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56 Examples of Communication Barriers

John Spacey, September 28, 2021

Communication barriers are conditions, environments, habits and practices that tend to produce poor communication. The following are common examples.

Accessibility of Communication (i.e. inaccessible to people with disabilities)	Conflict
Cruel Wit	Cultural Differences
Dishonesty	Disinformation
Disinterest	Distrust
Failure to Document Important Information	Failure to Manage Expectations
Fear of Criticism	Fear of Public Speaking
Hierarchical Communication	Ignoring Audience Motivations
Inability to Build Rapport	Inability to Influence
Inefficient Communication Processes	Information Overload
Lack of Candor	Lack of Credibility
Lack of Direction -- conversations with no point	Lack of Empathy
Lack of Enthusiasm	Lack of Eye-Contact
Lack of Questions	Lack of Respect for Time
Lack of Transparency	Language Proficiency
Low Cultural Competence	Low Frequency Communication
Low Resilience to Stress	Low Self-Discipline
Misinformation	Misuse of Commanding Language
Negative Politics	Noise
One-way Communication	Over-documenting Low Value Information
Overcommunication	Overuse of Jargon / Complex Vocabulary
Passive-Aggressive Behavior	Poor Communication Skills
Poor Listening Habits	Poor Message Framing
Poor Non-verbal Communication	Poor Visual Communication
Random / Disorganized Communication	Rumors & Misinformation
Self-Absorbed Communication	Sidelining
Stakeholder Salience -- wrong person dominates conversation	Subterfuge
Technology Issues (e.g. poor sound / video quality on call)	Tedious Presentations, Speeches and Meetings
Unjustified Assumptions	Wrong Communication Channels

Cruel Wit is the habit of using mental sharpness and speed against others in an unkind way.

Disinformation is the intentional spread of misleading information.

Managing expectations is the process of communicating to prevent unjustified expectations. For example, communicating exactly what will and will not be covered in a meeting.

Fear of criticism is a common cause of mediocrity in communication. For example, an academic who uses bizarrely complex language to prevent their article from being understood by anyone.

Hierarchical communication is the process of executives communicating to directors who communicate with managers who communicate with front line staff. This can be inefficient as direct interaction between executives and front line employees can greatly reduce miscommunication and distrust.

Audience motivations are what an audience want from your communication. For example, an employee who wants to know how a project will impact their working conditions and career prospects.

Cultural competence is the ability to communicate, build rapport and influence people from a different cultural background from yourself.

Frequency of communication is how often you communicate. This can involve repeating an important message until there is no way for people to ignore it.

Overcommunication is high frequency communication or long duration communication that backfires. For example, a slogan that is repeated and repeated until people feel it has become manipulative and annoying.

Passive-aggressive behavior is the habit of attacking people in subtle ways that are socially acceptable on the surface. For example, sarcasm that is used to insult.

Message framing is the way that you say something. This has a large impact on how your message is received, interpreted and remembered. For example, a marketing slogan that nobody understands or remembers versus one that is compelling and unforgettable.

Sidelining is the process of excluding people. For example, a manager who excludes a talented team member from an important conversation because they view them as a threat to their own position.

Communication channels are means of communicating. For example, an executive who sends out an email about a restructuring as opposed to facing employees.