What you’ll learn to do: identify common barriers to communication in organizations

How many times have you heard any of the following?

• Do you understand what I am saying?
• Do you know what I mean?
• Can you see what I am talking about?

Why are these such common phrases? In this section you’ll get some answers. There are barriers to effective communication that we may not even know exist. Once we understand such roadblocks, we can devise ways of getting around them or at least reducing their impact. Within organizations, where clear communication is critical (sometimes even life-threatening), understanding barriers such as filtering and bias will help you become a more effective communicator.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

The learning activities for this section include:

• Reading: Communication Barriers
• Self Check: Barriers to Communication

Take time to review and reflect on this activity in order to improve your performance on the assessment for this section.