Team Communication/Difficult Conversations

Latrice, Jorge, Francesca, and Seamus are on a team tasked with producing a document on educational assessment. Each of them will contribute to the document as they work collaboratively. This is a process known as

group writing.

Which of the following should be included in meeting minutes?

key discussion points action items to be completed

The primary obstacle to virtual team performance that a team leader can help overcome is the

lack of regular communication.

Finding common ground in a conversation leads to ______ between you and the other person.

less emotional distance

Which of the following is a good approach to handling a difficult conversation?

listening to the story of the other person first, then sharing your own story, then creating a shared story

During the storming stage, team performance is generally

low.

An agenda is designed to

offer structure for a meeting.

Teams are at their most productive and are working efficiently toward their goals during the ______ stage.

performing

Teams that meet infrequently are less likely to move beyond agreeing on roles, goals, and accountabilities to enter the ______ stage.

performing

Which collaborative technologies have been most commonly used by virtual teams over the past 25 years?

phone calls teleconferences email

Which of the following is the most important stage of group writing?

planning

The use of which of the following words or phrases would be an indication of an effective approach in handling a difficult conversation by avoiding any exaggeration?

sometimes

The primary challenge of virtual team meetings, as reported by professionals in virtual teams, is

the lack of time to build relationships.

Rachelle is planning a meeting so that her graphic design team can brainstorm ideas about how to approach a new project. In order to make sure that the meeting is as productive as possible, Rachelle should schedule the meeting for

the morning.

In order to make sure that action items are completed, which of the following are often included in the meeting minutes?

the names of the people responsible for each action item the date by which each action item must be completed

Why do teams meet on a frequent basis?

to better meet deadlines to create a shared perspective on goals

Which of the following is the benefit of one group member polishing the final version of a group writing project?

to make sure the project has a consistent voice

How should you approach an emotionally charged conversation?

with a learner mind-set

When members of high-performing teams communicate, the majority of their comments are

work related.

What is the primary value of personality and communication assessments?

They promote conversations that specifically discuss team members' preferences and approaches to teamwork.

Which of the following are reasons why creating a tradition for starting meetings is important?

It can help define a common sense of purpose. It can emphasize the company's core values. It can help open people up when meetings start.

Which of the following are benefits of team members taking a personality assessment and discussing their results?

They will better comprehend the values of the teams members. They will gain understanding of preferred communication styles.

In general, which of the following should you do when conducting a meeting?

Assign certain participants specific roles, such as facilitator or timer. Indicate if there are certain topics that should be considered confidential.

Which of the following should meeting facilitators do?

check for comprehension of agenda points get attendees to take part in the meeting

Minutes serve as a

record of what was accomplished during a meeting.

Which of the following are tips for making virtual meetings more productive?

Begin meetings with a few minutes to socialize. Make sure every member of the team takes part.

Which of the following should you do to effectively carry out your meeting objectives? (Choose every correct answer.)

Inform participants about the meeting's content. Let participants know how long the meeting will be. Tell participants what they need to do before the meeting.

Which of the following should you do when approaching a difficult conversation?

Invite others to tell their stories and describe their feelings. Enter into the conversation with a learner mind-set. Engage in a joint process of understanding the problems and creating solutions.

Which of the following is a benefit of conflict for high-performing teams?

It increases the potential for inventiveness.

The day of the workweek that is generally considered the most productive day for meetings is

Tuesday

During the course of a group writing project, it is important to

remain adaptable and open.

Which of the following statements about virtual teams is true?

It is important for team members to get to know one another.

Which of the following are advantages to using video during virtual team meetings? (Choose every correct answer.)

It keeps members more present and focused. It can lead to faster decision making. It facilitates the interpretation of verbal and nonverbal cues.

The strategy of periodically rotating virtual team leaders accomplishes which of the following? (Choose all that apply.)

It prevents burnout among leaders. It helps enliven the team. It helps team members develop leadership skills.

In order to approach a difficult conversation with tact and keep it "safe," you should

assume positive intent.

Cycles of divergence and convergence are particularly effective for helping teams do which of the following?

avoid groupthink capture diverse ideas

Mason and his boss, Darius, are having a conversation about how much time Mason should be devoting to a particular client. Darius wants Mason to devote 75% of his time at work to the client, but Mason feels his time would be better spent searching for new clients. Which of the following would be the best way for Mason to express his disagreement?

"I feel the company would benefit more if I spent my time searching out new business."

Rhonda is having a difficult conversation with a colleague. Which of the following statements indicate that Rhonda may be oversimplifying the conversation? (Choose every correct answer.)

"This always happens when I ask your team to do anything quickly." "You never follow the guidelines." "Either you adhere to protocol or there will be consequences."

Which type of diversity generally best improves a company's chances to attract a new market?

2-D diversity

True or false: Although sometimes helpful, meeting facilitators should rarely be used in meetings.

False

True or false: In lower-performing groups, team members offer more supportive statements than any other type of comment in their communications.

False

Greta is a team leader and holds weekly meetings. One of her team members snickers and rolls her eyes during every meeting. Which of the following is the best way for Greta to address this disruptive behavior?

Greta should meet privately with the employee to discuss the behavior and how it negatively affects the team.

Ray is a new manager in the sales division of a company that makes and markets tennis rackets to small sporting goods stores. He decides to start every meeting by sharing some background information about a customer. What is Ray doing?

Ray is creating a tradition to emphasize a common sense of purpose.

Which of the following is a characteristic that effective teams possess?

They spend time discussing values, norms, and goals.

Which of the following is something successful business people do?

They tackle difficult conversations with tact.

What are traits of high-performing teams?

They view diverse opinions as natural and as sources of innovation. They welcome new ideas, even when they conflict with current ideas.

A meeting should end

as originally scheduled

What are ways in which you can disagree diplomatically?

by validating the other person's views and feelings by using I-statements

Kent and Maria are discussing a complaint that a customer made about Kent. Maria says, "Kent, I know you are aware of the complaint against you. First, I would like to hear your side of the story. Then, I would like to work with you so that we can come up with a plan to prevent this from happening in the future." Which of the following is Maria doing?

effectively initiating the conversation

Self-disclosure involves which of the following?

explaining your experiences defining your views sharing your goals

In order to reach high performance, teams go through ______ natural stages.

four

Which of the following is a good way to follow up after a meeting?

send out the minutes from the meeting

Groups constantly attempt to foster ______, a set of shared perceptions and commitment to collective values, norms, roles, responsibilities, and goals.

team culture

Which of the following are important aspects of effective evaluation for high-performing teams? (Choose every correct answer.)

the feedback should generally be positive every member of the team should take part the feedback should involve clear expectations

Which of the following items should be included on an agenda?

the roles of participants the materials needed

Which of the following is the most important reason why long-term virtual teams should meet in person at the beginning of a project?

to facilitate the building of a relationship between team members

Which of the following have been reported as major challenges of virtual team meetings?

too little participation by team members the need to make decisions in a hurry

What is the primary purpose of a meeting?

Make an action plan

Tom is a team leader. Joe is a team member who interrupts Tom and other team members during their meetings. Joe does not have constructive comments but instead makes negative comments about what the team member is saying. Tom pulls Joe aside after a meeting. Which of the following should Tom say to deal with the situation constructively?

"At the next meeting, please let your team members finish what they are saying before you comment."

Rory and Kumiko, two managers, are having a conversation about Lindsey, one of Kumiko's employees. Rory saw Lindsey taking home a large number of office supplies and feels that she should be suspended without pay for a week. Kumiko feels that this punishment is too harsh for a first offense. Which of the following is an example of how Kumiko might diplomatically disagree with Rory?

"I understand what you're saying, and I agree that there should be consequences, but I feel a warning is more appropriate."

Which of the following are more likely to occur when virtual teams meet in person at the beginning of a project?

Communication protocol will be determined. Goals and objectives will be clearly defined.

Which of the following are guidelines for agendas?

Consider placing the most important items first. Get others involved in the agenda-creation process. Send the agenda out ahead of time.

Which of the following should be done during the final steps of a group writing project to ensure a consistent voice?

Group members should provide input as a single member polishes the final version.

Henry is working on a group writing project. As his writing progresses, he faces some difficult choices. Which of the following is Henry's best choice?

He should meet with his team to discuss the decisions.

Denise's team has started a group writing project. As the team gathered information and began drafting initial findings and conclusions, it found that its earlier plans and decisions were not accurate. What should the team do?

It should reassess its original plans and make necessary changes.

Team K must produce a group writing project. Maia wants to start quickly. Darnell thinks it would be better to start closer to the final deadline in order to work under more pressure. Alcina thinks each person should write independently, with the pieces put together at the end. Rob is the strongest writer, so he wants to write everything himself but share the credit with the group. Who has the most effective idea?

Maia

Which of the following are good ways for virtual team members to get to know one another? (Choose every correct answer.)

Members should socialize in virtual environments. Members should find ways to communicate spontaneously.

Which of the following statements are true of teams?

Some teams are formal and permanent. Teams perform better when they communicate effectively.

Which of the following statements about group writing are true?

The emphasis on teams in today's workplace has made it more prevalent. It can be a challenging process.

Why can embracing difficult conversations be a good idea?

The exchange of competing ideas reflects open and honest communication. Colleagues often respect each other more if they know they can safely disagree.

Which of the following are ways to ensure fairness in the member roles and contributions in a group writing project?

The group members should consider using a team charter to state the expectations for each member. The group members should equally divide their contributions and time commitments. The group members should talk about the roles and expectations they have for each other.

Which of the following should be done during the planning stage of group writing? (Choose every correct answer.)

The group should assign roles for researching and writing. The group should work together to determine the basic problems and issues. The group should establish definitive purposes and goals.

As a group writing project progresses and individual writers encounter difficult decisions that need to be made, which of the following should be done?

The group should meet in real time to discuss the decisions. The team should have discussions to ensure the writing reflects the views of the group.

Which of the following is typically true of those business people who approach difficult conversations in a timely, honest, and caring manner?

They achieve more professionally.

Which of the following are common reasons for establishing virtual teams?

They are cost effective. They are convenient. Experts who are not in the same location can be brought together.

Which of the following are true about ineffective meetings? (Choose every correct answer.)

They are generally a waste of time. They may form divisions between team members.

Which of the following are true about effective meetings? (Choose every correct answer.)

They can help teams work more productively. They help teams organize their efforts.

Which of the following statements about collaborative technologies are true?

They can help virtual teams communicate and collaborate more efficiently. Some virtual team members may need training so they do not feel overwhelmed by the technologies.

True or false: It is more likely that your meeting objectives will be met if the meeting is well-planned.

True

True or false: When members of teams discuss their shared goals, this action helps avoid any misinterpretation of members' motivations and actions.

True

Willow's team has split up the contributions for its group writing project equally, with individual team members committing various amounts of time. Jim's team has decided to let each member decide how much time he or she wants to spend according to individual schedules. Wyatt's team has divided up the contributions and time commitments equally. Jill's team wrote a team charter but then disbanded. Which team has the best approach to group writing?

Wyatt's Team

Oksana is a member of a team that has been put in charge of designing new marketing material for her company. Each member of the team has already been assigned a role, and together they have begun working on the project. However, this morning Oksana discovered that the new company logo will need to be redesigned because it is too similar to that of another company. As a result, what kind of meeting would Oksana's team need to schedule?

a problem-solving meeting

When should an action plan be created in a meeting?

after all ideas have been presented and the alternatives considered

Finding common ground in a conversation will help you ______ the issues at hand and may lead to mutually acceptable solutions.

analyze

When editing and working on a group writing project, team members should

be in agreement about the technologies that will be used. be mindful of version control to avoid simultaneous editing.

Which of the following characteristics are the most important for building trust among virtual team members?

being willing to share information being proactively engaged

Which of the following is a key use of self-disclosure for teams?

building trust

Which of the following is the way that the most innovative teams do their work?

by balancing time spent working independently and time spent working as a team

Massiel and her boss, Marco, are having a difficult conversation about one of her clients, who is refusing to follow through on a contract. Massiel is obviously growing angry. How should Marco respond?

by showing empathy and helping her channel the anger appropriately

In comparison to traditional teams, members of virtual teams are more likely to experience which of the following challenges?

communication technology issues feelings of isolation an inability to read nonverbal cues

Which type of meeting is held primarily for attendees to discuss their goals and roles they will play?

coordination meetings

Right before ending a meeting that you are leading, you should

ensure attendees understand their assignments. restate key action items.

Which of the following should be included on an agenda?

expected outcomes time frames items to be covered

Which of the following is a benefit of diversity for work teams?

improved returns

Which of the following is the biggest barrier to team effectiveness according to business professionals?

ineffective communication

Which of the following is a problem often faced by business professionals who are attempting to have a difficult conversation?

internal noise

Many business people prefer to avoid difficult conversations because they worry that

moments of honesty may backfire.

In general, workers are most productive in the ______, so that is when most meetings should be scheduled.

morning

To be effective, a team evaluation should be

mostly positive and focused on goals.

Teams rapidly develop shared perceptions, goals, and commitments, or a team culture, during their ______ stage.

norming

Setting up an effective nonroutine meeting begins with

planning.

Compared to traditional teams, it is generally a greater challenge for virtual teams to

retain trust during the period its members work together.

Once you have been assigned a group writing project, when is the best time to start on it?

right away

Thirty to sixty minutes is the recommended amount of time you should spend preparing for ______ meetings.

routine

Which of the following are typical ground rules laid out at the beginning of a meeting? (Choose every correct answer.)

rules regarding participation rules regarding electronic equipment use

When revising a group writing project, revisions should focus on which of the following?

the strength of the group's ideas and the audience's needs how well and smoothly the sections of the project work together language mechanics, ease of reading, and formatting