Chapter 15
When the band came out on stage and the lead singer shouted, "Hello, Philadelphia!" the crowd roared with applause. The crowd's response is an example of
feedback.
Of the following, which medium is the leanest?
flyer on a bulletin board
In the Management in Action case, ticketholders who arrived for the Fyre Festival on a barren, chaotic island only received an e-mail from the organizers saying the event was postponed. What type of media richness did this e-mail portray?
low
Trent is sitting in a seminar where a speaker is explaining the company's retirement plan options. Trent is only 24 years old, and he thinks retirement is far away. What might Trent do to demonstrate curiosity?
Ask "for workers in their 20s, what is the most important thing to know about retirement?"
Your friend, Hideaki, will be attending his first work meeting tomorrow. He's fairly nervous because he wants to become a valued member of his work team. How would you advise Hideaki?
Ask "how" questions.
________ is the process of translating a message into understandable symbols or language.
Encoding
Executives at Amalfi Construction want to let middle managers know that the company is going to be acquired by its largest competitor. Assuming the following paths of communication are possible, how should executives communicate this information?
Hold a face-to-face meeting.
Héctor manages a plastics factory that manufactures pet chew toys. Senior management has decided to change the company's bonus structure, and Héctor understands this will motivate some employees while aggravating others. How should Héctor go about announcing the changing bonus structure?
Héctor should call a face-to-face meeting with the employees.
Which of the following is the best advice for face-to-face communication?
Listen for the other person's content and their emotional cues.
________ is a state of reduced attention that is expressed in behavior that is rigid or thoughtless. This state is natural because human beings simply cannot keep up with all the stimuli they receive.
Mindlessness
Which skill is considered the cornerstone of effective communication?
listening
What should managers know about communication in the workplace?
Recent college graduates frequently overestimate their oral and written communication skills.
Shaia owns a print shop that primarily designs custom t-shirts and signs. Shaia's three employees Rocio, Terrell, and Lara work are cross-trained to create designs, operate the printing machines, and handle sales transactions. Which of these is an example of external communication?
Terrell takes a customer's order over the phone.
Which of the following is an example of a barrier in cross-cultural communication?
The "OK" hand symbol means "all right" or fine in the United States, but is considered an insult in parts of Europe.
A couple from out-of-town stopped Keenan on the street and asked him for directions. Which of the following reactions could indicate a feedback barrier?
The couple smiled and thanked Keenan, but did not repeat the directions back to him.
Thinking about the communication process, which of the following would be an accurate description of one of the steps?
The message is transmitted through a medium.
Which of the following is an example of physical noise in a workplace?
The restaurant has a loud ventilation fan that turns on whenever the kitchen reaches 85 degrees.
A customer service representative who has a thick accent and a broken microphone during a service call are examples of communication barriers.
true
A key way to protect digital communication systems against fraud, hackers, identity theft, and other threats is
using strong passwords.
A manager who is instructing his employee about work tasks is communicating
vertically.
Of the following, which medium is the richest?
videoconference
While networking, you are more likely to be remembered if you ask
"What was the highlight of your day?"
Which of the following is an example of empathetic communication?
"I understand your frustration; this deadline is intense, and we're running on reduced staff."
Paulina manages a fast food restaurant. Which of the following represents Paulina dealing with a personal barrier to communication?
Feeling overwhelmed by the high volume of e-mails, reports, and customer calls, Paulina decides to walk around the exterior of the restaurant for 15 minutes.
Which of the following statements probably leads to defensive communication?
I'd like you to agree with me during the meeting so that we can overcome any challenges.
Which of the following is a danger of using a lean medium for nonroutine matters?
It results in information oversimplification.
________ is terminology that is specific to a particular profession or group. For example, statisticians talk about t-tests, chi-square tests, confidence intervals, and normal distributions.
Jargon
Which of the following should you do when attempting to improve communication?
Lean slightly backward.
What is a disadvantage to open-plan offices?
People may feel "on" all day.
Ghani manages a large fitness center that has an indoor track, a pool, many types of exercise classes, and a large weight lifting area. What would you recommend to Ghani in terms of social media for the fitness center?
Post videos on YouTube and then share them on the center's social media accounts on multiple networks.
Which of the following is a tip for writing more effectively for business purposes?
Start by stating your purpose and what you expect of the reader.
After achieving success with its new line of parkas and boots across Sweden and Finland, the leaders of Anorakki want to expand into the Russian market. Which social media network should Anorakki use to attract Russian customers?
VR
Kayla is a busy entrepreneur who is running a rapidly growing startup. Kayla intends to use social media for recruiting several new employees. What key managerial takeaway would you give to Kayla?
When hiring a web designer, Kayla should check Dribbble.
Which of the following statements is true?
Women are more likely to demonstrate positive, active listening than men are.
Which of the following should you include in the conclusion of a speech?
a call to action
Contrary to stereotypes, ________ has no impact on media richness preference.
age
An effective social media policy includes an element that
applies consistent standards across all social media networks.
Most people from Western cultures tend to ________ when conveying bad news or negative feedback.
avoid eye contact
Portia was preparing for a networking event and kept reminding herself that she needed to keep eye contact with whomever she was speaking, even though that was not typical for her culture. What skill was Portia working on?
being mindful
Knowing that men and women communicate differently, which of the following statements exemplifies masculine norms of communication? Men are more likely to
boast about achievements.
Melisa was in a car crash which resulted in her having a minor concussion and several serious bruises, but no broken bones. When she notified Kanu, her manager, about the crash, Kanu responded, "Please take a few days off to heal and rest. We'll move the department meeting to next week so you have more time to complete your report. Let me know if you need anything else while you recover." Kanu demonstrated ________ empathy.
compassionate
Batsa traveled from Nepal to England for a business meeting with Emily. Batsa was impressed when Emily welcomed him with a traditional Nepali bow and a verbal greeting of "namaste." It seems that Emily recognized the potential ________ barrier to communication, and was working to minimize it.
cross-cultural
Which term refers to the use of the Internet at work for personal use?
cyberloafing
Although technology in general, and social media specifically, have boosted productivity, managers must recognize that
cyberloafing costs as much as $85 billion per year in decreased productivity.
Chezy just got back from spending two weeks in her company's Panamanian office. Her flight was delayed, so instead of going home to rest, she went right into the office. At the morning status meeting, Chezy thought that everyone was sharing their weekend plans, instead of giving their division reports. Why did she feel that way?
decoding barrier
Compared to women, men tend to
demonstrate their expertise.
Miora is concerned that lots of misinformation and gossip are swirling rapidly along her company's grapevine. To reduce the negative effects of the grapevine, Miora could
directly and honestly address the gossip via a rich medium.
Hana was recently fired from her server position at Big Sky Steakhouse for missing multiple shifts. To retaliate, Hana created fake accounts on several social media networks and falsely posted that the restaurant's kitchen was dirty and the cooks did not adhere to food safety protocols. Hana's posts are considered
disinformation.
The vice president of finance at Adventure Park, an amusement park, disseminated a new five-year strategic plan to the merchandise, attractions, and operations directors. This is an example of ________ communication.
downward
Tricia, a supervisor, told her employees, "The store will close Monday for inventory and all employees are expected to participate." Without knowing how Tricia communicated her message, we know it was done
downward.
A manager needs to inform employees that the quarterly project management training will start on June 1, about three months from now. Generally, which of the following should the manager use in this situation?
You are a(n) ________ communicator when your intended message is sent accurately in the least amount of time.
efficient
Chenglei worked on a global team for an American company, and all her work had to be completed in her second language, English. Sometimes her teammates misinterpreted her meaning. Chenglei has unintentionally created a(n) ________ barrier to communication.
encoding
At the end of the fiscal year, Thompson Investments releases an earnings report to clients. By sending the earnings reports to its clients, Thompson Investments is communicating
externally.
During a conversation with her project team, Mazana felt a surge of emotions and found herself struggling to listen openly. Mazana should ask a curious question to become less distracted and more mindful in the conversation.
false
Formal channels of communication are typically faster than the grapevine.
false
Matek, a realtor, knows about a great deal on a property in the country, but his clients, Julian and Karida, insist on only looking at downtown lofts. Matek feels that Julian and Karida would switch realtors if he showed them a property in the country, so he does not tell them about it. The result is a receiver barrier.
false
The sun was shining directly into Luca's eyes, so he looked away and missed the coach's demonstration of a defensive technique. In this case, the sun acts as feedback in the communication process.
false
Web-based and mobile technologies that are used to generate interactive dialogue with members of a network are known as formal communication channels.
false
Channels of communication that follow the chain of command and are considered as official are ________ communication channels.
formal
JJ recently became one of the firm's youngest-ever department managers. Each week, during management meetings, JJ proposes ways to use Slack, shared files, and the firm's intranet to streamline the group's communications. Which personal barrier to communication would you attribute to JJ?
generational differences
Which of the following is an example of nonverbal communication?
giving a high-five to your partner after you win a card game
Gossip and rumor in an organization are part of the ________, which itself is a type of ________ communication channel.
grapevine; informal
In the Management in Action case, McFarland primarily failed at which type of communication?
horizontal
Maureen, a marketing manager, shares some of the market research her department has analyzed with the research and development group. Maureen is communicating
horizontally.
When thieves use your name and good credit rating to get cash or buy things, they are engaging in
identity theft.
Communication channels that develop outside the organizational structure and do not follow the chain of command are considered
informal.
When Rosalyn comes into the office, she speaks to no one, shuts her door, and is rarely seen again until lunch. She supervises a team of 12 people though. Carmelita has a new idea she would like to share with management, but is unsure if she should take it to Rosalyn. How would you describe this upward communication?
lacking trust
A ________ is a person's characteristic speaking patterns, such as the use of pacing, pausing, questions, and stories.
linguistics style
Active ________ is the process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal messages, which requires full attention and processing.
listening
The more management levels through which a message passes, the
more distorted the message may become.
Keitaro, a university administrator, needs to send an official memo to the directors of the registration, advising, and financial aid divisions, as well as their supervisors. To determine who should receive his memo, Keitaro consults the
organization chart.
Ally is known for not listening in meetings and for misunderstanding directions. Ty has decided to take a new approach with her, regardless of whether he is speaking with her or sending her an e-mail. The last thing he asks Ally to do is use her own words to tell him what she is supposed to do. Ty wants Ally to respond by
paraphrasing.
When someone restates in their own words the crux of what they heard, they are
paraphrasing.
Every time Kiersten's phone buzzed during a meeting, she would step out to either take the call or respond to the text. It did not seem to matter, if she was the one presenting at the time or just listening. She did not even seem to notice the eye rolls from the others or any of the other nonverbal cues. Kiersten's behavior could be described as
phubbing.
In the Management in Action case, McFarland was standing atop a table frantically yelling instructions at the crowd. If the crowd was not able to understand McFarland's instructions because they could not hear him, which barrier to communication was most likely present?
physical
Nicole often works virtually from her local coffee shop. Last week, the Wi-Fi at the coffee shop was not working, so Nicole experienced a ________ barrier to communication.
physical
Herberto was responding to e-mails during a Zoom meeting, and he wasn't listening when his supervisor announced work assignments. This situation is a ________ barrier to communication.
receiver
Which element of the communication process model is engaged after the information is transmitted through a medium?
receiver
Media that are ________ allow receivers to observe multiple cues, such as body language and tone of voice, and senders to get feedback.
rich
Rob told Tamara to get him a report "right away." Tamara was not sure what "right away" meant. This is an issue of
semantics.
Gina wanted to tell her employees about an upcoming seminar, but she put the flyer in a stack of papers and forgot about it until after the deadline, so none of her employees were able to sign up for the seminar. What type of barrier has occurred in this situation?
sender
Social media can benefit remote workers by
sharing schedules and documents.
In the Management in Action case, if McFarland did not deliberately mislead ticketholders via his website and social media, he would have been engaged in
spreading misinformation.
Imagine that you work for a life insurance company that is offering a new type of life insurance policy for senior citizens (people over age 65) and retirees. Keeping generational differences in mind, which of the following is the best medium for communicating with potential customers/clients?
telephone calls
According to Dale Carnegie, after delivering your main content, you should
tell them what you said.
The source for crowdsourcing is most often
the Internet and social media.
Who defines effective communication?
the receiver
Communication is
the transfer of information and understanding from one person to another.
Face-to-face communication is the richest form of communication because the receiver observes multiple cues in the message.
true
If you must tell an employee that he is facing a sexual harassment investigation, you should use a rich medium of communication.
true
Noise is any disturbance that interferes with the transmission of a message, and it can occur in any medium.
true
Sylvie had many spelling and grammar mistakes in her report, some of which made the content difficult to understand. Sylvie's report is an example of poor encoding.
true
