Deck 9: Improving Communication Climates

Question 1

What Gibb describes as "spontaneity" means saying whatever you truly feel like saying without editing or censoring it.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Endorsement is the strongest type of confirming message.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

An impervious response sends a disconfirming message because the other person is not responded to.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

"I felt worried when you left early with no explanation" is an example of a feeling statement.

Question 5

A non-defensive climate results from the expression of empathy.

Question 6

"You seem to be happy today" is an example of a behavioural description.

Question 7

Physical abuse often starts with verbal abuse, where a person is subjected to rage, outbursts, and name-calling.

Question 8

Stonewalling is an example of an impervious response.

Question 9

Open communication and praise are the two leading factors consistently connected with a supportive workplace.

Question 10

In order to communicate clearly, you should use all the elements of an assertive message each time you speak.

Question 11

Asking if anything else is bothering your critic won't help you cope with criticism because it encourages more defensiveness.

Question 12

Even if you don't intend to ignore others, they might perceive you as avoiding them and get defensive.

Question 13

The most damaging kind of disconfirming response disagrees with the other person.

Question 14

Andrea lets his employees do whatever they want. This is an example of laissez-faire leadership.

Question 15

A person's "face" refers to the predominant facial expression they display throughout an interpersonal interaction.

Question 16

Jessie lets his employees do whatever they want. This is an example of authoritarian leadership.

Question 17

A controlling message can be verbal or nonverbal.

Question 18

You have to use Gibb's category of "superiority" now and then because not all of us have the same talents.

Question 19

"I feel like you are angry with me" is an example of a feeling statement.

Question 20

A spiral is a reciprocal communication pattern in which each person's message reinforces the other person's message.

Question 21

For restorative justice to work, it must be victim-centred, which means offenders must willingly participate in the process and the victims have a choice.

Question 22

Gibb's research identified behaviours that are likely to bring about defensiveness, but it neglected to identify any alternative behaviours that could reduce defensiveness.

Question 23

"You didn't call me to let me know you weren't coming anymore" is an example of a behavioural description.

Question 24

According to your textbook, stating your intentions is an important element of an assertive message.

Question 25

Behaviour that fits into Gibb's category of "strategy" attempts to manipulate the other into doing what you want.

Question 26

When faced with criticism, the two most common responses are a verbally aggressive counterattack or a request for clarification.

Question 27

Since ambiguous responses leave your partner unsure of your position, they would likely be interpreted as disconfirming.

Question 28

A consequence statement explains the results of the situation you've described so far.

Question 29

Often people become most defensive when confronted with accusations they know are true.

Question 30

Incongruous responses contain two messages that seem to deny or contradict each other.

Question 31

Tangential responses are one type of disconfirming message.

Question 32

When you respond non-defensively to criticism, you can agree with the truth of what the critic is saying.

Question 33

The Gibb's categories define behaviours that improve or hurt the communication climate.

Question 34

It is possible to disagree with another person in a confirming way.

Question 35

Evaluative communication is messages in which the sender judges the receiver in some way, usually resulting in a defensive response.

Question 36

Descriptive statements avoid telling the other persons what they have done that you don't like.

Question 37

An acknowledgment statement is more confirming than a recognition statement.

Question 38

A communication climate is the social tone of a relationship.

Question 39

In order to deal effectively with criticism, it is necessary to acknowledge and accept the other's criticism.

Question 40

Asking what else is wrong is an effective way of dealing with a critique.

Question 41

Which type of communication is a message that expresses caring or respect for another person?

A)confirming
B)disconfirming
C)recognition
D)endorsement

Question 42

What are we doing when we attach meaning to behaviour?

A)labelling
B)interpreting
C)clarifying our feelings
D)making our intentions known

Question 43

Seeking more information is an effective way to respond to a critic.

Question 44

When two parties are working through their difficulties, and their conflict is diminishing, this is referred to as a de-escalatory conflict spiral.

Question 45

Provisional statements often include words like "perhaps" and "from my perspective."

Question 46

Which statement is an example of an interpretation?

A)"My boyfriend is jealous."
B)"I got an 'A' on my history paper."
C)"When you are angry, I want to leave."
D)"Would you tell me what you mean by that?"

Question 47

An expression of a sender's emotions that results from the interpretation of sense data is a feeling statement.

Question 48

What do intention statements communicate?

A)what you have done about an issue
B)how you feel about the other's behaviour
C)your interpretation of the other's party's behaviour
D)your position on an issue or what you want from others

Question 49

Remarks about a specific subject (i.e., appearance, intelligence, honesty) that make one person defensive might arouse little or no defensiveness in another.

Question 50

Democratic leadership is the most effective leadership style.

Question 51

Repeated interrupting is not a disconfirming response.

Question 52

Communication climates are a function of the tasks people perform rather than the way the people feel about one another.

Question 53

Impersonal responses refer to clichés and other statements that don't truly respond to the speaker.

Question 54

Defensiveness is often a self-perpetuating cycle.

Question 55

Which type of message says "you're wrong" in one way or another?

A)argumentative
B)complaining
C)disagreeing
D)aggressive

Question 56

You are most likely to become defensive when you are confronted with a face-threatening act.

Question 57

An argumentativeness is associated with positive attributes such as enhanced self-concept and communicative competence.
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Question 58

Your text recommends agreeing with criticisms that are untrue about you, since doing so will help you recognize ways you can improve.

Question 59

Transformational leaders work to develop leadership skills in their subordinates.

Question 60

"So you object to the language I used in writing the paper. Was my language too formal?" This is an example of paraphrasing when responding to a critic.

Question 61

Which of the following is an example of a positive reciprocal pattern?

A)"How can I talk when you don't listen?"
B)"I can understand how the assignment might be unclear.Let me try to explain."
C)"I wish you weren't so critical."
D)"Go ahead if you want, but find your way home."

Question 62

Which statement is an example of empathetic communication?

A)"Thank you so much for cleaning the house."
B)"I love having a clean house."
C)"Cleaning is a part of life."
D)"I know you put a lot of effort into cleaning the house."

Question 63

How can you respond non-defensively to criticism?

A)by agreeing with the critic's judgment
B)by agreeing with the critic's beliefs
C)by agreeing with the critic's position
D)by agreeing with the critic's statements

Question 64

What two factors are consistently connected to supportive workplace environments?

A)praise and open communication
B)encouragement and tangible rewards
C)praise and understanding supervisors
D)open communication and tangible rewards

Question 65

What do Gibb's categories examine?

A)personal conflict styles
B)patterns of self-disclosure
C)defensive and supportive behaviours
D)strength of self-concept and self-esteem

Question 66

Which term refers to the tone of an interpersonal relationship?

A)climate
B)environment
C)foundation
D)mood

Question 67

Your instructor informs you that your writing ability is inadequate, and you are mistaken to not work harder. What Gibb's category is your instructor using?

A)description
B)evaluation
C)problem orientation
D)superiority

Question 68

Which of the following is a confirming message?

A)ignoring the other person
B)responding with clichés
C)asking a person how they are feeling
D)giving an ambiguous response

Question 69

What term refers to disconfirming responses loaded with clichés and other statements that never truly respond to the speaker?

A)impersonal
B)impervious
C)irrelevant
D)tangential

Question 70

Rita was criticized by her placement supervisor for completing the wrong report for a client she is working with. Rita was unaware of the report; however, her boss was still upset. What would be an effective way for Rita to respond?

A)Continue to argue her case with her boss.
B)Tell her boss she is being unreasonable.
C)Agree with her boss that she did fill out the wrong report.
D)Rita should say nothing.

Question 71

Which of the following is an example of a negative reciprocal pattern?

A)"How can I talk when you don't listen?"
B)"I agree we should be saving.But I think we can take this trip and still save some money.Let me show you what I've figured out."
C)"I can see how much you hate your job.Let's figure out how we can get the project finished soon, so that you can get back to your regular work."
D)"I can understand how the assignment might be unclear.Let me try to explain."

Question 72

Which type of communication includes messages that describe the speaker's position without evaluating others?

A)descriptive
B)evaluative
C)defensive
D)spiral

Question 73

Ganesh is a manager at a hospital. He needs to know everything that is going on with his staff, including where they are at all times. He reviews all of their client charts, he watches to make sure everyone exactly arrives on time and doesn't leave early, and he gives orders and never asks his staff for input. Which leadership styles does Ganesh have?

A)laissez-faire
B)democratic
C)transactional
D)authoritative

Question 74

Which statement is an example of agreeing with the facts when it comes to responding to criticism?

A)"You're right, I did lose my temper."
B)"I apologize; it won't happen again."
C)"Can you tell me how you would like me to complete this task in the future?"
D)"Is everything ok?"

Question 75

Which example describes a disconfirming message?

A)asking the person for more information
B)describing positive feelings
C)giving ambiguous responses
D)describing your negative feelings

Question 76

What determines the communication climate in a relationship?

A)the amount of self-disclosure that occurs
B)the degree to which each person feels valued
C)the similarities of the two parties' communication environments
D)the listening and perceptual skills that each individual brings to the relationship

Question 77

Karamjit arrives home with her new shelfing unit, but it needs to be put together. Just then, her friend arrives to visit. Karamjit states, "The assembly instructions are really confusing." Her friend relies, "I understand how you feel; let me try to figure it out." Which positive reciprocal communication pattern are they using?

A)mutual congruence
B)validation of other's perspective
C)recognizing similarities
D)supportiveness

Question 78

Helena, a police officer, says to her partner, "Beth, I'm upset about how we divide the reporting at the end of our shift." Beth retorts, "Speaking of reporting, our unit secretary brought in great cookies today." What type of disconfirming response is Beth's response?

A)impervious response
B)interrupting response
C)irrelevant response
D)tangential response

Question 79

Which term refers to a reciprocal communication pattern in which each person's message reinforces the other person's message?

A)acknowledgement
B)recognition
C)endorsement
D)spiral

Question 80

What element of the assertive message format describes your behavioural reaction to the other person's behaviour?

A)behaviour
B)consequence
C)feeling
D)interpretation