Communication barriers inhibit effective workplace communication. They must be addressed directly to realize the powerful results of effective organizational communication. There are six chief barriers. Here they are along with solutions for each:

1. Your stakeholders have other priorities. This is the norm, to be expected. Of course, they have other things on their mind besides your interests.

SOLUTION: Integrate your message with their priorities. Find ways to address their most important deliverables, take care of their burning issues, relieve the pressure they are facing, or turn down the heat they are experiencing.

2. Your stakeholders do not see the value of listening to you.

SOLUTION: Bring them in to evaluate a critical decision you are facing. Make a thorough presentation that lays out the context, the options, and the dilemmas. Ask them to think both independently and together about the best way forward. Highlight win-wins as they appear.

3. The people you are trying to reach are distracted.

SOLUTION: Do something countercultural to catch attention. Take on the concerns and issues of those who show resistance and make them your cause célèbre, attracting public attention and support.

4. People are juggling all they can, overwhelmed, maxed out, and don't have the bandwidth to pay attention to something new.

SOLUTION: Call a special meeting to address their concerns. Bring in the people who matter most: their boss, critical partners, peers of influence, thought leaders in their field, customers, and members.

5. There is so much happening that it is difficult to stand out.

SOLUTION: Stage a concentrated series of highly visible activities in a very short period of time.

6. The people you must reach have someone else programming their time who is not a supporter.

SOLUTION: Go directly to the source of competing demands to win support. For example, call a meeting of all managers who supervise the people you want to engage and demonstrate the effectiveness of their subordinates. Connect their common self-interest to the objectives of your initiative.

Middle East Leadership Lessons

Social media plays a powerful role in the ongoing Middle East transformation. Last Wednesday I flew to Atlanta to discuss this with business relationship and social media expert, David Nour. He is Iranian born and the global thought leader in the field of Relationship Economics.

Read the best of our conversation.