Which type of communication barrier does the below statement highlight:
“There has to be a match between what is said and what is expressed in body movements”.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Body language and gesture decoding
Option (1) Distrust — Incorrect. Distrust is a personal barrier. When a subordinate does not trust the superior, he may not follow the message. It has nothing to do with body movements.
Option (2) Lack of attention — Incorrect. This is a psychological barrier. A receiver who is busy with other thoughts does not listen to the message properly.
Option (3) Fear of challenge to authority — Incorrect. This is a personal barrier. A superior who fears that his position may be questioned holds back communication.
Option (4) Body language and gesture decoding — Correct. This is a semantic barrier, a problem in understanding the meaning of the message. Every movement of the body carries some meaning. If the words say one thing and the gestures say another, the receiver may take the wrong meaning.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Semantic barriers: Semantics is the branch of linguistics dealing with the meaning of words and sentences. Semantic barriers are concerned with problems and obstructions in the process of encoding and decoding of message into words or impressions. Normally, such barriers result on account of use of wrong words, faulty translations, different interpretations, etc. …” “(vi) Body language and gesture decoding: Every movement of body communicates some meaning. The body movement and gestures of communicator matters so much in conveying the message. If there is no match between what is said and what is expressed in body movements, communications may be wrongly perceived. …” |