A boss tells his subordinate, ‘Take care of our guest.’ The boss means transport, food and stay of the guest until he leaves, but the subordinate only takes the guest to a hotel with care. This barrier to communication is called:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Unclarified assumptions
Option (1) Unclarified assumptions — Correct. Some messages carry assumptions that can be read in different ways. The boss assumes ‘take care’ covers transport, food and stay. The subordinate reads it as taking the guest to a hotel. The guest suffers because the assumption was never made clear.
Option (2) Symbols with different meanings — Incorrect. Here one word has several meanings, and the receiver picks a different one, as with the word ‘value’. In the guest case the trouble is what the instruction was assumed to cover.
Option (3) Badly expressed message — Incorrect. A message is badly expressed when the sender has a poor vocabulary, uses wrong words or leaves out needed words. The boss’s words were clear and complete; the trouble is the unstated idea of what taking care covers.
Option (4) Premature evaluation — Incorrect. This psychological barrier arises when the receiver judges the message before the sender completes it. The boss had finished his instruction.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “(i) Badly expressed message: Some times intended meaning may not be conveyed by a manager to his subordinates. These badly expressed messages may be an account of inadequate vocabulary, usage of wrong words, omission of needed words, etc. “(iv) Unclarified assumptions: Some communications may have certain assumptions which are subject to different interpretations. For example, a boss may instruct his subordinate, “Take care of our guest”. Boss may mean that subordinate should take care of transport, food, accommodation of the guest until he leaves the place. The subordinate may interpret that guest should be taken to hotel with care. Actually, the guest suffers due to these unclarified assumptions.” “(i) Premature evaluation: Some times people evaluate the meaning of message before the sender completes his message. Such premature evaluation may be due to pre-conceived notions or prejudices against the communication.” |