Deck 6: Building a Strong Communication Foundation

Question 1

Empathy involves:

A) communicating that you agree with someone when you really do not.
B) showing that you understand how a person feels.
C) communicating your genuine agreement with someone's point of view.
D) listening to someone so that they feel better about their situation.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

To show someone you are listening, you can:

A) lean forward slightly towards them.
B) summarise back to them what they have said.
C) while facing them, make soft 'uh-huh' sounds.
D) nod your head.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

A worker who is very competent at fixing computer problems gets a reputation as the office's fix-it guru for everything. Soon, colleagues are approaching this worker whenever there are problems with the photocopier, the air conditioning or the adjustable office chairs. This is an example of:

A) prejudice.
B) the Pygmalion effect.
C) the horns effect.
D) the hero effect.
E) the halo effect.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

To gather good information, you should:

A) ask smart questions.
B) listen.
C) sort through the information you are collecting to differentiate between assumptions, inferences, facts and opinions.
D) temporarily set to one side your own opinions, feelings and thoughts.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 5

It is better to give information in small chunks because people can only remember:

A) about two pieces of information at a time.
B) about three pieces of information at a time.
C) about seven pieces of information at a time.
D) information delivered in no more than a 30-second period.
E) information delivered in no more than a one-minute period.

Question 6

Which of the following is not a form of communication?

A) Organisational policy
B) Email
C) Workplace health and safety (WHS) signage
D) A team meeting
E) An intra-office lunch

Question 7

If you do not listen with your ears, you cannot gather information efficiently.

Question 8

Communication incongruity describes a situation in which:

A) communication breaks down due to language barriers.
B) there is a mismatch between someone's words and their actions or body language.
C) a person does not have the confidence to communicate effectively.
D) both people in a communication situation fail to listen to each other.
E) due to stereotyping, the receiver of a message hears what they want to hear.

Question 9

In some situations, having and using a sense of empathy can be just as useful as the other senses for gathering information.

Question 10

Which of the following is not an example of using reflective listening?

A) 'You feel…'
B) 'It sounds as though you…'
C) 'It looks like you have experienced…'
D) 'You seem frustrated with…'
E) 'You are mistaken. The process has been…'

Question 11

When you disagree with a person's opinion or point of view and believe it is important to express your disagreement, you should:

A) talk over the top of them.
B) wait until they have finished, and then tell them they are wrong.
C) wait until they have finished, and then provide facts, figures and arguments that prove that they are wrong.
D) first show you have heard and understood the speaker's viewpoint by summarising what they have said.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 12

If you wanted to know when a colleague was going to finish writing a report you needed, the type of question you should ask them would be a:

A) general question.
B) open question.
C) closed question.
D) clarifying question.
E) probing question.

Question 13

Intragroup communication describes communication:

A) within a work group or team.
B) between organisations.
C) between groups within an organisation.
D) within an organisation.
E) between individuals.

Question 14

Communication is likely to be most effective when:

A) it is spoken.
B) it is written.
C) it is done with pictures.
D) it is spoken and then followed up in writing.
E) forms other than words are used.

Question 15

Clear communication is:

A) complete.
B) courteous.
C) correct.
D) concise.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 16

If a person in a meeting was distracted by a flying insect, and as a result failed to receive the information they required from the meeting, it would be an example of the type of communication barrier known as:

A) language complexity.
B) perceptions and/or prejudice.
C) environmental.
D) timing.
E) self-image.

Question 17

Which of the following statements would definitely not spur a clarifying question?

A) 'Everybody knows it's going to happen.'
B) 'Take it away; I need lots more.'
C) 'The whole area is in meltdown; it's a disaster.'
D) 'Start from when you first detected the error in the loading procedure, and then tell me what happened next.'
E) 'This isn't working; we need to do something else.'

Question 18

'Lots of people are saying there is going to be a huge shake-up and that half of those in Finance are going to lose their jobs.' This is most likely a statement of:

A) feeling.
B) fact.
C) folklore.
D) fantasy.
E) both fact and folklore.

Question 19

A manager who listens 30 per cent of the time and talks 60 per cent of the time is more likely to be 'in charge' of their staff.

Question 20

Which of the following statements best describes successful communication?

A) Successful communication is a process of gathering good information to achieve a goal.
B) Successful communication is a process of giving good information in order to achieve a goal.
C) Successful communication is a process of gathering and giving good information.
D) Successful communication is a process of gathering and giving good information in order to achieve a goal.
E) Successful communication is a process of gathering and giving good information in order to avoid conflict.

Question 21

Which of the following body language actions would be appropriate to take the pressure out of a tense situation?

A) Leaning slightly forward
B) Leaning slightly back
C) Leaning further forward
D) Folding or crossing your arms
E) Shaking your head

Question 22

The following statements all contain words commonly used in business communication. Which statement demonstrates both correct spelling and correct grammar?

A) 'For those of you affected, I will accept you're submissions up to and until the end of tomorrow.'
B) 'For those of you effected, I will accept your submissions up and until the end of tomorrow.'
C) 'For those of you affected, I will accept your submissions up to and until the end of tomorrow.'
D) 'For those of you effected, I will accept you're submissions up to and until the end of tomorrow.'
E) 'For those of you effected, I will accept your submissions up and until the end of tomorrow.'

Question 23

It is common for a person to form their opinion of the message another person is communicating by focusing on non-verbal communication rather than on what is said.

Question 24

The first step in written communication is to:

A) read your draft carefully and edit the content as required.
B) ensure each sentence contains one idea.
C) write down the key points you wish to make.
D) carefully check for spelling and grammar errors.
E) be clear about your purpose.

Question 25

The statement, 'I understand that you are upset and want it changed immediately, but to ensure that it is done correctly, I am going to set up a committee to decide the best way to go about it' is an example of:

A) aggressive behaviour.
B) assertive behaviour.
C) passive behaviour.
D) submissive behaviour.
E) dominant behaviour.

Question 26

If you are constantly fidgeting while someone is speaking to you, it is likely they may think:

A) you are not interested in what they are saying.
B) you are bored.
C) you are uncomfortable.
D) you are nervous.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 27

For which of these situations would it be least appropriate to put something in writing?

A) When you are communicating with many different people in different locations
B) When you are communicating a complex new organisational procedure
C) When you are communicating information of a precise nature
D) When you are communicating an urgent piece of information that needs to be acted upon immediately
E) When you want to reinforce something you said earlier

Question 28

Although most organisations have their own style guides or templates that govern the formatting of documents, it is generally accepted that when writing a business document, you should use:

A) Jokerman font.
B) top and bottom margins of at least 10 centimetres.
C) at least six different colours of text.
D) text of a font size of at least 12.
E) headings of a font size of at least 36.

Question 29

If using assertive behaviour, it is more likely that the outcome you achieve will be:

A) win-win.
B) lose-lose.
C) win-lose.
D) lose-win.
E) unclear.

Question 30

The statement, 'Your submission contained many errors that will need to be rectified before we can consider it' is an example of using the active voice.