Q&A Hero

Q: How does appreciative listening benefit the listener?

Q: Your friend Maria has come to you for advice. She has two children, and she is concerned that playing violent video games and watching too much television is having a negative impact on them. Jose, who is ten, is getting into fights at school and is becoming more disrespectful to his parents every day. Christina, who is eight, now refuses to leave the house without wearing make-up and wakes nightly with nightmares about criminals breaking into their home. What would you say to Maria to help her make sense of her perceptions and the changes she sees in her childrens perceptions and behaviors? What advice would you give her to improve her and her childrens perceptions?

Q: People should wait until they are in their thirties to marry is an example of what kind of proposition? a. proposition of value b. proposition of policy c. proposition of fact d. proposition of attitude

Q: Leaders should avoid distributing an agenda until after a meeting has begun.

Q: What does it mean to paraphrase as a listening behavior?

Q: Discuss a time when challenges to your own perception prevented you from being able to communicate effectively. What happened? How did you perceive the information presented to you? What specific challenges did you experience in your perception of the event? If you had the opportunity to go back in time and rewrite the scenario, what would you do to improve your perception and communicate more effectively?

Q: It is wrong for us to deny gay and lesbian couples the right to marry is an example of what type of proposition? a. proposition of value b. proposition of policy c. proposition of fact d. proposition of attitude

Q: Agendas are crucial to the success of large meetings, but are more constraining than they are helpful in small meetings.

Q: Briefly describe a situation in which you were required to engage in empathic listening.

Q: Briefly contrast cultural myopia and prejudice using an example of each to illustrate the difference between them. C = comprehension and application; D = 1 Cultural myopia involves a failure to consider other cultural perspectives, whereas prejudice refers to deep-seated feelings of unkindness and ill will toward particular groups. Prejudice is usually based on negative stereotypes and feelings of superiority over those groups. The examples students provide will vary, but should be ANS: True to the definitions of the concepts.

Q: Reducing the taxes that businesses pay will lead to lower unemployment and a stronger economy is an example of a a. proposition of value. b. proposition of policy. c. proposition of fact. d. proposition of attitude.

Q: A leader should determine, before calling a meeting, what he or she hopes to accomplish, and whether the meeting is necessary to accomplish the goal.

Q: Define critical thinking.

Q: In your own words, explain how the fundamental attribution error impacts our perception. Provide a narrative example to illustrate how learning to recognize and overcome the fundamental attribution error could help a person grow.

Q: Which of the following definitions is most closely related to the concept of belief?a. the feelings we have about what is ANS: True and realb. our general evaluations of people, ideas, objects, or eventsc. the manner in which we act or functiond. our deeply held convictions about what is right and wrong morallyH = The Goals of Persuasive Speaking (p. 336); C = knowledge; D = 2

Q: After selecting and implementing a solution, a group should identify criteria for a good solution so that they can assess the results.

Q: __________ listeners listen with relationships in mind. They tend to be most concerned with others feelings and are usually good at assessing others moods. By contrast, __________ listeners are most concerned with efficiency; they prefer information that is clear and to the point, and have little patience for speakers who talk too much or wander off topic.

Q: List and describe the three recommended ways for improving perception in a diverse world. Considering either a hypothetical cultural misunderstanding or one you have observed, illustrate how using these three steps could improve communication. C = comprehension, application, and analysis; D = 2

Q: The statement School is fun is an example of a/an a. value. b. attitude. c. belief. d. behavior.

Q: Many groups find it difficult to accomplish their goals because they do not spend enough time identifying the problem they want to resolve.

Q: List the five steps in the listening process.

Q: Briefly describe how the use of stereotypes can become a challenge to ones perception. Provide an example of a time when your own use of a stereotype prevented you from communicating effectively.

Q: The process of influencing others attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors on a given topic defines which term? a. persuasion b. interrogation c. coercion d. informing

Q: In a low power distance culture, people tend to defer decision making to those with higher status or authority.

Q: Briefly describe the differences between hearing and listening.

Q: Provide a brief example of self-disclosure.

Q: The act of using manipulation, threats, intimidation, or violence to gain compliance is the definition of which of the following terms? a. persuasion b. interrogation c. coercion d. compliance gaining

Q: Research indicates that men and women lead in similar ways.

Q: Decoding messages over the telephone often requires more effort than would be required in a face-to-face interaction because we lack nonverbal cues such as facial expression, body movement, and eye behavior.

Q: Define self-disclosure.

Q: Describe the steps informative speakers can take to make their speech clear and easy for the audience to understand. C = comprehension; D = 1

Q: Excluding members of a group from the groups meetings is a form of bullying.

Q: Women are better listeners than men are.

Q: When we evaluate our expectations, execution, and the outcomes of our behavior in a communication encounter, we may experience a sense of self-actualization, self-adequacy, or self-denigration. Define each of these three evaluations. H = Assessing Our Perceptions of Self (pp. 4243); C = knowledge; D = 2

Q: Evangeline has chosen to deliver her speech on the topic of badminton. Specifically, she plans to discuss the process of playing the sport. She has discovered that no one else in her class has ever played the sport, so the information will be new. Unfortunately, none of the classmates she spoke to seemed to indicate any interest in the subject. What advice, besides simply selecting a new topic, would you give Evangeline to help her get her audience excited about and interested in her topic?

Q: Leaders who are perceived as knowledgeable, experienced, and respectable can be effective even if their followers do not like them.

Q: African Americans are thought to be more expressive listeners than Caucasian Americans are.

Q: The ability to predict actual success in a communication context from self-concept and self-esteem is referred to as __________.

Q: Compare and contrast the four approaches to informative speaking: description, demonstration, definition, and explanation. C = comprehension; D = 1

Q: Achievement-oriented leadership works best when group members see themselves as competent and are motivated to excel.

Q: Preferences for how listeners should behave and respond vary according to culture.

Q: In your own words, describe social comparison theory.

Q: Your friend Sams family has owned a health food store since she was a little girl. She has decided to do her informative speech about natural alternatives to the dangerous cleaning products made by large corporations. She wants her audience to know that the natural cleaning products are healthier and less polluting and hopes that she can inspire her classmates to switch to using more natural products in their own homes. Will Sams topic work for her informative speech? Why or why not? If changes are needed, what specific advice would you give Sam to help her modify the topic?

Q: Coach Jacksons team is young and inexperienced, so he leads them by calling all of the plays and telling each player what he is expected to do and when. We would say that his leadership style is participative.

Q: Attacking means to respond to someone elses message with negative evaluations.

Q: In your own words, describe the difference between self-concept and self-esteem.

Q: List, describe, and provide an example of the eight categories of informative speeches that are discussed in your textbook. What cautionary advice would you give to an informative speaker about any of these eight categories?

Q: The use of shared leadership can help group members feel more satisfied with the group process.

Q: Selective listening is considered to be not only an ineffective listening behavior, but also an unethical communication behavior.

Q: Provide an example of indirect evidence that has affected your self-concept.

Q: Synthesizing what you have learned up to this point in the course, explain the role of ethics as they relate to informative speaking. C = comprehension and synthesis; D = 2 Ideal answers will synthesize information from beyond this chapter, but apply it specifically to informative speaking. Specific topics to cover include respect, trustworthiness, responsibility, and fairness. Questions the students might address in their discussion include: Is the speaker honest about his or her goals? Is the information presented accurate? Are the speech and the information presented influenced by the speakers opinions about the subject? Is appropriate credit given to the sources that were used? Is the information presented useful to the audience and is it in the best interest of the audience to learn the information?

Q: Groups with more than one leader (co-chairs, for example) are less effective than groups with a single leader.

Q: Defensive listeners are considered to be highly focused and effective because they take in all of the relevant information before critiquing it and then offering a response.

Q: Define self-concept.

Q: What do we mean when we say that a good informative speaker will keep a speech simple for his or her audience by building on their prior knowledge?

Q: A leader can gain influence over a group using more than one source of power.

Q: Many people experience listening apprehension, a state of anxiety, fear, or dread associated with listening, and this can be a barrier to their communication competence.

Q: Provide an example of a stereotype you or others you know have of police officers.

Q: Provide an example of a phrase that would be helpful in drawing the audiences attention to an important piece of information just before you state it.

Q: Group leaders should avoid using referent power because it is usually considered coercive.

Q: In American culture, we tend to value listening more than talking, which can create an awkward imbalance to the communication process and stifle conversations.

Q: Define the term stereotype.

Q: In your own words, what do the authors of your text mean when they say you should create information hunger?

Q: Legitimate power comes from the information or knowledge that a leader possesses.

Q: Because most young people today have grown up surrounded by environmental distractions, they are able to multitask without a decline in their listening competence.

Q: Describe the fundamental attribution error.

Q: __________ explanations illuminate a concepts meaning and use by providing a list of a concepts critical features, contrasting examples of the concept, and then offering an audience an opportunity to distinguish between contrasting examples by comparing them to the concepts critical features.

Q: Ashley noticed that the group was coming up to the end of their meeting and wanted to see how close the group was to making a decision. So she took an informal votea tactic we call a/an a. Australian ballot. b. consensus checker. c. caucus vote. d. nonbinding straw poll.

Q: It is possible for those who are deaf to listen.

Q: Define the term attribution.

Q: In your own words, define a quasi-scientific explanation.

Q: The stage in the problem-solving process in which members of a group would employ brainstorming techniques is a. identifying the problem. b. analyzing the problem. c. generating solutions. d. evaluating and choosing solutions.

Q: It is a myth that hearing ability naturally declines with age.

Q: What theory explains why others may become more physically attractive to us after we have had positive social interactions with them?

Q: What is the difference between a definition by example and a definition by synonym?

Q: The first step in the problem-solving process is a. brainstorming. b. identifying the problem. c. generating solutions. d. evaluating the solutions.

Q: A room that is too hot or cold may present environmental challenges that make it difficult for a person to listen well.

Q: Provide a brief example to illustrate how mindlessness can negatively influence our perception.

Q: Define issue as a category of informative speech topics.

Q: __________ refer to group members personal motives, goals, attitudes, and values. a. Cognitive forces b. Psychological forces c. Physiological forces d. Social forces