Exam 14: Interpersonal and Organizational Communication

Cartoonist Scott Adams, author of the Dilbert comic, writes of "cubicle cities," large areas with innumerable employees packed into individual workspaces separated by partial walls. In this workplace design, ________.

Ulysses has difficulty staying focused during conversations, especially long "speech" type comments from the speaker. This is likely because ________.

Alan has just given his subordinates a very difficult project. Now he is telling them he has every confidence they will be successful. Alan is using communication to ________.

Sarah needs funding to research the efficacy of a certain drug for the treatment of cancer. Though her initial trials have been inconclusive, Sarah is sure that the drug will prove to be effective. However, the organizations she plans to approach for funding will not be very impressed with the results of the previous trials and may withhold funding. Sarah decides to structure her proposal in such a way that she emphasizes the positives about the drug and minimizes the negative information. Which one of the following best describes Sarah's technique for writing her proposal?

Pat is very happy with her team of 15 customer care representatives who've all been consistently performing well. Customer feedback was impressive and Pat is planning to give them good bonuses this time around. As a manager, Pat believes it is important to let her subordinates know when she is happy with their work. She does so, and also calls a meeting to discuss what they can do to improve further. Pat is using communication for ________.

Upward communication is used to inform, direct, coordinate, and evaluate employees.

Which one of the following is a way for managers to overcome the barriers to communication?

How does unethical communication impact business? What are some ways that companies communicate unethically?

The informal organizational communication network is known as the chain.

Verbal intonation refers to the emphasis someone gives to words or phrases that conveys meaning.

Which one of the following is true of filtering?

If the consequences of sharing the truth are painful to the receiver, the manager should withhold the truth.

Selenius Inc. develops and tests software products. The work calls for a lot of collaboration among employees, who frequently brainstorm and bounce ideas off each other. Which one of the following workplace designs will best suit Selenius' requirements?

Jon is the manager of the Finance department. He has to inform the employees in the department about the introduction of a new analytical software and the resultant changes in procedures. Which one of the following types of communication does he use?

CISCO's Unified Personal Communicator allows fast and easy access to voice, video, instant messaging, web conferencing, voicemail, and presence capabilities through a single, multimedia interface on a PC or Mac. Which one of the following aspects of communication problems does this personal communicator address?

Suggestion boxes are a good idea, but if they are used, ________.

Which one of the following methods of communication should be used when the sender requires quick and accurate feedback?

In the wheel network, the leader serves as the hub through which all communication passes.

Even in an open concept work design, some space should be provided for confidential conversations.

Regardless of the work design, some workspace should exist where few distractions are likely to occur.