Deck 13: Managing Communication

Question 1

Routine messages tend to be simple and straightforward, such as conveying data or statistics.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Horizontal communication is particularly important in teaching organizations, where teams of workers are continuously solving problems and searching for new ways of doing things.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The grapevine is a common and often-useful type of personal channel.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Communication can break down if sender and receiver do not encode or decode language in the same way.

Question 5

Companies have been using social media to communicate with customers and employees for over a decade and have shown remarkable productivity gains as a result of this use.

Question 6

Managers spend 80 percent of every working day doing desk work.

Question 7

Effective listening includes formulating in your mind what you are going to say next.

Question 8

The choice of a communication channel can convey a symbolic meaning to the receiver.

Question 9

In decentralized networks, team members must communicate through one individual to solve problems or make decisions.

Question 10

Forms of nonverbal communication include blushing, perspiring, glancing, crying, and laughing.

Question 11

Without feedback, communication is only a two-way process: sender to receiver and receiver to sender.

Question 12

A formal communication channel flows within the chain of command.

Question 13

The receiver usually gives more weight to nonverbal messages than to verbal messages when the two are contradictory

Question 14

Face-to-face discussion is the richest communication channel.

Question 15

Most managers spend 80 percent of their time telling and 20 percent asking, but it should be the other way around.

Question 16

Social media includes blogs and wikis.

Question 17

Downward communication often includes procedures and practices that define the organization's rules, regulations, benefits, and structural arrangements.

Question 18

Upward communication typically includes performance reports, suggestions for improvement, and performance feedback.

Question 19

Managers facilitate strategic conversations by using open communication, actively listening to others, asking questions, and using feedback for learning and change.

Question 20

Messages that are designed to share information that can help the organization change, grow, or improve are called change initiatives and improvements.

Question 21

Most executives now believe that important information flows from the _____.

A)top down
B)bottom up
C)diagonal level
D)horizontal level to the diagonal level
E)internal to the external

Question 22

When interviewing prospective employees, Samuel, a seasoned manager, often observes hand gestures, facial expressions, and use of space to gauge individuals' personalities.Samuel is observing ______.

A)nervous gestures
B)nonverbal communication
C)overt gestures
D)direct communication
E)nuance communication

Question 23

__________ and __________ are potential sources for communication errors, because knowledge, attitudes, and background act as filters.

A)Encoding; channel
B)Encoding; noise
C)Decoding; channel
D)Decoding; encoding
E)Decoding; noise

Question 24

Louise, a top-level manager at INF Inc., has the difficult task of informing 12 employees that they are about to be laid off.Which communication channel should Louise use to break the news?

A)Face-to-face
B)E-mail
C)Instant messaging
D)Telephone
E)Handwritten letter

Question 25

To be effective communicators, managers should ______.

A)focus primarily on enhancing downward communication in the organization
B)enhance lateral communication opportunities by encouraging teams.
C)limit use of communication technology
D)strictly push for face-to-face communication
E)encourage the use of multiple channels of communication

Question 26

Research suggests that  9 percent of employees feel like they know what is going on at their companies most of the time.

Question 27

Selina is meeting with her subordinate Mike for his annual performance review.At the end of the review, Mike tells Selina that he is confused about some things she said.By asking Selina to explain certain things in more detail, Mike is engaging in which component of the communication process?

A)Selecting a channel
B)Sifting through noise
C)Providing feedback
D)Encoding the message
E)Decoding the message

Question 28

What percentage of a manager's time is spent in direct communication?

A)20
B)95
C)50
D)80
E)40

Question 29

Information distortion or loss of message content is a major problem with ______ communication.

A)upward
B)formal
C)downward
D)informal
E)horizontal

Question 30

Which of the following comprises the lowest channel richness?

A)E-mail
B)Bulletins
C)Face-to-face talk
D)Telephone
E)Memos

Question 31

__________ is necessary for communication to be considered two-way.

A)Message
B)Channel
C)Feedback
D)Noise
E)Circuit

Question 32

The skills of __________ require receiving messages to accurately grasp facts and feelings to interpret the meaning of the message.

A)communication
B)listening
C)managing
D)reception
E)telling

Question 33

Which of the following is the most familiar and obvious flow of formal communication?

A)Downward
B)Gossip
C)Horizontal
D)Upward
E)The Grapevine

Question 34

 Upward communication gives employees a chance to air grievances, report progress and provide feedback on management initiatives.

Question 35

Jenna composes an e-mail to her boss to inform him that she will be late getting to work that day.The act of composing an e-mail involves which stage of the communication process?

A)Selecting a channel
B)Sifting through noise
C)Providing feedback
D)Encoding the message
E)Decoding the message

Question 36

When an electronic mail system is installed as part of the communication system, what element of the communication process is changed?

A)Channel
B)Message
C)Sender
D)Filter
E)Receiver

Question 37

When informing your staff of the date for the company picnic, a __________ would be most practical and successful.

A)memo
B)telephone call
C)video conference
D)face-to-face contact
E)newspaper notice

Question 38

When managers ask questions, trust is often eroded.

Question 39

_____ communication can be effective for large teams because it limits the number of people involved in decision making.

A)Linear
B)Centralized
C)Decentralized
D)Gossip
E)Team

Question 40

Channel richness refers to the ______.

A)number of messages a channel can carry at one time
B)speed at which messages can be carried
C)amount of information that can be transmitted during a communication episode
D)number of channels available at any one time
E)profitability potential of a proposed channel

Question 41

Jay, a divisional vice president of a consumer goods manufacturer, gives a presentation to all divisional employees to outline the company's goals for the coming year.This is an example of which of the following types of organizational communication?

A)Virtual
B)Grapevine
C)Lateral
D)Downward
E)Upward

Question 42

Silvia, a seasoned assembly line worker at an automobile manufacturer, wants to demonstrate to Allison, a new trainee, how to ensure her work will pass inspection.This encompasses which downward communication topic?

A)Goals
B)Practices
C)Performance feedback
D)Indoctrination
E)Job instructions

Question 43

__________ occurs when the receiver responds to the sender's communication with a return message.

Question 44

According to the text, all of the following are ways managers can improve their writing skills, EXCEPT _______.

A)writing lengthy explanations
B)respecting the reader
C)getting a second opinion
D)knowing your point and getting to it
E)writing clearly rather than impressively

Question 45

Upward communication is usually used to communicate information about all of the following, EXCEPT _______.

A)suggestions for improvement
B)performance reports
C)indoctrination
D)financial and accounting information
E)grievances and disputes

Question 46

A critical characteristic of strategic conversations is that they _______.

A)direct attention to values
B)include asking questions
C)occur via social media
D)use personal networks
E)are upward communications

Question 47

Which statement about communication differences between women and men is accurate?

A)To women, talk is primarily a means to preserve independence and negotiate and maintain status in a hierarchy.
B)When women make decisions, they tend to process and think of options out loud.
C)To women, listening can take place with minimum eye contact and almost no nonverbal feedback.
D)In general, when a woman nods, it means she agrees.
E)Women tend to use verbal language to exhibit knowledge and skill, such as by telling stories, joking, or passing on information.

Question 48

The amount of information that can be transmitted during a communication episode is known as __________.

Question 49

__________ involves the skill of grasping both facts and feelings to interpret a message's genuine meaning.

Question 50

What percentage of the details passed through a grapevine is accurate?

A)15 to 20
B)25 to 35
C)40 to 60
D)70 to 90
E)Almost 100

Question 51

It is acceptable and appropriate to use e-mail when _____.

A)criticizing
B)firing someone
C)asking for information
D)canceling an appointment
E)apologizing

Question 52

A __________ is a team communication structure in which team members communicate through a single individual to solve problems or make decisions.

Question 53

To __________ a message is to select the symbols used to compose a message.

Question 54

Ed would be happy to never use the phone again and could live a fulfilled life (or at least he thinks he could) without giving a talk in public.He is usually OK with face-to-face conversations except with bosses.Ed seems to be best described as experiencing _____.

A)fear of ridicule
B)candid communication
C)horizontal communication
D)social anxiety
E)communication apprehension

Question 55

__________ channels are those that flow within the chain of command or task responsibility defined by the organization.

Question 56

Which outcome is associated with the culture of open communication?

A)Slower decision making
B)Lower turnover
C)Higher absenteeism
D)Less-accurate decision making
E)Creative solutions to problems

Question 57

In a __________ network, individuals can communicate freely with other team members.

Question 58

Translating the symbols used in a message for the purpose of interpreting its meaning is called __________.

Question 59

About 75 percent of effective communication is ______.

A)listening
B)telling
C)asking questions
D)the ability to persuade
E)choosing the channel

Question 60

Good listeners ______.

A)feign agreement
B)ask questions
C)listen for facts
D)are passive
E)are easily distracted

Question 61

List at least two advantages and two disadvantages of low-richness communication channels in workplace settings like bulletins and reports.

Question 62

Define routine and nonroutine communication.

Question 63

Formal __________ includes messages that flow from the lower to the higher levels in the organization's hierarchy.

Question 64

List at least the two advantages and two disadvantages of face-to-face communication in workplace settings.

Question 65

__________ messages typically are ambiguous, concern novel events, and involve great potential for misunderstanding; __________ messages are simple and straightforward.

Question 66

List the three formal communication channels found in organizations.

Question 67

__________ channels coexist with formal channels within an organization but may skip hierarchical levels, cutting across vertical chains of command to connect virtually anyone in the organization.

Question 68

List the three characteristics that determine channel richness.

Question 69

Communicating with __________ is a confident, positive approach that lets others know exactly where you stand and what you're asking of them.

Question 70

__________ communication is the lateral or diagonal exchange of messages among peers or coworkers.

Question 71

__________ refers to people talking across boundaries and hierarchical levels about the team or organization's vision, critical strategic themes, and the values that help achieve important goals.

Question 72

Define strategic conversation.

Question 73

The term __________ is applied when people find interpersonal communication experiences unrewarding or difficult and thus tend to avoid situations in which communication is required.

Question 74

Define communication.

Question 75

Managers' communication is __________ in that it focuses everyone's attention on the vision, values, and desired goals of the team or organization and influences people to act in a way that will help to achieve those goals.

Question 76

List the five types of information communicated upward in organizations.

Question 77

The __________ is an informal, person-to-person communication network of employees that is not officially sanctioned by the organization.

Question 78

__________ refers to the messages and information sent from top management down to subordinates.

Question 79

__________ means sharing all types of information throughout the organization, across functional and hierarchical boundaries.

Question 80

The term __________ covers a broad range of applications, including wikis, blogs, content communities, and virtual social worlds.