The barrier to effective communication in this conversation? The manager tells a server from New England to make tea.

• A. Cultural differences; the manager hired someone from a different part of the country so cultural differences created issues.
• B. Distracting workplace; distractions prevented the manager from noticing the server's confusion.
• C. Assumption; the manager assumed the server knew how to make (sweet iced) tea.
• D. Opinion; the manager felt that all servers should know how to make tea.

Answer: (C)

Assuming that someone already knows how to perform a task is a common barrier in communication. Here, the manager tells a server to make tea without clarifying what kind of tea is expected or confirming the server’s understanding. That assumption—“the server knows how to make tea” without providing details—can lead to the wrong outcome or confusion. To prevent this, give explicit instructions (for example, whether the tea should be sweet or unsweetened, hot or iced, and any regional preferences) and ask the server to confirm what they’ll do. The other possibilities—distractions, cultural differences, or personal opinions about who should know how to make tea—don’t fit the scenario as described, whereas assuming knowledge is the precise barrier illustrated.