CHAPTER 12—COMMUNICATION
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Communication is the process of
a.
sending messages.
b.
exchanging information.
c.
listening and observing.
d.
influencing others.
2. Sylvia is gathering her thoughts to send a message to a difficult customer. She is going through the
process of
a.
transmitting.
b.
using nonverbal communication.
c.
decoding.
d.
encoding.
3. The general purpose of nonverbal communication is to
a.
get through to people who have difficulty receiving verbal messages.
b.
express the feeling behind a message.
c.
control the reactions of the receiver.
d.
repeat what was expressed verbally.
4. Aspects of nonverbal communication include
a.
hand and body gestures.
b.
voice quality.
c.
body placement.
d.
all of the choices
5. The Web log or blog is frequently used by companies as a
a.
informal communication channel.
b.
formal communication channel.
c.
form of nonverbal communication.
d.
form of lateral communication.
6. Which one of the following is an example of downward communication?
a.
open-door policy
b.
complaint program
c.
town-hall meeting
d.
a message from the CEO sent to all employees
7. Teams in organizations emphasize ____ communication.
a.
downward
b.
horizontal
c.
upward
d.
diagonal
8. Company blogs are used to communicate
a.
both upwards and downwards.
b.
upwards only.
c.
downwards only.
d.
sideways only.
9. To use informal networks,
a.
focus on issues important to the organization.
b.
establish community goals and deliverables.
c.
set high management expectations.
d.
all of the choices
10. Chance encounters between managers and employees work well as a(n)
a.
formal communication channel.
b.
informal communication channel.
c.
substitute for management by walking around.
d.
substitute for a bulletin board.
11. A recommended way for company management to combat rumors is to
a.
fire the person who started the rumor.
b.
deny that the rumor has any truth at all.
c.
start an even more interesting rumor.
d.
enhance formal communication about the topic.
12. A learning organization
a.
modifies its behavior to reflect new knowledge and new insights.
b.
is skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge.
c.
both a & b
d.
approaches each problem with a completely new start.
13. A major purpose of knowledge management is to
a.
have line departments do most of the training.
b.
keep employees up to date on new technology.
c.
make good use of knowledge to generate business value.
d.
prevent older workers from becoming obsolete.
14. A major purpose of defensive communication is to
a.
overcome communications barriers.
b.
prevent others from blaming you for mistakes.
c.
get even with other workers.
d.
protect one’s self-esteem.
15. The study of meaning in language forms is called
a.
semantics.
b.
noise.
c.
non-verbal communication.
d.
interference.
16. A frequent communication barrier in using voice mail is leaving messages that are
a.
spoken so slowly the receiver hangs up.
b.
so hostile the receiver does not respond.
c.
so embellished the receiver does not understand..
d.
too poorly articulated to understand.
17. The purpose of an informative confrontation is to confront the
a.
lack of feedback in a message.
b.
discrepancies in a person’s message.
c.
difference in tone between an oral and a written message.
d.
reality that filtering of messages is commonplace.
18. The purpose of a spin measure is to
a.
make a rumor go out of control.
b.
get listeners dizzy with information overload.
c.
hold back news until the timing is right.
d.
cover up bad news by stretching for the positive aspect.
19. To implement overcoming communication barriers by uniting with a common vocabulary, the
manager must first
a.
hire only employees with the same native tongue.
b.
convert from a hierarchical to a team structure.
c.
develop a computer network for the organization.
d.
identify the core work of a business.
20. Jane is in a meeting with Jack. She is engaging in metacommunications when she says to Jack,
a.
“Stop talking, and start listening. I dislike a blabber mouth.”
b.
“Please read my lips.”
c.
“Stop being so defensive when I talk to you.”
d.
“I’m in a rush today, so I may appear a little impatient during our conversation.”
21. Which one of the following is not recommended as a way of having more productive meetings?
a.
Ensure that all follow-up action is assigned and recorded.
b.
Encourage critical feedback and commentary.
c.
Resolve as many small issues as possible at the meeting.
d.
Strive for wide participation.
22. The purpose of huddling in communication is to
a.
hug the meeting participants.
b.
deliberate for a long time before making a decision.
c.
have a fast-paced action-oriented meeting.
d.
participate in a sport to decrease the tension.
23. Organizational politics refers to
a.
informal approaches to gaining power
b.
advantage through means other than merit or luck.
c.
both a & b
d.
huddling
24. Negative political tactics include
a.
playing territorial games.
b.
being unpredictable.
c.
backstabbing
d.
all of the choices.
25. George wants to cut down on the excessive amount of office politics in the distribution center he
manages, so he is advised to
a.
engage in open communication more frequently.
b.
practice more favoritism.
c.
increase the amount of territorial games.
d.
become more unpredictable himself.
TRUE/FALSE
1. Communication is dependent upon the perceptions of people.
2. In decoding, the receiver interprets the message and translates it into meaningful information.
3. Feedback from the receiver to the sender is more likely to be rejected when it contains an analysis
along with the opinion.
4. The image a person conveys communicates such messages as “I feel powerful” and “I think this
meeting is important.”
5. Unusual behavior by an airline passenger such as eyes darting back and forth quickly could be
considered nonverbal behavior suggesting that further investigation of this passenger is warranted.
6. Diagonal communication is the transmission of messages to higher or lower organizational levels in
different departments.
7. An advantage of company Web logs or blogs is that they allow for both downward and upward
communication.
8. Positive gossip appears to travel much faster than negative gossip.
9. An important tactic for dealing with negative rumors is to deny the existence of the rumor.
10. A manager’s purpose in using strategic networking is to get help in identifying and capitalizing on new
opportunities for the company.
11. With management by walking around, managers intermingle freely with workers on the shop floor, in
the office, with customers, and at company social events.
12. A characteristic of a learning organization is that it learns from its experiences instead of repeating the
same mistakes.
13. The purpose of knowledge management is to develop the right type of training programs for the
organization.
14. Many messages never get through because the intended receiver is not motivated
to hear the message or is not interested.
15. Information overload occurs when an individual receives so much information
that he or she becomes overwhelmed.
16. Pete wants to be an active listener so the talks faster and more frequently than the person he is listening
to.
17. The purpose of uniting organizational units with a common business vocabulary is to overcome
communication barriers across the various units.
18. When working with people who do not speak your language fluently, speak in an easy-to–
understand manner.
19. A guideline Peter Drucker offers managers is to speak at length first, then listen.
20. A manager should be alert to the possibility that a person from another culture may misinterpret
nonverbal signals.
21. Metacommunication is a technique whereby the sender of the message quickly establishes his or her
superiority as a communicator.
22. An effective meeting leader limits participation by other people at the meeting.
23. The communication technique of huddling fits well a retail setting in which brief, action-oriented
meetings are necessary.
24. Sending thank-you notes to people is too transparent to be an effective political tactic.
25. A particularly devious political tactic is to behave unpredictably just to keep people off guard, thereby
making them easier to control.
ESSAY
1. Identify and describe seven communication barriers in the workplace.
ANS:
2. KPMG hired a body language coach to teach its accountants the art of using and
decoding body language. The coach told the accountant to recite the nursery rhyme, “Mary Had a
Little Lamb.” The point? To show the accountant that body language can change how people react to
something as innocent as a child’s nursery rhyme.
1. Why would an accounting firm want staff professionals to recite a nursery rhyme?
2. Why is effective communication important?
3. Suppose you are on an overseas assignment to a culture much different than your own. How would
you go about overcoming any potential communication barriers between you and members of the
group you will be working with?
4. Explain what managers can do to control negative politics within the organization.