Deck 2: Mastering Team Skills and Interpersonal Communication

Question 1

The primary difference between constructive feedback and destructive feedback is

A)constructive feedback is focused on the people involved.
B)destructive feedback is focused on the process and outcomes of communication.
C)constructive feedback can hurt people's feelings.
D)destructive feedback delivers criticism with no guidance for improvement.

Answer 1

D
Explanation:D)Destructive feedback is purely negative; it has no constructive or positive component. Typically, destructive feedback consists of a person evaluating the performance or product of another person in a purely negative way, without any information about what went wrong or how to fix the item.

Question 2

During the ________ of the group-development process, the members of a problem-solving team would begin to discuss their positions and become more assertive in establishing their roles.

A)conflict phase
B)reinforcement phase
C)orientation phase
D)brainstorming phase

Answer 2

A
Explanation:A)In the conflict phase of the group-development process, different opinions and perspectives begin to emerge. During orientation, team members get to know one another. Roles are established during orientation and group members begin developing group norms and goals.

Question 3

Writing for websites often involves the use of ________, which organize and control content and support teamwork.

A)wikis
B)shared workspaces
C)word processing software
D)content management systems

Answer 3

D
Explanation:D)Content management systems organize and control website content and include features that help team members work together on webpages and other documents.

Question 4

One member of a task force on which you serve is particularly good at helping other members get along and work through their differences. This individual plays a

A)team-maintenance role.
B)task-oriented role.
C)self-oriented role.
D)coordinating role.

Question 5

"Virtual offices" that give everyone on a team access to the same set of resources and information are called

A)instant messaging software.
B)videoconferencing systems.
C)shared workspaces.
D)none of the above.

Question 6

In participative management

A)employees are involved in the company's decision making.
B)all top-level managers participate in profit sharing.
C)teams are discouraged in favor of individual achievement.
D)an authoritarian management model is used.

Question 7

All of the following except ________ are elements of the group development process.

A)anticipation
B)emergence
C)brainstorming
D)reinforcement

Question 8

Groupthink refers to

A)the willingness of individual group members to withhold contrary or unpopular opinions, even when those objections are legitimate, and to favor majority opinion.
B)the four-step decision-making process in groups.
C)software programs that help groups make decisions.
D)the basic rules that underlie a group's behavior and guide the group to make its decisions that operates primarily in large groups but can also be seen in small groups.

Question 9

Which of the following is not a way teams help organizations to succeed?

A)Increase information and knowledge
B)Increase groupthink among members
C)Increase performance levels
D)Increase diversity of views

Question 10

Social networking technologies can help a company create communities of practice that

A)allow employees to develop new workplace skills.
B)give disgruntled employees a forum for venting their frustrations.
C)discourage socializing so that individual employees can get their work done.
D)link employees to others with similar professional interests throughout the organization.

Question 11

When you encounter someone who is resistant to change

A)confront the person aggressively.
B)overcome resistance with logic.
C)empathize with the person's concerns.
D)tell that person to quit whining and get back to work.

Question 12

A ________ usually has a long life span and typically deals with regularly recurring tasks.

A)task force
B)work group
C)committee
D)problem-solving team

Question 13

Group members who are motivated mainly to fulfill personal needs play a

A)team-maintenance role.
B)task-facilitating role.
C)self-oriented role.
D)coordinating role.

Question 14

When composing collaborative messages, the best strategy is to

A)avoid composing as a group.
B)begin by letting all members "do their own thing" and then seeing what they all produce.
C)let all members use their own preferred software.
D)make the team as large as possible so that every possible area of expertise will be covered.

Question 15

________ are informal standards of conduct that team members share.

A)Group maintenance roles
B)Rules of parliamentary procedure
C)Group norms
D)Robert's Rules

Question 16

Much of your workplace communication will occur during in-person or online meetings. If you're leading a meeting, you can help to make sure it's productive by

A)preparing carefully.
B)conducting the meeting efficiently.
C)using meeting technologies wisely.
D)all of the above.

Question 17

A hidden agenda refers to

A)a meeting agenda that is not revealed to others outside the meeting group.
B)individuals harboring motives that are concealed from the rest of the group.
C)an agenda that members must look for before they can attend a meeting.
D)an approach to group dynamics that helps facilitate group functioning.

Question 18

You and several coworkers serve on a task force charged with updating the company's personnel-policy manual. To proceed effectively, you should concentrate on

A)pointing out as many typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors as possible.
B)ensuring that all members have a clear and shared sense of purpose.
C)making other team members feel good.
D)doing all of the above.

Question 19

Only one sales representative can go to the conference in Hawaii, but both Susan and Sean want to go. After much discussion and arguing, they draw straws and Susan gets the trip. This is an example of

A)a win-lose situation.
B)the five-step decision-making process.
C)the best way to deal with a conflict.
D)all of the above.

Question 20

Which one of the following is not a dysfunctional team role?

A)Controlling
B)Diverting
C)Initiating
D)Withdrawing

Question 21

The best time to distribute an agenda for a meeting is

A)before the meeting.
B)at the start of the meeting.
C)during the meeting.
D)after the meeting.

Question 22

Conducting successful virtual meetings requires ________ before the meeting and ________ during the meeting.

A)less planning, less diligence
B)more planning, more diligence
C)less planning, more diligence
D)more planning, less diligence

Question 23

The first step in the basic listening process is

A)physically receiving the message.
B)interpreting the message.
C)evaluating the message.
D)encoding the message.

Question 24

Within 48 hours, people tend to forget approximately ________ percent of what was said in a 10-minute conversation.

A)1
B)10
C)50
D)90

Question 25

For a formal meeting, appoint one person to record a ________ to summarize the important highlights of the meeting.

A)detailed meeting agenda
B)set of meeting minutes
C)pro-forma meeting matrix
D)list of personal impressions

Question 26

If you are engaging in critical listening, your goal is to

A)understand and retain information.
B)understand the speaker's feelings, needs, and wants.
C)evaluate the logic and validity of the message.
D)appreciate the speaker's point of view.

Question 27

Selective listening refers to

A)a highly focused form of listening.
B)letting one's mind wander until something personally relevant is said.
C)a form of defensive listening.
D)listening only long enough to get a word in edgewise.

Question 28

Which of the following meeting technologies would be most effective for negotiations, collaborative problem solving, and other complex discussions?

A)Instant messaging
B)Teleconference
C)Telepresence
D)None of the above

Question 29

Which of the following statements about nonverbal communication is false?

A)Facial expressions are a primary means of conveying emotions.
B)A person's voice carries both intended and unintended nonverbal cues.
C)Nonverbal signals can be used to assert both authority and intimacy.
D)Mastering nonverbal signals will allow you to "read someone like a book."

Question 30

If you are listening mainly to understand the speaker's message, you are engaging in

A)content listening.
B)critical listening.
C)empathic listening.
D)active listening.

Question 31

Successful teamwork, productive meetings, effective listening, and nonverbal communication all depend on ________ among all participants.

A)face-to-face contact
B)mutual respect and consideration
C)common cultural reference points
D)the use of the latest communication technology

Question 32

If you're the designated leader of a meeting,

A)don't interfere if the discussion departs from the goals of the meeting.
B)allow introverted participants to disengage from the meeting.
C)try to simply act as an observer, and let the meeting "run itself."
D)do none of the above.

Question 33

An effective listener tries to practice ________ in an effort to hear and understand what the other party is saying.

A)emphatic listening
B)critical listening
C)active listening
D)content listening

Question 34

A reliable employee you supervise has come to speak with you about a leave of absence related to personal issues. To understand her feelings and needs, you should engage in

A)content listening.
B)empathic listening.
C)critical listening.
D)sustained listening.

Question 35

According to the theory of nonverbal communication, touch

A)is the least important form of nonverbal communication.
B)is the great equalizer, putting people of different status on the same footing.
C)should be completely avoided in all business situations.
D)is governed by cultural customs that establish who can touch whom and when.

Question 36

Which of the following is not an important consideration related to etiquette in the workplace?

A)The clothing you wear to work
B)Your grooming habits
C)Your telephone skills
D)Your height and weight

Question 37

At the last staff meeting, someone suggested that using parliamentary procedure would help make the meetings more efficient. To learn more about parliamentary procedure, which of the following should you consult?

A)SEC Standards of Ethics
B)Robert's Rules of Order
C)Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
D)Fundamental Meeting Management

Question 38

Nonverbal signals can ________ a verbal message.

A)strengthen
B)weaken
C)replace
D)all of the above

Question 39

Some people use ________ to tune out anything that doesn't conform to their beliefs or their self images.

A)empathetic listening
B)constricted listening
C)egocentric listening
D)defensive listening

Question 40

Use of parliamentary procedure

A)tends to slow meetings down.
B)contributes to dissent among participants.
C)helps meetings run more smoothly.
D)is only useful for meetings with more than a dozen participants.

Question 41

Cross-functional teams perform several roles, but contain employees from the same department or division.

Question 42

A new co-worker from Russia asks you about North American greeting customs. You explain that in most business contexts,

A)women are expected to shake hands differently than men.
B)it is not necessary to stand up before shaking hands if you are already seated.
C)shaking hands is now widely regarded as an outdated custom.
D)a firm handshake is expected when two people meet.

Question 43

Group members who play team-maintenance roles help everyone to work better together.

Question 44

Group members who play task-facilitating roles are motivated to fulfill personal needs, so they tend to be less productive than other members.

Question 45

Using mobile phones during meetings is

A)routine in today's high-tech workplace.
B)now restricted or prohibited in many organizations.
C)an effective way to show your professionalism.
D)all of the above.

Question 46

With collaborative writing, the usual outcome is a document that is inferior to one that would have been produced by a single individual.

Question 47

If you are trying to solve a problem or make a decision, the more people in your meeting the better.

Question 48

One characteristic of effective teams is that one leader tends to take charge and make all the major decisions.

Question 49

When receiving business-related phone calls,

A)you should use frequent verbal responses (such as, "I see")to show that you are listening.
B)it is impolite to say things such as, "I understand" while the other person is speaking.
C)it is perfectly acceptable to put the caller on hold without explanation.
D)do none of the above.

Question 50

To resolve conflicts successfully, it is helpful to get opponents to fight together against an "outside force" (such as increased competition)instead of against each other.

Question 51

Conflict between persons or groups in an organization is always destructive and must be avoided at all costs.

Question 52

In the phenomenon of groupthink, the team may arrive at poor-quality decisions and even act unethically.

Question 53

Whenever you're representing your company online, all of the following except ________ will help you maintain a high standard of business etiquette.

A)differentiating facts from opinions and supporting facts with evidence.
B)assuming that people are available to discuss work-related issues around the clock.
C)following basic expectations of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
D)watching your language and keeping your emotions under control.

Question 54

Despite the advantages of teamwork, the costs can be high.

Question 55

A team consists of two or more people who share a mission and the responsibility for working to achieve their goals.

Question 56

Unproductive meetings are rare in today's business environment.

Question 57

The main role of the meeting leader is to be passive and let others speak without interference.

Question 58

When introducing yourself to someone in a business context, you should always include a brief description of

A)one of your personal interests or hobbies.
B)your role in the company.
C)your company's history.
D)all of the above.

Question 59

Cloud computing offers little that can affect how teams conduct virtual meetings.

Question 60

To resolve conflict successfully, it helps to get feelings out in the open before dealing with the main issues.

Question 61

Group ________ are the interactions and processes that take place in a meeting.

Question 62

The primary goal of empathic listening is to solve the speaker's problem.

Question 63

Now that technology is so vital in the workplace, few executives view listening as an important skill.

Question 64

Teams need to learn how to handle ________ : clashes over differences in ideas, opinions, goals, or procedures.

Question 65

When it comes to personal appearance in the workplace, it's best to match your style to the expectations of your organization.

Question 66

These days, no one is bothered when employees use mobile phones in meetings.

Question 67

________ management is a way of involving employees in the company's decision making.

Question 68

Group ________ are informal standards of conduct that members share and that guide member behavior.

Question 69

When conducting business over a meal, you should wait to bring out business papers until after the entrée plates have been removed.

Question 70

The use of time and space can send powerful nonverbal signals.

Question 71

________ refers to working together to meet complex challenges.

Question 72

Some group members have ________ ________ made up of private motives that affect the group's interaction.

Question 73

When planning a meeting, the group leader prepares a(n)________ of items to discuss, topics to present, or decisions to make.

Question 74

Most audiences are unable to process information as quickly as a speaker talks, so they get behind in comprehending what the speaker is saying.

Question 75

Unlike with verbal language, the meanings of nonverbal signals are consistent across cultures.

Question 76

Selective listening is an important skill for professionals, since it helps them filter out information that is not relevant to their jobs.

Question 77

________ procedure is a time-tested method for planning and running effective meetings.

Question 78

Most people need to improve their listening skills.

Question 79

In the ________ phase of team evolution, team members reach a decision and find a solution that is acceptable enough for all members to support (even if they have reservations).

Question 80

Group loyalty can lead members into ________, a willingness to set aside personal opinions and go along with everyone else, even if everyone else is wrong.