COMST 214 - Iowa State
Approximately 75-95% of all messages involve:
Nonverbal Communication
Pretend you are married and on a job interview. During the interview, your potential employer asks, "Are you married?" Which of the following would be the best response:
Any of these could be acceptable
Networking is a great way to prepare for a career. Extroverted individuals typically consider networking fun and exciting because it's an adventure to meet and talk with new people. However, introverted individuals typically find networking anxiety-inducing. One way introverts can comfortably network is to:
Any of these would be viable network opportunities for introverts (or extroverts)
Which is the best advice for seeking a raise?
Clarify ways in which you have directly contributed to your company's profits.
According to the Marks & Harold (2011), you are likely to increase your salary by using this strategy:
Competing
Nonverbal communication __________.
Does not include words
During class, two of Hannah's classmates were having a side conversation and Hannah could not hear her instructor's lecture over their conversation. Which barrier to effective listening (or noise) would the side conversation be considered?
NOT MESSAGE OVERLOAD Physiological Egocentrism Preoccupation Environmental
When asked about your "biggest career mistake" or "greatest professional weakness" in a job interview, you should:
NOT: Redirect the question to your greatest accomplishment/professional strengths Say you have never made a mistake/have no weaknesses Blame someone else for the mistake/weakness Smile and patiently wait until the interviewer moves onto the next question
Which of the following is a useful technique for improving the quality of your conversations?
NOT: ask original questions rather than paraphrasing what others have already said speak only when it is truly necessary avoid asking questions so you don't look incompetent do not hesitate to evaluate what others have to say give advice in the form of questions
All interviews have:
Questions
The best way to answer "What salary are you expecting" in an interview is to:
Request a salary (range) that reflects industry standards for this particular position, while highlighting your specific qualifications that make you an ideal candidate for the job.
The term polysemy refers to:
multiple meanings for the same word
All of the following are strategies for avoiding presentation software catastrophes EXCEPT
plan to use a live Internet connection to access your visuals
A job candidate who uses the competing strategy would likely say:
*NOT "Will you consider a $5,000 increase now and another $5,000 increase at the end of the year if I meet all performance standards?" "I understand that you cannot increase my salary at this time." "I will walk away from this job offer if you can't give me a $10,000 increase today." "Thank you for the job offer. I accept." "Can we meet in the middle with a $5,000 increase?"
Coercive power is a function of
*NOT a person's job title. the consequences a person can impose. the degree to which a person is respected. a person's intelligence
Although ambiguous messages are often discouraged because they decrease clarity, strategic ambiguity can:
All of the above
When negotiating a job offer, your negotiation message should:
All of the above
According to Leader Member Exchange Theory, relationship quality (e.g., satisfaction, closeness) varies among leaders (e.g., bosses, supervisors) and their members (e.g., employees, staff) because:
All leaders have a limited amount of time and energy and end up dividing these resources unequally among members, which creates some high- and some low-quality leader-member relationships
Which of the following is a tip for avoiding electronic aggression:
Ask yourself if you would say the message to someone in person
The ______________ negotiating strategy "leaves money on the table" because it dodges negotiating altogether.
Avoiding
All of the following are recommended techniques for using voice mail except:
Check messages weekly
According to Marks & Harold (2009), using the ____________________ strategy will lead to the most positive reactions (e.g., satisfaction, perceptions of fairness) following a salary negotiation.
Collaborating
When you carefully craft verbal messages and display nonverbal cues to achieve some goal (e.g., solve a problem, build relationships, manage your identity, accomplish a task), you are exercising which principle of communication?
Communication is strategic
According to the text, _________________ is "a hostile message that is blunt, rude, insensitive, or obscene."
Email flame
When negotiating a job offer, it is best to focus solely on your salary and not complicate the process by discussing other benefits and perks associated with the position.
False
Which component of the communication model involves the receiver's response (e.g., asking a question, stating a comment, nodding, smiling) to the sender's message?
Feedback
Which of the following actions would NOT be likely to boost the effectiveness of your team?
If one member craves recognition, compliment him whenever you can sincerely do so.
According to the authors, which of the following is true about email communication?
Inappropriate email communication can lead to lawsuits
According to the authors, which of the following is a reason companies use virtual work teams:
It is an easier way to create strong professional bonds
When responding to the common "tell me about yourself" opening line in an interview, you should remember to:
Keep your response brief and job-related
Which of the following would be the BEST thesis statement?
Leasing your equipment can help you save money.
Courtney continuously checks her email and texts responses while sitting in her biology lecture. Not surprisingly, she has trouble understanding many of the concepts she's supposed to be learning. Which barrier to effective listening (noise) does this represent?
Message Overload
According to the KEYS approach to professional excellence, which step do you ask yourself "Was it appropriate for me to raise my voice to get my point across in that meeting?"
S: Step back and reflect
After an interview, you should always:
Send a thank you note/email to everyone who interviewed you
_____________ peer relationships are egalitarian co-worker relationships characterized by high levels of trust, intimacy, and self-disclosure.
Special
Summarizer and opinion seeker are examples of ________ functions.
Task
Messages cannot be fully understood without knowing (NOTE: you could understand a message without the rest of these):
The context of the message
In which of the following situations would it be best to call a meeting rather than to send a memo?
The information that is being communicated is controversial.
Which of the following is a constructive norm for a team?
The team set ground rules not to interrupt a member who is sharing an idea.
Which of the following is not a characteristic of an effective set of minutes?
They should provide a detailed account of each speaker's opinions.
"Uptalk," the tendency to end sentences on a rising pitch, has been linked to perceived lack of confidence and unassertiveness.
True
Although the use of powerless language is linked to decreased credibility and competence, a boss could use it strategically to make his/her subordinates feel comfortable and valued.
True
Because of the gender wage gap, women lose, on average, over $400,000 over the course of their career.
True
Email systems and other forms of communication technology make employees more efficient while simultaneously increasing their workload.
True
True or False: The term "unplugged" refers to the avoidance of checking email, sending text messages, watching television or answering the phone.
True
Which of the following is a suggestion for text message etiquette?
Use texts that leave little room for misunderstandings
According to the KEYS approach to professional excellence, which step focuses on being mindful of your tone and word choice?
Y: Your communication interaction
Supporting material that explains the unfamiliar by comparing it to the familiar is called a(n)
analogy
You want your assistant to come in at 7 a.m. tomorrow to help you finish a client project. To communicate this goal, you say, "We have all been so busy around here. In fact, we have a meeting with client ABC at 10 a.m. tomorrow and I still have so much to prepare." This message is:
appropriate (but not effective)
The meanings assigned to the verbal (e.g., words) and nonverbal (e.g., facial expressions, gestures, body language) symbols we use in social interactions are:
arbitrary
The recommended method for responding to an apparently stupid idea is to
ask others to enhance its value by building on it.
After listening to Takumi's introduction, the audience clearly knew what his talk was about but expected it to be rather boring. Which of the following did Takumi most likely fail to address effectively in his introduction?
attention-getter
Within nonverbal communication, kinesics refers to our:
body, hand, and facial movements
To say "one cannot not communicate" is to describe which principle of communication?
communication is unavoidable
What type of questions would most likely encourage comments from normally quiet people?
direct questions
Well-managed workgroups offer several advantages over individual workers. Which of the following is NOT one of the typical advantages of working in a group?
efficiency
The difference between rich and lean media channels is the number of nonverbal cues available. Thus, the richest media channel (from the list below) is _______________ and the leanest media channel (from the list below) is ________________:
face-to-face; text message
A ________ is most effective for showing the correlation between two or more trends.
graph
Social frames can enhance communication by:
helping to regulate and provide rules for interactions
A(n) ________ presents information that you (or a group or person you represent) have learned or done.
report
Persuasive presentations differ from informative presentations because they
seek to change the way an audience thinks, feels, or acts.
Research demonstrates that the STAR method is an effective strategy to use when answering difficult interview questions. What does STAR stand for?
situation, task, action, results
When a meeting's scheduled ending arrives, the final thing you should do as the leader is
thank members for participating.
The "functional perspective" of group communication teaches that
the functions necessary for getting a job done can be shared among group members.
Communication is defined as:
the use of verbal and nonverbal symbols to stimulate meaning in the minds others
Which of the following is NOT a general goal of a presentation?
to evaluated
During his introductory remarks to his team, Bayu emphasizes that his office door is always open to any of his team members who need assistance. Which of the following leadership approaches is Bayu showing?
transformational approach
According to leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, employees who have high-quality relationships with their superiors
typically communicate in supportive ways.
Akiro and his colleagues are working on a large construction project. The environmental, architectural, and marketing specialists are located in three different geographic locations. Team members do not have time to fly to a central location every time a meeting is needed, yet they need to be able to have a high level of interaction and want to see each other's nonverbal communication. Which of the following types of virtual meetings would you suggest to this team?
videoconference
Intimate relationships among coworkers are associated with many positive outcomes. Yet, many organizations have (un)written policies that forbid these relationships when they evolve into _______________________ and, thus, blur the lines between professional and personal relationships.
workplace romances
_______________________ are characterized by high levels of closeness, trust, and affection.
workplace romances
Active listening occurs whenever
you are attentive to the verbal and nonverbal information being shared by a speaker
In order to become a more confident speaker, you should
recognize that a certain amount of anxiety can be an asset.
Stacey's primary duty for the group is to ensure a strong interpersonal climate. Stacey is filling a ________ role.
relational
As you begin to develop your presentation, you should determine whom you want to influence and what reaction you want from them. This is called a ________.
specific goal
Pretend you are in a job interview and your potential employer asks, "What is your greatest weakness." You think your greatest weakness is finishing projects at a slow pace because you get bogged down by trivial details. You want to be honest and present yourself in a positive light. Which of the following would be the best response:
"I am meticulous, which can slow down the pace of my work, but I value accuracy and quality over speed and my previous employers appreciated attention to detail."
According to the Marks & Harold (2011), approximately what dollar amount can you expect to increase your salary to if you negotiate the starting offer?
$5,000
According to Marks & Harold (2011), high risk aversion individuals are more likely than low risk aversion individuals to use the avoiding strategy during salary negotiations.
True
The decision mode in which all members agree (at least to some extent) and are willing to support an idea is known as
consensus.
You must deliver an important message to your boss by the end of the day. The message is lengthy, complex, and detailed. The content of the message pertains to your top client and company policies—but it is not a highly emotional issue, more one of procedures and business protocols. You would like time to carefully craft the message before sending it so you can sure you have explained the entire situation before your boss can interject his/her opinion. You would like your boss's feedback on this issue by the end of the week. Identify the best channel through which to deliver this message:
Rhonda received a voice message marked "urgent," but due to the poor quality of her phone's speakers, she was not able to understand the message. Which barrier to effective listening (or noise) does this problem represent?
Environmental
Ilsa wants to use several examples in her presentation. Which of the following would probably be the most effective?
Examples that are relevant and happened to her while on vacation.
As effective communication is the responsibility of the person talking (i.e., sender), the person listening (i.e., receiver) can passively absorb the message without worrying about how an understanding will be reached.
False
In the communication model, the sum of someone's experiences, values, goals, attitudes, and moods can best be understood as _______.
Frame of Reference
Open discussions about employee salaries may be one solution to
Gender Discrimination
Which of the following is NOT associated with interpersonal communication?
Groupthink
The trait approach to leadership presents the idea that individuals with certain qualities will be good leaders. According to research, which of the following is a quality that the trait approach would consider a good predictor of leadership?
Physical Attractiveness
Which is the recommended approach for concluding a meeting?
Point out that the meeting is close to completion, summarize the group's accomplishments, outline future actions, and thank members for having attended.
At the career fair last week, Krystal introduced herself to a manager from Barilla. The manager told Krystal about the positions for which they will be hiring recent college graduates at their corporate location. During the interaction, Krystal found herself focusing on stereotypes associated with the manager's race/ethnicity instead of the details of the manager's message. When the manager stopped talking and asked Krystal why she would want to be considered for one of these positions, Krystal didn't know what to say. Which type of noise prevented Krystal from listening effectively (and possibly getting a job)?
ethnocentrism
After hearing that a local tire company was looking for a new firm to handle their advertising, Kevin scheduled a sales presentation to try to persuade the company to sign on with his advertising business. For the presentation, Kevin wanted to use a style of delivery that would enable him to cover all his prepared material in an organized way, yet would still appear spontaneous. Which delivery method should Kevin select for his presentation?
extemporaneous
James and his classmates complain that their instructor does not give clear instructions for their assignments. All of the following strategies could help these students EXCEPT
favoring verbal cues over nonverbal cues
A ________ is a short presentation that provides an interested and knowledgeable workplace audience with specific information they need to know to do their jobs.
briefing
If you use threats in an attempt to persuade an individual into action, which of the following tactics would you be using?
coercion
To set the correct tone for a virtual meeting, it is a good idea to begin the meeting by
establishing etiquette.
You have a question about the client report your work team was assigned to develop. You, first, ask your team leader, Tim, for help. Tim cannot answer your question, so you ask your team's supervisor, Joan. Joan is not sure of the answer, so she directs you to the regional manager, Bob. When you ask Bob for help, he suggests that you seek out Jackie, the President of the company. Because this scenario follows communication channels predetermined by your organization, you are engaging in:
formal communication
Rob has been asked to provide a presentation to a group of investors. Rob wants to send a significant amount of statistical information home with the investors so they can refer back to it later. Which of the following visuals would best help Rob achieve this purpose?
handouts
A/An ____________ interview gives the interviewer a great deal of control, but does not allow the interviewer to be flexible and make changes to his/her questions based on the interviewee's responses.
highly structured
Bettina was asked to give a presentation to a group of potential investors. She wouldn't find out what topics they wanted her to discuss until she collected their questions a few moments before the presentation. What type of delivery must Bettina use in this situation?
impromptu
The following are methods of delivering a presentation EXCEPT
informal
________________ are characterized by low levels of intimacy, trust, self-disclosure.
information peer relationships
Emilio is a member of a small research team that is working on developing a cure for Alzheimer's. Once a week, team members meet to share their most recent findings. These gatherings illustrate the ________ function of meetings.
information-sharing
_____________________ refers to the co-creation of meaning that occurs among dyads.
interpersonal communication
Mr. Brown is an extremely immediate boss. Which of the following behaviors is he likely to use in the workplace?
lightly touch his employees on the arm when talking to them
A survey of 1,000 executives ranked ________ as the top skill of an ideal manager.
listening
Which of the following delivery types is most likely to cause anxiety or stage fright for the speaker?
memorized
The ________ organizational pattern leads the audience through a series of steps designed to increase the audience's involvement and interest as the persuasive presentation develops.
motivated sequence
The study of proxemics in nonverbal communication would include:
observing how people claim space and territory while interacting
Individuals who have high quality leader-member exchanges with their bosses, feel like:
part of the ingroup
Josie is very open about her personal life with her coworkers. She does not hold back anything. She shares details of her marriage, family conflicts, and children's academic struggles. She has even talked about her sexual experiences in a work meeting! According to Communication Privacy Management Theory, Josie has:
permeable boundaries
Jim is having problems listening to Diana's directions for operating the new computer terminal because he is upset about his poor performance in presentation to the Vice President earlier that morning. Which barrier to effective listening (or noise) does this scenario illustrate?
preoccupation
