Skip to content

CMA Foundation · Fundamentals of Business Laws and Business Communication · Features of Effective Business Communication

A Chennai firm sends an instruction by email to its Pune branch: 'Table the proposal at the meeting.' The Pune staff understand it as 'postpone the proposal,' while the sender meant 'present it for discussion.' Which statement best identifies the cause and the most suitable remedy?

The cause is a semantic barrier, because the word 'table' carries different meanings and was decoded oppositely by the receivers. The suitable remedy is to use plain, unambiguous language and obtain feedback to confirm understanding. Lighting, status or extra reminders do not address the actual decoding problem.

  1. ACause: a physical barrier; remedy: install better lighting in the office
  2. BCause: a status barrier; remedy: remove the junior staff from the circulation list
  3. CCause: information overload; remedy: send ten more reminder emails
  4. DCause: a semantic barrier from a word with different meanings; remedy: use plain, unambiguous words and seek feedbackCorrect

Explanation

The word 'table' has opposite meanings in different usages, so the receiver decoded it differently. This is a semantic barrier. The remedy is clear wording and confirming understanding through feedback. More emails would add overload, and the other options address unrelated causes.

Did you get it right without looking?

One question tells you little. A timed set on Features of Effective Business Communication shows your real accuracy, how long you take and where you lose marks.

Practise Features of Effective Business CommunicationFree diagnostic mock

More Features of Effective Business Communication questions