1. Barriers to communication
10/12/2012 Kieran Avey Btec level 3 ICT

2. Barriers to communication
Barriers to communication can affect every conversation someone has, there are many different
barriers to communication like use of jargon, lack of interest, language and accent barriers and many
more. These slides will go into detail about certain barriers and will explain how they can be overcome.

3. Distractions
Distraction is the one of the most common type of barrier, because it can not always be helped.
You could be distracted by anything even if you don’t mean to be, you could receive a text or be
spoken to whilst trying to concentrate. Although saying this some people distract themselves by
doing things like checking emails and Facebook whilst they should be working.
There actually are IT mechanisms which can stop distractions, there is a program called
CONCENTRATE which is a piece of software that allows you to select such things as Facebook,
twitter and Skype to shut for a certain amount of time. Once they’re closed you won’t be able to
open them until the you’ve reached the amount of time you wanted to spend on the task, or if
you manually override it by clicking that your task is done. Once you have stopped the program
because your concentration time is complete your applications will re-open. This is a very good
program to use when you need to complete something important, but you have to use it on your
own accord so this will only be someone who is serious about completing there tasks.

4. Background noise
Background noise is another common barrier because it can not be helped even for the most
hardworking people. Background noise can be anything like the sound of a computer, talking, air-
conditioning and many more, anything that makes noise in your workspace. How ever hard you
try to blank these noises out, it can not always be helped. Background noise is very common on
computer programs where you speak to people.
There is a program called Skype where you can talk to people anywhere for free on call, this can
be used for formal and informal conversations. Although this is a good program there is still going
to be background noise, whether it’s the sound of computer or typing. There are ways to stop the
background noise , you can do this by: Wearing a headset instead of just using a microphone,
making sure the wires don’t go across the monitor or computer, and you can change the
sensitivity option in the settings. This is a very good program to use, and background noise can be
overcome on it very easily. There is also a program specifically designed to get rid of background
noise on Skype called Solicall . Solicall is a program that when selected will try to remove the
unwanted background noise. It’s a very simple program to use because you can use it straight
after installation.

5. Lack of concentration
Lack of concentration is something that affects everyone from time to time. Sometimes no
matter how hard to try you just lose concentration. This can be caused by lack of interest or not
knowing what to do. Some companies have thought of ideas on how to keep concentration in
the work place, mainly in things like business presentations.
Some businesses are now giving everyone in presentations and meetings a tablet pc. The tablet
is portable and hand held so every get ones. The tablet has the presentation on it itself so you
would have no choice but to pay attention to it. It would be obvious to see if someone wasn’t
paying attention it because they would have put the tablet down so this is a very practical and
useful idea. Also as the tablet has the actual presentation on it, people in the meeting will also
gain a better idea on what the presentation is actually all about because its right in front of them.
The screen is also locked to the presentation so they can’t get away from it throughout the
meeting.

6. Cultural barriers
• Communication with people from different cultures can be very difficult, culture provides
people with different ways of thinking, seeing, hearing and interpreting the world. Even the
same words can have different meanings in different cultures even if they have the same
language. When two people need to communicate but speak different languages they often
have an interpreter this can cause many confusions and the possibility of misunderstanding
increases. Communicating with people of different languages online is especially hard but is
some times necessary.
• The best way to communicate with someone of a different language online is to use Google
translator, it is a free service which is very easy to use. You use it by going on to the website
www.translate.google.com and copying and pasting the text you need translating. After this
you detect the language you want it translated to and it does this instantly. This is a very
good and easy tool to use and is the best way to translate text. But you can also get it to
translate it in to words. The Google translator reads out the translated language, so this can
stop you even having to read the translated text!

7. Physical noise
• Physical noise is around at all times, we usually realise this noise when we aren’t
concentrating. Many people may believe that we can not stop physical noise and that we just
have to deal with it but this is not correct. There are now some IT mechanisms in place to
stop all physical noise.
• Bose have made a pair of headphones which cancel all physical noise. They reduce even
more noise across the whole spectrum of human hearing. Whilst wearing the headphones
you hear zero noise. Although with a click of a button these headphones can work as normal
and become compatible with iPhone/ iPod etc. This noise cancelling product averages at
about £280 a pair but is well worth it considering that they are one of a kind and are very
high quality.

8. Jargon
• Jargons are terminologies used by professionals to simplify a particular concept. Jargons are
meant to enhance communication but at times it can act as the biggest barrier to
communication. If someone is unaware of what the terminologies someone is using means
then they are likely to lose concentration. Jargon can be a serious communication problem,
some people see it as a form of technical snobbery that can prevent employees from
knowing crucial knowledge.
• There are many ways to simplify jargon, and ways to find out what things mean, I think the
easiest way is to use a jargon translator. Once clicking this link
http://www.translationdirectory.com/free_translator_7.htm all you have to do is type in the
jargon you want translated or a word you want translated into jargon and it does this within
seconds. This is a very useful thing to use, it is very effective and also free. There are specific
jargon translators for different things but the one I linked is general.

9. Disability – Hearing impaired
• Disability can be a major barrier to communication for example it is much more difficult for
the hearing impaired to communicate. It can be very difficult for the hearing impaired to do
day to day things like watch television and listen to people. Even if someone isn’t completely
deaf it still isn’t easy.
• There are now IT mechanisms available to let the hearing impaired listen to things a lot
easier. There are many it mechanisms to help this like hearing impaired headphones and
sound amplifiers. The sound amplifiers provides am plication and works for all devices like
phones and televisions. They are very easy and convenient to use as they are hands free and
you are able to walk away from what the amplifier is connected to and still be able to listen
to it. They also work for people with all types of hearing problems from mild to severe. Also
they are fairly priced for the job they do

10. Disability – Visually impaired
Being visually impaired can have a huge effect on someone and is a communication barrier. It
very hard for people who are visually impaired to do some day to day things like using a
computer. It is also hard to communicate with others because although they can hear people it is
hard to fully understand what someone is saying unless you can see them.
There are IT mechanisms to help the visually impaired use computers like screen readers. The
thunder screen reader software features full feedback so you can hear what you’ve typed letter
by letter or word by word. This software is compatible with Excel, word PowerPoint and many
other Microsoft programs. There are also wide print keyboards which help the visually impaired
see what they’re typing. There are many different mechanisms that they can use to help them
use computers, although they do not come cheap the software is priced at £300 and the
keyboards can be up to £150.

11. Bibliography
Distractions
http://ideasuploaded.com/stop-distractions-and-concentrate-on-your-invention-idea/
Background noise
http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/remove-background-noise-on-voip-calls-in-skype-google-talk/
Lack of concentration
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Cultural barriers
http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/cultrbar.htm
Physical noise
Product information –
http://www.johnlewis.com/231313274/Product.aspx
Jargon
http://www.scribd.com/doc/49203354/jargon-as-barrier-to-communication
Disability hearing impaired
Product information –
http://www.assistech.com/products/Personal-and-TV-Listening-Systems-for-Hearing-Impaired.htm
Disability visually impaired
Product information –
http://www.assistech.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=808773