Communication Skills

Your department creates, maintains, and upgrades websites and e-newsletters for the company. Creative processes have evolved over time, and now you are realizing that a standard process would probably help the whole department work more efficiently. You will lead your team in defining a standard process. To start things off, you will briefly present what you personally have observed. This presentation will be a collaborative, team effort, and you will use some sort of visual aid. What's the best choice of visual aid for this type of presentation in this particular situation?

A paper flipchart or whiteboard will allow you to list the steps you see. Team members can add or remove information.

Which of the following are programs that run on a computer to perform certain functions?

Applications, apps, and applets

You have to publish and deploy an email newsletter every Tuesday morning. You rely on more than 10 people to send you information each week for it. One of them never sends the information on time. Another person rarely sends you information at all. A third person usually sends incorrect information that needs to be changed, and there are problems with the other providers as well. These behaviors are causing you to miss deadlines and work overtime. When considering solutions to the problem, you know it's helpful to think of as many possible solutions as you can. The more possibilities you have, the more likely you are to recognize the most effective one among them. Which of the following actions is most likely to hinder your ability to find solutions to this problem?

Approach each person who is affecting your work and tell them they must improve or they will not be able to contribute to the newsletter in the future.

According to what you've learned so far in this training, which of the following is the most sound business approach to decide whether or not to create a presentation for a particular situation?

Are there advantages to achieving your purpose by creating a presentation that cannot be achieved any other way? If so, creating a presentation is a good choice.

Culture is a complex subject, but for the purpose of learning to be a better communicator you can look at it in terms of three simple elements. Which of the following is NOT one of the three basic elements of all cultures?

Awareness — Concern for the feelings and needs of others

Which of the following represent the best behaviors for participating in meetings?

Be resilient and open-minded, share what you know may be helpful, and make your comments clear and concise.

You work in business development for a company that makes insulation material for building construction. Your company is expanding its market to Sweden. You need to have a proposal to a Swedish collaborator. What will you do next in terms of content as you prepare this proposal? Which of the following would NOT be one of the steps in developing the content of your proposal?

Because this collaboration should start soon, write the proposal immediately to include one really great reason why the Swedish company should collaborate with your company.

Which steps should you follow to prepare in case you're asked to leave a voice message?

Before the call, list just two things you need to discuss. While leaving the message, identify yourself, speak clearly, follow your notes, repeat your phone number, and express appreciation.

According to the business telephone best practices you've learned so far in this topic, which are the best things to do to ensure a business phone conversation is effective?

Before the call, make a list of what you want to say. Sit up straight during the call so your voice sounds relaxed and confident.

You work for a multinational company and will be attending a conference overseas for a week. People in your field from all over the world will attend, and you will have the opportunity to talk with them and exchange ideas. Which of the following tools and approaches you could use at the conference is most likely to interfere with or damage your cross-cultural communication?

Breaking the ice to start a conversation by making a comment or political joke about the current national administration (prime minister, president, congress, etc.) in your colleague's country.

Which of the following enable you to find and view information you seek on the World Wide Web?

Browser, keywords, and search engines

Conrad's manager, Kim, is at a conference out of state for the week. Kim wants to have her weekly meeting with her staff back at the office by webcam and conference call using an Internet meeting service. Conrad and the other staff members will be participating online from their own computers in their cubicles and offices. Conrad is experienced using the virtual meeting service, but most of the other staff members are not. What should Conrad do as a participant to help ensure that the virtual meeting is as productive as the usual in-person weekly meetings?

Conrad should ask questions, but keep his remarks brief so others can talk. If a co-worker is having trouble using the meeting service, he should offer to help them.

You have an idea for a project, and you need to present an overview of it to donors to raise money from them to fund the project. The donors don't know the subject very well, so you will need to explain it to them in a manner that they will understand. What would you do next to consider conditions as you prepare for this presentation? Which of the following conditions would you NOT consider?

Consider how good your idea is: the quality of the project idea will be convincing even without a lot of explanation.

Once you've brainstormed and have a list of possible solutions to your problem, from what perspectives should you evaluate these solutions?Read the question and select the best answer. Which of the following perspectives is least useful for evaluating solutions?

Consider your own personal preference.

There are three fundamental aspects to business communications, and they can help you connect, exchange information, and work productively with others. Read the question and select the best answer. Which of the following are the three fundamental aspects of business communications defined in this training?

Content, Channels, Conditions

A software program used in your department has been malfunctioning. In working through the first two steps of the problem solving process, you've determined that the version is outdated, and you've decided to upgrade to the latest version and teach the staff how to use it. Now it's time for the third step: plan for action and execute that plan. Which of the following best describes the actions you should take in implementing the solution?

Define the necessary steps and assign responsibilities for updating the software and training staff, decide on the time frame, and monitor the results.

You are facilitating a meeting of five experts in your company to discuss working together to create a special product for a new client. The five experts have never met and are not familiar with each other's experience and expertise. Developing the new product will be a complex project. This will be the first of many meetings needed to plan a product development strategy. As the facilitator, which of the following behaviors and tasks are best to do before and during the meeting to ensure it's as productive as possible?

Develop an agenda. Invite the experts and send them the agenda. Ask each expert to describe his or her expertise. Follow the agenda items, managing the discussion to ensure you cover all items and finish on time.

You are at a monthly business luncheon meeting on project management. You're sitting at a table with seven people from other companies listening to a presentation. There's only one person you would take a call from during this meeting, and that's your manager. You have turned off the ringer of your mobile phone but left it in view in case she calls. The phone lights up and you can see it's her. Based on what you've learned in this training about best practices for using mobile phones, what will you do?

Excuse yourself from the table quietly, exit the room to a quiet place where you are at least 10 feet from other people and can't be overheard. Answer the manager's questions.

You work in a small business. One of the managers, who is usually busy, sends you an email asking how a certain process is handled day-to-day for customers on the sales floor. You're not sure why she's asking this or how much detail she wants. According to the business email best practices you've learned so far in this topic, which are the best things to do to ensure a business email is effective?

For your email, list and number the basic steps in the process she requested. Close with a short paragraph asking her if she needs more details you will be happy to provide them.

According to what you've learned in the topic, which are ways that you can effectively manage the flow of your business email to keep from being overwhelmed?

Fully respond on the same business day; delete irrelevant email as soon as you've read it; terminate subscriptions that are no longer useful.

Content is all the information in your message. There is a three-step process that will help you create content for your business communications. Read the question and select the best answer. There is a logical order to the steps in the process to create content for your business communication as described in this lesson. Which of the following is the most logical order?

Gather, Focus, Craft

Which meeting advice statement includes both active listening and nonverbal ways for being a productive participant in meetings?

Give your full attention, demonstrate your attention through your posture and facial expressions, and check your comprehension by asking questions.

Before you begin to consider content, conditions, and channels, it's very important to do which one of the following?

Identify your purpose

Which of the following are the three fundamental purposes a presentation may serve?

Inform (when you want your audience to know); persuade (when you want your audience to do); arouse (when you want your audience to feel)

Which of the following are typical duties a presenter/convener will accomplish during and after a meeting?

Introduce participants, facilitate discussion, distribute notes, and follow up to make sure action items are completed.

You've just joined a company, and you have knowledge about and experience with project management that could be useful to your new employer. The senior manager has asked you to give a presentation to staff about project management best practices. The manager hopes that staff will find ideas in your presentation to implement to help the company. Which of the following approaches will help you create the most effective presentation for this purpose?

Introduce yourself and include a statistic about project management effectiveness. Tell three fundamental things about project management, as well as supporting details. Conclude with a summary and relate back to the opening statistic.

You've recently been promoted to supervisor of your department. Up to this time in your career you've not given any presentations, but you've now been asked by the director to prepare one. You will deliver this presentation every couple months to groups of new employees to explain to them what your department does and how it can help them. Which of the following approaches will help you create the most effective presentation for this purpose?

Introduce yourself, describe your department and tell them three main problems the company faces and how your department provides solutions and helps everyone do their jobs.

You're a fairly new employee of a company. You've just completed a project with a few other people and you've been asked by the head of the division to summarize the project for others in the company. You don't know the people in the company very well yet - the people who will be your audience - and you're unfamiliar with the computers and presentation equipment. You've created the content of your presentation - introduction, body and conclusion - based on your experience with the project, and you have notes you can follow to deliver it. Which of the following will be the most beneficial way to prepare in the days before the presentation?

Invite an experienced co-worker to listen to you rehearse. This person will offer constructive comments and ask questions as an audience member might.

Considering a communication's content, conditions, and channels are important in planning a business communication. What is the main benefit of considering all of these elements in planning your communications?

It helps to ensure your message is concise, appropriate, and effective.

Which are characteristics that distinguish an intranet from the Internet?

It's private, generally only for use by employees of a company or organization and maybe some collaborators.

Which of the following are best practices for presentations as defined in this training?

Keep text slides as brief as possible; use the variety of your voice — volume, pitch, speed, pauses, projection, articulation; use surveys, questionnaires or quizzes to measure how well your audience understood the message.

Understanding that building trust is very important before making an offer at a negotiation, what are some ways you can build trust? Select the best answer to the question. Which of the following is most likely to reduce trust and harm your negotiating relationship?

Letting the other person know through your actions that you have a superior position in the negotiation

You hired a printing company to do a printing job. You provided the layout and chose the ink and paper combination from what they offered, but the end product did not look good. The ink reacted badly with the paper you chose. You are negotiating with the company about reprinting your order. You want to build trust with them so you can reach a solution that is mutually agreeable. Which of the following is the best way of building trust during this negotiation?

Listen to their explanation of why the problem occurred and who is responsible. Empathize with them and work to establish rapport.

Which of the following are the three common risks of using email, text messaging, instant messaging, and voice mail?

Misinterpretation, non-delivery, and over-reliance

According to what you've learned in this training, which of the following best describes social networking services?

Networks of computers enabling individuals and organizations to communicate

You know that the company you work for does not block the access of its employees to any websites, including the main social network services. Nevertheless, it's possible that the company may monitor employees' online activities. Which of the following is a best practice for you to follow regarding your online activity at work?

Observe the environment and practices where you work. Ask questions of management. Read and obey the company policy on Internet communication and social media.

Which of the following approaches is most likely to improve your skill with cross-cultural communication?

Practice asking questions respectfully in a positive way and encourage the other party to ask questions

Business prospects from South Korea are coming to visit your company. You will have several meetings with them. Which of the following is the least effective way of building your knowledge of South Korean culture?

Question friends and family about their knowledge of South Koreans and listen for any negative aspects of their culture.

You're a fairly new employee of a company. You've just completed a project with a few other people and you've been asked by the head of the division to summarize the project for others in the company. You don't know the people in the company very well yet — the people who will be your audience. You've created the content of your presentation and rehearsed it thoroughly. You're nervous. As presented in this training, which of the following will be the most effective way to control your nervousness just before and during the presentation?

Remember that you know the subject, have created a solid presentation, and have rehearsed thoroughly. Get enough sleep the night before. Arrive early to set up and test the equipment. Enjoy the process of connecting with the audience about what you know.

A company from "Country A" with Country A management has a branch in "Country B." There is an ongoing conflict between their styles. Country A's management style is authoritarian, uses negative feedback for correction, and is very time and schedule conscious. The employees in Country B are accustomed to democratic management, positive reinforcement, and flexibile schedules. Which of the following is the most constructive approach to resolving these cross-cultural differences?

Representatives of Country A managers and Country B employees meet to discuss their communication styles and work preferences.

You are a female who works for an American construction company, and you've been assigned to work for one year in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) federation. Which of the following is the most constructive attitude for you in this cross-cultural situation?

Respect national traditions, learn the etiquette and code of conduct, and respect religious differences and rules governing mode of dress.

According to what you've learned in this training, which of the following are the four steps of the problem solving process?

See the problem. Find solutions. Take action. Evaluate results.

Your company has a branch in another state. You need to research the economics and legislation of that state so your company will have accurate and current information by which to plan its strategy for the coming year. You've already conducted some preliminary research online and have a significant amount. In your Web search, which of the following steps are best to evaluate the information you find?

Select information from the most reputable and impartial sources. Try to independently verify key facts and their timeliness by checking them with other reputable sources.

Your company sent you to a four-day educational conference. You took pages and pages of notes. Now that you've returned, your team at work wants to know what you learned. They asked you to send them an email so they too can learn something from the conference. Your emails are always concise because you know that's the best way to make use of your time and everyone else's, but this is a lot of information to convey. How will you approach creating this email?

Select three items from your notes you know they will find interesting. Summarize each item in one sentence. Tell them the full notes will be in the central digital files.

It's near the end of the fiscal year, and the company controller requires that you provide a report of your activity for the whole year so that she can budget for the coming year. Which of these steps would you NOT take in planning the content of your report?

Send your monthly department reports for the year to the controller so she can find the information she needs.

Carrie's supervisor recently asked each employee in the department to take an online personality assessment so the team could get to know each other's working styles better. The department doesn't meet as a group often, but a meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. The supervisor asked that everyone bring their assessment results. Carrie has completed the online assessment, and is preparing for the meeting. Which is the best choice of what Carrie should take to the meeting so she can participate as productively as possible?

She should take her laptop to take notes, access her assessment results, and check her calendar for next meeting dates.

You need to show a co-worker some cost figures, and you'd like her opinion. You're thinking about which communication channel to use to connect with her. You're not under a tight deadline. You and your co-worker are in the same building, so you could drop by for a visit in person, or you could use email, phone, instant message or text message. Based on what you've learned about choosing the most effective channel, what will you do?

She's more methodical than spontaneous, there's not a tight deadline, and you know she prefers email. You email her the figures, say you'd like to speak with her about them soon, and suggest a specific day and time.

Much of what you'll find while researching will be visible, tangible, and perceptible aspects of culture, "the tip of the iceberg." Which of the following is a subtle and often difficult to pick out aspect of a culture?

Social classes

You work for an American IT company which has assigned you to work for one year in Turkey. Which of the following is the most constructive attitude for you in this cross-cultural situation?

Study the history, traditions, and customs of Turkey in advance and respect them while you are there. Try the local foods and learn some key Turkish words and phrases.

You're a participant in a monthly meeting with your whole department. These meetings are a time to let everyone briefly know what you've done and what you're planning to do. It's also a time to bring up snags or problems for consideration and solutions. You are concerned about how Russ, a business development associate, passes information to you for proposals to prospective clients. His proposal checklist information is usually incomplete and his deadlines are too tight. Which of the following is the most constructive way to behave at the meeting in delivering your information and expressing concern?

Summarize your work in a confident and positive way. Then turn to Russ, "Russ, it really helps to have completed checklists, and a few more days' notice would help me give you a better proposal."

You work in business development for a company that makes insulation material for building construction. Your company is expanding its market to Sweden. You need to make a proposal to a Swedish collaborator. What should you consider in choosing the channel of communication as you prepare the proposal? Which one of the following is clearly a critical channel issue to consider?

Swedish is their language. Not all employees speak English, so phone and video conferencing is not an option for the proposal.

Read the question and select the best answer. Of all the various parts and fields available to you in an email, which ones would you focus most of your writing skill on if you were trying to get the recipient to look at your message and send some information back to you?

The Subject field and the Message

Which is the wisest way to decide whether or not having a meeting is appropriate or necessary in a particular situation?

There are advantages to achieving the purpose by having a meeting that cannot be achieved effectively any other way.

You represent an interior design company. You've been called by a prospective client to propose solutions and costs to redecorate their offices. This will not be a long-term relationship, but rather a one-time, complex assignment. What should you do next as you prepare for a meeting to negotiate?

Think through the situation, the interests, and the motivations from your own perspective and from the perspective of the other party.

Your manager has asked you to research new copiers and printers for the office and make a recommendation on which brands, models and suppliers to consider. She emailed a list to you of current uses and future needs for the machine. You need to find the most up-to-date, accurate information on what's available to meet the office needs. In your search on the Web, which of the following would render the best results?

Type the words "printer," "copier," and your city name into the search engine.

Which of the following are typical duties a presenter/convener will accomplish before a meeting?

Understand the goals, draft an agenda, select a location, select and invite participants, and prepare handouts or visual aids.

Which of the following sets of questions is least likely to help you find and analyze possible causes of a problem?

Why is the problem occurring? Keep asking yourself why at every step until you can no longer provide an answer.

According to what you've learned in this training, what must you have in order to access a company's intranet?

You need to be an employee of the company, or a collaborator, and have valid user ID and password.