Communication Unit 5

By anticipating a range of responses a planning committee might have to his building proposal, Luke shows he is effectively preparing to be receptive to their comments. TRUE or FALSE?

True

Critical thinking is a skill that we can develop with persistence and discipline. TRUE or FALSE?

True

After she gives her academic presentation, Lucy's audience asks a question regarding a certain conclusion. Which of the following responses would demonstrate a use of power language to establish her credibility? a. "I can assure you that..." b. "You may call me by my first name..." c. "So what I think you're saying is..." d. "I think that..."

a. "I can assure you that..."

Which of the following is NOT a nonverbal strategy designed to increase communication competence and nonverbal immediacy? a. Changing your words depending on context b. Recognizing the importance of time c. Smiling and making eye contact d. Respecting others' personal space

a. Changing your words depending on context

Eliot engages in negative self-talk before meeting with his supervisor about his annual performance review. Eliot tells himself, "My boss should have given me more guidance. He is always critiquing me." Which one of the following phrases BEST describes the nature of Eliot's self-talk? a. Defensive reaction b. Sharing responsibility c. Avoiding reality d. Angry expressions

a. Defensive reaction

Why should we think of listening as an endurance sport? a. Not only do you need to mentally prepare for active listening, you have to sustain sufficient momentum to avoid "hitting the wall" and giving up before the end of the interaction. b. Listening is a skill that needs a coach to help develop. c. Like an athlete, communicators should rest their brains so they are not mentally drained when listening. d. Listening is a process that takes a team of people to conduct: the sender, the receiver, the audience, and so forth.

a. Not only do you need to mentally prepare for active listening, you have to sustain sufficient momentum to avoid "hitting the wall" and giving up before the end of the interaction.

Which of the following BEST describes connotative meanings? a. Personal meanings of words based on context or individual experiences b. Universal or dictionary definitions of words based on context or individual experiences c. Universal or dictionary definitions of words that a group assigns meanings to d. Personal meanings of words that a group assigns meanings to

a. Personal meanings of words based on context or individual experiences

Vera has started a new project at work. She does not have enough time to meet her next deadline and attend all of the meetings currently on her schedule. While on a conference call, she responds to a few emails. When the presenter on the conference call asks Vera her opinion about the topic being discussed, she has no idea what topic they have been discussing and cannot provide any substantive feedback. What type of listening barrier is Vera experiencing in this scenario? a. Personal: multitasking b. Personal: physical noise c. Contextual: passivity d. Contextual: message complexity

a. Personal: multitasking

Which of the following is true about the relationship between self-esteem and communication? a. Poor self-esteem can make it difficult to communicate effectively. b. Having high self-esteem means you are a good public speaker. c. Your ability to give and receive messages is a direct reflection on how good you are as a person. d. Self-esteem doesn't affect your ability to communicate.

a. Poor self-esteem can make it difficult to communicate effectively.

Ted was smiling and looking directly at Lew as Lew told him about his summer vacation. Ted's behavior is an illustration of __________. a. nonverbal immediacy b. verbal immediacy c. companion immediacy d. flirting immediacy

a. nonverbal immediacy

Which of the following examples illustrates sender-receiver reciprocity? a. A father disciplines his son for supposedly fighting with another child, but he does not realize the children were pretending to be battling superheroes. b. A doctor realizes her patient does not understand a complex surgical process and then decides to use some pictures along with her explanation. c. A wife accuses her husband of being angry with her after he comes home from work seeming distracted, irritable, and unwilling to communicate. d. A banker repeatedly explains a checking account policy to a new customer.

b. A doctor realizes her patient does not understand a complex surgical process and then decides to use some pictures along with her explanation.

During a recent political campaign, Wendy received many emails and phone calls about the different candidates. She felt bombarded by the constant TV and radio commercials, so she stopped watching TV and listening to the radio. Although she was initially interested in learning about the different candidates' goals, she eventually became overwhelmed by the campaign. Which of the following is Wendy experiencing in this scenario? a. Communication overload b. Information overload c. Message complexity d. Political bias

b. Information overload

Which ONE of the following examples illustrates recreational listening? a. Passively listening to a physics lecture b. Listening to a TV show about fishing tips c. Listening to a departure announcement in a noisy airport d. Listening to commercials about products you do not use

b. Listening to a TV show about fishing tips

Which ONE of the following strategies would be effective for avoiding passivity during a class lecture? a. Read a textbook on the topic. b. Write down questions about the topic to ask the speaker after the lecture. c. Observe how other students respond to the lecture. d. Evaluate the instructor's presentation skills.

b. Write down questions about the topic to ask the speaker after the lecture.

Which of the following is NOT part of nonverbal communication? a. Artifacts b. Body language c. Language d. Space around us

c. Language

Your manager has just called you into her office to discuss a new project. While you are walking in, your mind is racing about what this discussion really means. What should you do at the start of the meeting to appear knowledgeable and supportive of this new project? a. Listen and interject throughout the discussion with great ideas that you thought of while she was describing the project to showcase your knowledge. b. Respond to the manager's request and tell her you would be honored to handle this project and thank her for the opportunity. c. Listen and focus on receiving the message. d. Nod along to show you're paying attention while wondering if you're getting a promotion.

c. Listen and focus on receiving the message.

George is a new employee at a college and he has been asked to prepare a presentation on intellectual property laws for the faculty. He is not very knowledgeable about this topic, and the five legal cases he is reading are complicated and difficult to read. However, he tries very hard to decode the information and look up terms he does not know. Which of the following options BEST describes this example? a. Communication overload b. Passivity c. Message complexity d. Bias

c. Message complexity

Mick has had a difficult time asking women out. He gets very nervous when talking to a woman he likes and says awkward things. Only a few women that he has asked out have accepted his invitation to dinner. Just before Mick asks out Melissa, he thinks, "She will turn me down just like all the others." Which of the following aspects of self-concept is most likely influencing Mick's self-talk? a. Personal identity b. Approval of oneself c. Personal history d. Personal values

c. Personal history

Some researchers believe that positive self-talk does not work for people with low self-esteem. Which ONE of the following options is an example of how positive self-talk might not work for some people? a. Positive self-talk can distract a person from the task at hand. b. Some people respond better using negative self-talk. c. Positive self-talk can distort what a person hears and how he or she responds to others.

c. Positive self-talk can distort what a person hears and how he or she responds to others.

Which of the following statements is accurate related to the active listening process? a. You do not always have to be an active listener in order to maximize your understanding of the message. b. Active listeners are considered the most effective communicators. c. Active listeners disregard the nonverbal clues and focus on the verbal clues of what the person is trying to say. d. Active listeners are highly valued by others in conversation, group discussion, and meetings.

d. Active listeners are highly valued by others in conversation, group discussion, and meetings.

An ex, whom you know wants you back, just told you that he or she knows your current love interest is cheating on you. Which of the following critical listening strategies would be MOST beneficial to you in this scenario? a. Elevate your awareness of the situation to tune into the message better and assess the context. b. Assess the message for accuracy, relevance, and evidence or support. c. Consider source credibility. d. All of the above.

d. All of the above.

Tom feels as though his colleague Jim has been acting disrespectful towards him lately, by ignoring him, interrupting him, and making rude jokes. Before assuming that Jim now dislikes him, what strategy should Tom use? a. Check his self-talk. b. Check his self-esteem. c. Check to make sure his response isn't emotional. d. Check his perception further.

d. Check his perception further.

One of the most common ways we communicate nonverbally is by using our __________. a. accessories b. language c. time d. bodies

d. bodies