What are examples of business communication barriers?

In business, communication is perhaps the most important skill. Depending upon the size of your organization, business may be formal or informal. Modern tools such as e-mail and intranets are indeed tools, but not a replacement for good communication skills. "Did you get my e-mail/voice mail?" is an often uttered phrase in business, usually after an important milestone or task has been missed or delayed.

Thus, good business communication, regardless of the format, must be clear and concise.

The following are some common barriers to good business communication:

1. Relying upon e-mail only.

E-mail is a great tool, especially when it comes to reaching a large audience and sending documents electronically. However e-mail has its limitations. While good for one Word or brief answers, e-mail is not so good for sharing a lot of details in one message.

2. Poor written communication, in any form.

Business letters, memos, faxes and e-mails must utilize proper grammar, and be geared towards the communication style of the target audience. For example, if your boss is known to give one sentence relies to any e-mail, regardless of length, then perhaps compose brief e-mails. If an e-mail or other letter is written quickly, and basic punctuation, spelling or grammar is wrong, the sender may be seen as lazy or uneducated, and the actual message may be missed. Properly written communication is even more important when it it targeted at a customer or client.

3. Multitasking.

Some people thrive on chaos and always have multiple things going on. However it has been proven that multitasking leads to errors and poor productivity. Perhaps the worst side effect of multitasking is a lack of attention. Have you ever been on the phone with a colleague, and you can tell the other person is not really paying attention? Multitasking is probably to blame.