ENG 209 Chapters Three and Four

Captain J's, a popular burger joint in California, recently improved on their quality of burgers by adding more layers of meat and cheese to it. To spread the word about their improved burgers, they distributed fliers to passers-by at streets. Which of the following would best help Captain J's promote their new burgers by creating positive emphasis?

"Captain J's now has even better tasting burgers!"

Dorothy Rogers, during her lunch hour at work, listens to her colleague, Sarah Jones' woes about being re-located to the office in San Francisco. Sarah states, "I have just moved to New York and I am in no state of mind to being relocated to another city so soon. I do not understand why I of all people in the team need to re-locate!" What active listening skill should Rogers use which will help Jones feel better?

"I understand how you must be feeling. Re-locating when you just moved to a new city can be difficult."

Erica Mason was talking to Erin Porter, a team member, about the problems she is facing with a client who is rude, demanding, and obnoxious. She says, "Mr. Lewis yesterday banged the phone down on my face while I was still talking. Today, when I called to give him quotes on a travel package he requested for, he said that I should not call him and waste his precious time if I cannot offer him a 30% discount." Porter in her response, instead of acknowledging Mason's problem, said something which made her feel she did not understand her problem. Which of the following did Porter most likely say?

"Is there anything you want me to do to help you with the package?"

Raymond Wells needs to welcome the new sales executives at his organization and introduce them to the rest of the team. He does not know them well and are meeting them for the first time. When he introduces them to the team, his introduction sounds sexist. Which of the following did Wells most likely say?

"Please welcome Mr. Boston, Mr. Ellis, and Mrs. Melissa."

Isabella Rodgers works as a sales manager at an insurance firm and needs to present a report for her team on their performance results. The team has underperformed and has not managed to reach the targets of the quarter. Which of the following would best help Isabella address the team using appropriate you-attitude?

"The sales figures this quarter have not reached our expected targets."

Patrick Rowe is a manager at a software firm. Jack Blair, Patrick's team member, is facing technical issues with software system. While communicating with Blair, Rowe used an impersonal statement to talk about the issue. Which of the following did Patrick say?

"This new software system has been giving us problems for a while now."

Which of the following represents negative information in the best possible manner?

"We will be able to raise sufficient funds by beginning of next week."

A writer should talk about an audience's feelings because it helps bond better with them.

False

Active listening alone can reduce the conflict that arises when two people want apparently inconsistent things.

False

After a conversation, it is important to avoid writing points from the conversation because it implies that the person does not remember key points.

False

An important element of listening skills at work is being oblivious to one's own emotional responses especially when the topic is controversial.

False

Body language is easy to understand because each nonverbal sign has one specific meaning.

False

Business communication uses singulars to eliminate sexist generic pronouns.

False

Every title that contains the word "man" should be avoided because it involves using sexist language.

False

Good networkers avoid mirroring postures, behaviors, and emotional states of people because it makes them lose their identity.

False

In order to avoid assigning blame in a negative situation, it is best to use active verbs.

False

In order to create goodwill with content, it is best to avoid showing why information an audience did not ask for is important.

False

In order to reduce listening errors, one should ignore instructions that seem unnecessary.

False

Nonverbal language has explicit meaning and can never be misinterpreted.

False

One should use terms which suggest that competent people are unusual.

False

Placing information in the bottom of a first page helps deemphasizing the information.

False

Successful professionals communicate exclusively with managers or superiors.

False

Talking about oneself is a good way to demonstrate confidence and you-attitude.

False

Time sinks help people manage time more efficiently.

False

When one does not know someone well, it is good to use first names to attempt to build a professional relationship.

False

When one knows a reader's name but not the gender, it is good to use the reader's first name in the salutation.

False

While communicating about people with disabilities or diseases, positive emphasis takes precedence over you-attitude.

False

While giving good news, a writer or speaker should predict an audience's response because it makes them feel that the writer understands them.

False

Wordiness means using fewer words than the meaning requires.

False

Workman, chairman, and airhostess are examples of neutral titles.

False

You-attitude is more useful for listening than it is for writing.

False

Katherine Anderson recently joined as a communications executive at a new travel company. Over the last few days, she has noticed that the company has an informal work culture and very different from the one at the previous organization she worked in. Which of the following are most likely to be a characteristic of Anderson's new work culture?

Flat organizational structure

Which of the following is an example of a non-sexist job title?

Flight Attendant

Which of the following should be used to manage time better?

Keeping lists and prioritizing items on the list

Jonathan Mill works as a guest relations executive at a five star property, Le Gardenia. He is welcoming a new guest, Mr. Jordan Burns at the hotel today. On interacting with him, he finds that the guest is warm, friendly, and communicates his presence through non-verbal communication. Which of the following is Burns most likely doing?

Making eye contact and smiling when Mill talks

Which of the following statements represent double negatives?

Never fail to reach you sales targets.

Which of the following is an example of an acknowledgment response?

Nodding

_____ refers to hiring services and products that were once produced by the organization's employees.

Outsourcing

Helen Bradley who works at an advertising firm in Manhattan is popular among her colleagues because of her strong interpersonal skills. Strong listening skills help her perform tasks well and share a good working relationship with employees. Which of the following does Bradley most likely do to be a good listener?

Paraphrase the speaker's words to make her understanding accurate

Which of the following is most likely to represent a spatial cue?

Placing a table between two people during a conversation

For which of the following should passive verbs be used?

Sharing poor progress results of a project

A major reason for some people being more successful than others is strong interpersonal communication.

True

A tried and true way of improving customer service is increasing the oral communication skills of sales representatives and customer service agents.

True

According to linguist Deborah Tannen, questions such as whether one shows interest by asking lots of questions helps reveal one's own conversational style.

True

Bias-free language helps to sustain goodwill, is fair, and complies with the law.

True

Business communications are influenced by environments which are shaped by national culture, corporate culture, individual behaviors, and widespread trends.

True

Characteristics of popular corporate cultures include flexible work arrangements, profit sharing, and wellness programs.

True

Inattention and emotions can cause listeners to misinterpret a speaker.

True

Intercultural competence is the ability to communicate sensitively with people from other cultures and countries, based on an understanding of cultural differences.

True

It is appropriate to talk about one's own emotions in a message of congratulations or condolence.

True

Language is nonracist and nonageist when it treats all races and ages fairly, avoiding negative stereotypes of any group.

True

Listening to the feelings of co-workers is an important part of listening skills at work.

True

One should use language free from sexism by using neutral titles that do not imply that a job is held only by men or women.

True

Open body positions suggest that people are accepting and open to new ideas.

True

People who do not know each other well and feel more comfortable with one another if a piece of furniture separates them is an example of a spatial cue.

True

Positive emphasis can be created by putting negative information in the middle and presenting it compactly.

True

Skills in listening, conversation, nonverbal communication, and networking are an important part of interpersonal skills.

True

Smiling, frowning, and how long someone keeps a visitor waiting are examples of non-verbal communication.

True

Social signals is a part of nonverbal communication and refer to the tone of voice, gestures, proximity to others, and facial expressions.

True

Straightforward negatives build credibility while giving bad news.

True

The desirable tone for business writing is businesslike, friendly, confident, and polite.

True

True networking may be defined as creating connections before they are needed, creating diverse connections across wide areas, knowing which people to turn to when one needs additional expertise, and knowing people outside the company.

True

When talking about people with disabilities, one should use people-first language to focus on the person, instead of the condition.

True

While choosing photographs and illustrations, one should ensure that the general impression suggests that diversity is welcome and normal.

True

While using positive emphasis, it is important to check that content is appropriate, sincere, and realistic.

True

Which of the following needs to be undertaken to avoid listening errors from misinterpretation?

Write down key points that affect how work will be evaluated

E-mails that try to lure receivers to send sensitive information are known as _____.

phishing messages