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CMA Foundation · Fundamentals of Business Laws and Business Communication · Barriers to Business Communication

A plant manager at an Indian manufacturing firm notices that her technical safety instructions are misunderstood by workers because they are full of engineering jargon. Which step is the most direct way to overcome this barrier?

The best remedy is to rewrite the instructions in simple, familiar language with examples. The barrier is jargon, a semantic problem, so the message must be encoded in words the workers understand. Repetition or speed does not remove the confusion.

  1. ASend the same instructions more often through the notice board
  2. BRewrite the instructions in simple, familiar words and use examplesCorrect
  3. CAsk supervisors to read the instructions faster during briefings
  4. DReduce the number of workers who receive the instructions

Explanation

The barrier here is semantic or language-related, caused by jargon. Using simple words the receivers know, along with examples, removes the cause directly. Repeating the same jargon-filled message or reading it faster does not fix the difficulty in understanding.

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