(taken from the book Organizational Behavior by Stephen P. Robbins)

There are number of interpersonal and intrapersonal barriers that help to explain why the message that is received is often different than what the sender intended:

1. Filtering.

When the sender manipulates information in order for it to be seen more favorably by the receiver. For example, when a manager tells his boss what he feels his boss wants to hear, he is filtering information.

2. Selective Perception.

The receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics. Receivers also project their interests and expectations into communications as they interpret them. We don’t see reality; rather, we interpret what we see and call it reality.

3. Information Overload.

Research indicates that most of us have difficulty working with more than about seven pieces of information. When the information we have to work with exceeds our processing capacity, the result is Information Overload. The demands of keeping up with e-mail, phone calls, faxes, meetings, and professional reading create an onslaught of data that is nearly impossible to process and assimilate so we tend to select out, ignore, pass over or forget information. Or we may put off further processing until the overload situation is over. Regardless, the result is lost information and less effective communication.

4. Defensiveness

When people feel that they’re being threatened, they tend to react in ways that reduce their ability to achieve mutual understanding. That is, they become defensive - engaging in behaviors such as verbally attacking others, making sarcastic remarks, being overly judgmental, and questioning others’ motives. So when individuals interpret another’s message as threatening, they often respond in ways that hinder effective communication.

5. Language

Words mean different things to different people. “The meaning of words are not in the words; they are in us.” Age, education and cultural background are three of the more obvious variables that influence the language a person uses and the definitions he or she gives to words.

In an organization, employees usually come from diverse background and, therefore, have different patterns of speech. Additionally, the grouping of employees into departments creates specialist who develop their own jargon or technical language. In large organizations, members are also frequently widely dispersed geographically and individuals in each locale will use terms and phrases that are unique to their area.

The existence of vertical level can also cause language problems. Meaning, the language of senior executive, for instance, can be mystifying to operative employees not familiar with management jargon.

The point is that while you and I speak a common language - English or Indonesian - our use of that language is not uniform. If we knew how each of us modified the language, communication difficulties would be minimized. The problem is that members in an organization usually don’t know how others with whom they interact have modified the language. Senders tend to assume that the words and terms they use mean the same to the receiver as they do to them, which is often incorrect, thus creating communication difficulties.