If there is a lot of background noise it can become very hard to hear what people are saying. It is also hard to understand someone’s facial expressions if you cant see them properly due to poor lighting. Rooms with awkward seating potions could mean that some people in the group aren’t able to see each other as well as being sat comfortably. Another thing could be people may feel uncomfortable talking to people that are sat too close or too far away. Also a room that is too hot, stuffy or cold may cause a barrier to communication if people became to feel tired or stressed.

The environment is very important when it comes to communication with people. For example, people with hearing aids, all background noises will be amplified more than people without them. A noisy environment may not be the bay place to try and communicate with them. Good lighting will be very important for someone who is hard of hearing and relies on lip reading to help them have a conversation.

There are also barriers to overcome that aren’t just to do with the settings, people who suffer from anxiety, depression, aggression and submissiveness can also be quite difficult to communicate with. In order to successfully communicate with someone suffering for one of these you need to develop and understanding or the other person and show them that you have a caring presence. This can be very difficult when they create a barrier. Many of these people develop negative thoughts and you need to tempt to understand their thoughts and feelings. You will need to use open questions, probes and prompts when talking about difficult, complex or sensitive situations.

Someone’s culture could also become a barrier, words and non-verbal communication can be interpreted differently depending on context and culture. If communication is interpreted from 1 culture this could lead to a lot of misunderstandings.