What does "message overload" refer to in listening barriers?

"Message overload" refers to a situation where an individual is presented with excessive information in a single message, making it difficult to process and understand. This phenomenon often occurs in environments where complex or highly detailed information is communicated without sufficient breaks or summarization, leading to confusion or diminished retention of the main points.

When someone experiences message overload, they may struggle to identify the key aspects of the communication, possibly missing critical information or becoming overwhelmed by the sheer volume of details. This barrier to effective listening can hinder comprehension and decrease the overall effectiveness of the communication process, making it an important concept to understand in the field of communication.

The other choices focus on different aspects of communication issues; for instance, too few messages doesn't align with the idea of overload, concentration issues pertain more to the listener's focus rather than the amount of information, and technical difficulties relate to problems with technology rather than the content of the message itself.