tone, and
inflection. Engaging in face-to-face interactions helps in understanding the message easily and quickly.

Clarify Ideas Before Communication
The person sending the communication should be very clear in his mind about what he wants to say. He should
know the objective of his message and, therefore, he should arrange his thoughts in a proper order. Never go
unprepared as the lack of preparation results in communication failure. So, collect information about the topic of
communication and the audience. The sender of the communication should prepare the structure of the message
not according to his own level or ability, but should keep in mind the level, understanding, and the environment
of the receiver.

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