Deck 9: Small Group Communication

Question 1

When a group engages in a brainstorming period,members should not

A)be informed of the issue to be discussed before the brainstorming session.
B) contribute as many ideas as they can during the brainstorming session.
C) freewheel.
D)criticize ideas as they come up.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is the best example of a small group?

A)commuters waiting for a train at a train station
B) neighbors waiting for children to get off a school bus
C) friends who run into each other at a bar
D)a university committee charged with building community on campus

Answer 2

D

Question 3

When problem-solving at work,what is the method that uses limited group discussion and
Confidential voting to obtain a group decision?

A) quality circles
B) the nominal group technique
C) the Delphi method
D) Dewey's problem solving sequence

Answer 3

B

Question 4

If the primary purpose of a small group is to acquire new information or skills through the sharing of knowledge,the group would most clearly be a(n)

A)idea-generation group.
B) problem-solving group.
C) small group culture.
D)educational or learning group.

Question 5

Vasilios finds it difficult to stand up for himself and his beliefs at work. Vasilios's employer may suggest that Vasilios attend one of these groups to help him over this problem:

A) an encounter group
B) a consciousness-raising group
C) an assertiveness training group
D) an intervention group

Question 6

Which of the following statements about small groups is true?

A)All groups have some type of organization among them.
B) Not all groups have a common purpose shared by members.
C) A small group consists of two or more people.
D)Small group members do not necessarily see themselves as a group.

Question 7

Dewey's problem-solving process starts with the following steps:

A)definition and analysis of the problem and generation of possible solutions
B) definition of the problem and generation of possible solutions
C) definition and analysis of the problem and establishment of criteria for evaluating solutions
D)definition of the problem and identification and evaluation of possible solutions

Question 8

The members of XYZ Corporation arrange themselves in a circular or semicircular pattern and share relevant information or attempt to solve problems without any set pattern of identifying who speaks ?when.These members are using the small group format known as the

A)roundtable.
B) panel.
C) symposium.
D)symposium-forum.

Question 9

Which of the following is true concerning brainstorming?

A)It allows for the generation of a limited number of ideas.
B) It calls for the evaluation of each idea as it is presented.
C) It encourages creativity.
D)It occurs in three phases.

Question 10

The small group format where the members are "experts," where the discussion is informal,and
Where the audience may freely interject comments or questions is called a

A)round table.
B) panel.
C) symposium.
D)symposium-forum.

Question 11

At a convention of the National Communication Association,one session consists of three speakers ?who each deliver a relatively prepared presentation,much like a public speech.After the speeches are ?presented,the audience asks questions of the speakers.This convention session most clearly follows the ?format known as the

A)roundtable.
B) panel.
C) symposium.
D)symposium-forum.

Question 12

It didn't take Matthew long to realize that everyone takes longer than the prescribed one hour for
Lunch at his new company.Now Matthew's lunch is over an hour like everyone else.In this instance,"a longer lunch" is an example of a group

A)norm.
B) goal.
C) ideal.
D)structure.

Question 13

The forum part of a symposium-forum small group is the

A)asking and answering of audience questions.
B) presentation of relatively prepared speeches.
C) use of experts as members of the group.
D)interaction of group members without any set pattern as to who speaks when.

Question 14

In this decision-making method,group members voice their feelings and opinions,but the final decision is made by the boss or leader.

A)authority
B) consensus
C) majority rule
D)autocratic.

Question 15

Which of the following is not typical of a team?

A)Teams are constructed for a specific purpose.
B) Team members' roles are interchangeable.
C) Team members all have the same goal.
D)Teams are generally content focused.

Question 16

According to your text,which is the BEST way to define a problem?

A)as an open-ended question
B) as a statement
C) as a yes/no question
D)as a compound statement

Question 17

The stages of small group interaction are similar to the stages of

A)relationship development.
B) the perceptual process.
C) the listening process.
D)a conversation.

Question 18

To discover how a target audience might react to a new ad campaign,marketing executives

A)brainstorm among themselves.
B) conduct focus groups.
C) brainstorm with marketing executives from other firms.
D)start the campaign and then poll people on its effectiveness.

Question 19

Which of the following statements concerning teams is true?

A)Teams do not necessarily have specific purposes.
B) Team members have clearly defined roles.
C) Teams are always larger than small groups.
D)Team members can have different goals.

Question 20

The diversity committee at State U.is a long-standing,high-context culture committee with a stable membership.During the first meeting of the year,Sam,a relatively new member of the group,asks,"What are the plans for fall orientation?" Given the high-context culture of the group,which of the ?following will most likely be a response Sam will receive?

A)We will have a special meeting at the end of the month to brainstorm ideas.We will appoint a subcommittee to draw up a schedule and deadlines for tasks,and proceed from that schedule.
B) We'll probably do the same thing we did last year.
C) We will need to consult with the students who will be involved to get their input before we proceed.Then we can work on making a schedule and setting deadlines.
D)That's the next thing on our agenda.Let's get busy deciding on a schedule,activities,and deadlines.

Question 21

In the roundtable format,a series of prepared presentations are formally presented.

Question 22

A small group is a relatively small number of individuals who share __________ and have __________.

Question 23

Members of work groups in high-context cultures spend a lot of time getting to know one another before engaging in small group interaction.

Question 24

The six steps of the problem-solving process are:
1.__________,2.__________,3.__________,4.__________,5.__________,6.__________.

Question 25

Personal growth groups are aimed at helping companies conduct market research.

Question 26

The encounter group or "sensitivity group" tries to foster members' abilities to deal effectively with other people.

Question 27

Work groups may cause greater small group apprehension than working with a group of friends.

Question 28

Group norms are rules or standards identifying which behaviors are appropriate and inappropriate.

Question 29

It took the history faculty at State U.two hours to make a decision concerning who they would hire ?for a new position.The decision was not final until all the faculty members agreed they could live with ?this hiring decision.The history faculty at State U.used the __________ method of decision-making.

Question 30

Evaluation of ideas during the brainstorming period itself is encouraged.

Question 31

People riding in the same car of a commuter train constitute a small group.

Question 32

The __________ is a particular type of small group whose members have clearly defined roles and is constructed for a specific task.

Question 33

The communication department faculty met as a group to make the decision whether or not to add ?the new course in intercultural communication. When the department agreed to add the class,they went ?ahead and submitted their decision to the vice president. The vice president then vetoed adding the class ?to the college catalog. The method of decision-making used by the vice president is decision by ?__________.

Question 34

When establishing criteria for evaluating solutions,consider only realistic,attainable criteria.

Question 35

The establishment of formal rules is an essential aspect of the definition of a small group.

Question 36

One of the rules of a brainstorming session is that there is no __________ of ideas.

Question 37

The diversity committee at State U.has decided to have a symposium-forum regarding hate speech on ?campus.As such,the presentation will consist of __________ followed by __________.