Question 1

Research confirms that communication can help your career and your employer in all of the following ways EXCEPT which of the following?

Accepted Answer

B)  Because communication is a valued commodity in the workplace, it can enhance your professional and personal success. Research confirms that it will help your career and your employer in all of the ways described in the other choices.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a form of social media?

Accepted Answer

B) Social media are web-based applications designed to promote social interaction. All of the other choices are examples of social media.

Question 3

The communication skills you already possess ________ in the workplace.

Accepted Answer

D) The communication skills you have already developed will be valuable to you in the workplace, where communication is considered to be the most important of all abilities you can possess. However, your current skills may not be sufficient to meet many challenges of communicating in the workplace.

Question 4

Which of the following statements best expresses the goal of communication?

Accepted Answer

C) The goal of communication is not just for a sender to transmit a message to a receiver, but for a sender and receiver to develop shared meaning by communicating in a dynamic loop, sending messages back and forth.

Question 5

Deciding that an email is the best way to request information from a colleague for the proposal you are writing is an example of which step of the communication process?

Accepted Answer

B) The sender transmits a message to the receiver through a medium (a channel used to transmit the message), such as a face-to-face conversation, a phone conversation, a letter, or an email message.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT an example of communication?

Accepted Answer

D) All of the other choices are examples of the complex process of communication: planning, creating, delivering, and interpreting messages. In this choice you are using an electronic device to listen to music, but are not seeking to share information with others.

Question 7

Which of the following workplace activities is NOT one in which your communication skills will be utilized?

Accepted Answer

A) All of the other choices represent situations in which you will need to use your communication skills. Computing sales figures from data is not an example of communication.

Question 8

In a survey of over 900 employers by the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers, which skills were ranked the top two out of 20 skill sets?

Accepted Answer

C) These were the top ranked skills sets.

Question 9

Kaylin just graduated from college in June. For the last three years she successfully ran a small business at her school. Her business arranged for the delivery of personalized birthday cakes and other gifts to students in her school. Since many of these students were from out of the province or even out of the country, this service provided a way for their family and friends back home to celebrate special occasions. Kaylin used social media like Facebook and Twitter to remind potential customers of upcoming birthdays and other gift-giving occasions such as holidays or campus events (care packages for mid-term exams, picnic packs to celebrate the arrival of spring after a snowy winter, etc.).
-How might companies view Kaylin's experience with social media?

Accepted Answer

B) Expertise with social media can also benefit an employer. Companies are finding that effective communication through social media (like blogs, Facebook, and Twitter) is improving employee satisfaction and building their brands while expanding their marketing reach.

Question 10

Ryan, a recent college graduate, possess exemplary written and oral communication skills. He always received top marks on the papers he wrote as part of his course work and was a successful member of the school debate team. 
-As he begins his job search, Ryan can expect that ________.

Accepted Answer

A) Ironically, although communication skills are important, few people in the workplace have mastered them. A 2015 survey of British Columbian employers, for instance, found a high level of concern with regard to finding employees with communication skills.

Question 11

When you ________ your message to the receiver, you also need to ________.

Accepted Answer

B) To communicate your idea to the receiver, you must encode the message; that is, put it into words, images, or actions. While you do this, you also need to choose your medium (e.g., a phone conversation, an email, etc.).

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of unsuccessful communication?

Accepted Answer

D) In this example your urgent request goes unanswered. Your colleague may have misunderstood your request or your message may have been unclear. There might even have been a technical problem with the recording or playing of the message.

Question 13

Why is it that many students do NOT acquire sufficient communication skills as they pass through school?

Accepted Answer

A) Some students do not take business communication courses, while others do but do not devote enough time to understanding what communication involves because they think it is an "easy" course. However, even for a dedicated student communicating well in a business context is complex.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of encoding a message?

Accepted Answer

A) Communication begins when the sender has something to "say" to a receiver. To communicate this thought, the sender must encode the message-put it into words, images, or actions.

Question 15

Kaylin just graduated from college in June. For the last three years she successfully ran a small business at her school. Her business arranged for the delivery of personalized birthday cakes and other gifts to students in her school. Since many of these students were from out of the province or even out of the country, this service provided a way for their family and friends back home to celebrate special occasions. Kaylin used social media like Facebook and Twitter to remind potential customers of upcoming birthdays and other gift-giving occasions such as holidays or campus events (care packages for mid-term exams, picnic packs to celebrate the arrival of spring after a snowy winter, etc.).
-Prospective employers are likely to ________.

Accepted Answer

C) If you run your own small business as an entrepreneur, your communication abilities will be especially critical since most of the communication responsibilities will fall squarely on your shoulders.

Question 16

Good business communication skills ________.

Accepted Answer

A) If you learn good business communication skills, you can apply them in your personal life to improve your relationships. You may also be able to use them to negotiate a better deal on a car, persuade your cell phone provider to give you a refund, or write an effective application letter for graduate school.

Question 17

In a survey report for the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), what skills were given the highest priority for needs?

Accepted Answer

C) While communication skills were considered the second-most important skill requirement, the ability to interact with people and build relationships was first.

Question 18

All of the following are examples of communicating EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

E) All of the other choices are examples of the complex process of communication: planning, creating, delivering, and interpreting messages. This choice is simply a means to learn and retain information.

Question 19

Ryan, a recent college graduate, possess exemplary written and oral communication skills. He always received top marks on the papers he wrote as part of his course work and was a successful member of the school debate team. 
-In terms of his career, Ryan's communication skills ________.

Accepted Answer

D) Even a small change in communication can have a large return on investment for an organization, enabling it to save money or generate income. A skilled communicator can also improve a company's public image and employee satisfaction, can earn up to three times as much as a poor communicator, and can apply their communication skills their personal life as well.

Question 20

Good business communication skills can have a positive impact on your life outside of work through all of the following applications EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

D) All of the other choices involve developing, creating, delivering, and interpreting verbal and nonverbal messages. Computing your monthly expenses involves numbers and calculations, not conversation and persuasion.

Quiz 1: Becoming a Successful Business Communicator