 | | FSOT
Communication Practice QuestionsWhich of the following is a database that contains current and past news stories? Google Lexis Nexis Alta Vista Wikipedia
Effective downward communications within an organization or company can include all of the following except: delivering copies of job descriptions to all employees provide regular opportunities for employees to provide supervisors with status updates regularly scheduled staff meetings where management shares goals and achievements employee performance reviews conducted annually or more frequently
If an organization’s communications department creates a press release, the inverted pyramid style of writing may be preferred since: it provides readers with understanding even if they stop reading before learning all the details it provides a clear presentation of each of the main points with all supporting details provided with the related point it uses an easy to understand verbiage free from specialty or industry specific terminology that readers might not understand it offers a short synopsis of main points with little detail
When writing an optimized press release, a communications writer must focus on which of the following to obtain maximum viewing? Easy to understand terminology Submission to multiple news outlets Keywords to obtain high rankings on search engines Release with a short period to reach readers quickly
When an audience is receiving a message they go through four stages: awareness,
comprehension, conviction, and commitment. Which of these stages involves the audience matching their own interests and views with the information being offered? awareness comprehension conviction commitment
When communicating face-to-face, negativity is often apparent when a participant: leans forward in his chair crosses his legs crosses his arms across his chest rests his chin on his hand
When conducting negotiations, a key component is considering each stage of the interactions. Negotiations should never begin with: an unrealistic offer a concession a probe listening
When conducting a media interview or making a statement to a member of the media,
the phrase “not for attribution” generally implies: the reporter can use the information, but cannot quote the source directly the reporter can use the information to help gain perspective, but cannot use the information in publication the reporter has full use of the information, but must credit the source the reporter may use the information and credit the source, but only if verified by a second, independent source
If you have been asked to give a presentation to an audience of co-workers, a good strategy to keep the audience engaged is: to avoid the use of related visuals such as charts or pictures which might distract from the presentation provide handouts to guide the audience through the presentation avoid contact with specific members of the audience, focusing on a point at the rear of the room using all strategies stated above
When communicating information, employers will most likely be successful in capturing employee attention by: enclosing the information in paycheck or pay stub envelopes printing the information in a company newsletter or regular publication presenting information at brief staff meetings posting information on break area bulletin boards
You are the public spokesperson for a large company which has recently experienced a scandal involving a key employee. When contacting radio stations to present the company’s position on this situation, keep in mind they are interested in actualities or: a basic list of facts surrounding the incident a 30 or 60 second story exclusive rights to the story recorded comments by those involved for use on air
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI) is a tool that can identify a person’s basic preferences in a number of areas including communication styles. According to this tool, which type of personality is most likely to make decisions based on logic and reason, avoiding the influence of emotions,
values, and attitudes? Introvert Thinking Perceiving Feeling
An organization’s lateral communications system is most likely to involve which of the following exchanging messages? supervisors and their direct employees employees with similar responsibilities in different departments employees with different responsibilities in the same department company media representatives and the media
In order to convince your audience to support your proposed changes to the organization’s structure, any speech to them must be of what type? informative persuasive entertaining impromptu
You are giving a news brief to the media on your organization’s response to a crisis situation that has emerged. One way to avoid miscommunication is to: use as many words a possible use abstract terms to avoid being committal define relative words use acronyms instead of entire organizational names
Considering that some experts believe more than one half of the emotional meaning of a message comes from non-verbal communication, an important consideration in delivering a speech to an audience is: avoiding overdressing for the occasion keeping your voice low to avoid the impression of yelling choice of vocabulary culturally significant gestures
When considering the exact wording of a speech that you are writing, the most important consideration given should be to: using high level vocabulary that indicates your educational achievement avoiding words that must be explained or defined using effective vocabulary that clearly communicates your message limit or avoid the use of highly technical terms
If your organization is hosting a charitable fundraising event and wants to increase attendance and participation, you might partner with local media to produce: a press release an advance story a blind interview a style guide
Your organization’s public relations representative gives an interview to a local newspaper with the understanding that the interview is “on the record”. The PR representative has consented to: full use of his comments and name in publication full use of his comments in publication, but not his name limited use of his comments with editorial rights and full use of his name limited use of his comments with editorial rights, but no use of his name
When considering potential sources of information to use in printed or verbal communication, you should consider FOI laws which: give public access to government information allow defamation lawsuits against individuals and entities require verification of facts before publication govern publication on the internet
After communicating with an employee via email memo regarding project goals, you discover that the employee misinterpreted your expectations. You believe the channel was the problem and: send a more detailed email to correct the miscommunication schedule a meeting to discuss the miscommunication reprimand the employee for disregarding your instructions more closely supervise the project for the remaining duration
Non-verbal communication plays a large part in effectively sending a message.
When speaking to a group be sure to consider paralanguage factors such as: your hand and body gestures throat clearing and sighs temperature and light proximity to your audience
If you are speaking to an audience of professionals in a highly specialized field and are using the manuscript style of delivery, it is very likely that: your speech is impromptu in nature you are trying to persuade the audience to support a change someone else prepared or assisted in the preparation of your speech this is material with which you are very comfortable
Your organization employs people in a variety of positions from custodial to professionals with doctoral degrees. You need to send out an effective written communication to all employees regarding a new policy so you are careful to avoid which of the following when writing the memo? a feedback system encoding semantic noise all of the above
As a group, a new project team at work has established several norms for the team. All of these might be examples of these except: mandatory attendance at all meetings a rotating chairperson role for meetings regular email updates to all team members management evaluation of group performance
You have to give a presentation to employees informing them of impending layoffs due to poor company performance. The best presentation style would be: induction persuasive informative deduction
Understanding your target audience is a key to creating effective communication. We can better understand the target audience through demographics which identify primarily physical traits and psychographics which focus on people’s: group membership and affiliation education and knowledge beliefs and values health
If your organization’s spokesperson announces media availability for the following day at
10:00 AM
, that generally means: the company will be holding a news conference at that time a press release will be available at that time the spokesperson will be available for questions at that time the spokesperson will be appearing on television at that time
A subordinate at work frequently demonstrates lack of professionalism in her clothing choices. What approach would be best for communicating the inappropriateness of her behavior? Have a personal meeting and start with a soft entry, but then be straightforward Sit her down and immediately explain the problem, mentioning other employees’ comments Send her an email with the company dress code attached Request that a co-worker discuss the problem with her
When reprimanding an employee for behavior that you feel was inappropriate, you notice that she lifts her head and juts her chin forward, giving you the impression that she: understands your concerns and is feeling remorse does not agree with your concerns or respect your authority is worried about your opinion of her is interested in what you are saying and respects you
You are giving a presentation to a small group of co-workers and notice that several of them are leaning forward in their chairs, causing you to infer that they: are interested in your presentation are ready to leave the meeting disagree with your position are not paying attention to the presentation
When speaking to an audience you utilize the technique of contrast to emphasize one of your main points. Which of the following is an example of this technique? Wouldn’t we all be better off in a world without war? Our country’s government cannot continue to help people who want to hurt our country. These actions are wrong, they are unacceptable, and they are criminal! Commitment to this cause is like marriage; you have to stick with it in good times and bad
You are preparing to give a speech at a convention that will last about 25 minutes. Your primary objective is to appear informed and for your audience to know that a great deal of planning went into your remarks.
Which delivery style best accommodates this goal? impromptu memorized extemporaneous manuscript
When listening to a presentation, the audience is more likely to be persuaded by the speaker if he has established ethos, or: a personal connection with them his knowledge and experience in this area a strong argument in favor of his position a lengthy list of evidence to support his position
If a government agency offers a news release to a media outlet with an embargo attached, it is generally implied that: it will not be released or published until the specified date it will not be shared with other media outlets the news release must be confirmed by another source before publication the agency is simply passing on information from another source or agency
Which of the following demonstrates the use of upward feedback within an organization? A manager sends an employee a positive email about his hard work on a project An employee evaluates his supervisor as part of the annual performance evaluation process Employees spread information about a rumored pay raise to one another via email All of the above are examples
You are meeting with an employee to discuss her possible assignment to an established team for an upcoming project. She says that this would be okay with her. She is pulling at her ear and scratching the back of her head, giving you the impression that she: is concerned about the change is being honest with you resents your authority is angry about the proposed change
Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP is based on the theory that people’s thought process is mirrored in how they speak. When having a conversation this idea can be used to communicate more effectively by: mirroring the other person’s tone and body language to create empathy anticipating a person’s responses and completing his sentences immediately ending a conversation that has a negative tone persuading the other person to accept your point of view
When constructing an email, be sure to follow accepted etiquette and create a clear communication by avoiding all of the following except: typing in all capital letters only use widely accepted abbreviations leaving the subject line blank always place all recipients in the ‘to’ field
When you send a message to an intended recipient, whether verbal, written, or non-verbal, how that recipient interprets the message is influenced by all of the following except: context decoding channel all of the above are influences
FSOT Communication Practice - Answer Key
1. | B. Lexis-Nexis is a vast database used for locating numerous types of information including news stories. A and C are search engines and D is an online, volunteer edited encyclopedia. | 2. | B.
This is an example of upward communication from subordinate to supervisor. | 3. | A.
In this style the most important points and details are presented first. Additional details follow, in order of lessening importance. This allows readers to get the main idea quickly, but does not require complete reading to understand. | 4. | C.
This type of press release is intended for the online audience.
Skillful writers can include keywords that produce high rankings on search engines, optimizing readers reached. | 5. | C. Awareness is the realization that a message is being offered.
Comprehension is understanding the message. Conviction is matching the understanding with our own ideas and views. Commitment is making decisions or forming opinions based on the message. | 6. | C. Arm crossing suggests a barrier while resting a chin on a hand or crossing legs is seen as contemplation and leaning forward indicates interest. | 7. | B. A concession sends the message that you feel you are negotiating from a weak position. Listening and probing are always important to gauge the intentions of the other party. Unrealistic offers give plenty of room for compromise. | 8. | A.
Not for attribution implies that the reporter not credit the source directly when using the information supplied. | 9. | B. Handouts are a good tool to focusing an audience as are relevant visuals such as pictures, charts, and multimedia presentations. Avoiding eye contact, while comforting to a nervous speaker, can disengage the audience. | 10. | C.
Based on surveys and research, it is difficult to substitute for face-to-face communication. Employees are more interested in the money than the paperwork attached and this form of communication is often more of a nuisance than a benefit. Unattended bulletin boards can become cluttered and out of date. Written publications are not as cost and time effective as emails and easily overlooked or ignored. | 11. | D.
These recorded statements would be from principals in the event.
Recorded or live commentary is especially important to a news medium with no visual aspect. | 12. | B.
The MBTI divides behavioral types into four somewhat opposing pairs.
The Thinking-Feeling pair describes personality types that make decision in a detached, logical way or an emotional, values driven way. | 13. | B. Lateral communication is usually part of an informal system, linking employees at similar levels of responsibility that do not work directly together. Management should recognize the importance of this type of communication as well as the risk it poses to bypassing the chain of command. | 14. | B.
While informative and entertaining speeches could serve your purpose, they are not required. After leaving a successful persuasive speech, people would want to make change. Impromptu speaking should be avoided as it lacks the key element of planning. | 15. | C.
Excessive wordiness, use of acronyms that might be confusing, and abstract terms all increase the likelihood of miscommunication. Defining relative terms makes your position and statement clear. For example,
instead of saying, “a large group”, say, “a group of about 1000”. | 16. | D.
Gestures mean different things among different cultures and consideration should be given to the make up of the audience to avoid offending them.
Dressing well no matter the audience or occasion is a sign of respect. A low voice is likely to prevent some audience members from hearing and choice of vocabulary is not non-verbal. | 17. | C.
Effective vocabulary should always be your goal. This means it is not so simple that the meaning is ambiguous such as the word, “great” and not so advanced so as to leave most audience members confused.
It is okay to use words that must be explained, including highly technical terms, if they are relevant to the presentation. | 18. | B. Although a press release could cover the event in advance, it would generally be produced in house and not in cooperation with media. An advance is a story highlighting an upcoming event. | 19. | A.
“On the record” implies full use of all comments and the full name of the source. | 20. | A.
Freedom of information (FOI) laws allow public access to all government records. There are some limitations regarding classified information and government agencies can charge reasonable fees to provide the information. | 21. | B.
If the channel or method of delivery was the problem, the logical choice to correct the miscommunication is to choose a different method of delivery for the message. | 22. | B. Paralanguage refers to vocal characteristics such as pitch, speed, volume, and sounds such as sighing and throat clearing that can send non-verbal messages to your audience. | 23. | C.
Manuscript delivery is exactly that, scripted. This style is often used when material is very precise, or unfamiliar, or when someone else has prepared the speech. This style is often used by politicians and organization spokespersons. | 24. | C.
Semantic noise refers to the use of words or language that is not widely understood or could possibly mean different things to different people. | 25. | D.
Norms are those rules or guidelines established by the group, for the group in order to improve group communication and performance. | 26. | D.
The deduction style would present employees with the different factors involved, allowing them to slowly gain understanding of the situation that has triggered the bad news, rather than dropping a bomb on them. | 27. | C. Psychographics focuses mainly on the feelings, lifestyles, values, and beliefs that people hold or follow. | 28. | C.
Media availability generally refers to a specific person’s willingness to take inquiries or questions from the media at a specified time. | 29. | A.
The soft entry allows her time to prepare for the negative feedback that is coming. Avoid using other employees, even just by mentioning their feelings, in addressing the problem as this will embarrass the employee and create hard feelings. | 30. | B. Lifting and jutting the chin is a common non-verbal clue to feelings of arrogance, superiority, or contempt. | 31. | A. Leaning forward, especially towards the speaker, is a common non-verbal communication of interest. | 32. | B.
Contrast joins two similar statements changing only the words that you want to emphasize. A demonstrates a rhetorical question, C is an example of ordering and D is a simile. | 33. | D.
Manuscript, although not the most natural delivery does clearly show planning and allows a great deal of specific information to me communicated. Memorized has the same benefit, but would be too difficult for a speech of that length. Impromptu and extemporaneous allow for less planning. | 34. | B.
Ethos refers to a speaker’s prestige which can come from credentials,
knowledge or experience, or extensive preparation. | 35. | A.
The embargo implies limitations on use, usually in regards to a timeframe for publication. This is sometimes agreed to by the media in return for exclusivity. | 36. | B.
Upward feedback travels from subordinates to superiors. | 37. | A.
These non-verbal gestures often indicate doubt, uncertainty, or concern. | 38. | A.
NLP helps build rapport, empathy, and reduce tension, creating a more positive and receptive environment for communication. | 39. | B. Abbreviations are commonly abused in email communication leading to confusion. Typing in all caps is seen as shouting and a blank subject line is an incomplete communication. The ‘to’ field is only for the intended recipient addressed in the email. Copied recipients should be placed in the ‘cc’ or ‘bc’ fields. | 40. | D.
Decoding is the process a recipient goes through to understand the message. Context applies to the environment in which the message is received as well as surrounding influences. Channel is the method of delivery such as letter, email, face-to-face, etc. |
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