Barriers or Hindrances To Communication

5 Barriers or Hindrances to communication are conditions or things which lead to poor communication
or communication breakdown. (Adopted from Communication Skills For Lawyers by Mr. Karim G.
Mussa, 2020)
There are various barriers to effective communication which are identified as follows:
A. PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS
A physical barrier to communication is the result of a sensory dysfunction, either on the part of the
receiver or the sender. Speaking, hearing and seeing are fundamental parts of effective communication.
For a person who is not able to speak, hear or see certain measures
must be taken to provide alternative communication options and methods and ensure communication is
possible.
Therefore, in ability to
speak, hearing impairment and inability to see are examples of physiological barriers to effective legal c
ommunication (Shumbushoand Mwaijande, 2002)
B. SEMANTIC BARRIERS
Semantic barriers also can be caused by use of ambiguous words, complexity, language differences
and use of difficult vocabularies (Shumbusho and Mwaijande, 2002; Konar2011).
C. INFORMATION OVERLOAD
This occurs when there is too much information transmitted from a sender to a sender or from a speaker
to a listener. When there is too much information, one may not remember all things written and hence
fail to implement or do what he or she is supposed to do(Konar 2011).
D. LACK OF COMMON EXPERIENCE

Lack of common experience leads to difference in knowledge and experiences.(Konar, 2011).
E. CULTURAL BARRIERS
Language, accent and words; language is one cultural barrier that is observed in people coming from
different parts of the world. Failure to understand and write in the language common to the particular
group.
F. PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS
Psychological barriers refer to an individual’s state of mind. For
example if an individual is suffering from personal issues such as
health or martial problems this is most likely to affect them.
Psychological barrier are closely linked to emotional barriers;
emotional barriers play an important role in the communication of a message.
Other psychological barriers can include: lack of attention, generalizations and bias or prejudice
G. OTHER EXAMPLES THAT MAY BAR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

1. They use jargon: words and phrases that they’re familiar with – but which don’t mean anything to
the people they’re speaking to. This is a key barrier to communication for lawyers.
1. Failure to appreciate the audience which may not understand this technical language
2. This is the curse of knowledge. To explore it, researchers at Stanford University conducted an
experiment in which subjects were divided into two groups: tappers and listeners. The tappers
tapped out the rhythm of a well-known song such as “Happy Birthday”, and the listeners were
invited to guess what the song was. Beforehand, those tapping were asked to predict how often
their listeners would be able to guess the name of the song correctly.
3. They don’t include examples, case studies and anecdotes
a) According to research by the University of Liverpool, around 65 per cent of all human
conversation is storytelling. So, why don’t people use them enough in business
communication? Perhaps it’s actually because we tell stories and anecdotes so much in our
lives outside the office that doing so at work seems somehow unprofessional. And yet, some
of the best communicators in business and in other sectors are great storytellers.
4. Ambiguity: Lawyers may inadvertently introduce ambiguity through unclear language or imprecise
terms in their legal documents, leading to misunderstandings or differing interpretations.
5. Complexity: The use of overly complex language, legal jargon, or convoluted sentence structures
can hinder effective communication, making it difficult for non-legal professionals or even clients to
comprehend the intended message.
6. Assumption of Knowledge: Lawyers may assume that the reader possesses the same level of
legal expertise, leading to communication breakdowns when the audience lacks the necessary
background to understand the content fully.
7. Overuse of Legalese: Excessive reliance on legal terminology without adequate explanation can
alienate readers, hindering comprehension and defeating the purpose of clear communication.
8. Lack of Clarity in Organization: Poorly structured legal documents, lacking clear headings,
subheadings, or logical flow, can impede understanding and make it challenging for readers to
follow the intended message or argument.
9. Over complication: Lawyers may fall into the trap of using overly complex language and intricate
sentence structures, making it challenging for the intended audience to grasp the main points
easily.
10. Lack of Conciseness: Lengthy and verbose legal documents can hinder effective communication.
Extraneous details or repetitive information can dilute the core message and confuse readers.
11. Failure to Tailor Audience: Lawyers sometimes overlook the importance of adapting their
communication style to the specific audience. Failing to consider the reader's background or
knowledge level can result in miscommunication.
12. Inadequate Clarity: Unclear or ambiguous language can introduce confusion. Precision is crucial
in legal writing, and any lack of clarity can lead to misunderstandings or disputes.
13. Insufficient Organization: Poorly structured legal documents, with unclear headings,
subheadings, or a lack of logical progression, can impede the reader's ability to follow the narrative
or argument, affecting overall comprehension
EIGHT C’S TO CURE BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

There are various principles for achieving effectiveness in communication. These include;
1. Completeness; the communication must be complete. It should convey all
facts required by the audience. The sender of the message must
take into account the receiver’s mind set and convey the message accordingly.
2. Conciseness; conciseness means wordiness, that is, communicating what you want to convey in
least possible words without forgoing the
other C’s of communication. Conciseness is a necessity for effective communication.
3. Consideration; consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective communication
must take the audience into consideration, that is, the audience’s view points, background, mind-
set, education level etc. Make an attempt to envisage your
audience,their requirements, emotions as well as problems. Ensure that self-
respect of the audience is maintained and their emotions are not harmed.
4. Clarity; clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a
time rather than trying to achieve too much at once. Clarity in communication has the following
features;
a) It makes understanding easier
b) Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of message
c) Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words.
5. Concreteness; Concrete communication implies being particular and
clear rather than fuzzy and general. Concreteness strengthens the confidence.
6. Courtesy; courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s expression as well
as should respect the receiver.
7. Correctness; correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in
communication.
8. Convincing power; communication needs to be convincing. This means that it should
be able to persuade or influence listeners in terms of presenting strong arguments, facts and
evidence.

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5 Barriers or Hindrances to communication are conditions or things which lead to poor communication

D. LACK OF COMMON EXPERIENCE

G. OTHER EXAMPLES THAT MAY BAR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

EIGHT C’S TO CURE BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

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