Module 4 quiz

Use Jargon Judiciously

Every profession has its own specialized vocabulary, called jargon In many cases, jargon serves a useful purpose. First, it can save time. It's quicker to use a short term in place of the longer definition of a complex idea. Second, jargon can be used to evaluate people's expertise on a subject. That's usually why some job interview questions are peppered with jargon. A certain amount of jargon has its value for outsiders as well. Speakers who sprinkle their comments with jargon will appear more credible to some listeners.

Who is demonstrating immediacy? Check all that apply. the person with relaxed posture the person who leans slightly forward toward a conversation partner the person who smiles the person who maintains a public distance zone

Immediacy indicates closeness through relaxed posture, leaning forward slightly, and smiling.

Use Ambiguous Language When It Is Strategically Desirable

In low-context cultures like the United States and Canada, speaking directly is valued. "Don't beat around the bush" is a common phrase. Vague language can be seen as a sign of deliberate deception A final function of strategic ambiguity is to make a point indirectly that can't be expressed overtly.

Which of the following is not true about career wardrobes? What you wear is important only in very formal, conservative settings. What defines "business casual" varies depending on location and industry. You should dress for the job you want, not necessarily for the job you have. You should not reveal too much skin.

What you wear is important only in very formal, conservative settings.

Masculine Language Use

Report talk—speech that focuses less on feelings and relationships and more on information, facts, knowledge, and competence. Men are more inclined to use language to claim attention, assert a position, establish status, and show independence. Research shows men need to be just as sensitive as women, but they may use that awareness differently. Uses language instrumentally (as opposed to expressively) to get things done: report information, solve visible problems, achieve, accomplish, attain, execute, and perform. The results are often tangible and the reward is visible Characteristically masculine speech is more assertive, certain, direct, and authoritative. Men often use statements of fact rather than opinion

What are the goals of report talk? Check all that apply. To solve problems. To get things done. To produce tangible results. To affirm others.

To get things done. To produce tangible results. To affirm others.

What can you do to improve your nonverbal effectiveness? Check all that apply. Self-monitor your nonverbal behavior. Demonstrate interest in others. Observe conventions. Avoid nonverbal communication.

To improve your nonverbal effectiveness, you can self-monitor, demonstrate interest in others, and observe conventions.

Beth exhibits rapport talk, so she tends to make connections that build community. speak in a more tentative manner when conversing with employees. use language as an expressive tool. claim attention by talking a lot.

make connections that build community. claim attention by talking a lot. Rapport talk is used to create connections, show support, build community, and establish goodwill. It can take on an expressive, supportive, or tentative nature.

If people at your firm tell you that you have a great speaking voice because during your sales presentations you expressed your feelings by making your voice higher or lower, they are referring to the vocal characteristic known as tempo. range. rhythm. pitch.

pitch.

Which type of language can you use to convey power and confidence? intensifiers qualifiers positive language disfluencies

positive language

"In my opinion, that's unethical." What makes this less powerful than it could be? qualifier tag question intensifier hesitation question

qualifier

Feminine Language Use

rapport talk: talk used to create connections, establish goodwill, show support, and build community. language as an expressive tool: to articulate emotions ("I'm worried about finishing those reports today"; "I'm glad everybody had a chance to speak") and clarify relationships ("We don't seem to be working well together"). feminine speech often goes beyond just expressing emotions; it also is supportive. Women are most likely to listen and respond to spoken and unspoken conversational clues about the other person's feelings.

Jack exhibits report talk, so he uses language to claim attention. establish status. relinquish authority. show emotional support.

show emotional support. Report talk claims attention and defines status.

relative words (ambiguous language)

soon, often, large, and short that have meaning only in relation to other (unspecified) terms. Telling your supervisor you'll have the memo done soon or agreeing to do a short report can cause problems. If soon means "in a few weeks" to you, but it means "in a few days" to your boss, a conflict is brewing. Replacing relative words with numeric words can eliminate most of these problems. Use "in two days" rather than soon and "two paragraphs" rather than short, for example.

Which of the following examples uses biased language? "There is quite a bit of risk involved with that decision." "He can't make a decision without all the figures." "That dude did a great job on the report." "She completed the sales report yesterday."

"That dude did a great job on the report."

Which of the following is an example of powerful speech? "Do you think the sales report is detailed enough?" "This office arrangement is effective, isn't it?" "We should interview additional candidates." "This report is so great!"

"We should interview additional candidates."

Mary exhibits rapport talk, which means she uses language to do which of the following? Check all that apply. Articulate emotions. Clarify relationships. Make people feel understood. Interrupt and take over the conversation.

Articulate emotions. Clarify relationships. Make people feel understood.

Use Slang with Caution

Casual, slang-laden speech may be fine off the job, but it can create the wrong impression with bosses, clients, and even colleagues. Some slang simply won't be understandable to others. Other slang terms are also likely to cast you in an unprofessional light. You may call your friends "dude," but it's smart to talk more professionally in professional settings.

Which of the following nonverbal behaviors should you cultivate for an interview? Check all that apply. Dress conservatively. Speak clearly. Make eye contact. Use slang and jargon to break the ice.

Dress conservatively. Speak clearly. Make eye contact.

Which of the following is not a recommended guideline for avoiding inflammatory language? Avoid biased language. Beware of trigger words. Editorialize. Use neutral language.

Editorialize. to express an opinion in the form of an editorial. 2 : to introduce opinion into the reporting of facts. 3 : to express an opinion (as on a controversial issue)

Use Lower-Level Abstractions When Clarity Is Essential

Low-level abstractions are specific, concrete statements that refer directly to objects or events that can be observed.

Improving Nonverbal Effectiveness

Monitor Your Nonverbal Behavior (self-monitoring—the process of paying close attention to your behavior and using these observations to shape the way you behave.) Demonstrate Interest in Others (immediacy describes verbal and nonverbal behaviors that indicate closeness and liking. Among the nonverbal cues are closer proximity (within social conventions, of course), more direct eye gaze, more forward lean, more relaxed posture, positive facial expression, and warmer vocal qualities.)

Characteristics of Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal Behavior Always Has Communicative Value Nonverbal Communication Is Powerful Nonverbal Behavior Is Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication Primarily Expresses Attitudes Nonverbal Communication Affects Career Success Much Nonverbal Behavior Is Culture-Bound

You have just gotten a job at an engineering firm you have long admired. You want to have a successful career, and you are willing to work hard to prove yourself. You are also, however, somewhat reserved and private, and some people think you come across as aloof. What can you do to improve your nonverbal effectiveness?

Responses will vary but will likely touch on the need for you to monitor your nonverbal behavior. For instance, because you are reserved and private, you may avoid eye contact, stand at a considerable distance from people when you speak to them, and you may not smile very much. If you are aware of these behaviors, you can modify them and try to make more eye contact, close the gap on personal distance to a friendlier distance, and try to smile more. In addition, you should demonstrate interest in others and work on having a more relaxed posture, a warmer vocal quality, and being more animated.

It is desirable to use strategically ambiguous language except in which of the following situations? to make a point that you cannot say directly (X) to be unequivocal to soften the blow of a difficult message to promote harmony

Strategically ambiguous messages are occasionally useful to promote harmony, soften difficult messages, and make a point indirectly.

Which of the following is not an example of effective nonverbal communication? As Anthony speaks, he glances at his audience many times, making brief eye contact. When the executive interviewing Jeff loosens his tie, Jeff follows suit and loosens his tie, too. Beth has a lot of paperwork to do today. When a coworker comes in to chat, Beth smiles in greeting but keeps her hands poised over her keyboard. Jill is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and manages a mostly male staff, so she goes out of her way to orchestrate seated interactions with them.

When the executive interviewing Jeff loosens his tie, Jeff follows suit and loosens his tie, too.

You receive a voice mail message from your team leader who has left for a holiday weekend and is unreachable. The message says, "Please create a short PowerPoint ASAP about the benefits of your plan." Will this request be a problem? Yes, because your team leader used relative words in his message. Yes, because your team leader used jargon in his message. Yes, because your team leader used low-level abstractions in his message. No, because your team leader used unequivocal terms in his message.

Yes, because your team leader used relative words in his message.

paralanguage

a wide range of vocal characteristics, each of which helps express an attitude: pitch (high-low), resonance (resonant-thin), range (spread-narrow), tempo (rapid-slow), articulation (precise-imprecise), disfluencies (um, er, etc.), rhythm (smooth-jerky), pauses (frequency and duration), and volume (loud-soft).

Feminine conversational styles, as opposed to masculine conversational styles, are characterized by a greater focus on information. problem solving. facts. apologizing.

apologizing A focus on apologizing is characteristic of feminine speech.

Avoid Biased Language

biased language—terms that seem to be objective but actually conceal an emotional bias. When faced with biased language, it's wise to recognize the speaker is editorializing. Tactfully restate the term in language that doesn't contain an evaluation, paraphrase with neutral language, or use terms that quantify:

high-level abstractions

cover a broader range of possible objects or events without describing them in much detail. High-level abstractions can create problems because they are often subject to a wide variety of interpretation

High-context cultures

have made an art of strategic ambiguity, finding ways to express difficult messages indirectly.

"Uh ... I'm not ... er ... sold on this yet." What makes this less powerful than it could be? qualifier tag question question intensifier hesitation

hesitation

"This program is going to be so worthwhile." What makes this less powerful than it could be? tag question hesitation intensifier question qualifier

intensifier

While you are in line at the checkout stand at the grocery store, you hear the clerk call for a code ninety-nine on six. This phrase is an example of which of the following? jargon strategic ambiguity high-level abstractions relative words

jargon

In the current litigation-prone environment, business communicators often use which type of language to convey critical messages without exposing themselves to lawsuits? strategic ambiguity unequivocal terms jargon low-level abstractions

strategic ambiguity

"I think we should sign this contract, don't you?" What makes this less powerful than it could be? intensifier hesitation tag question qualifier

tag question

Masculine conversational styles are characterized by topic control. hedging. tag questions. disclaimers.

topic control is characteristic of masculine speech.

Effective communicators use ______ to avoid misunderstandings. high-level abstractions unequivocal terms relative words ambiguity

unequivocal terms

Which of the following word choices can help you be clear and also make a professional impression? use relative words use jargon judiciously use a lot of "buzzwords" use slang

use jargon judiciously

When your boss says, "I want you to take care of it soon," you respond by asking, "Do you want me to have it done by the end of the work day at 5:00 p.m.?" You were seeking clarification by using a high-level abstraction. avoiding jargon. avoiding biased language. using a low-level abstraction.

using a low-level abstraction.

In which of the following cases would swearing on the job be considered acceptable? when you are new when occasional swearing to build solidarity is commonplace when no one else at your job swears when some of your coworkers seem reserved

when occasional swearing to build solidarity is commonplace