Which of the following pairs of barrier to communication and its group is correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Lack of confidence of superior on his subordinates – Personal barrier
Option (1) Body language and gesture decoding – Psychological barrier — Incorrect. Body language and gesture decoding is a semantic barrier. If body movements do not match what is said, the message is decoded with a wrong meaning.
Option (2) Loss by transmission and poor retention – Organisational barrier — Incorrect. Loss by transmission and poor retention is a psychological barrier. A message loses accuracy as it passes through many levels, and inattentive people forget it soon.
Option (3) Lack of confidence of superior on his subordinates – Personal barrier — Correct. Personal barriers come from the personal factors of the sender and the receiver. If a superior has no confidence in the competency of his subordinates, he does not seek their advice or opinions. So communication between them suffers.
Option (4) Status – Personal barrier — Incorrect. Status is an organisational barrier. The status of a superior creates a psychological distance between him and his subordinates.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “…Organisational barriers: The factors related to organisation structure, authority relationships, rules and regulations may, sometimes, act as barriers to effective communication. …” “(iii) Status: Status of superior may create psychological distance between him and his subordinates. A status conscious manager also may not allow his subordinates to express their feelings freely.” “Personal barriers: The personal factors of both sender and receiver may exert influence on effective communication. Some of the personal barriers of superiors and subordinates are mentioned below: |