A barrier is something such as a rule, law, or policy that makes it difficult or impossible for something to happen or be achieved.

Barriers to communication are things that get in the way of a message being received. They could be physical, such as loud music playing, or emotional, such as when a person is too angry or fearful to listen to what another individual is saying. Culture, language, and social status can also represent barriers to effective communication. Managers need to be aware of barriers and how to overcome them to improve the communication process. The eleven major barriers to communication in management is given below:

 (1) Physical Barriers, 

(2) Personal Barriers, 

(3) Semantic or Language Barriers, 

(4) Status Barriers,

 (5) Organizational Structure Barriers,

 (6) Barriers Due to Inadequate Attention, 

(7) Premature Evaluation, 

(8) Emotional Attitude, 

(9) Resistance to Change, 

(10) Barriers Due to Lack of Mutual Trust, and 

(11) Other Barriers.