Barriers to effective communication, such as jargon, ignorance, or computer failure are collectively known as what?

• A. Noise
• B. Minutes
• C. Delayering
• D. Informal Communication

Answer: (A)

Noise is anything that distorts or interrupts a message as it travels from sender to receiver. Jargon can obscure meaning, ignorance can prevent proper interpretation, and computer failure can stop the message from getting through—all of these interfere with understanding, so they are classified as noise in communication. The other terms describe different things: minutes are written records of what happened in a meeting, delayering is an organizational restructure, and informal communication refers to unofficial channels rather than barriers. So the correct concept is that these factors are noise.