Chapter 15 Interpersonal and Organizational Communication: Mastering
the Exchange of Information Answer Key
True / False Questions
1.
If you are nervous in a job interview, it is best not to admit it.
2.
Poor communication between staff and managers does not have a financial cost to
organizations.
3.
Communication is simply sending information from one person to another.
4.
You are an efficient communicator when you can transmit your intended message accurately
in the least time.
5.
Encoding is translating a message into understandable symbols or language.
6.
Lynn had many spelling and grammar mistakes in her report, some of which made the content
difficult to understand. This is an example of poor encoding.
7.
Feedback is the pathway by which a message travels.
Topic: Medium
8.
Charles shut his eyes and shook his head when his boss announced the holiday schedule.
This is an example of a channel.
9.
Noise is any disturbance that interferes with the transmission of a message and it can occur in
any medium.
10.
The sun was right in Matt’s eyes, so he looked away and missed the coach’s demonstration of
a defensive technique. In this case, the sun acts as feedback in the communication process.
11.
Noise can occur in nonverbal communication.
12.
Encoding the message is the first step of the communication process.
13.
Feedback indicates how well a particular medium conveys information and promotes learning.
14.
Face-to-face communication is the richest form of communication because the receiver
observes multiple cues in the message.
15.
A rich medium of communication is best for routine situations.
16.
If you must tell an employee that he is facing a sexual harassment investigation, you should
use a rich medium of communication.
17.
The danger of using a lean medium for nonroutine matters is that it results in information
oversimplification; it doesn’t provide enough of the information the receiver needs and wants.
18.
A newsletter is a richer medium than a videoconference.
19.
An order-taker who has a thick accent, or someone who speaks too fast at a fast–food drive-
through, are examples of communication barriers.
20.
Kelly did not receive an important e-mail from a client because her company’s e-mail server
was down. This is an example of the communication medium being blocked.
21.
Time-zone differences are physical barriers to communication.
22.
When a supervisor tells you, “We need to get this done right away,” the supervisor has created
a physical barrier to the communication process, as the words right away are vague.
23.
The study of the meaning of words is called terminology.
24.
Jargon is terminology specific to a particular profession or group.
25.
Jargon is a type of semantic barrier.
26.
Trust between parties is not an important element in preventing communication problems.
27.
Our egos, including pride, self-esteem, and even arrogance, are a barrier to communication.
28.
Listening with judgment improves communication.
29.
A stereotype consists of oversimplified beliefs about a certain group of people.
30.
Nonverbal communication consists of messages sent outside the written or spoken word.
31.
There is a tendency to look away from others when beginning to speak and to look at them
when done; eye contact signals the beginning and end of a conversation.
32.
Smiling represents warmth, happiness, or friendship across all cultures.
33.
Crossing one’s legs can be interpreted as defensiveness.
34.
Good teams tend to use touch more than bad teams do, according to research.
35.
One of the ways to improve communication is to avoid animation.
36.
Men are eight times more likely than women to negotiate their starting pay.
37.
Women are less likely than men to ask questions or ask for directions.
38.
Men are more tactful than women when it comes to giving feedback because they temper
criticism with praise.
39.
Usually a male executive who wants the advice of an executive coach will turn to a man.
40.
Vertical communication is the flow of messages up and down the hierarchy within the
organization: bosses communicating with employees, employees communicating with bosses.
41.
When an employee recommends to her manager that her department needs additional help
for the inventory process, it is considered horizontal communication.
42.
The main purpose of horizontal communication is coordination between and within work units.
43.
Horizontal communication is impeded by rivalry between workers or work units, which
prevents sharing of information.
44.
The grapevine is an example of informal communication.
45.
Formal channels of communication are typically faster than the grapevine.
46.
Management by wandering around (MBWA) increases the problems of distortion that
inevitably occur with formal communication.
47.
Streamline meetings by distributing a meeting agenda in advance, with meeting objectives and
prioritized topics and number of minutes allowed for discussion.
48.
Multicommunicating represents the use of multiple technologies to participate in an
interaction.
49.
Texting and checking your e-mail while working with colleagues can be seen as not only
annoying but insulting.
50.
Flexible work arrangements are as important as compensation for Millennials in choosing
employment.
51.
Research finds that reducing an organization’s travel budget increases its revenue and
profitability.
52.
High-definition videoconference systems that simulate face–to-face meetings between users
are known as telepresence technology.
53.
Teleworking is more common for jobs that involve intense concentration and limited
interruptions.
54.
Telework encompasses working from home.
55.
A system of safeguards for protecting information technology from threats is known as
security.
56.
The right of people to reveal information about themselves is known as privacy.
57.
Among users of social networks, 18- to 29-year-olds are more likely to monitor the content of
their profile and who has access to it.
Topic: Digital Age Communication
58.
The average worker receives 25 e-mails a day.
59.
The greater the use of e-mail within an organization, the less connected coworkers feel.
60.
Most people would rather give up their mobile phones than their TVs or the Internet.
61.
Today, problems with smartphones range from mere annoyances to deadly distractions.
Topic: Digital Age Communication
62.
Internet-based and mobile technologies used to generate interactive dialogue with members of
a network are collectively known as cybertechnology.
63.
Causing distractions, leaving the wrong impression, and replacing real conversation are
drawbacks commonly associated with the use of social media.
64.
Generally people comprehend about 85% of a typical verbal message.
65.
A discerning listener sometimes tunes out the speaker and misses data.
66.
To be a better listener, you should ask the speaker questions and recap what the speaker
said.
67.
By and large, speed-reading is effective.
68.
The communication process involves sender, message, and receiver; encoding and decoding;
the medium; feedback; and dealing with “noise,” or interference.
69.
Top-down reading is a strategy for becoming a more productive reader, and requires you to
rate, question, survey, skim, and summarize your reading.
70.
One effective strategy for laying out your ideas in writing is to move from least controversial to
most controversial.