(listicle)

All of us occasionally face barriers during communication with other people, which causes misunderstandings and conflicts. They are diverse, both subjective and objective: from language barriers to differences in the status of the interlocutors. Whatever the reasons, they obstruct effective understanding between the participants in communication, in business or in private. This listicle will help you understand what types of communication barriers there are, as well as the causes and ways to overcome them.

There are many types of communication barriers, but today we’ll talk about the key ones. So, the main ones are cultural, social, psychological, role, language, and motive barriers.

1) Cultural barriers

Those that are associated with cultural differences.

Reasons: Differences in cultural customs of different people, differences in their values, levels of education, different religions, stereotypes about certain ethnic groups, etc.

Ways to overcome: Develop intercultural competence! Expand your horizons by studying the customs, traditions, and characteristics of the mentality of other peoples. Avoid ambiguous and sensitive topics that may offend someone’s national or religious beliefs.

2) Social barriers

Those that are related to the social status of communicants.
Reasons: Different age, gender, financial situation, profession, achievements (in short, all social differences that can cause misunderstandings and conflicts between different groups of society, such as people of different generations, different levels of mobility, financial security, etc.).
Ways to overcome: Empathy, tolerance, and focusing on common interests instead of emphasizing differences.

3) Psychological barriers

Such barriers consist of significant psychological differences between  interlocutors.

Reasons: Everyone’s different and has their individual traits of the psyche, individual characteristics, and psychological traumas.

Ways to overcome: Self-control, development of emotional intelligence skills, and flexibility. Of course, people are different, and you cannot please everyone, because you never know for sure what topic may be traumatic for the interlocutor. But you should pay attention to your speech and avoid making too sharp statements on serious socio-psychological topics.

4) Role barriers

Those where a person cannot change the role when changing the interlocutor and/or the topic of communication. For example, when a boss treats his relatives as subordinates, or when parents talk to children, not taking them seriously, regardless of their age.

Reasons: It happens because of the inability of some people to switch, that is, to separate professional life from personal life, which causes prejudice towards interlocutors.

Ways to overcome: Learn to distinguish between work and personal life. Try to be clear about who you’re talking to, and try to perceive interlocutors objectively.

5) Language barriers

Usually arise when interlocutors communicate in different languages (literally) or have different levels of fluency in them, which often leads to misunderstandings.

Reasons: Not knowing the interlocutor’s language, misunderstandings due to different interpretations of words, not paying attention to the interlocutor’s level of awareness. After all, even if people communicate in the same language, there are jargon, dialectisms, and professional and scientific terminology that may not always be understandable to another person.

Ways to overcome: Use an acceptable and simple language of speaking or one that, as you know for sure, will be easy to understand for your audience or interlocutor.

6) Barriers of motives

That’s a case when the motives for communication of the interlocutors do not coincide. Let’s say a conversation between an employee and an employer, where one seeks support and proper assessment of his achievements, while the other is guided by strict principles and rules.

Reasons: It happens during communication between people with different needs and expectations, and when they are not met, conflicts and misunderstandings arise.

Ways to overcome: Develop empathy; learn to recognize and respect the achievements and needs of other people. Discuss in advance the motivation and expectations of other participants in the conversation.

The art of communication is not easy to master, but it’s possible. Especially knowing the reasons for the difficulties that arise in the process of communication, as well as ways that will help you cope with difficulties and understand your interlocutor better.