Deck 3: Interpersonal Communication Skills

Question 1

When members of a work team try to evade individual responsibility, they are engaged in social loafing.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A consensus occurs when all team members can support a particular course of action.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Whether you are offering a compliment or a complaint, you should use more you statements than I statements in communicating with team members.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

It is best to assume the role of reader when providing feedback on a coworker's document.

Question 5

When writing in a team, your first order of business is to divide tasks among the members.

Question 6

Using labels such as unreliable when giving feedback in meetings focuses members' attention on why certain behaviors are problematic.

Question 7

Avoiding conflict in groups is essential to preserving harmony and successfully completing projects.

Question 8

Because individuals don't waste time interacting with others, they can usually accomplish more work alone than in teams.

Question 9

Healthy conflict in groups focuses on personality differences.

Question 10

To build a level of trust and ease, team members refrain from engaging in small talk at their initial meeting.

Question 11

Uncertainty avoidance is more important in the United States than it is in Japan or Italy.

Question 12

Studies suggest that, in general, women speak differently to other women than they do to men

Question 13

Team members are likely to be more open to your comments if you speak in specifics rather than exaggerating.

Question 14

A group will perform more effectively if its members are allowed to contribute as fully as possible.

Question 15

Research indicates that the ideal small team consists of around five members.

Question 16

When identifying performance problems, one should try to assign responsibility to a particular member instead of to the entire group.

Question 17

Using wikis for group projects usually results in more contributions from group members, fewer in-person meetings, and better overall collaboration.

Question 18

An inclusive work environment is one that ensures all employees can contribute fully to the organization.

Question 19

Groups should discourage debate about work issues because this prevents cohesive decisions from being implemented on time.

Question 20

Groupthink results when a team's cohesiveness suppresses the free flow of ideas.

Question 21

Team members have an ethical obligation to avoid promoting self-centered agendas.

Question 22

Although body language varies from culture to culture, the implications of key signals such as direct eye contact are universally understood.

Question 23

When traveling abroad to conduct business, Americans should display an attitude of ethnocentrism.

Question 24

Changes in the ethnic composition of the U.S. population will profoundly affect the way you conduct business and communicate with others.

Question 25

Using unbiased and neutral language helps to promote fairness and makes no assumptions about any group of people.

Question 26

How people behave in social settings is less culture-dependent than how they behave in work groups.

Question 27

You should study customs related to formality and ways of showing respect before you travel to meet business contacts abroad.

Question 28

Unlike their counterparts in Northern Europe, businesspeople in Asia rely heavily on context and body language to communicate meaning.

Question 29

Men and women typically use communication for the same purposes and in the same style.

Question 30

When giving negative feedback on a peer's writing, emphasize the writer's role in creating the text, rather than the text itself.

Question 31

When different team members contribute to a report, have each writer review the entire draft.

Question 32

When you use slang or jargon in conversation with businesspeople from other cultures, you should speak extremely slowly and avoid confusing specifics.

Question 33

A frequent problem of team-written documents is the lack of one "voice" throughout the document.

Question 34

Businesspeople in all cultures attach the same negative connotations to tardiness.

Question 35

Women are more likely than men to interrupt someone to agree with what that person is saying.

Question 36

When communicating with someone from a minority group, use the identifying terminology that the group or individual prefers.

Question 37

Using humor during business meetings with international contacts is effective at setting everyone at ease.

Question 38

Someone from another culture may misunderstand your friendly intentions if you repeatedly reach out to touch him or her during a conversation.

Question 39

Wikis reduce errors in team documents by restricting editing access to one person designated as the proofreader.

Question 40

More than women, men use communication primarily to show their expertise and preserve their status.

Question 41

From an ethical perspective, team members should

A) put their self-interest first.
B) respect the ideas of others.
C) arouse conflict to improve team debates.
D) support the dominant member to facilitate decisions.
E) ignore any emotional needs of the members.

Question 42

If you are striving to use gender-neutral language, always call a woman by her professional title.

Question 43

In most countries, strong, consistent eye contact is considered a sign of confidence.

Question 44

Ethnocentrism is

A) the acceptance of cultural diversity.
B) belief in the superiority of one's own culture.
C) a tendency toward centrally controlled communication.
D) adherence to strict ethical standards.
E) the use of culture-bound terminology.

Question 45

Which of the following is not an appropriate way to manage team writing?

A) Start by identifying the goals and the audience.
B) Divide tasks equitably among team members.
C) Plan a schedule for each part of the writing project.
D) Before writing, figure out what research is needed.
E) Use a data-dump to cover all research gathered.

Question 46

"Saving face" is more typically a concern of group-oriented, rather than individualist, cultures.

Question 47

When conducting international business with people in Asia or Latin America, plan to

A) make decisions immediately and avoid wasting time.
B) arrive promptly because tardiness indicates a lack of respect.
C) engage in small talk and socialize before discussing business.
D) look directly at your associates as a sign of respect.
E) get your message across quickly using slang and jargon.

Question 48

In order to be accommodating to older workers, it's best to assume that they might need help with advanced technologies.

Question 49

The word "ethnic" primarily applies to people of color.

Question 50

Making reasonable accommodations for workers who have disabilities is part of today's workplace.

Question 51

According to research, the most effective work teams generally consist of no more than ____ members.

A) two
B) three
C) five
D) seven
E) ten

Question 52

When doing business internationally, managers from the United States should avoid long silences, which often signal discomfort.

Question 53

Groupthink is caused by

A) pressure to show immediate results.
B) an overemphasis on unity that stifles information flow.
C) requiring decisions to be made through consensus.
D) narrowly defined problems and goals.
E) interpersonal conflict that interferes with productivity.

Question 54

A common problem of team writing is

A) sloppy format.
B) lack of organization.
C) multiple voices.
D) lack of detail.
E) excessive informality.

Question 55

Wikis are likely to reduce the need for in-person team meetings, although they usually result in increased email for participants.

Question 56

Which of the following is an example of preferred wording for commenting on peer writing?

A) I don't like this.
B) You really need to make this part clearer.
C) I was confused by this paragrah.
D) Have you thought about using the spell-check feature?
E) Take a grammar class and then edit this document again.

Question 57

The spread of English as a universal language for business has made intercultural understanding less important for managers.

Question 58

Which statement correctly describes teams?

A) Teamwork usually produces lower-quality output than individual work.
B) Conflict about issues should be avoided during team meetings because it destroys group cohesiveness.
C) Teams should strive for groupthink to enhance cohesiveness.
D) The most effective teams require unanimity to make every decision.
E) Personality conflicts can damage a team's effectiveness.

Question 59

Which statement about team feedback is accurate?

A) You should express only positive feedback.
B) You should use behavioral labels in your feedback.
C) You should offer criticism in an indirect way.
D) You should provide positive and negative feedback.
E) You should focus on giving feedback, not on receiving it.

Question 60

Which of the following phrases is most likely to be neutral, respectful, and inoffensive?

A) the businessmen who run the company
B) the new college kid in who works in engineering
C) the accountant who spoke of his disability
D) the ladies from the front office
E) the handicapped worker who answers the phones

Question 61

Newly formed teams should spend time discussing how they will operate, addressing all of the following questions except:

A) What if someone misses a deliverable or team meeting? What are the consequences?
B) What should we do if someone needs help completing a task?
C) How should we handle conflict?
D) Which decisions will be most important for the team and how should the team make those decisions?
E) What should the final product look like?

Question 62

When communicating with people from different cultures, you should

A) maintain formality, show respect, and speak clearly.
B) go out of your way to be friendly and humorous.
C) maintain eye contact, offer compliments frequently, and avoid small talk.
D) use first names to show that you are thoughtful and respect others.
E) keep the conversation going to avoid any silences.

Question 63

Which statement about communicating across cultures is correct?

A) You can convey decorum by speaking slowly and distinctly.
B) You can help audiences follow your comments by minimizing your use of media.
C) You can convey key points more effectively by mentioning concrete examples.
D) You can use humor to defuse tense moments or encourage participation.
E) You can add an air of informality by speaking in local slang.

Question 64

Which of the following is not true of communication about ethnicity?

A) Most of us represent the minority of some group we belong to.
B) It's best to refer to groups of people using the terms they prefer.
C) The word "ethnic" is best reserved for minority groups.
D) The terminology used to refer to groups is constantly evolving.
E) Some Asian Americans prefer to be identified by their country of origin.

Question 65

A team with a lack of independent thought may be experiencing ____.

A) groupthink
B) incohesiveness
C) consensus
D) conflict aversion
E) majority-itis

Question 66

Which of the following is not a potential benefit of commenting on a peer's writing?

A) It builds a sense of community within the team.
B) It improves the writing of your peer.
C) It allows you to practice grading others' writing.
D) It improves the quality of the document.
E) It develops your ability to objectively evaluate your own writing.

Question 67

Which of the following is not a useful strategy for using inclusive, gender-neutral language?

A) Avoid words and phrases that unnecessarily imply gender.
B) Use job titles that don't imply that a job is held by only men or only women.
C) Prefer titles indicating marital status over those defining a professional achievement.
D) Avoid he or his as generic pronouns.
E) Use a gender-neutral salutation if you are unsure of a reader's gender.

Question 68

Touching behavior is

A) not consistent from culture to culture.
B) expected in the social zone.
C) common among Asian businesspeople.
D) inappropriate for ethical reasons.
E) important for establishing rapport.

Question 69

In cultures where context sensitivity is high, businesspeople

A) attach importance to the trappings of ceremony.
B) prefer predictable and certain consequences.
C) assume a long-term context in discussions.
D) stress the surrounding circumstances in communication.
E) perceive cultural differences in the context of time.

Question 70

Which of the following is a key ethical responsibility of all team members?

A) Ensuring that no one is a social loafer.
B) Taking primary responsibility for the success of the group effort.
C) Creating a fun social atmosphere.
D) Giving and receiving constructive feedback.
E) Contributing work that is good enough to be acclaimed by other members.

Question 71

____ is the psychological term for avoiding individual responsibility in a group setting.

A) Slacker
B) Teamwork
C) Consensus
D) Social loafing
E) Cyber stalking

Question 72

Which of the following is not a reason to value diversity?

A) You are or will be sharing work with people from other cultures.
B) Learning about other cultures helps avoid misunderstandings.
C) You can benefit from the greater variety of viewpoints.
D) Diversity provides a richer environment for solving problems.
E) The U.S. population is less diverse now than ever before.

Question 73

Which statement about gender issues in communication is correct?

A) Women are more competitive than cooperative.
B) Men tend to compliment coworkers' work, whereas women tend to criticize it.
C) Women are more domineering than men during meeting discussions.
D) Women tend to emphasize politeness, whereas men tend to be directive in conversation.
E) Men typically interrupt a speaker to support what that person is saying.

Question 74

____ language treats everyone equally, making no unwarranted assumptions about any group of people.

A) Unbiased
B) Descriptive
C) Judgmental
D) Categorical
E) Stereotypical

Question 75

Which of the following statement about group conflict is not true?

A) Many leaders avoid it.
B) It is necessary to help a group achieve consensus.
C) It is most useful when about issues, not personalities.
D) Are always personal and disruptive.
E) It may be a useful tool in avoiding groupthink.

Question 76

When communicating with people with disabilities, effective managers

A) recognize that we are all "differently abled."
B) go beyond the legal accommodation requirements.
C) offer help without being patronizing.
D) create an inclusive workplace.
E) all of the choices

Question 77

Which of the following is not a variable of group communication?

A) consensus
B) conflict
C) creativity
D) conformity

Question 78

When communicating with a person who is disabled, you should

A) be alert and sensitive because some disabilities are not visible.
B) speak more slowly than usual and raise your voice for emphasis.
C) make only the changes needed to comply with legal requirements.
D) be attentive to addressing the individual's needs before you are asked.
E) clarify the nature of the disability so that you can respond appropriately.

Question 79

When we use language that respects people's dignity and highlights a person rather than his or her disability, we say we are applying ____ language.

A) situational
B) redirective
C) realism focused
D) socially inclusive
E) people-first

Question 80

Which of the following is not a helpful strategy when providing constructive feedback?

A) Avoid accusatory statements beginning with "you."
B) Avoid labels.
C) Avoid speaking for absent, anonymous people.
D) Avoid providing specific, recent examples.
E) Avoid words like "lazy" and "irresponsible."