Barriers to Communication Lesson 2 Business communication 4.4 Socio cultural barriers
These frequently lead to obstacles in communication as each of us responds to and interprets a situation according to our social ,
cultural, financial and psychological background. Thus if one does not keep in mind the background of the audience or receiver and modify communication accordingly there is a chance that whatever message one wants to communicate may be misinterpreted.
There are different kinds of socio-cultural interferences which can obstruct the process of communication.
Stereotyping and Ethnocentric barriers
These Include discrimination on the basis of caste class gender ,religion etc . Women are often seen as the weaker sex and gender stereotyping is often an obstacle which influences the manner in which people communicate. There are also many stereotypes related to specific ethnic group which prejudice and predispose the receiver or cender to certain biases . Such preconceived ideas often cause obstacles in the free flow of ideas and information.
Psychological barriers
Emotions are an integral part of human life but they have to be regulated and moderated so that they do not hamper a free flow of communication. Perceptions and prejudices also have to be set aside while encoding or decoding a message . They can often lead to
selective listening so that the message is only partially received and decoded . Negative emotions therefore have to be set aside so that communication takes place in a relatively objective state of mind.
Cultural barriers
Cultural diversity is a factor which plays a very important role in business transactions in todays highly globalized and connected world. All cultures predispose people to certain acceptable cultural practices which may not be familiar to people from other cultures.
Effective communication can only take place if both the sender and receiver are sculturally sensitive keep cultural nuances in mind while composing and decoding messages.
Make a list of ten cultural practices which are different .
Eg.Shaking a womans hand is not culturally acceptable in many Asian and MiddleEastern countries even though it is the norm in the West .