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Communicating effectively in your business is critical and there are a number of factors that can make this difficult in your workplace, which isn’t ideal. Whilst you may think that communication barriers are reserved only for large organisations, it is also a growing difficulty for small businesses.

Here are just some of the communication barriers that might be stopping your business from communicating effectively.

Emotional barriers
Communication is heavily influenced by a person’s emotions and each person can be different in different situations. Some people are shy, confident, straight to the point and sometimes just downright rude. The emotions of both the communicator and the receiver of the message can have an effect on how the message is conveyed. Emotions will always be a factor in communication; it’s just a case of how you can manage them! It is important that you understand that the people matter just as much as the message. Equally, if you nurture your employees’ psychological wellbeing as well as your own, you can encourage good vibes in your office environment which will hopefully mean happy employees. Take a look at this article on what makes employees happy for some ideas.

Physical barriers
It has been proven that physical barriers are the biggest hindrance to effective communication in the workplace. The increase in open plan office design has lessened the physical barriers between employees. However, there are still many managers, and those at higher levels, that have physical distance from the rest of the office. Many small businesses and start ups also now work remotely and so proximity becomes an issue for face to face communication, meaning that you become reliant on technology. This kind of barrier can be overcome by using the right online communication tools and checking in with staff in person every now and again to reduce the physical barrier.

Perceptual barriers
In some cases, this could be one of the biggest challenges when it comes to communication. However, if you have used your company values to recruit, you may find that there will be less perceptual conflict. It is natural for people to have differences of opinion and it is something that your business requires in order to stay innovative and unique. What is important is that these differences are communicated effectively, otherwise the fall out could be detrimental.
Organisations function better when communication flows, so getting it right is so important. Getting a grasp of how to communicate effectively can help you increase engagement with your employees, build better longer lasting relationships and ensure that your messages don’t get lost in translation.

If you would like to find ways of improving communication then give us a call on 07810 563 676 or email on Enquiries@HRBusCons.co.uk.

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