Q&A Hero

Q: The preferred means of dealing with conflict is to A. remain silent B. talk about the conflict directly and openly C. avoid clear expressions of disagreement D. The preferred means of dealing with conflict varies across cultural groups.

Q: Eye contact indicates A. respect B. disrespect C. honesty D. any of these; the meaning of eye contact varies depending on the culture.

Q: You want to use precise, vigorous words to give your readers more information and keep them interested. Which of the following sentences has the best wording? a. Your order will ship next week. b. Please get back to me as soon as possible. c. Our latest income statement shows a decrease in profits. d. The March balance sheet reports a 10 percent decrease in expenses for the first quarter.

Q: When a person is silent, how should you interpret this? A. as a sign of timidity B. as a sign of dislike C. as a face-saving response D. The meaning of silence varies depending on the culture, the context, and the individual.

Q: A company's annual report describes the company's efforts to give back to the community. The primary purpose of this report is to ________; the secondary purpose is to ________. a. inform; promote goodwill b. persuade; inform c. inform; persuade d. promote goodwill; persuade

Q: Which of the following statements about culture is most accurate? A. Cultural variations rarely exist within a country. B. The values we learn from our culture are important, but they don't affect our communication. C. Most members of a culture can easily describe the "rules" of that culture. D. We are usually not even aware of our own culture's "rules."

Q: Adapting your message to the receivers needs means putting yourself in that persons shoes, which is also known as _______. a. profiling b. courtesy c. empathy d. positive emphasis

Q: Our own culture's standards are usually A. not obvious to us. B. easy for us to describe. C. meaningless. D. strange.

Q: When choosing the best channel for your message, you should consider the importance of the message, the amount and speed of feedback and interactivity required, the necessity of a permanent record, the cost of the channel, the degree of formality desired, the confidentiality and sensitivity of the message, and _________. a. the receivers preference and level of expertise b. the ability of the channel to showcase your technical expertise c. your own communication channel preferences d. the ability of the channel to make your company look cutting edge

Q: Cultural expectations are often ________________ to the people who live and communicate within that culture. A. useless B. invisible C. overwhelming D. disgusting

Q: Which of the following channels would be considered the richest media form? a. An instant message b. An annual report c. An e-mail message d. A live video chat

Q: Which of the following best describes the way cultural values develop? A. A person who moves to another country in middle age will never adopt the values of the new culture. B. A Korean born infant raised in the U.S. will have the same cultural values as her cousin who grew up in Seoul. C. We are born with a specific set of cultural values that does not change throughout our lives. D. Culture is learned, not innate.

Q: Which of the following is the final phase of the revision process? a. Proofreading carefully to ensure correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and format. b. Evaluating your message to decide whether it accomplishes your goal. c. Tracking changes in MS Word for later reference. d. Editing the message for clarity, conciseness, tone, and readability.

Q: All of the following characteristics except _____________ can help define culture. A. religion B. socioeconomic background C. sexual orientation D. All of these characteristics can affect culture.

Q: Which of the following statements about anticipating and profiling your audience is most accurate? a. If you don't actually know your readers, it is impossible to picture what they are like. b. Because postings to sites like Facebook and Twitter are so brief and informal, there is no need to anticipate your audience. c. You will adjust your tone, style, and content to accommodate the expectations and needs of your audience. d. You should profile your primary audience only.

Q: Culture refers to all of the following except A. inherited and innate characteristics. B. sets of values, beliefs and norms. C. learned behaviors shared by a group. D. a set of shared interpretations that affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people.

Q: The process of communication begins when ________. a. a message is put into words b. the message is sent over a communication channel to the receiver c. the sender has an idea d. the receiver actually receives the message and decodes it

Q: Sofia is an event planner and is responding to an e-mail request from a client. What should Sofia do during the second phase of the writing process? a. Check the format of the message. b. Proofread for spelling and grammar errors in the message. c. Determine the best organizational pattern for her reply message to the client. d. Analyze the situation and anticipate how her client will respond to her message.

Q: When employees don't understand the unspoken rules of the organization they work for, this often results in A. fewer complaints. B. customer satisfaction. C. reduced productivity. D. a reduced amount of gossip.

Q: As her supervisor explains a new procedure, Lisa paraphrases the steps back to him over the phone. Lisa's response is an example of ________. a. verbal feedback b. noise c. evaluation d. nonverbal feedback

Q: Employees whose values match the values of the organization they work for generally ________________ than employees whose values don't match the organization. A. are less successful B. show more commitment to their jobs C. seem less satisfied D. change jobs more frequently

Q: Robert says that he will answer his client's questions "as soon as possible." Robert plans to answer the questions by early next week; his client expects the answers by the end of the day. This misunderstanding results from ________. a. bypassing b. differing frames of reference c. noise d. using the incorrect communication channel

Q: One approach for learning about the culture of an organization that would probably NOT be helpful is: A. During your job interview, ask the interviewer if the company treats its employees respectfully. B. Notice how you are treated when you visit the company. C. Observe how well the building is maintained. D. Chat with employees in the cafeteria.

Q: Nora is trying to present her ideas concisely and clearly, realizing that length is not rewarded in workplace messages. She is focusing on being _______. a. purposeful b. audience oriented c. economical d. friendly

Q: Which of the following is NOT identified in your text as a dimension that can help you understand your organization's culture? A. what kinds of fun are considered appropriate B. ways in which achievement is rewarded C. the activities employees engage in D. All of these are important aspects to learn about an organization's culture.

Q: You want to simplify your language and use short, familiar words that your audience will recognize. Which of the following sentences has the best wording to accomplish this? a. Your remuneration will be commensurate with your results. b. Please substantiate that the new color scheme doesn't obfuscate the overall message. c. Employees are invited to attend a special luncheon next week. d. Your presence at Friday's meeting is compulsory.

Q: Which of the following is NOT suggested by your text as a way to learn about an organization's culture? A. Notice how you're treated when you deal with the organization's employees. B. Observe how clean the workplace is. C. Read written correspondence from the organization to see whether it has a welcoming tone. D. All of these are effective ways to learn about an organization's culture.

Q: Determining whether a message will be transmitted by e-mail or delivered in person is part of ________. a. selecting the appropriate audience for the message b. using the correct tone for the message c. adapting a message to the audience d. selecting an appropriate communication channel for the message

Q: Which of the following is NOT true about organizational culture? A. refers to the unique set of values of an organization B. shapes the degree of cooperation and competition within the organization C. governs the way employees interact with each other D. workers who don't conform to their organization's culture are rewarded

Q: Which of the following is an example of an internal disruption in the decoding process? a. Loud construction sounds outside prevent Samuel from hearing the message. b. Meaghan finds her mind drifting during a lecture as she thinks about her upcoming trip to Florence. c. Brandon is finding it hard to pay attention during the interview because the interviewer's phone keeps ringing. d. Sylvia finds it difficult to read her colleague's e-mail message because it's filled with grammatical errors and typos.

Q: According to the text, all of the following statements are true about the U.S. workforce except: A. In the U.S., engineering companies that have embraced diversity are losing their competitive edge. B. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2050 non-Hispanic whites will comprise only about one-half of the total population of the U.S. C. The ability to work effectively with people from other countries is becoming an essential qualification for managers of most large companies. D. Many foreign companies have set up operations in the U.S.

Q: Which of the following sentences uses bias-free language? a. Two firemen will collect the toy donations. b. Every flight attendant must submit her security clearance card before boarding. c. All managers and their wives are invited to Friday's cocktail party. d. The servers at Cafe Divine are always professional.

Q: You are a member of a culturally diverse work team. Your boss has asked you to develop a training seminar for your team in which you identify and describe five attitudes that would improve relationships among members of various cultures. Prepare a detailed sentence level outline you could use to present this seminar.

Q: ________ is the process of creating a message that suits your audience. a. Anticipation b. Adaptation c. Researching d. Analyzing

Q: Choose one of the ethical standards mentioned in your text. Explain what the standard means. Then, apply the standard to an ethical dilemma you've experienced to show how the standard can help in decision making.

Q: Explain how building a personal network could help you. Identify steps you could take to develop your own network. Provide specific examples to illustrate each step.

Q: Business writing should follow a rigid progression of distinct steps regardless of the type or purpose of the message.a. Trueb. False

Q: What is horizontal communication? Why is it useful? What are some obstacles that can interfere with effective horizontal communication? Suggest several steps a manager could follow to help improve horizontal communication in her organization.

Q: Define upward communication. Why is upward communication important? Why is upward communication considered to be risky? How can the quality of upward communication in an organization be improved?

Q: A live video chat is considered a richer medium than a written report or proposal. a. True b. False

Q: Define downward communication. What is the most frequent complaint about downward communication? Identify several functions of downward communication and illustrate these functions with an example.

Q: Team writing is especially important for documents that require the expertise or consensus of many people. a. True b. False

Q: Imagine that your boss has assigned you to conduct a 15-minute training session for new employees. Your objective is to present guidelines for selecting the best channel of communication to use for various types of messages. Prepare a detailed sentence level outline that you could use to conduct this seminar.

Q: A letter is an effective channel for an internal written message requiring formality or sensitivity. a. True b. False

Q: Consider a situation in which a statement you made was misinterpreted by a listener (or when you misinterpreted another person's statement). Use the communication model to explain what contributed to the misunderstanding. In your answer, include the following:What types of noise contributed to the misunderstanding?How did context affect the interaction?How did the channel affect the interaction?What role did feedback play?Finally, suggest what you might have done differently to improve the accuracy of the interpretation.

Q: BTW, I need your report with stats asap is considered an example of professional expression and tone because of its directness and conciseness. a. True b. False

Q: Sketch the model of communication and label its elements. Then, write a paragraph describing how these elements work together in the process of communication.

Q: Siobhan wants to establish a friendly yet professional tone in a message to her staff. She should use pronouns such as I, we, and you to sound more conversational. a. True b. False

Q: Select two of the "principles of communication" explained in your text. For each of your chosen principles, (a) define it in your own words, (b) illustrate it with an experience from your own life, and (c) explain how you can use it to improve your own communication.

Q: One advantage of writing collaboratively is that team members learn more about the organization's values and procedures. a. True b. False

Q: This text opens with a discussion of why it is important to hone our workplace communication competence. Which of the reasons mentioned would you consider the most important in your own professional life? Explain. Provide three specific examples of ways you will benefit professionally if you improve your communication skills.

Q: In profiling your audience, you should consider only how the primary (not secondary) audience is likely to react to your message. a. True b. False

Q: According to the "Publicity Test," we can test the ethics of a message by asking whether we would be comfortable if our actions were broadcast on television.

Q: Even with communication tools such as e-mail, instant messaging, texting, Twitter, and other interactive media, the nature of communication remains unchanged. a. True b. False

Q: According to the "Fairness Approach," we can test the ethics of a message by asking whether we have chosen the one action that a Higher Power tells us is right.

Q: As the communication barrier known as bypassing reveals, meanings are in people rather than in words. a. True b. False

Q: The following sentence represents good business writing: A proficient attorney always defends his client. a. True b. False

Q: According to the "Utilitarian Approach," we can test the ethics of a message by asking whether the action provides the greatest good for the greatest number.

Q: People with high ethical ideals are able to think of ethical words to say in any situation.

Q: The process of communication begins when the sender has an idea. a. True b. False

Q: Because LinkedIn is part of the social media, it doesn't matter if your documents contain minor spelling and grammar errors.

Q: Encoding is the process of translating a message from its symbol form into meaning. a. True b. False

Q: It's a good idea to link your LinkedIn account to your Facebook account, so you can share as much information about yourself as possible with all your acquaintances.

Q: Michael is trying to decide how to organize an e-mail to staff about changes to the vacation policy. Anticipating whether the audience is likely to respond neutrally, positively, or negatively can help him in determining his organizational strategy. a. True b. False

Q: Cultivating informal networks within and outside your organization can benefit your career.

Q: The 3-x-3 writing process does not apply to presentations since they are delivered verbally. a. True b. False

Q: Research shows that most informal communication consists of gossip and false rumors.

Q: A coworker has asked you for evaluative feedback on a proposal she has written. To provide the requested feedback, you should repeat back the proposal's main ideas to show that you understand them. a. True b. False

Q: Informal networks often provide more dependable information than formal (official) networks provide.

Q: In team writing projects, team members usually work separately during Phase 1, the prewriting phase. a. True b. False

Q: Informal networks often provide information that confirms or contradicts official channels.

Q: The following sentence effectively applies the you view: I have decided to allow you to take Friday off. a. True b. False

Q: Informal networks can be useful for expediting the movement of messages through an organization.

Q: Because jargon can be confusing, it should never be used in business writing. a. True b. False

Q: The text advises you to avoid using informal communication networks as much as possible.

Q: E-mail remains the most effective tool for team collaboration because members can access it across a variety of devices. a. True b. False

Q: When two teams from different divisions of the same company meet to coordinate their schedule, they are using downward communication.

Q: As long as a message is transmitted from the sender to the receiver, successful communication has taken place. a. True b. False

Q: When your instructor hands out an assignment description that you will complete on your own, this is an example of horizontal communication.

Q: You can start lowering your energy expenses immediately is an example of an audience-focused sentence. a. True b. False