Deck 4: Step Two: Analyze the Audience

Question 1

If you are communicating to your co-workers about a product on which all of you have been working for the past six months, it is probably safe to use acronyms related to the product and your company, since you can assume that your audience is knowledgeable about the meanings of those abbreviations.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

If you begin your message with an attempt to establish common ground, you are trying to show that you and your audience share some commonalities of belief that should reduce its resistance to the content and purpose of your communication.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

In the cultural continuum from the most collectivist to the most individualistic, Japan ranks number one in individualism.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Collectivist cultures include those of Venezuela, Mexico, and Pakistan.

Question 5

High self-monitors communicate with others with little attention to the responses they receive to their messages.

Question 6

One example of effective impression management is the use of language that is appropriate for the occasion or situation.

Question 7

To be an effective communicator, it is important to be able to perceive how others see us as well as whether they are interpreting our words and actions as we intend and to adjust our communicative behaviors to ensure understanding.

Question 8

Because of enormous time pressures, 50 percent of the activities that executives engage in last less than nine minutes, according to a study conducted by Mintzberg.

Question 9

According to Mintzberg, the primary role of a manager is decisional. It trumps the manager's informational and interpersonal roles in importance.

Question 10

Prospective employers want to know whether you can do the job they have to offer. To put it bluntly, they want to know what you can do for them, not what they can do for you.

Question 11

Individualist cultures are characterized by all of the following, EXCEPT:

A) Place "I" before "we"
B) Value "face-saving" by not causing embarrassment
C) Value competition over cooperation
D) Value telling the truth over sparing feelings

Question 12

Members of collectivist cultures would likely be motivated by

A) Individual financial rewards.
B) Freedom to design their own projects and receive individual recognition.
C) Opportunity for the group to excel.
D) Status symbols that separate them from co-workers.

Question 13

___________________is the belief that your own cultural background, including ways of analyzing problems, values, beliefs, language, and verbal and nonverbal communication is correct.

A) Plurality
B) Universalism
C) Egocentrism
D) Ethnocentrism

Question 14

Three essential types of communication that are used to manage impressions are

A) Manner, appearance, and setting
B) Nonverbal, verbal, and vocal
C) Informative, persuasive, and goodwill
D) Haptics, kinesics, and proxemics

Question 15

To ensure that your messages are received by ____________audiences, you can put key information up front where it is easily accessible.

A) Managerial
B) Non-experts
C) Experts
D) International or multicultural

Question 16

To communicate with _________audiences, you should use a conventional mode of presentation, refer to common knowledge as much as possible, provide appropriate background information, and include lots of definitions and explanations.

A) Managerial
B) Non-expert
C) Expert
D) International or multicultural

Question 17

Strategies for communicating with __________audiences include using standard technical terms; emphasizing data and displaying using graphs, tables, and equations; making your points clear and easy to find, and avoiding overstating your claims, since doing so may undercut your credibility.

A) Managerial
B) Non-expert
C) Expert
D) International or multicultural

Question 18

When communicating with _________audiences, you should avoid long or complicated sentences, since this may be more difficult for them to follow and comprehend, and the use of slang, colloquial, or other idiomatic vocabulary.

A) Managerial
B) Non-expert
C) Mixed
D) International or multicultural

Question 19

Two strategies for dealing with __________audiences are "layering" a written document so that different sections are aimed at different audiences and "democratizing" your message so that all audiences can understand all parts of it.

A) Managerial
B) Non-expert
C) Mixed
D) International or multicultural

Question 20

An audience-centered letter of application would include the following statement:

A) I am looking for a position that will take advantage of my people skills and provide me opportunities for rapid promotion and pay raises.
B) I believe the customer service position you are offering would enable me to meet a lot of new people.
C) My experience working for Teltek Manufacturing as a customer service intern will enable me to quickly become a productive member of your team.
D) I believe the position you offer will suit my personality and provide me the opportunities for which I am looking.

Question 21

List the techniques you can use in a message intended for a non-expert audience.

Question 22

List the techniques you can use in a message intended for an expert audience.

Question 23

List and briefly explain three disadvantages of delivering self-centered messages.

Question 24

Explain the meaning of demographics and explain how you can use an audience's demographics to create an effective communication strategy. Identify a particular audience, the purposes for communicating, and briefly explain the content of your message in your answer.

Question 25

Discuss how the characteristics of an individualist culture manifest in your own life in the United States. Are there any aspects of a collectivist culture that manifest in your life? If so, please discuss these as well.