Overcoming Barriers during Presentation

Conducting effective communication during a presentation may prove challenging because of the following factors; language barrier, perception, and ethnocentrism. The above factors make it difficult for the speaker to pass the message to the audience effectively because of the barriers created by the aspects (The University of Minnesota, 2015). Therefore, the speaker needs to know how to overcome communication barriers to communicate effectively to their audience. In terms of breaking the barrier caused by language, the speaker needs to learn the expressions, phrases, words, and meanings of their audience to communicate effectively. By breaking this barrier, the speaker will establish a sense of belonging in the group. The audience will feel like the speaker is part of them.

The speaker’s perception and that of the audience may differ, creating a communication barrier. Perception is affected by the cultural value system. The artistic value systems vary from one community to another. The speaker has to learn about the different cultures to know how they perceive specific issues to communicate effectively (The University of Minnesota, 2015). By defining the role identities of the audience helps the speaker share with the audience. The speaker also needs to be aware of the goals between different cultures; this allows them to connect with the audience because they understand their needs.

Ethnocentrism creates a sense of pride own cultural group (The University of Minnesota, 2015). A person may view their culture as superior to other cultures and that the way the different cultures think and do their things is wrong. Ethnocentrism may make an individual prejudge other people because they belong to different cultural groups. After all, they have different preconceptions. A speaker has to break this barrier by learning to understand and accept other cultures and conduct themselves. Thus, the audience and the speaker will establish effective communication when they break these barriers.