Q&A Hero

Q: Drawbacks of inefficient meetings include all of the following EXCEPT A. inefficiency contributes to an atmosphere of cynicism. B. ineffective meetings reduce an organization's productivity. C. unproductive meetings in U.S. businesses waste as much as $37 billion annually. D. meetings give ambitious workers a much-needed break from their individual tasks.

Q: Michelle attended a professional conference and must submit a report to her supervisor. She should write an analytical report. a. True b. False

Q: Explain four of the various ways groups can make decisions. For each of your chosen methods, explain its advantages and disadvantages.

Q: An expanded statement of purpose includes three additional factors: the scope, significance, and limitations of the report. a. True b. False

Q: Compare Step 3 (establish criteria) and Step 4 (generate possible solutions) of the reflective-thinking sequence. In your discussion, describe the difference between a criterion and the solution. Give examples of each. Explain why each step is important.

Q: Table 4 shows that three fourths of the respondents oppose the proposed tax is an effective reference to a visual aid in a report. a. True b. False

Q: What are the seven steps in the reflective-thinking sequence? What is it helpful to follow these steps in chronological order?

Q: One purpose of documenting report data is to save time. a. True b. False

Q: What are the seven steps in the reflective-thinking sequence? Why can it be helpful to follow these steps in chronological order?

Q: To increase your report's credibility, you should quote directly as often as possible. a. True b. False

Q: What is nominal group technique? When should it be used? Describe what occurs in each of its five phases. What is the purpose for each step?

Q: What is the purpose of brainstorming? Identify three cardinal rules and three tips for healthy brainstorming. Explain why each is important.

Q: Infographics are more difficult to read than written text because they display complex information. a. True b. False

Q: Examples of firsthand (or primary) research include conducting interviews, asking people to complete a survey, or conducting a scientific experiment. a. True b. False

Q: John Stuart Mill wrote: "Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption." Compare and contrast these stages with Aubrey Fisher's stages of group problem solving.

Q: Compare and contrast the essential steps a leader should take in opening and concluding a meeting. Look for similarities and differences in the steps, their purpose, and their impact.

Q: As long as you put the research you find into your own words, you don't have to cite your source. a. True b. False

Q: If readers are familiar with or supportive of the topic, the report should be organized indirectly. a. True b. False

Q: Identify four types of questions designed to encourage group members to participate. Explain each type of question and when it should be used. Write one example of each type.

Q: Discuss key characteristics of groupthink. Then identify guidelines a group could follow to discourage groupthink from occurring.

Q: The addition of cyberspace has clarified the concept of "fair use" of others' intellectual property, resulting in more defined boundaries and rules. a. True b. False

Q: Imagine you are a member of a group that exhibits very little cohesiveness and disagrees on most issues. Identify three actions you would recommend to promote greater cohesion? Explain why you would recommend these actions.

Q: Academic researchers prefer Web resources such as blogs and discussion forums because they are considered more credible. a. True b. False

Q: Compare and contrast: group norms, group cohesion, and groupthink.

Q: Indicate whether the statement is true or false.Bar charts are useful for comparing related items, illustrating changes in data over time, and showing segments as a part of the whole.a. Trueb. False

Q: If you expect resistance or need to educate the reader, use the direct approach for your persuasive message. a. True b. False

Q: Describe the relationship among individual goals, group goals, and hidden agendas. How do these different types of goals influence how the group functions? How would you recommend a group leader handle conflicts that arise between individual and group goals?

Q: What are the differences between task functions and relational functions in a group? Give two examples of essential task functions and two examples of essential relational functions. For each example, explain its benefit for the group.

Q: Indicate whether the statement is true or false.To overcome resistance most effectively, a message should directly address every possible objection your reader might have.a. Trueb. False

Q: Successful business communicators create persuasive memos, letters, e-mail messages, reports, and presentations that get the results they want. List and explain four techniques discussed in the chapter that can help you persuade your colleagues, superiors, and clients.

Q: Define, describe, and give an example of four of the types of power discussed in the textbook.

Q: The chapter discusses several techniques to gain the attention of your reader in the opening of a persuasive message. List three of these techniques and write an original example of each.

Q: You are present at the formation of a new group. You want to be considered for leadership in this group. Describe four or five behaviors you could pursue that would encourage the group to see you as a leader. For each behavior, tell why it would likely have the desired effect.

Q: Describe the difference between rational appeals and emotional appeals and explain when you would use each. Then write an example of each type of appeal as it might appear in a sales message.

Q: Summarize key points of the Leader Member Exchange (LMX) theory. In your summary, also explain what this theory teaches us about the roles the effective group members.

Q: Why did scholars eventually abandon the trait approach and the style approach to studying effective leadership? Describe one of the contingency approaches. What does it suggest about effective leadership?

Q: All the effort you put into a sales message goes to waste if the reader fails to act. Identify three types of motivators that you might include to give the reader an extra "push" and provide an example of each.

Q: What is virtual teamwork? Discuss advantages and disadvantages of virtual teamwork.

Q: You would like to invite a local Digital Marketing Specialist to speak at the next monthly meeting of your student business organization. Write a persuasive request letter extending the invitation. Write only the body of the letter; you can omit the address, salutation, complimentary close, and enclosure line.

Q: In their book Teamwork: What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong, Larson and LaFasto describe eight characteristics that characterize highly successful teams. Identify any four of these characteristics. Choose a team you are familiar with, and explain how this team could implement your chosen characteristics.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: Persuasion is defined as a ________ process in which communicators try to convince other people to change their attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice.

Q: Describe five significant characteristics that distinguish work-centered groups from an "assembly of people." In your description, explain why each characteristic is significant.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: The most important ingredient of a press release is ________; articles that merely plug products often get thrown away or remain unread.

Q: Identify five conditions that indicate it is best to assign a task to a team rather than to individuals. Illustrate each condition with an example.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: Use facts, figures, expert opinions, and examples in a persuasive message to build __________ in your product or idea.

Q: To prevent groupthink, influential leaders should state their opinions at the beginning of the group's discussion.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: The use of _______, which are quotes from satisfied customers praising a product or service, are popular in sales messages.

Q: Risky shift refers to groups taking positions that are more extreme (either conservative or risky) than members would take on their own.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: A claim message should be developed ________; that is, it should open with an objective statement of the problem before explaining precisely what happened or why your claim is legitimate.

Q: Groupthink is a term that means "a group's optimal level of cohesion."

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: According to the AIDA strategy, the opening paragraph of a persuasive request should gain the ________ of the reader.

Q: Research shows that a high level of cohesiveness will ensure a high degree of productivity toward organizational goals.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: Because managers are just as resistant to change as others are, subordinates should use the ________ organizational pattern when convincing management to adopt a procedure or to invest in a product or new equipment.

Q: Cohesiveness refers to the degree to which group members consider themselves to be a part of the group.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: ________ appeals related to reason and intellect are often translated into making money and increasing efficiency.

Q: When you first enter an established group, it is a good idea to watch the way group members interact and to ask knowledgeable members about appropriate ways of behaving.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: When you expect your reader to resist your request, it's best to use the ________ organizational pattern.

Q: It is best to postpone establishing group norms until after a few meetings so members can get to know one another first.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: Language that attempts to manipulate by distorting or twisting the meaning is called ________.

Q: Group norms are influenced by organizational culture.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: If you are asking for something that you know will be approved, use the ________ organizational pattern.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: The main theme of your _______ in a sales letter is your central selling point.

Q: Hidden agendas refer to topics of discussion during secret meetings between group members.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: The best persuasive requests anticipate and attempt to counter audience ________.

Q: Your textbook indicates that group members should be discouraged from attempting to meet their individual goals through group participation.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: Many charities rely in large part on ________ benefits to promote their causes, such as the feeling of helping those in need.

Q: Successful groups will satisfy members' personal goals as well as group goals.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: If a previous claim letter has been refused or ignored, then a more persuasive approach using the ________ organizational pattern might be appropriate.

Q: Sometimes the individual's goal in a group is identical to the group's shared goal.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: To establish ________, show your reader that you are truthful, experienced, and knowledgeable.

Q: Having too many people fill a functional role while leaving other roles unfilled detracts from effective group communication and function.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: The goal of a persuasive message is to convert the receiver to your ideas and motivate ________.

Q: "Withdrawer" is one of the relational functions that helps a group perform well.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: What if? scenarios can help you develop ________ to address receiver resistance to your message.

Q: The "direction giver" is a functional role in groups.

Q: Fill in the blank in the following sentence: ________ appeals used to build interest in sales messages relate to status, ego, and sensual feelings.

Q: A group member who asks others for task related information is playing the role of "information seeker".

Q: The functional perspective of leadership allows us to diagnose a troubled group to see which functions are not being filled and then take steps to fill those functions.

Q: On a website advertising its LSAT preparation classes, The Princeton Review includes this sentence: Since 1998, more than 99% of our surveyed students have said they would recommend Law Preview to entering law students. This persuasive technique relies on ________.a. indirect benefits to the readerb. expert opinionc. facts and statisticsd. problem description

Q: Subordinates who have expertise, access to information, or social connections to important people sometimes have as much or more power in an organization than the officially designated leaders.