Cambodian Mekong University MN217 Business Communication

Worksheet: Chapter 01
Communication as a Career Filter
Choose the best answer as the following statements.
1. Surveys of employers consistently show that the ability to ________ is critical to effective job
placement, performance, career advancement, and organizational success.
a. multitask and to respond quickly
b. work flexible schedules and to accept overtime
c. adapt to technological advances and to use computers effectively
d. communicate effectively
2. If you project and maintain a professional image in the workplace, you are more likely to be
taken seriously and promoted. Which of the following is the best example of professional
behavior?
a. Keeping your cell phone on during meetings so that you dont miss any calls.
b. Recording an outgoing message for your voice mail that is witty and fun to show your
personality.
c. Making sure that the background is quiet when answering the telephone.
d. Using IM abbreviations in your e-mail messages to make them more concise.
3. Many communication and collaborate technologies are used in todays workplace. Which of
the following tools is a Web site that allows multiple users to collaboratively create and edit
pages?
a. Wiki
b. Blog
c. Intranet
d. Presence technology
4. Which of the following factors contribute to poor listening?
a. The brains of listeners can process information at least three times as fast as speakers
can talk.
b. Listeners tend to tune out ideas that run counter to their own.
c. Most people prefer to talk rather than listen.
d. All of the answers are correct.
5. You can improve your listening skills if you follow tips for active listening, including:
a. Keeping an open mind, establishing a receptive mind-set, and listening between the
lines.
b. Establishing a receptive mind-set, concentrating on appearance and delivery, and
sifting information through biases.
c. Capitalizing on lag time, concentrating on your next comment, and taking as many
notes as possible.
d. All of the answers are correct.
6. Chandra needs to participate in an important conference call and plans to use active listening
skills. Chandra shuts down her computer, turns off her pager, and tells her assistant to hold all
incoming calls or visitors for the next hour. What technique is she using to improve listening?
a. Keeping an open mind.
b. Establishing a receptive mind-set.

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Cambodian Mekong University MN217 Business Communication

c. Controlling her surroundings.

d. No answer choice is correct.
7. Which is the most accurate statement about nonverbal behavior?
a. When verbal and nonverbal messages conflict, receivers put more faith in verbal
messages.
b. Gestures have the same meanings in all cultures.
c. The eyes are often the best predictor of a speakers true feelings.
d. All of the above statements are accurate.
8. Greg has been asked to lead his work group in a problem-solving discussion with a goal of
reducing workplace injuries. Greg notices that Lisa rolls her eyes every time he says
something. Greg should:
a. Take Lisa aside and tell her to keep her negative attitude to herself.
b. Respond to the verbal message only and thank Lisa for her support.
c. Politely seek additional information by saying; Im not sure that you really agree with
my ideas. Do you have a suggestion to improve them?
d. Respond only to the nonverbal message since body language is always more accurate
than words.
9. The unique culture and heritage of each country helps its members primarily to understand
how:
a. To behave and react.
b. Communication affects business.
c. The government and social order work together.
d. Members should endure culture shock.
10. Which of the following best describes high-context cultures?
a. Communicators in high-context cultures assume listeners know very little and must
be told practically everything.
b. High-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, and action oriented.
c. In high-context cultures, words are often not taken literally.
d. Business messages in high-context cultures tend to be objective, professional, and
efficient.
11. Values common in the dominant U.S. culture include freedom and independence. These
values together form the cultural value of:
a. Idealism.
b. Democracy.
c. Individualism.
d. Ethnocentrism.
12. Brandon was overheard in the employee break room saying, I am glad that the Technology
Department finally hired an Asian guy. Asians are the only ones who really know anything
about computers. Brandons boss warned him that his statement makes him guilty of ______,
which is not acceptable in a diverse work environment.
a. ethnocentrism
b. tolerance
c. stereotyping
d. a cultural norm

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Cambodian Mekong University MN217 Business Communication

13. A culturally diverse workforce can benefit organizations and their employees if employees
show tolerance for differences. One way to improve tolerance is by:
a. Practicing empathy.
b. Demonstrating nonverbal differences.
c. Encouraging ethnocentrism.
d. Increasing communication barriers in virtual work groups.
14. You can improve your oral communications with people who do not speak English as their
first language by:
a. Speaking very slowly and loudly to improve their comprehension.
b. Avoiding smiling and eye contact because it may not be their cultural norm.
c. Incorporating jargon and regional dialects to encourage them to adopt American
communication styles.
d. Using simple English.
15. When writing for a multicultural audience, you are more likely to be understood if you use
short sentences and short paragraphs and if you include:
a. Slang, such as This product really rocks!
b. Idioms, such as You can improve your bottom line using this product.
c. Acronyms, such as ASAP.
d. Action-specific verbs such as order this product rather than get this product.

Say the statements whether True or False

1. Technology has made writing less important in todays workplace.
a. True
b. False
2. We are born with the ability to read, listen, speak, and write effectively.
a. True
b. False
3. In todays workplace the focus is on information and knowledge as corporate assets.
a. True
b. False
4. Morgan is developing a marketing page for her companys Web site and is concerned about
the appearance of the active links. She seeks reactions from fellow employees. The reactions
she seeks are part of the decoding phase of the communication process.
a. True
b. False
5. Good listening skills are a weak component of the communication skills of most people with
most listening at only 25 percent efficiency.
a. True
b. False
6. Travis is having difficulty listening to his professors lecture because he is not feeling well.
This is an example of a physical barrier to effective listening.
a. True
b. False

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Cambodian Mekong University MN217 Business Communication

7. While your physical appearance delivers an important nonverbal message to your customers,
the physical appearance of your documents delivers an important nonverbal message as well.
a. True
b. False
8. You can use eye contact to show attentiveness and interest.
a. True
b. False
9. The belief in the superiority of ones own culture is known as ethnocentrism.
a. True
b. False
10. The best way to manage a diverse workplace is to do everything possible to minimize or
eliminate differences.
a. True
b. False

Answer the following questions

1. In what ways do communication skills act as a career filter?
2. What are soft skills?
3. List seven trends in the workplace that affect business communicators. Be prepared to discuss
how they might affect you in your future career.
4. List 11 techniques for improving your listening skills. Explain each one.
5. Would your culture be classified as high- or low-context? Why?
6. What is ethnocentrism, and how can it be reduced?

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