Chapter 3 Team Communication and Difficult Conversations
How can you make online meetings more productive?
- maintain professionalism and understanding - increase interaction and participation - establish psychological safety and inclusivity - practice and experiment with meeting features
What are some effective ways to establish psychological safety and inclusivity during online meetings?
- make accommodations for people with limitations - take time for social chat - establish and review norms for online meetings
What are some methods for maintaining professionalism during online meetings?
- managing time well - dressing professionally - choosing a suitable background - using nonverbal cues
How can you make online meetings more accessible to people who are participating in a second language?
- provide closed captioning - provide transcripts
Which of the following are typical ground rules laid out at the beginning of a meeting?
- rules regarding electronic equipment use - rules regarding participation
Which of the following items should be included on an agenda?
- the materials needed - the roles of participants
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 meat deadlines - to create a shared perspective on goals
Which type of diversity generally best improves a company's chances to attract a new market?
2-D diversity
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 of the following is the most important stage of group writing?
planning
Setting up an effective nonroutine meeting begins with
planning.
Minutes serve as a
record of what was accomplished during a meeting.
During the course of a group writing project, it is important to
remain adaptable and open.
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 is a good way to follow up after a meeting?
send out the minutes from the meeting
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
Groups constantly attempt to foster ______, a set of shared perceptions and commitment to collective values, norms, roles, responsibilities, and goals.
team culture
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.
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.
An agenda is designed to
offer structure for a meeting.
What does it mean when a team has psychological safety?
Team members are unafraid to take risks in front of the team.
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."
Rhonda is having a difficult conversation with a colleague. Which of the following statements indicate that Rhonda may be oversimplifying the conversation?
- "You never follow the guidelines." - "Either you adhere to protocol or there will be consequences." - "This always happens when I ask your team to do anything quickly."
What are the two team norms that are most important for psychological safety?
- All team members contribute about the same amount to conversations. - Team members are empathetic and understand each other's feelings.
In what ways does groupthink relate to teams?
- Effective teams strive to avoid groupthink. - Groupthink frequently leads to bad choices. - It is common for groupthink to take place on teams.
Which of the following should you do when approaching a difficult conversation?
- Engage in a joint process of understanding the problems and creating solutions. - Invite others to tell their stories and describe their feelings. - Enter into the conversation with a learner mind-set.
In general, which of the following should you do when conducting a meeting?
- Indicate if their are certain topics that should be considered confidential. - Assign certain participants specific roles, such as facilitator or timer.
Which of the following should you do to effectively carry out your meeting objectives?
- 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 are reasons why creating a tradition for starting meetings is important? (Choose every correct answer.)
- It can emphasize the company's core values. - It can help define a common sense of purpose. - It can help open people up when meetings start.
How has the use of online meetings changed over time?
- Online meetings were common before the COVID-19 pandemic. - The number of online meetings grew rapidly in the first few months of 2020. - Most businesspeople now use online meetings.
Which of the following are guidelines for agendas?
- Send the agenda out ahead of time. - Get others involved in the agenda-creation process. - Consider placing the most important items first.
Which of the following statements are true of teams?
- Teams perform better when they communicate effectively. - Some teams are formal and permanent.
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.
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 talk about the roles and expectations they have for each other. - The group members should equally divide their contributions and time commitments.
Which of the following should be done during the planning stage of group writing?
- 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.
What are some benefits of online meetings?
- They are efficient. - They allow collaboration from people in different locations. - They are convenient.
Which of the following are true about ineffective meetings?
- They are generally a waste of time. - They may form divisions between team members.
What are some challenges of online meetings?
- They have fewer nonverbal clues. - They feel impersonal. -They are prone to technical issues.
Which of the following are true about effective meetings?
- They help teams organize their efforts. - They can help teams work more productively.
What are trait of high-performing teams?
- They welcome new ideas, even when they conflict with current ideas. - They view diverse opinions as natural and as sources of innovation.
Which of the following are benefits of team members taking a personality assessment and discussing their results?
- They will gain understanding of preferred communication styles. - They will better comprehend the values of the teams members.
What are some situations during online meetings that require the meeting facilitator to demonstrate understanding for the participants?
- a participant's pet may enter the background - a participant's child may begin crying - a participant may have an intermittent internet connection
Which of the following should be included in meeting minutes? (Choose every correct answer.)
- action items to be completed - key discussion points
What are some effective ways to increase interaction and participation in online meetings?
- allow anonymous input - use precise and concise language - take minutes in real time - engage all participants with questions
Cycles of divergence and convergence are particularly effective for helping teams do which of the following?
- avoid groupthink - capture diverse ideas
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.
What are ways in which you can disagree diplomatically?
- by using I-statements - by validating the other person's views and feelings
Which of the following should meeting facilitators do?
- check for comprehension of agenda points - get attendees to take part in the meeting
What are effective methods short-term teams use to quickly develop trust?
- committing to collaborating and working independently - setting up a deliverable schedule and frequently evaluating performance - holding a launch meeting - getting to know each other
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
When revising a group writing project, revisions should focus on which of the following?
- language mechanics, ease of reading, and formatting - the strength of the group's ideas and the audience's needs - how well and smoothly the sections of the project work together
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
Which of the following is a benefit of conflict for high-performing teams?
It increases the potential for inventiveness.
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
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.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic influence online meetings?
The use of online meetings grew dramatically during the pandemic.
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.
What is a primary value of personality and communication assessments?
They promote conversations that specifically discuss team members' preferences and approaches to teamwork.
Which of the following is a characteristic that effective teams possess?
They spend time discussing value, norms, and goals.
Which of the following is something successful business people do?
They tackle difficult conversations with tact.
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 to set 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
What is a good way to get input and participation on sensitive topics?
allow anonymous feedback
Finding common ground in a conversation will help you _____ the issues at hand and may lead to mutually acceptable solutions.
analyze
A meeting should end
as originally scheduled.
In order to approach a difficult conversation with tact and keep it "safe," you should
assume positive intent.
Which of the following is the way that the most innovative teams do their work?
by balancing time spend 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.
Which type of meeting is held primarily for attendees to discuss their goals and roles they will play?
coordination meetings
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
In order to reach high performance, teams go through ______ natural stages.
four
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.
How can short-term teams best avoid the danger of not exploring all options?
having an effective launch meeting
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
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.
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
Convergence involves _____, whereas divergence involves _____.
narrowing down ideas; looking at as many ideas as possible
Teams rapidly develop shared perceptions, goals, and commitments, or a team culture, during their ___ stage.
norming
Harmony has scheduled a virtual social chat session before the team's first online meeting. What is the main purpose of the social chat session?
to create psychological safety and inclusivity
What is the primary purpose of a meeting?
to make an action plan
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.
