Deck 13: Managing Communication

Question 1

The choice of a communication channel can convey a symbolic meaning to the receiver.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The receiver usually will give more weight to behavioral actions than to verbal messages when verbal and nonverbal messages are contradictory.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Forms of nonverbal communication include blushing,perspiring,glancing,crying,and laughing.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Managers facilitate strategic conversations by using open communication,actively listening to others,applying the practice of dialogue,and using feedback for learning and change.

Question 5

Managers spend 80 percent of every working day doing desk work.

Question 6

Team members,in decentralized networks,must communicate through one individual to solve problems or make decisions.

Question 7

Formulating in your mind what you are going to say next is an important part of effective listening.

Question 8

Grapevine is a type of personal channel used in many organizations.

Question 9

Types of information generally communicated upward include performance reports,suggestions for improvement,and performance feedback.

Question 10

Horizontal communication is particularly important in teaching organizations,where teams of workers are continuously solving problems and searching for new ways of doing things.

Question 11

Procedures and practices are downward communication topics that define the organization's rules,regulations,benefits,and structural arrangements.

Question 12

Face-to-face discussion is the richest channel,in terms of channel richness.

Question 13

Messages that are designed to share information among teams and departments that can help the organization change,grow,or improve are called change initiatives and improvements.

Question 14

Huge corporations are more likely than smaller businesses or nonprofits to use social media to communicate with customers.

Question 15

Communication can break down if sender and receiver do not encode or decode language in the same way.

Question 16

Routine messages tend to be simple and straightforward,such as conveying data or statistics.

Question 17

Social media does not include blogs and wikis.

Question 18

A formal communication channel is a communication channel that flows within the chain of command.

Question 19

Without feedback,communication is only a two-way process,sender to receiver and receiver to sender.

Question 20

Most managers spend 80 of their time telling and 20 percent asking,but it should be the other way around.

Question 21

To be effective communicators,managers should:

A)focus primarily on enhancing downward communication in the organization.
B)enhance lateral communication opportunities by encouraging teams.
C)limit use of communication technology.
D)strictly push for face-to-face communication.
E)encourage the use of multiple channels of communication.

Question 22

The skills of _____ require receiving messages to accurately grasp facts and feelings to interpret the meaning of the message.

A)communication
B)listening
C)managing
D)reception
E)telling

Question 23

Selina is meeting with her subordinate Mike for his annual performance review.At the end of the review,Mike tells Selina that he is confused about some things she said.By asking Selina to explain certain things in more detail,Mike is engaging in which component of the communication process?

A)Selecting a channel
B)Sifting through noise
C)Providing feedback
D)Encoding the message
E)Decoding the message

Question 24

Upward communication is usually used to communicate information about all of the following,except:

A)suggestions for improvement.
B)performance reports.
C)indoctrination.
D)financial and accounting information.
E)grievance and disputes.

Question 25

When informing your staff of the date for the company picnic,a _____ would be most practical and successful.

A)memo
B)telephone
C)video conference
D)face-to-face contact
E)newspaper notice

Question 26

Jay,a divisional vice president of a consumer goods manufacturer,gives a presentation to all divisional employees to outline the company's goals for the coming year.This is an example of what type of organizational communication?

A)Virtual communication
B)Grapevine communication
C)Lateral communication
D)Downward communication
E)Upward communication

Question 27

Which of the following is the most familiar and obvious flow of formal communication?

A)Downward communication
B)Gossips
C)Horizontal communication
D)Upward communication
E)Vertical communication

Question 28

Information distortion or loss of message content is a major problem with:

A)upward communication.
B)formal communication.
C)downward communication.
D)informal communication.
E)horizontal communication.

Question 29

Silvia,a seasoned assembly line worker at an automobile manufacturer,wants to demonstrate to Allison,a new trainee,how her job relates to other organizational activities.This encompasses which downward communication topic?

A)Goals
B)Practices
C)Performance feedback
D)Indoctrination
E)Job instructions

Question 30

_____ is necessary for communication to be considered two-way.

A)Message
B)Channel
C)Feedback
D)Noise
E)Circuit

Question 31

When interviewing prospective employees,Samuel,a seasoned manager,often observes hand gestures,facial expressions,and use of space to gauge individuals' personalities.These are all examples of:

A)listening.
B)nonverbal communication.
C)empathizing.
D)direct communication.
E)nuance communication.

Question 32

Jenna composes an email from home to her boss to inform him that she will be late getting to work that day.The act of composing an email involves which stage of the communication process?

A)Selecting a channel
B)Sifting through noise
C)Providing feedback
D)Encoding the message
E)Decoding the message

Question 33

Louise,a top-level manager at INF Inc.,has the difficult task of informing 12 employees that they are about to be laid off.Which communication channel should Louise use to break the news?

A)Face-to-face
B)E-mail
C)Instant messaging
D)Telephone
E)Handwritten letter

Question 34

Most executives now believe that important information flows from the:

A)top down.
B)bottom up.
C)diagonal level.
D)horizontal level to diagonal level.
E)internal to external.

Question 35

Channel richness refers to the:

A)number of messages a channel can carry at one time.
B)speed in which messages can be carried.
C)amount of information that can be transmitted during a communication episode.
D)number of channels available at any one time.
E)profitability potential of a proposed channel.

Question 36

When a group of workers have routine tasks to perform,a _____ communication structure allows more time for the task to be completed.

A)linear
B)centralized
C)decentralized
D)gossip
E)team

Question 37

When an electronic mail system is installed as part of the communication system,what element of the communication process is changed?

A)Channel
B)Message
C)Sender
D)Filter
E)Receiver

Question 38

Which of the following comprises the lowest channel richness?

A)Electronic mail
B)Bulletins
C)Face-to-face talk
D)Telephone
E)Memos

Question 39

_____ and _____ are potential sources for communication errors,because knowledge,attitudes,and background act as filters.

A)Encoding; channel
B)Encoding; noise
C)Decoding; channel
D)Decoding; encoding
E)Decoding; noise

Question 40

What percentage of a manager's time is spent in direct communication?

A)20 percent
B)100 percent
C)50 percent
D)80 percent
E)40 percent

Question 41

What percent of the details passed through a grapevine is accurate?

A)15 to 20 percent
B)25 to 35 percent
C)40 to 60 percent
D)70 to 90 percent
E)100 percent

Question 42

A(n)_____ is a team communication structure in which team members communicate through a single individual to solve problems or make decisions.

Question 43

_____ communication is the lateral or diagonal exchange of messages among peers or coworkers.

Question 44

Strategic conversations include:

A)directing attention to values.
B)asking questions.
C)social media.
D)personal networks.
E)influencing employee behavior.

Question 45

_____ occurs when the receiver responds to the sender's communication with a return message.

Question 46

According to the text,all of the following are ways managers can improve their writing skills,except:

A)writing lengthy explanations.
B)respecting the reader.
C)getting a second opinion.
D)knowing your point and get to it.
E)writing clearly rather than impressively.

Question 47

The _____ is an informal,person-to-person communication network of employees that is not officially sanctioned by the organization.

Question 48

List the five types of upward communication.

Question 49

The amount of information that can be transmitted during a communication episode is known as _____.

Question 50

In a(n)_____ network,individuals can communicate freely with other team members.

Question 51

To translate the symbols used in a message for the purpose of interpreting its meaning is called _____.

Question 52

_____ channels exist outside the formally authorized channels and do not adhere to the organization's hierarchy of authority.

Question 53

About 75 percent of effective communication is:

A)listening.
B)telling.
C)asking questions.
D)the ability to persuade.
E)choosing the channel.

Question 54

The term _____ covers a broad range of applications,including wikis,blogs,content communities,and virtual social worlds.

Question 55

_____ involves the skill of grasping both facts and feelings to interpret a message's genuine meaning.

Question 56

_____ channels are those that flow within the chain of command or task responsibility defined by the organization.

Question 57

List the three formal communication channels found in organizations.

Question 58

_____ refers to the messages and information sent from top management down to subordinates.

Question 59

Formal _____ includes messages that flow from the lower to the higher levels in the organization's hierarchy.

Question 60

To _____ a message is to select the symbols used to compose a message.

Question 61

What is downward communication and what are five topics generally included with downward communication?

Question 62

Describe the three categories of horizontal communication.

Question 63

Describe the concept of channel richness,specify the richest channel,and explain why it is so rich.

Question 64

Briefly describe the communication process.

Question 65

Define nonverbal communication and briefly discuss its importance to communicating in organizations.