Deck 15: Interpersonal Organizational Communication: Mastering the Exchange of Information

Question 1

Which of the following is not an element of the communication model?

A)sender
B)decoder
C)feedback
D)noise
E)message

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The danger of using a lean medium for nonroutine matters is that it results in information oversimplification;it doesn't provide enough of the information the receiver needs and wants.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

An order-taker who has a thick accent,and someone who speaks too fast at a fast-food drive-through,are examples of communication barriers.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Lynn had many spelling and grammar mistakes in her report,some of which made the content difficult to understand.Lynn's report is an example of poor encoding.

Question 5

Noise is any disturbance that interferes with the transmission of a message,and it can occur in any medium.

Question 6

Jyl,a supervisor,told her employees,"The store will close Monday for inventory.All employees are expected to participate." Jyl's communication to her employees is an example of upward communication.

Question 7

One of the ways to improve communication is to avoid animation.

Question 8

______________ is the process of translating a message into understandable symbols or language.

A)Mediation
B)Transformation
C)Encoding
D)Decoding
E)Enriching

Question 9

Communication is

A)speaking or writing so that another is able to comprehend the meaning.
B)interpretation of messages sent via any media.
C)the combined activities of speaking and listening.
D)a process involving only the sender,message,and receiver.
E)the transfer of information and understanding from one person to another.

Question 10

If you must tell an employee that he is facing a sexual harassment investigation,you should use a rich medium of communication.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is not true about communication in the workplace?

A)Communication is a form of social information processing,in which receivers interpret messages by cognitively processing them.
B)Efficient communicators can transmit their message accurately in the least amount of time.
C)The pathway by which a message travels is called the medium.
D)The communication process involves sender,message,and receiver;encoding and decoding;the medium;feedback;and dealing with "noise," or interference.
E)Emails can cut through the misunderstandings that result from misinterpreted phone calls.

Question 12

Face-to-face communication is the richest form of communication because the receiver observes multiple cues in the message.

Question 13

An audience can typically remember about 10 points from a speech.

Question 14

You are a(n)________ communicator when your intended message is sent accurately in the least amount of time.

A)economical
B)collaborative
C)formal
D)efficient
E)effective

Question 15

In general,one long meeting is preferable to several shorter meetings.

Question 16

The sun was shining directly into Matt's eyes,so he looked away and missed the coach's demonstration of a defensive technique.In this case,the sun acts as feedback in the communication process.

Question 17

When using text messages for important workplace communications,use abbreviations and emojis to streamline the communication.

Question 18

Formal channels of communication are typically faster than the grapevine.

Question 19

When a supervisor is afraid to voice an idea because she fears criticism,the result is a receiver barrier.

Question 20

Generally people retain about 75 percent of what they hear.

Question 21

Which of the following is the most appropriate medium for a manager advising employees of a revision to the company's bonus structure?

A)e-mail to all those affected
B)face-to-face meeting
C)an announcement posted near the office coffee machine
D)telephone call to each
E)personal note to each

Question 22

Lai worked on a global team for an American company,and all her work had to be completed in her second language,English.Sometimes her teammates misinterpreted her meaning.Lai has unintentionally created of a(n)______ barrier to communication.

A)decoding
B)sender
C)feedback
D)encoding
E)receiver

Question 23

A manager needs to inform employees that the quarterly project management training will start on May 1,about two months from now.Generally,which of the following should the manager use in this situation?

A)videoconference
B)e-mail
C)personal note
D)face-to-face meeting
E)telephone

Question 24

Executives at Breakers Engineering want to let middle managers know that the company is going to be acquired by its largest competitor.Assuming the following paths of communication are possible,how should executives communicate this information?

A)Send a note to all managers.
B)Post a notice on all bulletin boards.
C)Hold a face-to-face meeting.
D)Send an e-mail to all managers.
E)Schedule a conference phone call.

Question 25

Debbie works part time in a coffee shop.Some of the equipment is so noisy it prevents her from correctly hearing what the customer orders.The noisy equipment is an example of a(n)______ barrier to communication.

A)physical
B)semantic
C)personal
D)encoding
E)feedback

Question 26

Of the following,which medium is the least rich?

A)e-mail
B)instant messaging on the Internet
C)flier on a bulletin board
D)handwritten note
E)conference telephone call

Question 27

Of the following,which medium is the richest?

A)company newsletter
B)telephone
C)videoconference
D)memo
E)e-mail

Question 28

Which of the following is a step in the communication process?

A)The message is transmitted through a medium.
B)The sender decodes the message.
C)The medium is eliminated.
D)Noise is eliminated from the message.
E)The receiver selects the medium.

Question 29

When the band came out on stage and the lead singer shouted,"Hello,Dallas!" the crowd roared with applause.The crowd's response is an example of

A)decoding.
B)medium selection.
C)noise.
D)feedback.
E)encoding.

Question 30

______ is terminology that is specific to a particular profession or group.For example,statisticians talk about t-tests,chi-square tests,confidence intervals,and normal distributions.

A)The grapevine
B)Technology
C)Gossip
D)Jargon
E)Rhetoric

Question 31

Most people from Western cultures tend to ______ when conveying bad news or negative feedback.

A)avoid eye contact
B)smile
C)nod their heads
D)lean forward
E)yawn

Question 32

Roger was talking to a coworker in a meeting,and he wasn't listening when his supervisor announced work assignments.This situation is an example of what type of barrier to communication?

A)medium barrier
B)receiver barrier
C)feedback barrier
D)decoding barrier
E)encoding barrier

Question 33

A(n)______ form of media allows receivers to observe multiple cues,such as body language and tone of voice,and allows senders to get feedback.Face-to-face communication is an example of this form of media.

A)encoded
B)dense
C)rich
D)informal
E)formal

Question 34

Which of the following is not a way in which nonverbal communication is expressed?

A)grimacing
B)avoiding eye contact
C)looking away while talking to someone
D)writing a thank-you note
E)touching someone's shoulder

Question 35

Tracie,working at a research facility in Washington,DC,needs to communicate with Juan,who is in Mexico City,about a project they are working on.Although Juan has perfect command of English,they are still facing a(n)______ barrier to communication.

A)semantic
B)physical
C)encoding
D)medium
E)personal

Question 36

Tyrone was recently promoted to manager.Although he used to take advice from his peers,he seems no longer willing to listen to any input from them or his boss,and he is determined to run the project how he thinks best.Which personal barrier to communication is Tyrone exhibiting?

A)an oversized ego
B)variable skills in communicating effectively
C)a tendency to judge others' messages
D)an inability to listen with understanding
E)variation in interpreting information

Question 37

Which of the following is not an example of noise in the communication process in a typical classroom?

A)a student in the back of the classroom texting a friend
B)a student answering a professor's question
C)groundskeepers mowing the lawn outside the classroom window
D)uncomfortable classroom desks
E)an attractive person walking by the open classroom door

Question 38

Claire wanted to tell her employees about the seminar,but she put the flier in a stack of papers and forgot about it until after the deadline,so none of her employees were able to sign up for the seminar.What type of barrier has occurred in this situation?

A)feedback barrier
B)encoding barrier
C)medium barrier
D)sender barrier
E)receiver barrier

Question 39

Which of the following is not a personal barrier to communication?

A)a small vocabulary
B)a large ego
C)lack of credibility
D)mindlessness
E)obsolete technology

Question 40

____ is a state of reduced attention that is expressed in behavior that is rigid or thoughtless.This state is natural because human beings simply cannot keep up with all the stimuli they receive.

A)Mindfulness
B)Cognitive distortion
C)The mirror effect
D)Nonverbal communication
E)Mindlessness

Question 41

Diane,a marketing manager,shares some of the market research her department has analyzed with the research and development group.Diane is communicating

A)by wandering around.
B)horizontally.
C)upward.
D)through the grapevine.
E)externally.

Question 42

The key to protecting digital communication systems against fraud,hackers,identity theft,and other threats is

A)using file-sharing services.
B)hiring ethical employees.
C)using prevention techniques like strong passwords.
D)creating a well-funded IT department.
E)minimizing turnover.

Question 43

The more management levels through which a message passes,the

A)more important the message is.
B)higher the chance the message will become external.
C)more informal the organization.
D)more disorganized the organization.
E)more distorted the message may become.

Question 44

According to Deborah Tannen,men are more likely than women to

A)boast about achievements.
B)mention "we" or "you" in a conversation with a coworker.
C)use positive overlaps such as "I agree."
D)decipher nonverbal cues accurately.
E)provide more information than needed.

Question 45

Which of the following is a "do" when attempting to improve communication?

A)Close your eyes.
B)Lick your lips or play with your hair.
C)Look away from the speaker.
D)Speak very slowly.
E)Smile.

Question 46

Compared to women,men tend to

A)use emoticons to express sarcasm and banter.
B)easily indicate their uncertainties.
C)use more "we" statements.
D)provide more information than needed.
E)make more apologies.

Question 47

Gossip and rumor in an organization are part of the _____,which itself is a type of ______ communication channel.

A)organizational chart;horizontal
B)culture;horizontal
C)grapevine;informal
D)grapevine;horizontal
E)organizational chart;informal

Question 48

Channels of communications that follow the chain of command and are considered as official are _____ communication channels.

A)prescribed
B)formal
C)vertical
D)horizontal
E)external

Question 49

______ communication channels develop outside the organizational structure and do not follow the chain of command.

A)Informal
B)Vertical
C)Horizontal
D)Customary
E)External

Question 50

A manager who is instructing his employee about work tasks is communicating

A)informally.
B)horizontally.
C)externally.
D)through the grapevine.
E)vertically.

Question 51

Which of the following is not true of e-mail?

A)The average worker can receive hundreds of e-mails in a day.
B)Texting and social networking have begun to reduce the dominance of e-mail.
C)The number of e-mail users worldwide has peaked and begun to decline.
D)Many computer applications require an e-mail address for access.
E)Most workers feel that they can answer only a few dozen e-mails per day.

Question 52

Which of the following is appropriate for workplace e-mail?

A)forwarding e-mails to friends and relatives
B)complicated topics
C)maintaining work-life balance by not sending e-mails before or after work hours
D)informality and grammatical errors
E)sensitive personal issues

Question 53

________ is a person's characteristic speaking patterns,such as the use of pacing,pausing,questions,and stories.

A)Horizontal communication
B)A communication device
C)A formal message
D)A linguistics style
E)Multicommunication

Question 54

When thieves use your name and good credit rating to get cash or buy things,they are engaging in

A)Robin Hood theft.
B)credit mishandling.
C)credit exploitation.
D)identity theft.
E)misuse of standing.

Question 55

Which of the following is a "don't" when attempting to improve communication?

A)Occasionally nod in agreement.
B)Close your eyes.
C)Speak in a quiet,reassuring tone.
D)Smile and show animation.
E)Lean toward the speaker.

Question 56

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Men are more skilled at deciphering nonverbal cues than women are.
B)Men are less willing than women to talk over others.
C)In terms of answering questions,men tend to provide more information than needed,while women tend to be quick and to the point.
D)Men tend to withdraw and isolate themselves when problem solving,whereas women seek out others for support and can interpret men's withdrawing as lack of caring.
E)Men are more likely than women to indicate that they are uncertain about an issue.

Question 57

At the end of the fiscal year,Dilinger Investments releases an earnings report to clients.By sending the earnings reports to its clients,Dilinger Investments is communicating

A)vertically.
B)externally.
C)horizontally.
D)downward.
E)upward.

Question 58

The grapevine is

A)a formal communication channel.
B)almost wholly inaccurate.
C)slower than formal channels.
D)the source of as much as 90 percent of all organizational communication.
E)more active when official communication is lacking.

Question 59

Which of the following indicates how official communications should be routed?

A)organizational chart
B)grapevine
C)lateral networks
D)corporate culture
E)personnel files

Question 60

The dean at Corbin Business College disseminated a new five-year strategic plan to department chairs.This is an example of ________ communication.

A)external
B)horizontal
C)corporate
D)downward
E)informal

Question 61

Which of the following is the best advice for face-to-face communication?

A)Begin with good news,and lead up to bad news.
B)Use a face-to-face meeting as an opportunity to multitask.
C)Hold "town hall" meetings daily.
D)Speak "off the cuff" rather than preparing a dull list of topics that need to be discussed.
E)Have face-to-face meetings spontaneously when you encounter a co-worker in the daily course of doing business (for example,in the copy room or lunch room).

Question 62

Active ______ is the process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal messages,which requires full attention and processing.

A)empathizing
B)comprehension
C)hearing
D)listening
E)evaluation

Question 63

Which of the following is not appropriate to include in the conclusion of a speech?

A)a signal phrase to cue listeners about the wind-up
B)"Thank you"
C)a call to action
D)details you forgot from earlier
E)a little upbeat story or a quotation

Question 64

Which of the following is not an element of an effective social media policy?

A)Encourage employees to post honest,bold,and even unpopular decisions.
B)Align social policy with the organization's culture.
C)Explain what is considered illegal.
D)Clarify what is confidential.
E)Create safe channels for employees to air their concerns before going online.

Question 65

Active listening requires all of the following except

A)decoding.
B)interpreting verbal messages.
C)full attention.
D)processing of information.
E)focusing on the delivery rather than content.

Question 66

Which term refers to the use of the Internet at work for personal use?

A)cyberloafing
B)jargon
C)crowdsourcing
D)cyberthreat
E)media policy

Question 67

Which of the following is an example of controlling communication?

A)You must complete the audit by Friday of this week.
B)I have been sensing that you're dissatisfied with this job assignment.
C)You can try doing it that way,but it won't work.
D)I've been doing this job for much longer than you have;I know the right way to do it.
E)Let's put our heads together and figure out a better way to accomplish this task.

Question 68

Which of the following is an example of empathetic communication?

A)"We need to get this job finished on time if we want to keep our jobs."
B)"These intense deadlines are both unreasonable and unfair."
C)"You don't have a choice;this is the job we hired you to do."
D)"I understand your frustration;this deadline is intense,and we're running on reduced staff."
E)"If you don't like your job,we can easily replace you."

Question 69

Imagine that you work for a life insurance company.The company is offering a new type of life insurance policy for senior citizens (people over age 65)and retirees.Keeping generational differences in mind,which of the following is the best medium for communicating with potential customers/clients?

A)e-mail
B)YouTube videos
C)telephone calls
D)Facebook
E)text messages

Question 70

Among people age 18-24,the most popular social network is _______;among people aged 35-44,the most popular social network is ________.

A)Facebook,Pinterest
B)Twitter,Google+
C)Instagram,Tumblr
D)Snapchat;LinkedIn
E)Pinterest,Twitter

Question 71

Which of the following is an example of a barrier in cross-cultural communication?

A)You are trying to get through to a colleague on the telephone,but you keep getting a buy signal.
B)Men are less likely than women to indicate that they are unsure about an issue.
C)The "OK" hand symbol means "all right" or fine in the United States,but is considered an insult in parts of Europe.
D)Those over the age of 70 are significantly less likely to use any form of social media.
E)Due to a hurricane affecting the East Coast,all Internet connections are down for thousands of miles.

Question 72

Doug gave some people street directions,but because they only nodded their heads and didn't repeat the directions back to him,he doesn't really know whether the directions were understood.What type of barrier is present here?

A)feedback
B)sender
C)encoding
D)medium
E)decoding

Question 73

The source for crowdsourcing is most often

A)executive advisory councils.
B)the Internet and social media.
C)boards of directors.
D)professional associations.
E)competitors.

Question 74

Ryan is sitting in a seminar where a speaker is explaining the company's retirement plan options.Ryan is only 24 years old,and he thinks retirement is so far away that he doesn't think he needs to pay attention to the speaker.He starts texting his friends and updating his Facebook page;he even slumps in his chair.He has completely tuned out of the presentation.Ryan's listening style in this case is best described as

A)detached.
B)active.
C)involved.
D)passive.
E)passive-aggressive.

Question 75

Which of the following is a tip for writing more effectively for business purposes?

A)avoid using a subject line when sending an e-mail
B)start by stating your purpose and what you expect of the reader
C)use the passive voice (rather than the active voice)
D)construct interesting,complex sentences
E)begin an e-mail with an informal greeting like "Hey"

Question 76

Generally,typical listeners retain _____ of what they hear.

A)5 percent
B)all
C)75 percent
D)two-thirds
E)20-50 percent

Question 77

Which of the following statements is not true of social media?

A)Social media can lead to hiring discrimination by revealing applicants' religious affiliation,age,family composition,or sexual orientation.
B)Your overall presence on the Internet and social media sites should reflect a mature and responsible individual and include nothing you'd be afraid to see in the newspaper.
C)In terms of job recruiting,LinkedIn is the most widely used social media site.
D)The use of social media in the workplace often leads to reduced turnover,higher performance,and increased job satisfaction.
E)Social media rarely reduces productivity in the workplace.

Question 78

Which of the following is not a suggestion that may help you be a good listener?

A)show respect for the speaker;do not interrupt
B)ask good questions
C)paraphrase and summarize remarks
D)use nonverbal cues to demonstrate interest and involvement
E)mentally compose your response

Question 79

Which of the following is not one of the top five qualities that employers are looking for most in college graduates?

A)leadership
B)teamwork
C)creativity
D)problem-solving skills
E)written and verbal communication skills

Question 80

The introduction to a business speech should

A)get right to the point.
B)contain at least one joke.
C)contain a phrase like "I'm honored to be here."
D)contain significant details of the presentation.
E)contain an unrelated story to catch the interest of the audience.