Introduction All human relationships are based on communication. Effective communication skills are therefore integral to both professional and personal success. Individual differences in temperament and personality, gender and culture, and situational variables can all impact the quality of communications but all communication skills can be learned and practiced. Most barriers to competent communications can be overcome with self-awareness and respect for diversity. However, psychological factors like self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem also have a strong bearing on communications efficacy. Understanding the basic principles of effective communications empowers each person to take responsibility for promoting harmony in interpersonal relationships.

Barriers to Competent, Effective Interpersonal Communications

While the principles of good communication include clarity and connecting with the audience, barriers to communication can cloud the ways messages are sent or received. Two principles of competent or effective interpersonal communications include empathy and self-awareness. Empathy is key to building bridges with the audience, being able to read body language and other nonverbal cues in order to detect emotional responses. Likewise, empathy allows all parties to listen more effectively and request clarification when needed. Self-awareness is also critical for effective communication. A person who is self-aware will understand appropriate comportment, recognize what type of language to use such as formal versus informal, and will also know how to communicate clearly and concisely.

Some of the most common communications barriers include noise, information overload, and biased language. Noise refers to some of the contextual variables that might impact the quality of the interaction. Anything that qualifies as a distraction can be considered noise, including literal background noise but also visual distractions of mental distractions. Information overload is another barrier to effective communication. Defined simply as “receiving more information than we can take in,” information overload is related to noise because it detracts from the crux of the message (“Communications Barriers,” n.d., p. 1). An effective communicator does not bombard the audience with extraneous facts or information that is irrelevant to the main message.

Another barrier to communication is biased language. Biased language refers to any verbal or nonverbal communication that is “considered improper or unacceptable in almost all contexts,” (Bevan & Sole, 2014, Chapter 4, p. 8). Even when it is genuinely unintentional, the use of biased language can indicate underlying racism or sexism....

Biased language can affect how the sender is perceived by others, can lead to disharmonious environments, and can impact the quality of the organizational culture as a whole.
For example, a person who is new to the workplace makes a tasteless joke stereotyping women. To remedy the situation, coworkers need to respond accordingly, perhaps by pointing out immediately that such jokes are inappropriate. Telling the person why sexist remarks are inappropriate might also help add clarity to the conversation, and clarity is one of the cornerstones of effective communication. To promote the principle of clarity, managers will typically print out a list of rules and regulations. Another way of promoting clarity of communication in the workplace is by sending staff email updates. However, the sender of the email needs to protect against information overload by refraining from too much extraneous information. The emails should be concise and to the point, with an option inviting each recipient to send comments and suggestions. Effective communication in verbal and written formats helps promote a harmonious workplace, and also enhances self-concept and self-esteem.

Self-Concept, Self-Image, and Self Esteem

Self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem are interrelated psychological constructs that have a strong bearing on communications. Communications with others informs self-concept, reinforces self-image, and affects self-esteem. Likewise, self-esteem and self-image will influence how a person communicates with others. The reflexive process of identity construction is due in part to the principle of the “looking-glass self,” referring to the way our self concept “is formed by imagining how you appear to other people” (Bevan & Sole, 2014, Ch. 2, p. 3). Other people might also directly say how they feel, making judgments about a person’s appearance or the way they speak. The receiver can ignore feedback from others, which is especially common in persons with a high sense of self-esteem who are less prone to being self-conscious or worried about what others think. On the other hand, many people internalize the feedback they receive from others, forming a self-concept that is more aligned with what they believe others want to see.

Self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem are dynamic and can change over time. Research shows that having a clear and stable self-concept is related to open communication and psychological resilience, whereas a weak or unclear self-concept is linked to anxiety and depression in young people (Van Dijk, Branje, Keijsers, et al, 2014, p. 1861). A strong sense of self and high self-esteem can help people to frame their messages more clearly, be less sensitive…