A businessperson should take measures to overcome communication barriers very seriously. It is particularly true in the direct selling business. The business is one of the most misinterpreted businesses in India. We can blame the fraudulent schemes using the name of direct selling for the wrong interpretations. The prejudice around direct selling will hinder the message from getting to the target audience. No matter how great and truthful the business prospect is, people will still be reluctant to step into the business. The business prospect, compensation plan and accessibility in direct selling are unlike any other models.
A person can join a direct selling with very low capital and just by buying a direct selling company’s products. The prospect is nothing less of a dream. Still, people are most likely to pass on this opportunity. The misinterpretation is deep-rooted; and people have already made-up their mind. For a direct selling success, it is the biggest communication barrier. The same thing led to the biggest challenge in this model: rejection. So, measures to overcome communication barriers are not even a matter of choice but a mandatory action.
5 major communication barriers in business
In order to take measures to overcome communication barriers, we need perfect knowledge of what exactly causes them. Communication barriers are many times the reason why your business is getting declined. The issue is that the idea you are trying to express is not reaching the audience or losing its meaning somewhere along the way. It could be because of a lack of skills to articulate, prejudice or preconceptions, language barrier, and many others. The major communication barriers in business are:
Prejudices
As I mentioned above, the prejudice and misinterpretations people have of business can make it hard for your message to create an interest in them. The target audience might be dwelling on what they already know and may not be ready to shake their views. This creates a series of barriers to your ideas or business prospect.
The message is not audible, clear or simple
Sometimes, there can be physical barriers like noisy situations, and your message is not clear or audible to them. It could be because of your lack of ability to communicate, hearing problems, too much noise, distractions, or any such factors. Not hearing what you are saying clearly can be a barrier to understanding the business.
Inefficiency in articulating
The way a person expresses their ideas and thoughts has a huge effect on the listener. The ability to articulate means the ability to express one’s idea in an attractive way. Inefficiency means you can’t clearly communicate or not create a curiosity in the audience.
Language barrier
The language barrier is simply the difference in language and culture that prevents the message from making a difference. In India, people speak different languages, and not knowing your communication language or not having a common language can cause a barrier in communication.
Complex idea
The business prospect can sometimes sound complicated to the audience. For example, people find it hard to understand networking in direct selling. Not making these complex ideas in a simple and precise way will pose an issue with your communication.
6 Measures to overcome the communication barrier
Business success is immensely impacted by communication. As a result, the barrier to communication poses a serious threat to success in business.
1)Develop communication skills
There is no better measure to overcome communication barriers than developing the skills. A person can improve communication by practicing and preparing. Firstly, spend some time every day practicing communication. Secondly, take courses on communication skills that can help you out in ways you can’t imagine. Finally, face your fears and speak and try your best to make the best presentations.
2)Bust the misconceptions
Work on creating awareness about the business model. Clearing the prejudice from the people’s minds and spreading the truth about the business model should be a priority. Furthermore, the mission is to create curiosity among the target audience in the place of prejudice. Let people know what direct selling is through brand marketing, business integrity, and many creative ways. Then, communicating with them is beneficial as they are open to knowing more about the business without any preconceptions.
3)Prepare well for meetings
How well we know about a topic is a measure of confidence in how well we can present it to people. The better you know, the better you can present. So, prepare well before each meeting, marketing and presentation. Know what exactly you are going to say and are supposed to say. Moreover, good preparation is possible only if you know about the target audience’s expectations and preferences.
4)Make sure you are clear and audible
It’s your responsibility to make sure that the message is loud and clear. That’s right, and the ideas should be loud and clear, literally and hypothetically. So, set a meeting where it is quiet and peaceful, where you can sit and have a relaxing but interesting communication. Furthermore, arrange the meetings with the consumers, considering the place, the day, how much time you’ve got, and more.
5)Be precise
Talking too much is not the way to counter the communication barrier. Instead, be precise; breaking down the complex ideas into easy and precise information can improve your performance. The complexity of a topic is often the barrier; getting rid of the complicating elements and making it simple is the measure to overcome the barrier.
6)Use multiple mediums to reach the audience
Not just depend on a direct marketing method and not entirely on online platforms. Instead, try the hybrid model of marketing. You can use both direct methods and online platforms in the hybrid method. Thereby, you will get the benefits of directly meeting a person and clearly expressing your ideas. And the rest of the topics can be discussed online. So, even if you left out some major topics, you can share the views online to let them know. Using different methods of marketing will help to break down the communication barriers.