Question 1

The difference between saying "You are stubborn" and "This is the second time we are unable to reach agreement" is the difference between what two types of communication?

Accepted Answer

A)  Congruent and incongruent communication 
B)  Owned and disowned communication 
C)  Superior and egalitarian communication 
D)  Person- and problem-oriented communication

Question 2

One suggested reason as to why communication remains a major problem for managers is that they are expected to focus on what organizational goals should be, not how to accomplish the organizational goals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

The CEO from headquarters has just arrived. You make some opening comments and she replies, "I'm glad to be here. I look forward to talking to everyone here that has made this plant number one." Looking straight at you she continues, "My time is yours to do as you see fit." She then looks at her watch. What type of communication is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

A)  Congruent communication 
B)  Supportive communication 
C)  Incongruent communication 
D)  Disowned communication

Question 4

One aspect of supportive communication, listening and responding effectively to someone else's statements, is at least as important as delivering supportive messages.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

When using descriptive communication to help modify someone's behavior, what should a person do?

Accepted Answer

A)  First describe reactions to the behavior, describe the behavior, and then suggest an alternative behavior. 
B)  First describe the behavior, describe reactions to the behavior, and then suggest an alternative behavior. 
C)  First discuss the problem, then the alternatives, and then decide on a solution. 
D)  Describe the behavior, describe why it's a bad behavior, then describe what will happen (the consequences) if the person keeps doing the behavior.

Question 6

Find Somebody Else
Ronnie Davis, the relatively new general manager of the machine tooling group at Parker Manufacturing, was visiting one of the plants. He scheduled a meeting with Mike Leonard, a plant manager who reported to him.
 RONNIE: Mike, I've scheduled this meeting with you because I've been reviewing performance data and I wanted to give you some feedback. I know we haven't talked face-to-face before, but I think it's time we review how you're doing. I'm afraid that some of the things I have to say are not very favorable.
 MIKE: Well, since you're the new boss, I guess I'll have to listen. I've had meetings like this before with new people who come in my plant and think they know what's going on.
 RONNIE: Look, Mike, I want this to be a two-way interchange. I'm not here to read a verdict to you, and I'm not here to tell you how to do your job. There are just some areas for improvement I want to review.
 MIKE: Okay, sure, I've heard that before. But you called the meeting. Go ahead and lower the boom.
 RONNIE: Well, Mike, I don't think this is lowering the boom. But there are several things you need to hear. One is what I noticed during the plant tour. I think you're too chummy with some of your female personnel. You know, one of them might take offense and level a sexual harassment suit against you.
 MIKE: Oh, come on. You haven't been around this plant before, and you don't know the informal, friendly relationships we have. The office staff and the women on the floor are flattered by a little attention now and then.
 RONNIE: That may be so, but you need to be more careful. You may not be sensitive to what's really going on with them. But that raises another thing I noticed-the appearance of your shop. You know how important it is in Parker to have a neat and clean shop. As I walked through this morning, I noticed that it wasn't as orderly and neat as I would like to see it. Having things in disarray reflects poorly on you, Mike.
 MIKE: I'll stack my plant up against any in Parker for neatness. You may have seen a few tools out of place because someone was just using them, but we take a lot of pride in our neatness. I don't see how you can say that things are in disarray. You've got no experience around here, so who are you to judge?
 RONNIE: Well, I'm glad you're sensitive to the neatness issue. I just think you need to pay attention to it, that's all. But regarding neatness, I notice that you don't dress like a plant manager. I think you're creating a substandard impression by not wearing a tie, for example. Casualness in dress can be used as an excuse for workers to come to work in really grubby attire. That may not be safe.
 MIKE: Look, I don't agree with making a big separation between the managers and the employees. By dressing like people out on the shop floor, I think we eliminate a lot of barriers. Besides, I don't have the money to buy clothes that might get oil on them every day. That seems pretty picky to me.
 RONNIE: I don't want to seem picky, Mike. But I do feel strongly about the issues I've mentioned. There are some other things, though, that need to get corrected. One is the appearance of the reports you send into division headquarters. There are often mistakes, misspellings, and, I suspect, some wrong numbers. I wonder if you are paying attention to these reports. You seem to be reviewing them superficially.
 MIKE: If there is one thing we have too much of, it's reports. I could spend three-quarters of my time filling out report forms and generating data for some bean counter in headquarters. We have reports coming out our ears. Why don't you give us a chance to get our work done and eliminate all this paperwork?
 RONNIE: You know as well as I do, Mike, that we need to carefully monitor our productivity, quality, and costs. You just need to get more serious about taking care of that part of your responsibility.
 MIKE: Okay. I'm not going to fight about that. It's a losing battle for me. No one at headquarters will ever decrease their demand for reports. But, listen, Ronnie, I also have one question for you.
 RONNIE: Okay. What's that?
 MIKE: Why don't you go find somebody else to pick on?
-If you were to change this interaction to make it more productive, what would you change?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Find Somebody Else
Ronnie Davis, the relatively new...

Question 7

The type of response that provides instruction or direction is an advising response.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Which of the following is not one of the attributes of high quality connections?

Accepted Answer

A)  Respectful engagement 
B)  Task enabling 
C)  Trusting 
D)  Playfulness 
E)  All of these are attributes of high quality connections.

Question 9

You comment to a co-worker, "My supervisor, Maxine, is dictatorial." This is an example of person-oriented communication.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Studies have found that productivity at work is markedly higher when relationships are positive.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Your boss has just left your office. You heard what she said but feel there was a hidden message in her statements. What type of communication did your boss most likely practice?

Accepted Answer

A)  Supportive communication 
B)  Nonsupportive communication (it was person-oriented communication) 
C)  Nonsupportive communication (it was incongruent communication) 
D)  Nonsupportive communication (it was evaluative communication) 
E)  Nonsupportive communication (it was problem-oriented communication)

Question 12

A personal management interview program is a regularly scheduled meeting including a manager and all of his or her employees. The meeting allows everyone the chance to talk together about particular issues.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Explain and give an example for each of two major obstacles to effective interpersonal communication.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain and give an example for each...

Question 14

Find Somebody Else
Ronnie Davis, the relatively new general manager of the machine tooling group at Parker Manufacturing, was visiting one of the plants. He scheduled a meeting with Mike Leonard, a plant manager who reported to him.
 RONNIE: Mike, I've scheduled this meeting with you because I've been reviewing performance data and I wanted to give you some feedback. I know we haven't talked face-to-face before, but I think it's time we review how you're doing. I'm afraid that some of the things I have to say are not very favorable.
 MIKE: Well, since you're the new boss, I guess I'll have to listen. I've had meetings like this before with new people who come in my plant and think they know what's going on.
 RONNIE: Look, Mike, I want this to be a two-way interchange. I'm not here to read a verdict to you, and I'm not here to tell you how to do your job. There are just some areas for improvement I want to review.
 MIKE: Okay, sure, I've heard that before. But you called the meeting. Go ahead and lower the boom.
 RONNIE: Well, Mike, I don't think this is lowering the boom. But there are several things you need to hear. One is what I noticed during the plant tour. I think you're too chummy with some of your female personnel. You know, one of them might take offense and level a sexual harassment suit against you.
 MIKE: Oh, come on. You haven't been around this plant before, and you don't know the informal, friendly relationships we have. The office staff and the women on the floor are flattered by a little attention now and then.
 RONNIE: That may be so, but you need to be more careful. You may not be sensitive to what's really going on with them. But that raises another thing I noticed-the appearance of your shop. You know how important it is in Parker to have a neat and clean shop. As I walked through this morning, I noticed that it wasn't as orderly and neat as I would like to see it. Having things in disarray reflects poorly on you, Mike.
 MIKE: I'll stack my plant up against any in Parker for neatness. You may have seen a few tools out of place because someone was just using them, but we take a lot of pride in our neatness. I don't see how you can say that things are in disarray. You've got no experience around here, so who are you to judge?
 RONNIE: Well, I'm glad you're sensitive to the neatness issue. I just think you need to pay attention to it, that's all. But regarding neatness, I notice that you don't dress like a plant manager. I think you're creating a substandard impression by not wearing a tie, for example. Casualness in dress can be used as an excuse for workers to come to work in really grubby attire. That may not be safe.
 MIKE: Look, I don't agree with making a big separation between the managers and the employees. By dressing like people out on the shop floor, I think we eliminate a lot of barriers. Besides, I don't have the money to buy clothes that might get oil on them every day. That seems pretty picky to me.
 RONNIE: I don't want to seem picky, Mike. But I do feel strongly about the issues I've mentioned. There are some other things, though, that need to get corrected. One is the appearance of the reports you send into division headquarters. There are often mistakes, misspellings, and, I suspect, some wrong numbers. I wonder if you are paying attention to these reports. You seem to be reviewing them superficially.
 MIKE: If there is one thing we have too much of, it's reports. I could spend three-quarters of my time filling out report forms and generating data for some bean counter in headquarters. We have reports coming out our ears. Why don't you give us a chance to get our work done and eliminate all this paperwork?
 RONNIE: You know as well as I do, Mike, that we need to carefully monitor our productivity, quality, and costs. You just need to get more serious about taking care of that part of your responsibility.
 MIKE: Okay. I'm not going to fight about that. It's a losing battle for me. No one at headquarters will ever decrease their demand for reports. But, listen, Ronnie, I also have one question for you.
 RONNIE: Okay. What's that?
 MIKE: Why don't you go find somebody else to pick on?
-What principles of supportive communication and supportive listening are violated in this case?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Find Somebody Else
Ronnie Davis, the relatively new...

Question 15

Sometimes evaluative statements are necessary. Which of the following evaluative statements is most likely to cause defensiveness?

Accepted Answer

A)  "The quality of your reports does not meet the minimum acceptable standard." 
B)  "The quality of your reports has dropped from your previous level." 
C)  "If the quality of your reports does not improve, you could be re-assigned to a lower level position." 
D)  "The quality of your reports is the lowest in the organization."

Question 16

Which of the following supervisor statements is an example of coaching?

Accepted Answer

A)  "I'd really like to see you try to approach this problem more optimistically." 
B)  "Let's sit down and work through the audit process together this time so that you see what I'm looking for." 
C)  "You need to work on your attitude." 
D)  "Your teammates are expressing concern that you don't handle conflict well."

Question 17

The statement "I have decided to turn down your request" is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  conjunctive, not disjunctive communication. 
B)  owned, not disowned communication. 
C)  problem oriented, not person oriented communication. 
D)  specific, not global communication.

Question 18

You notice that your manager frequently interrupts you; when you ask him a question, you have to repeat it two or three times before he acknowledges you. Your manager is practicing which form of communication?

Accepted Answer

A)  Superiority-oriented 
B)  Rigidity 
C)  Indifference 
D)  Imperviousness

Question 19

"Either you do it now or never." Why is this statement useless?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is an inaccurate representation of reality. 
B)  It denies any alternatives. 
C)  It has potential for hidden agendas. 
D)  It invalidates the other person's identity.

Question 20

For a deflecting response to work, which principle of communication should one follow?

Accepted Answer

A)  Owned communication 
B)  Conjunctive communication 
C)  Descriptive communication 
D)  Global communication

Exam 4: Building Relationships by Communicating Supportively

The difference between saying "You are stubborn" and "This is the second time we are unable to reach agreement" is the difference between what two types of communication?

One suggested reason as to why communication remains a major problem for managers is that they are expected to focus on what organizational goals should be, not how to accomplish the organizational goals.

One aspect of supportive communication, listening and responding effectively to someone else's statements, is at least as important as delivering supportive messages.

When using descriptive communication to help modify someone's behavior, what should a person do?

The type of response that provides instruction or direction is an advising response.

Which of the following is not one of the attributes of high quality connections?

You comment to a co-worker, "My supervisor, Maxine, is dictatorial." This is an example of person-oriented communication.

Studies have found that productivity at work is markedly higher when relationships are positive.

Your boss has just left your office. You heard what she said but feel there was a hidden message in her statements. What type of communication did your boss most likely practice?

A personal management interview program is a regularly scheduled meeting including a manager and all of his or her employees. The meeting allows everyone the chance to talk together about particular issues.

Explain and give an example for each of two major obstacles to effective interpersonal communication.

Sometimes evaluative statements are necessary. Which of the following evaluative statements is most likely to cause defensiveness?

Which of the following supervisor statements is an example of coaching?

The statement "I have decided to turn down your request" is an example of

You notice that your manager frequently interrupts you; when you ask him a question, you have to repeat it two or three times before he acknowledges you. Your manager is practicing which form of communication?

"Either you do it now or never." Why is this statement useless?

For a deflecting response to work, which principle of communication should one follow?