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Human Relations for Career & Personal Success, 11e (DuBrin)
Chapter 7 Personal Communication Effectiveness
1) The first step in the communication process is ________.
A) choosing a channel
B) encoding the message
C) decoding the message
2) We know that the communication cycle is complete only after the ________ step has been
taken.
A) action
B) decoding
C) ideation
D) encoding
3) Most job mistakes and marital disputes are considered to be communication problems.
4) Ralph is an effective communicator, so he knows that communication barriers are the most
5) Maria wants to use hand gestures to communicate a positive attitude, so she should ________.
A) keep her hands in her pockets when possible
B) make fists when speaking with people
C) place both hands on her head when asked a question
6) Stan wants to use nonverbal behavior to convey the fact that he is intelligent. Stan could
accomplish his goal best if he ________.
A) wore expensive clothing
B) developed a high-quality voice
C) wore gold jewelry
D) spoke in a whisper
7) A nonverbal indicator that a person is lying is likely to be ________.
A) a symmetrical smile
B) maintaining eye contact without constant staring
C) difficulty in maintaining eye contact
D) facial expressions that last about four or five seconds
8) Your personal communication style reflects ________.
A) the signature you use on e-mail
B) your level of persuasiveness
C) listening skill
D) how you combine verbal and nonverbal communication
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9) Sales representative Dana sends a mixed message when she says she enjoys doing business
with you and smiles enthusiastically at the same time.
10) Malcolm, the manager of a commercial bank, wants to communicate the message that the
bank is serious and strictly business. A good idea would be for Malcom to have the bank painted
11) Total social distance covers from about four to twelve feet.
13) Matilda wants to sends a warm and caring message to a teammate so it is a good idea for
Matilda to deliver the message standing up, and closing her fist.
14) Touching others in a non-offensive way who are about the same organizational rank is often
used to convey agreement and reassurance.
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15) The study of nonverbal communication has advanced to the point that a few nonverbal
16) A lot of extra mental effort is required to lie frequently.
17) Your personal communication style is such a key aspect of your behavior that it is a major
18) A recommended approach for using social media to create a positive impression in the
workplace would be to ________.
A) post a few jokes about your employer
B) use texting-style writing to demonstrate that you are cool
C) use professional-level skills when you compose messages
19) Supervisor Jason is not making the most effective use of social media when he ________.
A) posts compliments about his employer
B) uses it as a method of helping others grow and develop
C) informs members of the team about legislation that could affect their work
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20) A major justification for a company going to the expense of business travel is that ________.
A) building relationships in person is effective
B) business travel is fun for many workers
C) business travel is a tax deductible expense
21) The most frequent workplace use of social media is to post jokes, cartoons, and amusing
22) The modern worker is advised to write text-style messages on work-related social media to
23) A recommended approach to using social media in the workplace is to post information that
24) Erin cannot get satisfaction in resolving a dispute with her boss. A recommended tactic for
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25) Communication barriers are most likely to occur when the message ________.
A) is delivered by an executive
B) clashes with the receiver’s mental set
C) is emotionally neutral
26) Kate, a human resources specialist, wants to convince her boss, Quentin, to begin a program
of pet health insurance for employees. Kate sends a self-centered message when she says to
Quentin, ________
A) “I have a plan to boost employee morale.”
B) “My plan will save the lives of many pets.”
C) “You will make me a company hero if you accept my plan.”
D) “My research shows that pet insurance is a winner.”
27) A practical way of overcoming the potential communication barrier created by semantics is
to ________.
A) emphasize nonverbal communication over verbal communication
B) carefully explain the meaning of potentially ambiguous terms
C) avoid almost all words with more than two syllables
28) Judy’s credibility is diminished because she often says one thing, but does another. Judy is
guilty of ________.
A) semantics errors
B) distortion information
C) emotional communication
D) sending mixed signals
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29) Trucking supervisor Chad learns this morning that a company truck jumped a curb, and
crashed into a restaurant. Chad sends a text message to his boss, saying, “We had a small
incident involving a truck this morning, but we are OK.” He has therefore created the
communication barrier of ________.
A) filtering of information
B) communication overload
C) improper timing
30) People are more receptive to messages ________.
A) that promise to do something for them
B) they expected to hear
C) that contradict their beliefs
D) that require them to do something for someone else
31) An effective way of overcoming communication barriers is to send a self-centered message
32) One form of a mixed signal in communication is when a person sends you a message about
33) To minimize the chances of erecting a communication barrier, wait until you are
experiencing your strongest emotion before sending your message.
34) Language barriers to communication can surface even when the sender and receiver are both
native-speakers of English, such as the speaker being from the United States and the receiver
35) A recommended technique for overcoming communication barriers is to ________.
A) state your message with force one time, and wave your fist
B) send the message when the intended receiver is multitasking
C) display a negative attitude to be dramatic
D) repeat your message assertively, using more than one channel
36) Using powerful words is a key principle of ________ communication.
A) wimpy
B) persuasive
C) controlling
37) When receiving a message, you should interpret feelings because ________.
A) most people are devious when communicating
B) facts are usually misleading
C) feelings often contain the true meaning of a message
D) most senders tend to color the truth
38) A major purpose of defensive communication is to ________.
A) clarify meanings
B) get messages repeated
C) belittle the other person
D) protect one’s self-esteem
39) To effectively use mirroring, ________.
A) make sure that your appearance fits your presentation
B) look your listener straight in the eye
C) reflect back on what he or she says
D) imitate the other person in a subtle manner
40) You empathize with another person when you ________.
A) feel sorry for his or her plight
B) understand his or her point of view
C) agree with his or her point of view
D) make him or her feel at ease
41) Engaging in positive gossip ________.
A) creates substantial communication barriers
B) brings the person power and credibility
C) isolates the person who gossips from others in the organization
D) overcomes the communication problems of telecommuting
42) Proper timing of a message includes taking into account the person’s mental condition at the
43) Looking for nonverbal indicators is a recommended way of understanding the feelings
behind a message.
44) An effective mirroring technique is to imitate the breathing pattern of another person while
45) According to research, a gender difference in communication style is that women make more
frequent use of the words, ________.
A) “a,” “an,” and “the”
B) “you know”
C) “you guys”
D) “I” “me,” and “mine”
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46) Gender differences in communication suggest that men tend to be more directive and less
47) Research suggests than men use the terms “I,” “me,” and “mine” much more frequently than
do women.
48) A coworker says to Pam, “Our team is awesome.” Pam displays the active listening
technique of “accepting the sender’s figure of speech” when she replies ________
A) “I like the way you talk like a teenager.”
B) “In what ways are we awesome?”
C) “Tell me a couple of ways in which we are outstanding.”
D) “I like your enthusiasm.”
49) An example of a word or phrase by the listener that usually shuts down discussion is
________
A) “However.”
B) “I hear you.”
C) “Keep going, I’m listening.”
D) “Are you serious?”
50) Three words said by the listener that often shut down discussion are “no,” “but,” or