Q&A Hero

Q: A sense of outside pressure is increased when goals are made public.

Q: Goal-setting research indicates that a goal of "do your best" is no better than having no goal at all.

Q: Setting a goal for a person to be creative is normally effective.

Q: Behavior modification can create the conditions for game-playing and suboptimization.

Q: SMART goals are specific, moderate, actionable, revised, and timely.

Q: Establishing client relationships enhances task identity and task significance.

Q: Employees with a low growth need strength may be very content to work in a relatively unenriched environment.

Q: Artists enjoy very high task identity because they see their work through from beginning to end.

Q: Insurance underwriters have a low Job Characteristics score on task identity.

Q: According to the Job Characteristics Model, high skill variety assures low absenteeism.

Q: The Job Characteristics Model of motivation has nine core dimensions.

Q: Maslow's highest order need is self-actualization.

Q: McGregor's Theory of X and Y acknowledges that if a higher-order need is frustrated, an individual may regress to increase the satisfaction of a lower-order need that appears easier to satisfy.

Q: Alderfer's ERG theory demonstrates that more than one need may motivate at the same time.

Q: McClelland's need for achievement is the drive to excel.

Q: McClelland argues that a high need for affiliation can often be problematic for managers.

Q: McClelland's motivation theory identifies human needs that may be satisfied by power, affiliation, or achievement.

Q: The platinum rule states "Treat others how you wish them to treat you."

Q: With regard to great management, treating everyone the same is a great recipe for mediocrity or worse.

Q: Research has found that those high in equity sensitivity are more input-oriented.

Q: Once an employee experiences inequity, balance cannot be restored.

Q: Instrumentality is the belief that a given level of performance will lead to specific outcomes.

Q: From a managerial perspective, valence beliefs point to the critical importance of linking rewards directly to desired performance.

Q: When instrumentality is high, the person believes: "I have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to get the job done."

Q: Our motivation levels rise any time we face the challenge of a low probability of success.

Q: Low performance is always attributable to low motivation.

Q: Money is the only real motivator.

Q: Design a 4-step program to improve your active listening skills. Begin with an assessment of your current listening skills. Why do you want to improve them?

Q: What are the various traps and barriers to active listening that you are likely to face?

Q: Employees in six locations of a national restaurant chain called out sick last week, complaining of headaches, stomach upsets, and blurred vision. Yesterday, patrons throughout the country became ill. The COO instructed his secretary, "Schedule 20 minutes on the restaurant video network for 5 p.m. I need to make a speech to control this situation." Write the opening paragraph of the COO's speech. Explain the nature of the communication, the process followed, and any concerns. If you need additional information, make and document your assumptions.

Q: Assume you slept through the final examination for this class. What would you do? Include your choice of persuasion, the "5 S's", and your choice and rationale of media.

Q: You have been recently promoted to be the head to your business unit. Your first key assignment is to make a speech in front of the board of directors for budget approval of a new project. Assuming that the board of directors does not know you well, what are the aspects of speech delivery that you will concentrate on?

Q: Briefly describe the "5 Ss" of delivering effective presentations.

Q: What are anti-authorities? Give examples of how anti-authorities can be used to make messages sticky.

Q: List any three underlying principles of "stickiness" from the SUCCES model of making messages sticky.

Q: What are the two types of logical arguments? What kinds of support do they require?

Q: What is pathos? Give a few examples of how it can be used in persuasive communication.

Q: You are the HR manager of an accounting firm that is experiencing higher-than-normal attrition rates. The COO has asked you to make a presentation to the employees about this issue. What are the two ways you can incorporate ethos into your presentation? Ethos is an appeal to the authority and personal credibility of the speaker. As the HR manager of the accounting firm, one way you can incorporate ethos into your speech is to signal to your audience that you are in many ways similar to them or that you at least intimately understand their interests, values, and context. You can do this by revealing to your audience the phase in your career when you had changed jobs frequently. What was your motivation to do so, what were your concerns, did that strategy help in your long-term career growth?

Q: According to Aristotle, what are the three fundamental elements of persuasion? What do each of those elements represent?

Q: Identify a few of the common communication myths. A few of the common communication myths are: If you have a strong case, everyone will be convinced. If communicated enough times, your communications are effective. Words mean what they mean. PowerPoint presentations are always the best way to persuade. Being assertive means being a jerk. Listening is a passive activity.

Q: What are the various components of a traditional model of the communication process? Based on this model, analyze the different ways a communication breakdown can happen.

Q: After attending a listening workshop, Allan mastered the good listening tip of __________________, wherein he looks for ideas and feelings that are central to the message. A. focus and commit B. support and challenge C. daydream and create D. sift and sort E. synthesize and emphasize

Q: Ashley failed the Good Listener Test. She needs to learn to: A. encourage random thoughts. B. refrain from supportive comments. C. challenge the veracity of what she is hearing. D. look just to the right of the person talking. E. put herself in the speaker's shoes.

Q: Which of the following are types of active listening strategies? A. Empathizing, analyzing, synthesizing B. Logos, pathos, ethos C. Evaluating, focusing, advising D. Interacting, interpreting, summarizing E. Emotion, rational, deciduous

Q: Which hand gesture, used to summon animals in Malaysia, causes cultural misunderstandings in nonverbal communications? A. A-OK B. Hook em Horns C. Raised fist D. "V" for Victory E. Finger-Beckoning

Q: Which of the following is a barrier to active listening? A. Avoiding selective perception. B. Adopting other's point of view. C. Refraining from giving advice. D. Misreading nonverbal cues. E. Focusing on other's words.

Q: The tendency to evaluate is an active listening barrier. To avoid this barrier: A. study other cultures. B. maintain a varied circle of friends. C. increase emotional involvement in conversations. D. take written notes during conversations. E. be aware of it.

Q: Teresa teaches corporate communication courses. Which of the following suggestions would she make during her e-mail usage module? A. Make it casual B. Use slang C. Use abbreviations and incomplete sentences D. Make it professional E. Messages should be succinct, blunt, and redundant

Q: Which of the following communication channels provides the least information richness? A. Telephone B. Face-to-face C. E-mail D. Formal letter E. Personally written missive

Q: Which of the following communication channels allows the most immediate feedback? A. E-mail B. Registered letter C. Face-to-face D. Telephone E. Formal report

Q: Donnie has trouble communicating with several of his staff members. They attend the monthly staff meetings, say they have no questions, and consistently deliver the wrong information or miss deadlines. Which action would increase the information richness of his communications the most? A. Send supplemental e-mails to everyone after the meetings. B. Send reminder e-mails the day before the meetings. C. Add a 30-minute face-to-face meeting with each subordinate during the month. D. Use more audio visual aids during staff meetings. E. Eliminate the question and answer time from staff meetings.

Q: Which of the following communication channels provides the greatest information richness? A. Telephone B. Face-to-face C. E-mail D. Formal letter E. Written report

Q: Which of the following combinations of communication channel characteristics provides the greatest information richness? A. Feedback, visual, personal B. Feedback, audio, impersonal C. Feedback, audio, personal D. Audio, visual, impersonal E. Visual, audio, personal

Q: Lynne's personal trainer watched her make a number of speeches. She told Lynne: "During the question and answer session, paraphrase difficult questions to make sure you understand what the audience wants to know. This also gives you time to think through your response." Which of the "5 Stages" of a persuasive presentation did the trainer address? A. Strategy B. Structure C. Style D. Support E. Supplement

Q: Milt gives lots of persuasive speeches for his lobbying group. He is known for announcing "The End" and walking off the platform before the audience has time to ask questions. Which of the "5 Stages" of persuasive speech does Milt skip? A. Systems B. Strategy C. Supplement D. Support E. Structure

Q: Donna watched a video of her last presentation with her personal coach, Sal. Sal handed Donna a pen and paper and said, "Count how many times you said, You know what I mean?' Count how often you cleared your throat, gulped, and bugged out your eyes." Which of the "5 Stages" is Sal addressing? A. Strategy B. Structure C. Style D. Support E. Supplement

Q: Which of the S's in the "5 S" model of a persuasive presentation uses examples, statistics, testimony, and stories for persuasive speeches? A. Support B. Strategy C. Structure D. Symbol E. Style

Q: The ______________ organizing strategy for persuasive messages develops the topic in steps, the same way information was acquired to solve the topic problem. A. question-answer B. causal C. inquiry order D. familiarity-acceptance E. elimination

Q: Sara is planning on a presentation on funding proposals to potential donors. In which "Five S" stage should she consider these questions: "What is my goal? What does my audience care about? Why should the audience trust me?" A. Structure B. Support C. Supplement D. Style E. Strategy

Q: The "5 S" method for delivering powerful messages: A. emphasizes delivery above everything else. B. emphasizes on taking a long time to arrive at the main point. C. emphasizes good planning. D. begins with ideas the listener has no knowledge of. E. is focused on formulating a strategy for a wide set of audience.

Q: ___________ arguments move from talking about specific things to generalizing. A. Inductive B. Deductive C. Chronos D. Ethos E. Dual

Q: The persuasive appeal of logos includes evidence such as: A. credentials and supporting documents. B. statistics and logical arguments. C. stories and claims. D. reciprocity and loyalty. E. recreating an event or a scene that arouses emotions.

Q: Marl is an excellent motivational speaker. He says he knows he has his audience when he sees them lean into each other, saying, "That same thing happened to me!" What persuasive technique is he describing? A. Credos B. Logos C. Ethos D. Pathos E. Chronos

Q: Jason is making a marketing presentation to his best client. In closing, as Jason pitches for the sale, he reminds them of the fair treatment, competitive prices, and general preferential treatment they always receive from him and his organization. What persuasive appeal is Jason using? A. Pathos B. Logos C. Credos D. Chronos E. Kairos

Q: After listening to a presentation, Amelia says to her friend, "I did not understand all the speech, but I know the speaker and trust him. I'll go along with this decision." What convinced Amelia? A. Logos B. Pathos C. Ethos D. Chronos E. Kairos

Q: The three elements of persuasion, first articulated by Aristotle, are: A. ethos, chronos, and logos. B. logos, chronos, and kairos. C. ethos, pathos, and logos. D. chronos, pathos, and kairos. E. chronos, ethos, and pathos.

Q: Mavis teaches her class to be clear about their needs and expressing those needs respectfully to others through direct, clear, and specific statements. Her topic is: A. e-mail etiquette. B. rich description. C. assertive communication. D. complex communication. E. "The Five Stages of Communication."

Q: Assertive communication means: A. being clear about one's own needs. B. seeking objectives through intimidation. C. being manipulative. D. making one's point, no matter what the cost. E. acting with subservience.

Q: Which of the following is a commonly believed communication myth? A. Just having a strong case is not enough to convince everyone. B. If communicated enough times, communication is effective. C. PowerPoint presentations may not be the best way to persuade. D. Assertive communication means being firm, not hostile. E. Listening is an active process.

Q: The better a manager is at communicating with subordinates, the more likely: A. those subordinates are to come up with new ideas to help the organization. B. those subordinates are to come up with different interpretations of the same instructions. C. those subordinates are to be agitated and insecure in the workplace. D. that the manager is to be passed over for promotion. E. that the manager is to use slang and casual language.

Q: Which of the following is perhaps the most defining feature of communication? A. Designing a communication strategy. B. Diagnosing the specific causes of a communication breakdown. C. Sharing information with other people. D. Formal presentations and speeches. E. How to give a good speech.

Q: Active listening requires a conscious effort to interact.

Q: Thinking is faster than speaking.

Q: For communication to be most effective, we need to logically evaluate other people's statements.

Q: When people have a chance to get to know one another, they are able to use rich communication channels more effectively.

Q: The use of emoticons in e-mails is now universally accepted.

Q: Evidence has shown that the technology-centered approach is the most effective approach of using PowerPoint in accomplishing presentation goals.

Q: PowerPoint presentations are made solely to present information.

Q: Presentations that use visual aids are more persuasive than those without them.

Q: Examples and statistics provide good supporting materials for a presentation.