8.3: Barriers to Understanding

As with all communication, there are obstacles to ensuring that what the speaker intends to communicate is actually understood and then enacted. The following is a list of some common barriers in verbal communication.

Encoding - Decoding

In basic terms, humans communicate through a process of encoding and decoding. The encoder is the person who develops and sends the message. As represented in Figure 1.1 below, the encoder must determine how the message will be received by the audience and make adjustments, so the message is received the way they want it to be received.

Encoding is the process of turning thoughts into communication. The encoder uses a ‘medium’ to send the message — a phone call, email, text message, face-to-face meeting, or another communication tool. The level of conscious thought that goes into encoding messages may vary. The encoder should also take into account any ‘noise’ that might interfere with their messages, such as other messages, distractions, or influences.

The audience then ‘decodes’, or interprets, the message for themselves. Decoding is the process of turning communication into thoughts. For example, you may realize you’re hungry and encode the following message to send to your apprentice: “I’m hungry. Do you want to go for lunch soon?” As your apprentice receives the message, they decode your communication and turn it back into thoughts to make meaning.

Semantic Confusion, Jargon, and Slang

In the past when you have used language to make sense of your experiences and to take part in dis­cussions, you no doubt came to see that language and verbal communication could work for you and sometimes against you. Language allowed you to communicate, but it also allowed you to miscom­municate and misunderstand.

In an article titled “The Miscommunication Gap,” Susan Washburn lists several undesirable results of poor communication in business:

• Damaged relationships
• Loss of productivity
• Inefficiency and rework
• Conflict
• Missed opportunities
• Schedule slippage (delays, missed deadlines)
• Scope creep…or leap (gradual or sudden changes in an assignment that make it more complex and difficult than it was originally understood to be)
• Wasted resources
• Unclear or unmet requirements

1. Cliché – cultural references that often make no sense in other cultures. For example, “A cliché is something to avoid like the plague, for it is nothing but a tired old warhorse, and if the shoe were on the other foot, you too would have an ax to grind.”
2. Jargon – An occupation-specific language used by people in a given profession. Jargon does not necessarily imply formal education but instead focuses on the language people in a particular profession use to communicate with each other.
3. Slang – The use of existing or newly invented words to take the place of standard or traditional words with the intent of adding an unconventional, nonstandard, humorous, or rebellious effect. It differs from jargon in that it is used in informal contexts, among friends or members of a certain age group, rather than by professionals in a certain industry.
4. Euphemism – Involves substituting an acceptable word for an offensive, controversial, or unaccept­able one that conveys the same or similar meaning.
5. Doublespeak – The deliberate use of words to disguise, obscure, or change meaning.
6. Offensive Language – Some language is offensive and has no place in the workplace. It may even be a violation of company policy.
7. Each of these six barriers to communication contributes to misunderstanding and miscommunica­tion, intentionally or unintentionally. If you recognize one of them, you can address it right away.