Deck 3: Team Communication and Difficult Conversations

Question 1

Marianna perceives that Ed,the meeting facilitator,seems to have chosen a side.As a result,Marianna may be reluctant to share her opinions.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: A facilitator acts from a neutral position to get each person to participate in a conversation and ensure that each agenda item is properly discussed.The issue of neutrality for facilitating is critical.If others view the facilitator as predisposed toward certain positions or perspectives,they are less likely to express their real thoughts.

Question 2

The number of collaboration technologies available can present a challenge to virtual teams.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: There are many collaboration tools that allow virtual team members to communicate and collaborate more efficiently.However,the number of technologies available creates a challenge for many professionals.In fact,43 percent of virtual team members feel "confused and overwhelmed" by the many choices.

Question 3

During group writing projects,it is important not to waste time discussing roles and contributions.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Early in the process,your group should clearly discuss the roles and expectations you have for one another.You should make sure this part of the conversation involves splitting up contributions and time commitments equally.You might consider placing this in a team charter.

Question 4

When team members experience conflict because they are trying to make sense of competing ideas about how the team should work,they are in the storming stage of team development.

Question 5

One significant advantage of virtual meetings is that team members can multitask during them.

Question 6

The message-delivery stance can help you keep emotionally charged conversations productive.

Question 7

The basic principles of team communication all depend on a strong speaking-centered approach.

Question 8

Sally attends a meeting that focuses on brainstorming how to solve a particular problem.The agenda is fluid,and the team adjusts the time it spends on various tasks as needed.This is an example of a coordination meeting.

Question 9

High self-awareness is crucial for handling difficult conversations successfully.

Question 10

One of the unique challenges of working in virtual teams is the inability to gain information by reading nonverbal cues.

Question 11

Experts recommend viewing conflict as an opportunity.

Question 12

Research has shown that teams that have less dissent during meetings reach higher-quality decisions.

Question 13

When developing an agenda to address high-priority items,items of least importance must be placed near the beginning of the agenda.

Question 14

The most important stage of group writing is the drafting stage.

Question 15

For brevity,the minutes of a meeting should include only the main decisions that were reached.

Question 16

Effective teams spend about half their time bonding by talking about social activities.

Question 17

When producing group writing,it is important to ensure that the writing reflects the views of the group at every stage-gathering information,drafting initial findings,and editing the final document.

Question 18

Because virtual teams have a more difficult time building relationships than traditional teams,experts recommend starting each virtual meeting with social chat.

Question 19

High-performing teams embrace conflict.

Question 20

High-performing teams go through repeated cycles of disassociation and association.

Question 21

A pharmaceutical company has a weekly meeting.Every week,the meeting starts with a story about a research breakthrough.What is the most likely reason for this tradition?

A) to help the employees get to know each other
B) to encourage employees to relate to senior management
C) to establish a conversational tone
D) to teach employees how to work as a team
E) to remind employees of their common sense of purpose

Question 22

Karen and her team share ideas about how their team should approach work,and they spend some time debating which ideas to adopt.What stage is the team at?

A) norming
B) forming
C) performing
D) storming
E) reforming

Question 23

In which of the following situations is a company most likely to need a series of problem-solving meetings that have no preset agenda?

A) planning the annual picnic
B) deciding the work assignments for a project
C) developing a new product proposal
D) discussing the transition to new ownership
E) reviewing a market research report

Question 24

Abdul is frustrated because his team members come unprepared for meetings.What is the first thing he should do to try to improve the situation?

A) distribute minutes after the previous meeting to remind people of what was covered
B) distribute an agenda ahead of the meeting so people know what to expect
C) distribute homework assignments several days before each meeting
D) criticize people during the meeting if they are not contributing enough
E) criticize people after the meeting to make his point without embarrassing them

Question 25

Which of the following is the role of a facilitator?

A) keeping the meeting's minutes
B) ensuring fair discussion of each agenda item in a meeting
C) discouraging debate and dissent
D) steering conversations toward predetermined conclusions
E) presenting counter arguments to ideas or suggestions

Question 26

Which of the following describes a team in the forming stage of team development?

A) All four members of the team discuss what the team roles and goals should be.
B) Nick and Julie present alternate ways of assigning work,and the team debates the issue.
C) Nick,Julie,Raul,and Ming take turns sharing their background with the others.
D) The four group members work at their assigned tasks efficiently and work together as needed.
E) Nick and Ming draft a work plan,while Raul and Julie write guidelines for the group to consider.

Question 27

Oscar starts his meetings by describing the procedures he wants people to follow while taking part in the discussion and explaining what topics must be kept confidential.By doing this,Oscar is providing

A) agenda items.
B) minutes.
C) consensus.
D) ground rules.
E) action items.

Question 28

Which of the following best describes the performing stage of team development?

A) All four members of the team discuss what the team roles and goals should be.
B) Nick and Julie present alternate ways of assigning work,and the team debates the issue.
C) Nick,Julie,Raul,and Ming each share their background at the company.
D) The four group members work at their assigned tasks efficiently and work together as needed.
E) Nick and Ming draft a work plan,while Raul and Julie write guidelines for the group to consider.

Question 29

Which of the following is a trait that contributes to the inherent diversity of a team?

A) members with customer service experience
B) members with retail experience
C) members with engineering experience
D) members with different levels of education
E) members with a variety of ethnic backgrounds

Question 30

Which statement describes the difference between inherent diversity and acquired diversity?

A) Inherent diversity means that there is little difference between team members.Acquired diversity means pairing people with very different skill sets.
B) Inherent diversity refers to the diversity of a team.Acquired diversity refers to the diversity of the organization as a whole.
C) Inherent diversity involves biological traits.Acquired diversity involves traits gained through experience.
D) Inherent diversity measures the diversity of existing staff.Acquired diversity refers to recruiting diverse candidates.
E) Inherent diversity is present in every organization.Acquired diversity must be carefully cultivated.

Question 31

Which of the following would be the most productive time to schedule a meeting?

A) 2:00 p.m.Thursday
B) 4:00 p.m.Wednesday
C) 10:00 a.m.Tuesday
D) Noon Monday
E) 10:00 a.m.Friday

Question 32

What is one of the fastest ways to increase trust among team members who don't know each other well?

A) having the team plan an event
B) having members share a workspace
C) keeping the team small
D) limiting the number of meetings
E) encouraging self-disclosure

Question 33

Erik is a manager who organizes his department into teams at the beginning of September.By December,he worries because the teams are still having conflict and do not seem very productive.What would be the best advice to give Erik?

A) Conclude that his workers are not team-oriented people.Abandon the experiment before work falls further behind.
B) Be patient because the teams are in the storming stage.Give them time to reach the norming and performing stages.
C) Conclude that he made a mistake in the makeup of the teams.Reassign people to new teams and start over.
D) Be patient because the teams are in the norming stage.Give them time to reach the more productive performing stage.
E) Conclude that the teams are spending too little time on work.Start to sit in meetings and direct activities.

Question 34

Which of the following is characteristic of the norming stage of team development?

A) Team members get to know each other and try to gain acceptance.
B) Team members share competing ideas about the task and roles,and conflict occurs.
C) Team members easily manage to reach consensus even when there is conflict.
D) Team members are still uncertain about what is required of them.
E) Team members agree upon mutual goals and individual responsibilities.

Question 35

What impact does 2-D diversity have on a company?

A) The company is more likely to increase its market share.
B) The company is more likely to experience damaging conflict.
C) The company is less likely to have a "speak-up culture."
D) The company is less likely to have access to a variety of perspectives.
E) The company is more likely to suffer significant financial losses.

Question 36

Whenever he has to present a proposal to his managers,LeRoy is able to distance himself from his ideas and accept criticism without becoming defensive.What process enables LeRoy to do this?

A) consolidation
B) association
C) disassociation
D) formation
E) reflection

Question 37

Which of the following scenarios illustrates how an effective team works?

A) Kelly,Bob,and Jill have learned that conflict wastes their time.
B) Ken disagrees with what Rami and Angela are planning,but he decides to keep quiet and see how it works out.
C) Debby,Claire,and Adam are so dedicated to getting the job done that they never have meetings.
D) Leah,Ray,and Ernesto spend time each day talking about their goals and values.
E) Maria,Nirupa,and Glen make sure to spend at least half of their meeting time discussing their favorite baseball team.

Question 38

_____ is the psychological bonding that occurs between people and their ideas.

A) Consolidation
B) Association
C) Disassociation
D) Formation
E) Reflection

Question 39

Teams rapidly develop shared perceptions and commitment during the _____ stage of team development.

A) norming
B) forming
C) performing
D) storming
E) reforming

Question 40

Moira has a standard way of running meetings that she has used for a long time.Her meetings tend to be efficient but dry,and people have difficulty feeling engaged.Which of the following techniques should Moira use to solve that problem?

A) distribute an agenda ahead of time
B) have someone take minutes and distribute them afterward
C) make sure to start and end the meeting on time
D) encourage each person to share his or her opinion
E) remain neutral while facilitating the discussion

Question 41

Which of the following practices helps to increase buy-in from virtual meeting participants?

A) running the meeting efficiently
B) multitasking during meetings
C) taking minutes in real time
D) opening with a contentious question
E) preparing how to state views ahead of time

Question 42

Janet's team is working on a group document,which they store in a FTP system on the company server.On Friday,Claire and Malik download the document at the same time,and each makes edits.Malik uploads his document first.When Claire uploads her copy of the document,she erases all of Malik's work.What went wrong?

A) Team members did not use the same word processing program.
B) The team did not assign its members clear responsibilities.
C) The team did not have a system to handle version control.
D) Team members were not clear about the purpose of the revision.
E) The team did not consider the needs of the audience.

Question 43

Which action is most likely to help build trust in a virtual team?

A) be proactively engaged
B) multitask during meetings
C) avoid social conversation
D) work as independently as possible
E) rely mostly on email to communicate

Question 44

What do professionals identify as one of the most important characteristics of virtual teammates?

A) ability to make decisions quickly
B) willingness to share information
C) interest in new technology
D) strong leadership skills
E) public speaking experience

Question 45

David has just been appointed leader of a new virtual team.He senses that the team members have doubts about each other's competence.What can he do to alleviate this situation?

A) take time during a meeting to review the company's mission statement
B) encourage the team members to consider stakeholders in every discussion
C) allow team members to choose the people they want to work with more closely
D) schedule a time when people can share their professional accomplishments
E) establish ground rules for their meetings from the very beginning

Question 46

Which stage of team development do virtual teams sometimes skip?

A) forming
B) storming
C) norming
D) performing
E) reforming

Question 47

Jamila is concerned that her virtual teammates are misinterpreting each other's statements because they cannot see facial expressions and gestures.Which of the following possible solutions should Jamila suggest to her team leader?

A) setting up a virtual watercooler
B) opening with a contentious question
C) taking minutes in real time
D) asking team members to avoid multitasking
E) using video during the meetings

Question 48

Mia's team has been given a group writing assignment.The deadline is three months away.When should the group start working on the project?

A) a week before the deadline
B) two weeks before the deadline
C) in a month
D) in two weeks
E) right away

Question 49

Ann's team completed the first draft of a group document and asked her to edit it carefully for grammar,punctuation,and spelling.The next day,the group decided to delete part of the document.Ann felt like her efforts were wasted.What did the team do wrong?

A) It did not establish a system for version control.
B) It did not agree on rules for overwriting one another's work.
C) It did not set up guidelines for using comments and track changes.
D) It did not choose a single person to do the final edit.
E) It did not choose an appropriate purpose for each round of revision.

Question 50

Which of the following is a reason that organizations use virtual teams?

A) to reduce isolation
B) to resolve conflict more easily
C) to encourage sharing of opinions
D) to save money
E) to avoid time zone differences

Question 51

Your team is facing an aggressive deadline for a group writing project.Which of the following will be most helpful in ensuring that the project stays on track?

A) investing in good virtual communication technology
B) giving one team member few tasks so he or she can help others
C) trading tasks regularly to keep ideas fresh
D) regularly holding real-time conversations about the project
E) working independently as much as possible to avoid wasting time

Question 52

When editing a group document,what should be the first thing the team works on?

A) whether the paper is organized logically
B) the transitions between sections
C) whether the main ideas are strong and clear
D) whether the word choices are appropriate
E) the correctness of the grammar and mechanics

Question 53

Hector and his team work for an educational publisher.The team has to write a report comparing the textbooks of three competitors.Who would be the best person to analyze the books' methods of teaching?

A) Hector,who has two years of experience in market research
B) George,who has five years of experience as an editor
C) Kerry,who has three years of experience as a book designer
D) Lin,who has four years of experience as an educator
E) Lisa,who has five years of experience as a production coordinator

Question 54

A learner mind-set implies that

A) you have nothing to learn from the other people involved in the conversation.
B) you intend to find contradictions in what other people have said or done.
C) you avoid difficult conversations in order not to hurt the feelings of other people.
D) you are committed to understanding other peoples' versions of interpersonal interactions.
E) you intend to agree and comply with everything that the speaker says.

Question 55

What impact does meeting in person have on long-term virtual teams?

A) They are more likely to start having conflicts.
B) They find it easier to build rapport.
C) They take longer to trust each other.
D) They often split into separate factions.
E) They waste more time on social chat.

Question 56

You are working with your team on a group writing project.Which of the following can help you define your contributions and time commitments?

A) version control technology
B) a team charter
C) virtual communication technologies
D) a virtual watercooler
E) a self-disclosure exercise

Question 57

Difficult conversations can be handled successfully by

A) hearing everybody's story.
B) agreeing with everything you hear.
C) using the either/or approach.
D) invalidating the perspective of other people.
E) adopting a message-delivery stance.

Question 58

What should the leader do just before closing a meeting?

A) summarize what was accomplished
B) allow the attendees to ask questions
C) elaborate on the main issues
D) ask each attendee to share
E) evaluate his or her performance

Question 59

What is a virtual watercooler?

A) a virtual place to record team goals,assignments,and projects
B) a social media space where virtual team members can interact spontaneously
C) a database of all the agendas and minutes from a virtual team's meetings
D) a social collaboration tool that allows virtual team members to work together easily
E) a virtual collaboration tool that adjusts for time zone and language differences

Question 60

Team leader Val always follows through after meetings by asking all participants for an update on their assigned action items.What effect is this likely to have on her team members?

A) They will feel that the meeting was a waste of time.
B) They will perceive the team meetings as important.
C) They will feel that Val views them as children.
D) They will be less likely to attend the next meeting.
E) They will procrastinate because they resent being nagged.

Question 61

You have been assigned to a short-term team made up of people you have never met.What can you do to make your first meeting with your new team productive?

Question 62

How should a leader who wants a high-performing team view dissent in meetings? Explain.

Question 63

During a group writing project,what should teams do to ensure that all team members buy into the final product? Identify actions to take during all stages of the project.

Question 64

You are working on a group writing project.Why is it important to agree on technologies during the planning stage?

Question 65

Briefly explain the four stages of team formation.

Question 66

Which of the following makes comments sound more conciliatory and less accusing?

A) I-statements
B) You-statements
C) He-or-she-statements
D) It-statements
E) They-statements

Question 67

What is the purpose of an agenda,and how does it relate to effective meetings?

Question 68

What are at least three ways to build team rapport on virtual teams?

Question 69

Creating a shared story with a colleague means

A) finding life experiences that you have in common.
B) combining your goals into a shared approach to work.
C) creating humor in tense situations.
D) opening a difficult conversation with a story.
E) reaching an agreement about how something happened.

Question 70

Which of the following is the best opening for a difficult conversation?

A) We need to discuss the way you let your team members down on the last project.
B) I really want to understand what went wrong and find a solution we both can accept.
C) Your work has suffered lately,and I want to make some suggestions for improvement.
D) What were you thinking when you made that proposal in the group meeting?
E) You have been demonstrating a bad attitude lately,and I would like to know why.

Question 71

Which of the following statements is an example of disagreeing diplomatically?

A) You always interrupt me when I try to explain my reasons.
B) Your methods never work,but you refuse to give mine a chance.
C) I know I'm right about this,and I can prove it to you.
D) This is an issue of policy,not personal interpretation.
E) I feel that I did not have a chance to explain my actions.

Question 72

Validating is a way of

A) disagreeing well.
B) proving your point.
C) asserting an opinion.
D) checking your work.
E) agreeing with others.

Question 73

List the traits of effective teams.

Question 74

Why is disagreeing diplomatically an important component of managing difficult conversations?

Question 75

What are the advantages of adopting a learning stance?