In this world where words connect people, being able to communicate effectively is important. Communication is the act of passing and receiving information from one person to another. It is considered as the foundation of every human relationship. We communicate daily to express our emotions, perspectives, and the like. However, contradicting how simple it may sound, effective communication is actually very complex. For it to transpire successfully, there should be an effective exchange of ideas between the people conversing. This means that the receiving end should not only acknowledge the concept or idea being transmitted but also understand what the sender meant. If this was not achieved, then miscommunication must have occurred. 

Miscommunication happens more frequently than one could probably think of. It can arise in the workplace, at school, or even during private conversations with friends or family members. The Cambridge dictionary formally defines miscommunication as the failure to communicate ideas or intentions successfully. Basically, this happens when the real meaning of one’s words is misinterpreted by the receiving end, which, most of the time, results in a disastrous exchange.  

"Will I ever be understood?" — this question may be lingering in our minds. Communicating is indeed hard, especially if words do fail us sometimes. We are often misunderstood by the people we want to understand us better. We couldn't express the right words — all just on the tip of our tongue. A cycle of situations that are tough and isolating. However, it's crucial to recognize that because we were all born differently, so do the ways in which we think and speak.  We all spend our existence here for different reasons and adjust accordingly. As individuals, we have differences such as in our perception of action and our understanding of words or tones of people we encounter. These differences are often the causes of miscommunication among people. One instance of miscommunication is when people conclude based on what they think would happen, thus when their expected result turns out wrong, they may feel disappointed. Miscommunication also happens in situations where extreme feelings or emotions are involved. For example, when people are angry, they tend to speak of things they do not mean. The same can be said for when people are extremely happy. And, when people are anxious, they tend to fail to use the right words or actions. Lastly, cultural differences can also cause miscommunication. For instance, an action or gesture that is pleasant to one culture may be interpreted as rude to another of a different culture. Miscommunication can occur in different situations individuals encounter every day. These are only a few situations where one may experience miscommunication in their daily lives.

We typically pay attention to our emotions throughout in hopes of avoiding the disruption of the flow of communication. An emotional barrier is a limitation that prevents people from communicating between ourselves. When we are overwhelmed by these barriers, we tend to avoid or have difficulty communicating with those around. Likewise, positive and negative emotional barriers to communication exist. Positive emotions facilitate communication while negative emotions, on the other hand, obstruct communication. Thus, as a practical matter, it is critical to strengthen positive emotions while communicating. Enumerated below are some of the emotional barriers in communication.

Happiness is an emotion of joy and contentment, and comprehensively understood by individuals that when communicating with others, it must be done happily. As such, we must focus on ensuring that one‘s feelings of happiness are not transformed into an emotional barrier. Individuals who are pleased and lack control over the situation are incapable of effectively expressing their perspectives or convey information in a systematic direction. Further, anger is a negative emotion which influences how the brain processes information. In the experience of anger,  individuals are incapable of providing responses to issues and complexities since their argument is flawed when handling such emotional reactions. Thus, monitoring one's emotions of anger is vital. Moreover, anxiety has a negative impact on the brain, impairing its ability to function normally, causing individuals to experience impediments during communication processes. When we are anxious, the flow of communication with others fails to appear in an efficient manner. Also, the information, concepts, and opinions that must be expressed are not relayed in a smooth and sequential manner. Likewise, pride can be perceived as an emotional barrier to communication. When people are convinced that others are only conversing in terms of themselves, they are with no doubt not to participate in lengthy conversation. When individuals communicate regarding themselves, they must recognize their pride and assert accurate information in a submissive tone. Lastly, stress is a state of heightened arousal in which an individual feels overwhelmed and interacts in an unpleasant and inappropriate way. When stress levels are excessive and individuals believe they cannot express themselves toward others, they disassociate themselves. Therefore, it is important for individuals to relieve the psychological issue of stress and preclude it from progressing into excessive stress.

Emotions can be powerful motivators and as powerful as there are, unchecked emotions can lead a person astray. Lack of emotional barriers or control are usually the cause of emotional barriers in communication. Anger, anxiety, pride, apathy, and among others are the negative emotions one must control in order to overcome these barriers. They may differ in varying degrees but anyone can practice and control them. In order to practice this, we must know ourselves. First, by trying to get an objective of our strengths, weaknesses, traits and capabilities, we can understand and shape our communication styles. By also observing ourselves and other people around us, we can pay more attention to what is happening around them, of which they can reflect how they are feeling and assess sources of their emotions. Another is by identifying emotional triggers as well as limiting reactive behaviors. We can do so by assessing circumstances and situations that brought out big and negative emotions and visualizing healthy responses to conflicts to help control emotions. Lastly, we must also consider other perspectives and take responsibility throughout the duration of communication. Always aim to understand others’ situations as well as learning to make less harmful assumptions. Emotions are valid but always take responsibility for actions drawn about during communication.

 Moreover, keeping our words is a good thing to do especially when the environment is getting hot, the mood is getting more and more tense, and if we feel that anything you could say seems to make things worse (Vlachoutsicos, 2012). At this point, what we can do is stay calm, stop talking, keep our words, and wait for all to calm down. And when the environment is calm, that’s the point to voice out the words we keep to ourselves.  

However, words are not also the only means of communication. It is not all about speaking with someone in order for them to receive our messages. If words fail us due to these barriers, it does mean that we cannot communicate and socialize with others anymore. There are many ways for us to share and deliver our thoughts and our messages to others. Non-verbal communication exists: our facial expressions, body language, gestures, eye contact, and many more. But then again, let us acknowledge that sometimes, miscommunication through failing words happens and we should not promote and normalize it; instead, we should fight against it. The world revolves around connections, and being able to communicate helps us connect our lives to others. We are given n lives, and thus n chances to learn and improve. We may feel frustrated because of not being able to express exactly what our mind and heart say, do not worry, it is a valid emotion often felt by people. Despite all of this, the show must go on. Now, let us get up and try to overcome whatever challenge we are facing until the right words come out of us naturally and effectively.

Ajami, L. (2021). 5 Examples of Miscommunication to Steer Clear Of. Berlitz. Retrieved 13 September 2022, from https://www.berlitz.com/blog/examples-of-miscommunication-workplace

Gratis, B. (2017). Overcoming emotional barriers to communication. Typetalk. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.typetalk.com/blog/overcoming-emotional-barriers-to-communication/amp/

Kapur, R. (2020, December). Understanding emotional barriers within the course of communication. Retrieved September 14, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346963016_Understanding_Emotional_Barriers_within_the_Course_of_Communication 

miscommunication. 2022. In dictionary.cambridge.org. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/miscommunication

Vlachoutsicos, C. (2012). When Words Fail. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2012/03/when-words-fail