Business & Professional Communication Plans, Processes, and Performance, 5E James R DiSanza Test Ban

Type:

Test Bank and Instructor Manual

Business & Professional Resource: Communication Plans, Processes, and Performance Edition:

5th Edition

Author(s):

James DiSanza Nancy Legge

Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank for

Business and Professional Communication Plans, Processes, and Performance

Fifth Edition

James R. DiSanza Idaho State University

Nancy J. Legge Idaho State University

Table of Contents

Introduction

1

Syllabi

1

Demonstrations, Exercises, and Handouts

7

Chapter 1

The Role of Communication in Business and the Professions

7

Chapter 2

Listening and Feedback in Organizational Relationships

10

Chapter 3

Communicating in Organizational Groups and Teams

14

Chapter 4

Interpersonal Politics and Power in Communication

16

Chapter 5

Professional Interviews

17

Chapter 6

Considering Audience Feedback

20

Chapter 7

Preparing and Delivering Presentations

21

Chapter 8

Creating and Using Visual Aids

25

Chapter 9

Technical Presentations

26

Chapter 10

Proposal Presentations

34

Chapter 11

Sales Presentations

41

Chapter 12

Risk Communication

43

Chapter 13

Crisis Communication

47

Test Bank

59

iii .

The goal of this textbook is the same as it was when we began writing the first edition, to create an entirely new approach to the business and professional course, one that eliminates coverage of dated management theories (Theory X and Y, anyone?) and focuses exclusively on communication theories and content directly related to professional settings. Instead of abstract discussions of ethics we include tightly focused Ethics Briefs that provide specific criteria for making difficult situations. In place of disconnected communication theories we base the book on concepts like meaning, shared meaning, and role-taking, and carry those concepts forward through subsequent chapters.

We focus on presentations without excluding units on interviewing, interpersonal communication, and groups and teams. We do not simply repeat content from the basic public speaking course, but focus on presentations unique to business and professional settings including: technical communication, business proposals, sales presentations, risk communication, and crisis communication.

We are pleased you have adopted our book and believe it will provide your students a unique, comprehensive learning experience, one that will prove its value whatever their career aspirations.

The instructor’s manual is designed to assist your use of Business and Professional Communication: Plans, Process, and Performance. The manual is divided into three parts. The first, Syllabi, discusses several ways of organizing course materials. Section two, Demonstrations, Exercises, and Handouts, provides a variety of instructional materials for classroom use. Finally, section three, Test Bank, includes multiple choice and essay questions for use in examinations. We hope you find these materials useful.

Syllabi The four major sections in Business and Professional Communication: Plans, Process, and Performance can be ordered in a variety of ways. The book’s sequence of chapters and units (introductory chapter, Dyadic and Group Communication, Creating a Professional Presentation, and Types of Business and Professional Presentations) is designed for students with little or no background in public speaking or general communication. This order can be modified by interspersing the chapters in the dyadic and group unit between students’ technical, proposal, sales, risk, or crisis presentations, giving the course more overall variety. You will see this arrangement reflected in Syllabus I below.

For students with a previous course in public speaking, we still recommend opening the class with Chapter 1 and also interspersing the dyadic and group chapters around the major speaking assignments. The more experienced students, however, may benefit by giving a proposal presentation for their first speaking assignment, since this is very similar to the persuasive speeches conducted at the end of most public speaking courses. At Idaho State University, we start with the proposal presentation and teach it, in part, as a review of the last speaking assignment in the basic course. We then cover material on interviewing, technical communication, and the crisis briefing. You can see this arrangement reflected in Syllabus II below.

Despite the obvious need for flexibility, there are some foundational units and chapters that should precede other units. Instructors should think twice before taking these units out of order.

1 .

Because Chapter 1 defines basic concepts and lays the theoretical foundation for the entire book, it should be read first. Because the chapters under Creating a Professional Presentation include vital information on researching, structuring, designing, and rehearsing presentations these should be read prior to chapters in the last unit on Types of Business and Professional Presentations. Finally, although some instructors may choose not to assign a proposal presentation, students should still read the material in Chapter 10 because of its importance to later material in the chapters on sales and crisis communication. Aside from these constraints, chapters and assignments may be ordered in a variety of ways according to the pedagogical goals of the individual instructor.

Two syllabi are included below each of which organizes the material in a different way. While the first syllabus is designed for students with no background in public speaking or communication, the second rearranges material for students with more experience. Whereas the first syllabus includes a sales presentation, the second drops that assignment in favor of interviewing. Of course, the inclusion or exclusion of modules and their eventual order depends on the nature of the students, faculty expertise, and constraints imposed by the instructor’s department and/or college.

Syllabus I Required Text DiSanza, J. R., and Legge, N. J. (2003). Business and Professional Communication: Plans, Process, and Performance. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Goals This course trains students to recognize, understand, and perform communication in settings common to business and the professions. Instruction includes interpersonal communication, small group communication, interviewing, technical communication, proposal presentations, sales presentations, and crisis communication.

Policies Attendance: Students are expected to attend class on a regular and timely basis. Low attendance tends to result in lower grades.

Plagiarism: The Random House Dictionary defines plagiarism as the "appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas, and thoughts of another author, and representation of them as one's original work." The penalty for plagiarism is a failing grade for the course. The work you do and present in this class should be your own, accurately giving credit to your sources.

Grading: All assignments must be completed to receive a passing grade in this class.

Technical Presentation Proposal Presentation Sales Presentation Crisis Briefing Midterm Exam Final Exam

15% 20% 15% 20% 15% 15%

2 .

Assignments Technical Presentation: Explain a technical concept or process to the audience in a 6-8 minute presentation. The speech itself must conform to the guidelines of good technical communication outlined in class. Research is required.

Proposal Presentation: Ask the audience to support a particular belief or action in this 7-9 minute presentation. The speech should be delivered extemporaneously and include appeals based on credibility, logic, and emotion. Research is required.

Sales Presentation: Select a product or service and present a 5-6 minute presentation asking the audience to purchase that product or service. Choose a product or service that your audience is “qualified” to purchase. The presentation should use visual aids and appropriate persuasive strategies to convince the audience.

Crisis Briefing: After thorough library research, assume the role of a public information officer in an organization experiencing a crisis. Develop a 5-7 minute presentation that responds to the crisis in such a way that public and organizational interests are protected. The speech should adhere to the crisis speaking guidelines outlined in class and the persuasive speaking guidelines outlined during the proposal presentation.

Daily Schedule Date

Activity

Reading

Tues.

Thurs.

What is Communication?

Interpersonal Communication Listening

Tues.

Interviewing Resumes/Cover Letters/The Interview Creating a Presentation Structuring Outlining Introductions/Conclusions

Thurs.

Tues.

Ch 1 & 2

Ch 5 Ch 6 & 7

Technical Communication Audience Analysis Overcoming Obstacles Technical Communication Visual Aids

Ch 9

Ch 4

Thurs.

Interpersonal Communication Interpersonal Politics Technical Presentation

Tues.

Thurs.

Technical Presentation Technical Presentation

Tues.

Persuasive Proposals Purpose Statements Audience Analysis Structuring

Thurs.

Tues.

3 .

Ch 8

Ch 10

Thurs.

Inductive Reasoning Deductive Reasoning Persuasive Proposals Deductive Reasoning Outlining

Tues.

Thurs.

Midterm Examination Persuasive Proposals Introductions/Conclusions Refutation Emotional Appeals Credibility Appeals

Tues.

Persuasive Proposals Delivery Group Communication Decision Making

Thurs.

Tues.

Ch 3

Thurs.

Group Communication Leadership and Membership Proposal Presentation

Tues.

Thurs.

Proposal Presentation Proposal Presentation

Tues.

Thurs.

Sales Presentations Audience Analysis Content Risk Communication

Tues.

Thurs.

Sales Presentation Exercise Sales Presentation Exercise

Tues.

Tues.

Thurs.

Crisis Communication Image Restoration Strategies Crisis Communication Audience Analysis Risk Communication Crisis Briefing

Tues.

Thurs.

Crisis Briefing Crisis Briefing

Tues.

Final Examination

Thurs.

4 .

Ch 11

Ch 12

Ch 13

Syllabus II Assignments Proposal Presentation: Ask members of the audience to support a particular belief or action in this 7-9 minute presentation. The speech should be extemporaneously delivered and include appeals based on credibility, logic, and emotion. Research is required.

Interview Assignment: Develop a personal resume and cover letter for a job of your choice.

Each student will interview and be interviewed by a classmate for the job. Both partners will critique each others’ interviewing strategies.

Technical Presentation: Explain a technical concept or process to the audience in a 6-8 minute presentation. The speech itself must conform to the guidelines of good technical communication outlined in class. Research is required.

Crisis Briefing: After thorough library research, assume the role of a public information officer in an organization experiencing a crisis. Develop a 5-7 minute presentation that responds to the crisis in such a way that public and organizational interests are protected. The speech should adhere to the crisis speaking guidelines outlined in class and the persuasive speaking guidelines outlined during the proposal presentation.

Daily Schedule Date

Activity

Reading

Tues.

Thurs.

What is Communication?

Interpersonal Communication Listening

Tues.

Persuasive Proposals Purpose Statements Audience Analysis Structuring Outlining Persuasive Proposals Inductive Reasoning Deductive Reasoning

Thurs.

Tues.

Thurs.

Tues.

Thurs.

Persuasive Proposals Introductions/Conclusions Refutation Emotional Appeals Credibility Appeals Delivery Interpersonal Communication Interpersonal Politics Interpersonal Communication Sexual Harassment Proposal Presentation

5 .

Ch 1 & 2

Ch 6 & 7

Ch 10 & 11

Ch 4

Tues.

Thurs.

Proposal Presentation Proposal Presentation

Tues.

Thurs.

Midterm Examination Interviewing Resumes

Tues.

Interviewing Cover Letters Interviewing The Interview

Thurs.

Tues.

Thurs.

Tues.

Thurs.

Ch 5

Technical Communication Obstacles Audience Analysis Overcoming Obstacles Technical Communication Visual Aids

Ch 9

Group Communication Decision Making Group Communication Leadership and Membership

Ch 3

Tues.

Thurs.

Tues.

Thurs.

Technical Presentation Technical Presentation Technical Presentation Crisis Communication Preparing for Crisis

Tues.

Tues.

Thurs.

Crisis Communication Image Restoration Strategies Crisis Communication Audience Analysis Rick Communication Risk Communication

Tues.

Thurs.

Risk Communication Crisis Briefing

Tues.

Thurs.

Crisis Briefing Crisis Briefing

Tues.

Final Examination

Thurs.

6 .

Ch 8

Ch 13

Ch 12

Demonstrations, Exercises, and Handouts This section includes a variety of demonstrations, exercises, and handouts for each of the book’s chapters. Each exercise and its accompanying handout are designed to illustrate an important element of the book’s content.

Several of the presentation chapters (Chapter 9, technical communication, Chapter 10, the proposal presentation, and Chapter 13, crisis communication) include sample assignment sheets and evaluation forms.

We have tested almost every one of these demonstrations and activities in our multi-section service course at Idaho State University. Based on this experience, we’ve included clear instructions for the use of each exercise as well as helpful tips about the best way to implement a demonstration or exercise. The handouts in this section are designed for direct copying by the instructor or they can be modified depending on the instructor’s approach to the concept.

Chapter 1: The Role of Communication in Business and the Professions Exercise: Meanings Are Not Inherent, They Are Applied Purpose: Use the following exercise to illustrate the idea that events do not have a particular meaning; instead, meanings are applied to events and things by people. This concept is one of the most difficult in the entire book. For many students, things “are what they are” and “mean what they mean” and there is little room for different interpretations. This exercise is designed to illustrate that things can take on different meanings depending on who creates the interpretation.

Procedures: Ask each individual in your class to take a few moments to describe the diagram below in one-half page of written prose. When students are finished, compare their descriptions in front of the class.

Each description represents a different way of interpreting or giving meaning to the object.

Communication theorist Gregory Bateson notes that people take a number of descriptive tacks toward the object. While some take an analogic approach, describing the object as a boot, or even a toilet, others talk about the object as a combination of a rectangle and a hexagon.

Another group may attempt an operational description and start at one point of the object, usually an angle, and describe how to draw the object one line at a time.

Discussion: After hearing the various descriptions, ask the students how a simple geometric form can suggest so many different descriptive approaches. Emphasize that there is nothing in the object that dictates how it will be described. Instead, a slightly different description is imposed by each person.

7 .

After this discussion, you can make the point in a less abstract way by asking the students to discuss the various meanings that different people apply to the economic crisis that began in the fall of 2008. Ask students to describe the different meanings or interpretations that Americans’ apply to this ongoing event. Some students may blame greedy investment bankers and Wall Street for the crisis, while others blame government policies that encouraged irresponsible behavior among home owners (see the rant from CNBC’s Rick Santelli: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or-EKjfVCoA&NR=1) Ask students about the different meanings or interpretation they apply to the “great recession”?

What different meanings do these events take on?

Exercise: Feedback Improves Shared Meaning Purpose: This exercise exemplifies the importance of feedback in creating shared meaning between two communicators.

Procedures: The handout below includes three complicated geometric designs. Choose someone in the class who is good at giving directions and move them to a chair in front. Ask the class to take out a piece of paper and pencil to reproduce the design at their desks. Have your class reproduce the design under the following circumstances.

1. In this first condition the class and the person giving directions sit back-to-back. The class is not allowed to look at the person giving directions or utter any sounds while reproducing the design.

2. (Optional second condition). The class faces the person giving directions and can express confusion with quizzical looks or nonverbal grunts but cannot verbally ask questions or seek advice.

3. In the second/third condition the person giving directions faces the class. The class is allowed to interrupt the speaker to ask questions or seek more information. Under no circumstances should the class show their paper to the person giving directions.

After each condition is met, ask the class to share their designs with each other and with the person giving directions. How closely do the class designs match the original?

Discussion: Under which condition did the designs best match the original? What forms of feedback were the most effective in creating shared meaning? This exercise is especially effective because the low-feedback conditions almost always result in poor correspondence between the original illustration and students’ reproduction. The importance of feedback to shared meaning is visually represented.

8 .

Feedback Handout Condition 1: You will sit with your back facing the audience. The class is not allowed to utter any sound while they try to reproduce the design from your directions. You are not allowed to ask any questions of the class or the instructor while giving directions.

Condition 2: In this condition you will sit facing the class. You may watch for confusion or quizzical expressions in their faces but they are not allowed to ask questions while finishing the design.

Condition 3: In this condition, you are face-to-face with the class. They may ask questions to seek out more information. You can adapt to their questions by explaining a point in more detail or backing up and starting your explanation again. You may ask if everyone understands your directions.

9 .

Chapter 2: Listening and Feedback in Organizational Relationships Exercise: Individual Application Survey of Listening Skills Purpose: To help students inventory their best and worst listening habits and develop a priority plan from improving their listening skills.

Procedures: Begin by having students fill out the Individual Application Survey of Listening Skills handout that appears below. In this survey, the even-numbered questions represent effective recall listening habits. The odd-numbered questions represent ineffective recall listening habits.

Thus, all the even numbered habits that each student checked represent their most effective listening habits and all the odd-numbered habits they checked represent their most ineffective listening habits. Pass out the Plan for Improvement handout. Have students follow the directions on the handout to improve two or three of their most deficient listening habits.

Discussion: Encourage students to take time over the next two weeks to consciously change their three poor listening habits. Students should continue practicing their improved listening habits until they become a habit.

Exercise: Confirmation and Disconfirmation Purpose: This exercise will help students understand the behaviors and feelings associated with confirmation and disconfirmation.

Procedures: Have students fill out the Perceived Confirmation Scale in the handout below. Have students think about a particular work-based relationship (e.g., boss, coworker, secretary, etc.), and circle the number on each scale item that most accurately reflects the person’s attitude as it relates to that work partner. Although the scale is not designed to measure rejection, it can gauge whether a person feels confirmed or disconfirmed in a particular relationship.

To score the survey form, add the scores from items 1,3, and 6. For items 2, 4, and 5, students need to reverse their scores before adding. To reverse scores, write down the opposite number of your response. If the student circled 7 for items 2, 4, or 5, replace it with a 1, and if they circled 6, replace it with a 2, if they circled 3, replace it with a 5. Add the reversed scores for items 2, 4, and 5. Add the two figures up and divide by 6. This score represents each person’s perceptions of confirmation with respect to the partner they were thinking about. The highest possible score is 7 and the lowest is 1.

Discussion: Is there a correlation between the people you enjoy working with and how confirmed they make you feel? Are there particular areas in your relationship where you feel confirmed or disconfirmed? Think about your behavior toward other people in your workplace.

What specific behaviors discussed in this chapter can you use to make your coworkers feel confirmed?

10 .

Individual Application Survey of Listening Skills Instructions: Read the list of listening habits below and put a check mark next to each habit that you use during 50% to 100% of your listening time.

1. If a topic is uninteresting I tune it out and cease careful listening.

2. I work to minimize distractions in my listening environment by putting my phone on phone mail, turning down the radio, or going to a quiet office for conversations.

3. I tend to respond emotionally to arguments with which I disagree or language I find objectionable.

4. I refuse to allow unexpected distractions to interfere with my concentration and focus my mind on the speaker and his/her content.

5. I evaluate and judge the wisdom of what I have heard before checking my interpretation with the speaker.

6. I work to ignore a speaker's mannerisms or delivery and focus my attention on the message.

7. I develop arguments to refute what a speaker is saying so I can answer quickly when they are done talking.

8. I accept the emotional sentiments expressed by the speaker and use these to help me understand the content of the message.

9. I am easily distracted by the annoying or affected elements of a speaker's delivery.

10. I try not to let emotional language or strong disagreement with a speaker's ideas interfere with my concentration on the message.

11. I don't write the gist of important conversations on paper for future reference.

12. I try to listen for something useful when listening to dull topics.

13. I am uncomfortable with emotional displays and try to ignore these elements of a message.

14. I look at a speaker's face, eyes, body posture, and movement, and pay attention to other nonverbal cues while listening.

15. I tend to drift into other topics and concerns while listening.

16. I use a speaker's pauses and the time he/she spends forming their ideas to identify the structure of their ideas, summarize their content, or anticipate where their argument is headed.

17. I ask questions about what I've heard before letting the speaker know that I have heard and understood.

18. I take notes on the major themes covered during group discussions.

19. I think about other topics and concerns while listening.

20. It is easy for me to ignore the unusual mannerisms of a speaker and focus on the message.

21. I tend to drift into my own thoughts if the speaker speaks slowly or seems to take an unusual path to his/her points.

22. I often paraphrase or summarize what I have heard before making my own comments.

11 .

A Plan for Improvement In the survey you just took the even-numbered questions represent effective recall listening habits. The odd-numbered questions represent ineffective recall listening habits. Thus, all of the even-numbered habits you checked represent your most effective habits and all the oddnumbered statements you checked represent your most ineffective listening habits. Look over your analysis and determine your three most ineffective listening habits and write these in the spaces below.

1. ________________________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________________________ Now that you have identified your worst habits, develop a plan to change your single worst habit. Write down the situations during which you will work to change this habit.

For example, you may want to devote attention to better listening during next week’s class lectures, during conversations at home or, or group meetings at work. Enact this plan during the next two weeks. Practice your new listening skill for as long as it takes to make it a habit.

To overcome the ineffective habit, I plan to do the following: ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

You may want to select other ineffective habits to correct. Follow the same procedure for changing all of your ineffective listening habits.

12 .

Perceived Confirmation Scale Directions: Answer the questions below while thinking about a particular work-based relationship. Circle the number that represents your feelings.

7

6

5

3

2

1

agree very strongly

agree strongly

agree

disagree

disagree strongly

disagree very strongly

5

3

2

1

5

3

2

1

5

3

2

1

5

3

2

1

6

5

3

2

1

6

5

3

2

1

1. He/she is aware of me.

7

6

2. He/she isn’t at all interested in what I say.

7

6

3. He/she accepts me.

7

6

4. He/she has no respect for me at all.

7

6

5. He/she dislikes me.

7 6. He/she trusts me.

7

From: Sieburg, E., “Interpersonal Confirmation: Conceptualization and Measurement.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Montreal, Canada, 1973. Reprinted with permission.

13 .

Chapter 3: Communicating in Organizational Groups and Teams Exercise: Conflict Styles Purpose: To give students information about their preferred style of managing conflict.

Procedures: Give students one of the conflict style measurement instruments listed below and discuss the results.

Thomas, K. W., & Kilman, K. W. (1977). Developing a forced-choice measure of conflicthandling behavior: The MODE instrument. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 37, 390-395.

Putnam, L. L., & Wilson, C. E. (1982). Communicative strategies in organizational conflicts: Reliability and Validity of a Measurement Scale. In M. Burgoon (Ed.), Communication Yearbook 6. Beverly Hills: Sage.

Exercise: Demonstrating the Characteristics of Creativity Purpose: To help students understand the three characteristics of creative thinking: fluency, flexibility, and originality.

Procedures: Have students take a few moments to write down as many different uses for a brick as each can think of and they are to do this as quickly as possible.

Have several students fully list the ideas they wrote down. Apply the concepts of frequency, flexibility, and originality to each list that you examine.

Fluency: The number of ideas generated Flexibility: The variety of ideas generated Originality: The uniqueness of the ideas generated For example, a list that suggests 10 different ways the brick can be used as a weapon (as part of a club, going into a sling shot, as ammunition for a catapult) demonstrates fluency, but very little flexibility. A student who comes up with one idea to use the brick as a water filter demonstrates very little fluency, but is highly original. Remind students that anyone can improve their creativity by increasing the fluency, flexibility, and originality of their ideas.

Credit: Johnson, C. E., and M. Z. Hackman, Creative Communication: Principles and Applications (New York: Free Press, 1995).

Exercise: Morphological Analysis Purpose: The assignment provides students with practice using morphological analysis to create a new product.

Procedures: Using the handout provided below, ask the students to develop a new office product, a lamp for use on computer desks. Students can use the matrix provided to conduct their morphological analysis. In your discussion examine how students combined various seemingly unrelated ideas to create a unique product. (This exercise was developed by John Gribas at Idaho State University).

14 .

Exercise: Morphological Analysis In your groups you will perform a morphological analysis to develop a new office product: an office lamp for use on computer desks.

Use the following matrix, and the guidelines listed below, conduct your morphological analysis.

1. Break the product/problem down into its major parts, qualities, or subdivisions. What are the major parts, qualities, or subdivisions of office lamps? Put these across the top (shaded row of the matrix.

2. Below each part, quality, or subdivision, list the specific variations that you can think of and write these din the matrix.

3. Randomly combine each variation and explore new ideas and possibilities for desk lamps.

Describe new product:

15 .

Chapter 4: Interpersonal Politics and Power in Communication Exercise: Choosing Responses to Sexual Harassment Purpose: Teaches students to identify and apply various informal responses to sexual harassment.

Procedures: Put students into groups of 5-6 and have each develop an example of sexual harassment in the workplace. While some groups may develop scenarios that involve a harassing boss or coworker, others may come up with scenarios of uncomfortable work environments, such as explicit posters or bathroom graffiti.

Have groups switch their written scenarios so that each group is now working with a scenario it did not create. Have each group develop various informal responses to the harassment that are assertive, assertive-empathic, and rhetorical multifunctional. Make sure the responses are as clear and precise as possible.

Discussion: Discuss with students the likelihood of success for each response to the given harassment situation. Why are these responses likely to succeed or fail? Evaluate the likely success or failure according to the criteria for success outlined in the textbook.

Procedures: Using the same scenario, have students develop responses to the harassment that are threatening, aggressive, or overtly manipulative. Make sure response are as clear and precise as possible. Discuss the probable success of these messages.

Exercise: Recognizing Informal Responses to Sexual Harassment Purpose: To help students recognize the various informal strategies for managing sexual harassment.

Procedures: Visit your university library for a copy of a November 1999 Wall Street Journal article entitled, “Woman on a Bond Desk Deals With the Slights And Rises to the Top” (11/26/99, pp. A1 & A6). The protagonist in the article, a bond trader named Susan Estes, uses almost every one of the informal strategies for managing sexual harassment listed in Table 4.1.

Have students read the article and identify the various strategies. Discuss the relative success of each of these strategies with the students.

The article also illustrates several categorizes of harasses from Figure 4.3. What kind of harasser(s) has Susan Estes faced during her career?

16 .

Chapter 5: Professional Interviews Exercise: Practicing Research Skills Purpose: To develop research skills needed for job interviews.

Procedures: Have students select a local company that is hiring. Have students research the organization using the techniques discussed in this chapter. As students develop information about the organization or agency, have them fill out Figure 2.2, Sample Form for Compiling Information When Researching an Organization. Ask students if there were able to learn enough information to complete the form. Discuss other avenues students can follow to complete their research.

Exercise: Interview Practice Purpose: To develop a presentable cover letter and resume.

Procedures: Have students use your institution’s career center, the Internet, or some other source to find a job ad for a position they could apply for now, or immediately after graduation.

Following the guidelines outlined in the chapter and any additional guidelines you want to structure, have students create a cover letter and resume for that position. Cover letters and resumes may be graded or reviewed in a group setting. Make sure to evaluate the cover letter against the job ad and ask how well it adapts to the specific criteria specified in that ad.

Exercise: Preparing for a Performance Appraisal Interview Purpose: To help students go through the performance planning process necessary for a performance appraisal interview.

Procedures: Provide the “Exercise: Performance Planning” handout that is printed below to the students and ask them to complete a list of key responsibilities and goal statements from a current or previous job.

After this has been done, ask some of the following questions to stimulate discussion: Was it easy or difficult to develop a list of key responsibilities?

How easily were you able to develop measurement criteria for each key responsibility?

What were some of your more difficult responsibilities to measure?

What were some of the easier responsibilities to measure?

Will this process assist you in your next performance appraisal interview, and if so, how?

How might this process help you if your manager is not very proficient at performance appraisal interviews?

17 .

Exercise: Performance Planning Purpose: This exercise will teach you how to prepare for a performance planning interview or performance appraisal interview. You will do this by creating your own performance goals and measuring criteria for those goals.

Think about a job you recently held or one you have right now. Identify the key responsibilities of the job. Remember, key responsibilities are not the day-to-day tasks or duties that consume many of your hours. The key responsibilities are the reasons you do those mundane chores.

Write those responsibilities in the spaces below.

List of Responsibilities: 1. ______________________________________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________________________________________ 3. ______________________________________________________________________ 4. ______________________________________________________________________ 5. ______________________________________________________________________ 6. ______________________________________________________________________ 7. ______________________________________________________________________ 8. ______________________________________________________________________ 9. ______________________________________________________________________ 10. ______________________________________________________________________

Once you have listed key responsibilities, it’s time to determine methods of measuring each one. Remember that there are four measurement criteria to consider: Quality Quantity Cost Timliness Apply the measurement criteria to each responsibility and determine which of the four measures of output are most important. Is your first key responsibility best measured by the time in which it is completed or the quantity of it produced? What about your second and third key responsibilities? Write the measurement criterion you will use for each responsibility in the left hand margin.

18 .

In the space below, develop a clear goal statement for that responsibility for the coming year.

Goal statements should start with an action verb, identify a single key result for each objective, and state a verifiable criterion that clearly assesses whether the goal has been achieved.

Goal Statements: 1. ______________________________________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________________________________________ 3. ______________________________________________________________________ 4. ______________________________________________________________________ 5. ______________________________________________________________________ 6. ______________________________________________________________________ 7. ______________________________________________________________________ 8. ______________________________________________________________________ 9. ______________________________________________________________________ 10. ______________________________________________________________________

You have now completed a series of goal statements that could be useful in your next performance appraisal interview.

19 .

Chapter 6: Considering Audience Feedback Exercise: Analyze Your Audience Purpose: Teaches students to conduct an audience analysis and adapt their presentation accordingly.

Procedures: Prior to the persuasive (proposal) presentation, have students develop an individual version of the Audience Analysis Checklist in Figure 6.3. Students should develop a list of questions that are appropriate for their topic and audience. Have students make one copy of the survey for each student in class.

Have students hand out a copy of their survey to every other student in class. The class should fill out all the surveys, which till take about 30 minutes for a class of 25. Each speaker should analyze the results of their survey to determine the type(s) of audience represented in the class (favorable, active, neutral, apathetic, or hostile).

Have each student discuss the type(s) of audiences they will face. As a class, help each student make appropriate content, structure, and delivery suggestions for their particular audience.

Many students will find they have a mixed audience. Help each student decide what portion of their audience (target audience) to focus on and what portion of the audience to de-emphasize.

20 .

Chapter 7: Preparing and Delivering Presentations Exercise: Discover the Structure in Professional Writing Purpose: Convinces students that professional writers use the same structures advocated in class and the textbook.

Students sometimes doubt the usefulness of the various structuring techniques advocated in a speech or writing course. Sometimes they view structure as an impediment to their own “style.”

In addition, many high schools and colleges stopped teaching students to structure their speeches, preferring a “stream-of-consciousness” approach to almost every speaking assignment. Students must be taught that good informative or persuasive speaking requires clear structure.

Procedures, Step 1: The instructor should select a persuasive, professionally written opinion piece from a local or national newspaper. Duplicate the article(s) for the entire class and have everyone read the piece.

Discussion Step 1: Use the following questions to stimulate discussion about the importance of structure.

What is the specific purpose of the article?

Is it stated in the article or do readers have to reconstruct it for themselves?

(These questions help students understand the importance of developing and stating a clear specific purpose.)

What kinds of supporting material are used to bolster the opinion?

Is this material convincing? Why or why not?

(These questions are optional, but can be used to help students differentiate between different kinds of supporting material and whether they are used effectively.)

What are the author’s main ideas?

Are these main ideas structured according to one of the patterns discussed in Chapter 7? If so, what pattern is being used?

Would another pattern have made the information more clear or persuasive?

(These questions focus students on the article’s structural features.)

How do the introduction and conclusion differ from the methods suggested in the chapter?

To what do you attribute these differences?

What changes would you make in the article to turn it into an effective presentation?

(These questions are optional but help the instructor focus on the differences between spoken and written messages?)

Procedures, Step 2: The instructor duplicates a poor example of a nonprofessional (citizen) editorial or opinion piece from a local or national newspaper. Duplicate the article and have the entire class read it.

Discussion, Step 2: Use the following questions to contrast the solid structure that appears in the professional piece and the poor structure from the citizen’s writing.

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What is the specific purpose of the article?

Is it stated in the article or do readers have to reconstruct it for themselves?

(These questions help students understand the importance of developing and stating a clear specific purpose.)

What kinds of supporting material are used to bolster the opinion?

Is this material convincing? Why or why not?

(These questions are optional, but can be used to help students differentiate between different kinds of supporting material and whether they are used effectively.)

What are the author’s main ideas?

Are these main ideas structured according to one of the patterns discussed in Chapter 7? If so, what pattern is being used?

Would another pattern have made the information more clear or persuasive?

(These questions focus students on the article’s structural features.)

Exercise: Evaluating Public Presentations Purpose: Teaches students to identify and evaluate the various techniques for researching, structuring, beginning, and ending a presentation.

Procedures: Give the students a copy of the handout entitled, Report on a Speech Heard in Public. Ask them to witness a public presentation at your college or university and fill out the Report handout. Instructors could ask students to fill out the form while watching a presentation at home on C-Span. Another valuable method of instruction is taping a presentation from previous classes or C-Span and showing it to the entire class. Students can then fill out the evaluation form and discuss their impressions as a group.

Discussion: Instructors may want to grade the evaluation forms, although this can be difficult if you have not seen the presentation in question. A videotaped speech can solve these problems.

Internet: Video Tutorials for Speech Delivery Purpose: To illustrate the tenets of effective speech delivery.

Procedures: The Idaho State University Communication and Theatre Department supports a web site called the Video tutorial page for technical presentations at (http://www.isu.edu/commlab/video%20tutorial.shtml) Procedures: If your classrooms include computers, Internet connections, and digital projectors you can show these clips to the entire class and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each delivery element. If your classrooms are not so equipped, students must visit the site on their own.

There are a variety of other clips on this Web site to illustrate various elements of effective speech-making.

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Report on a Speech Heard in Public Name, title, and/or position of the speaker? _________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

What was the topic or title of the speech? ___________________________________________

Identify the general and specific purpose of the presentation. ___________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

Did the speaker state the general and specific purpose or did the audience have to figure this out for themselves? _____________________ What kinds of supporting materials were used in the presentation? ______________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Were examples well used? Why or why not? __________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Did the statistics include comparisons for easier interpretation? ____________________ Did the testimony come from sources you consider authoritative? __________________ Was the supporting material persuasive? Why or why not? _______________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________

Who was the audience for this presentation? ________________________________________ Did the speaker adapt to the organizational culture? ____________________________ Did the speaker adapt to the environment, including room size, use of visual aids, etc.? ______________________________________________________________________ Did the speaker adapt to relevant audience demographic characteristics? ___________ ______________________________________________________________________

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If the audience was captive, did the speaker adapt to this constraint? _______________ ______________________________________________________________________________________

Did the speaker provide proof of credibility and goodwill? _________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ What kind of audience was this: favorable, active, neutral, apathetic, hostile, or mixed? ______________________________________________________________________ Did the speaker adapt to the audience appropriately? ___________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________

What, if any, structure did the speaker use for the main ideas in the body? _________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________

How was the introduction handled? ________________________________________________ Did the introduction include attention, justification, credibility, and preview steps? ______ What, if anything, would you have changed to make the introduction more effective? ______________________________________________________________________ How was the conclusion handled? ________________________________________________ Did the speaker include review and capstone statements? _______________________ What, if anything, would you have changed to make the conclusion more effective? ______________________________________________________________________ Was the speech well delivered? __________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Chapter 8: Creating and Using Visual Aids Exercise: Critiquing and Improving Visual Images Purpose: To sharpen students’ critical thinking skills and improve their ability to create clear visual images for presentation.

Procedures: Get several issues of USA Today newspaper and clip the various charts, graphs, and other informative visual aids. Duplicate the visual aids for distribution or display over the computer. Have students criticize the visual aids for clarity, style, and how well each would work in a presentation.

Discussion: What makes the graph clear or unclear? If the visual aid is unclear, how would you change it? What visual aid rules do the editors follow or ignore? What changes would you make to better adapt this visual aid to a presentation?

Exercise: Critiquing and Improving the Format and Presentation of Visual Images Purpose: To sharpen students’ critical skills and improve their ability to create and present visual images.

Procedures: Local and national weather forecasts provide ample opportunity to examine and improve one’s use of visual images. Record the weather forecast on one or two of your local TV stations and a broadcast from The Weather Channel. Show the tapes to your class and use the following questions to stimulate discussion.

Discussion: Do any of the weathercasters use unnecessary visual aids? Are the graphics used clear or unclear? What changes would you make to improve the clarity of the ineffective graphic images? Is there a significant difference between the graphics used in local forecasts and those in the national show? How well do the forecasters present their visual aids? Do they explain each visual aid? What is the quality of that explanation? What, if anything, do the forecasters do to lead viewers to the correct interpretation of each visual aid? How does the forecaster point to important elements of the visual aid? What, if any, improvements would you make to the weathercaster’s use of visual aids?

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Chapter 9: Technical Presentations DVD: ”The Magic School Bus”/”Good Eats” Purpose: To exemplify the use of textbook concepts and show how they can be used to make technical information comprehensible for even the youngest audience.

Procedures: Purchase or rent an episode of The Magic School Bus, the long-running PBS show about a group of kids that have access to a great teacher and a flying, floating, shrinking, expanding school bus that they use to explore the worlds of science and technology. DVDs are available for purchase through the producer, Scholastic Educational Materials at www.scholastic.com.

Purchase or record an episode of “Good Eats,” which is available on the Food Network. The host of the show, Alton Brown uses a variety of common communication structures (Chapter 10) and technical communication methods (Chapter 9) to explain various chemical reactions and interactions with human taste buds that occur in the food he is preparing. .

Discussion: After watching the video, stimulate discussion with the following questions.

How were word choices adapted to the show’s audience?

Did the show employ examples and analogies? If so, name some of the examples and analogies? How were these used to explain difficult concepts? Would other examples or analogies have better suited the audience?

Were large or small measurement scales translated into useful analogies? Did these clarify the measurement scales?

What was the primary obstacle to understanding in this topic—difficult concepts or difficult structures and processes?

What kinds of definitions were used in the show? Were these definitions effective in explaining the concepts or processes?

Was any part of the show devoted to a series of examples and non-examples?

What kinds of visuals were used to communicate to this audience? Were these effective? If so, why?

Internet: Video Tutorials for the Technical Presentation Purpose: To illustrate various methods of clarifying technical information discussed in Chapter 9.

Procedures: The Idaho State University Communication and Theatre Department supports a web site called the “Video Clip Tutorial” page. (http://www.isu.edu/commlab/video%20tutorial.shtml) The Web page includes audio-video clips from a variety of technical presentations. These clips cover various elements of technical presentations including: Introductions Rhetorical question to gain the audience’s attention Clear central idea statement Preview of main points

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Introduction that includes all essential elements Speech Body Internal summary and transition Transition Conclusions Review of main points Analogies Three different organizing analogies Use of analogy to clarify Use of visual analogy to clarify An entire technical presentation is included with accompanying discussion by three Idaho State University professors If your classrooms include computers, Internet connections, and digital projectors you can show these clips to the entire class and discuss their use in technical presentations. If classrooms are not so equipped students must visit the site on their own.

Speaking Assignment: The Technical Presentation Purpose: Teaches students to apply the information from the textbook to make a complex topic clear to a lay audience.

Procedures: We have discovered that one of the most difficult tasks in this assignment is distinguishing content that is merely informative from that which is truly technical. Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast lines that can be drawn. However, Katherine Rowan (Communication Education, 44, 1995) argues that simple informative presentations usually consist of demonstrations (where the speaker explains how to do something), or accounts (where the speaker explains why something is the way it is). In a traditional basic speech course, demonstrations may include speeches about baking chocolate chip cookies or correctly swinging a golf club. Typical accounts include speeches on how some Islamic sects have come to view terror as a legitimate political weapon or why file swapping is so threatening to record companies. At Idaho State University, we do not allow student to do accounts or demonstrations in the technical speaking assignment.

Appropriate technical presentations focus on scientific, engineering, technological, business, regulatory, legal, managerial, or social scientific information. However, choosing a topic in any of these broad categories does not necessarily make a presentation technical. For example, one of our students did his “technical” presentation on embalming. Although this topic had an “air” of science (not to mention disgust) associated with it, it turned out that there is nothing especially complicated or difficult to understand about the process of embalming. On the other hand, in the same class, a student explained how a picture tube on a television produces moving images. This, indeed, was a technical concept.

When students ask about the line between merely informative and true technical content we provide the following advice.

1) Students don’t need to study esoteric concepts that are distant from everyday life.

We encourage students to focus on everyday topics that people, nevertheless, don’t know much about. For example, how does a light bulb produce light from electricity?

How do muscles contract to create movement? How does aspirin relieve pain? What

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is cancer and why is it so dangerous? (Because experience with different diseases is common to all people, our students often select diseases for their presentations.)

2) Focus on one small element of a larger topic. For example, a technical presentation on how a lawn mower engine works is bound to gloss over many significant details, making the presentation an account rather than a true technical presentation.

Instead, we encourage students to focus on one element of the engine, such as the carburetor, and spend the entire presentation explaining how it works. Such a presentation will have to be more detailed and, therefore, is more likely to be technical than one that covers the entire engine.

We often tell students that we want to hear a lot of information about a very small topic rather than a little information about a very large topic. It is often the level of detail that makes a presentation technical. We have seen excellent technical presentations on the operation of automobile turbochargers, stereo amplifiers, and how digital disks store information. Such presentations are always more informative than speeches about car engines, the entire stereo system, or how every element of a computer works.

3) We also remind students not to include non-technical points in their presentation. For example, in a presentation describing how a phone works, some students make the mistake of including irrelevant information.

I. II. III.

The history of the development of the phone.

The operation of a telephone.

The spread of the telephone since its invention.

In the outline above, only the second main idea is technical. The other two main points represent accounts. Time spent on these points prevents the speaker from focusing on the more relevant technical content in the second main idea. Adjust this presentation by making the second main idea the specific purpose and developing three or four subpoints to explain the entire operation of a telephone.

4) As is the case with most of our speaking assignments at Idaho State University, we ask students to include a brief Audience Analysis Statement with their written work.

In this assignment, students are asked to identify the primary obstacle(s) to understanding in their topic (either difficult concepts or complicated structures and processes, or some combination of the two). Students must then detail the specific strategies they used to make those concepts or processes clear to the audience (e.g., examples and non-examples, organizing analogies, etc.). Students should explain why these strategies will help clarify the subject-matter. These statements force students to become aware of their strategic choices. Thus, the audience analysis statements help us reinforce our goal of teaching strategic communication.

This section includes assignment handouts and evaluation forms for the technical presentation.

Two examples are included, the first a less structured version of the assignment and evaluation form and the second represents a more thoroughly structured version of each. The more structured versions were provided by John Gribas, Associate Professor of Communication at Idaho State University.

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Technical Presentation Assignment Goals You are to develop a technical presentation that helps the audience understand a complicated concept or process. While many informative presentations are demonstrations (where the speaker explains how to do something), or accounts (where the speaker explains why something is the way it is), the technical speech is more varied and more complex.

Specifically, your speech should focus on helping people understand: a) what something means (a difficult concept), b) how something functions (difficult structures or processes), or, c) some combination of the two.

A technical presentation focuses a lot of effort on a small, but complicated, point rather than covering a larger idea more broadly. If you’re not sure whether your topic constitutes a true technical presentation, check with your instructor prior to beginning your research.

Formal Requirements 1) The speech should be 7-8 minutes in length. Practice your speech several times to make sure it fits the time limit.

2) Include an introduction that serves the four functions discussed in the textbook.

3) Include clear transitions between all major divisions.

4) The body of the speech should employ the general methods of reducing confusion discussed in class (appropriate word choice, frequent examples and analogies, translate measurement scales, and visual aids).

5) Decide whether the main obstacles to understanding your information are difficult concepts, difficult structures or processes, or both. Employ the appropriate methods to make your concepts and structures clear (Concepts: definitions, examples, non-examples; Structures and Processes: graphic models, organizing analogies, links to the organizing analogy).

6) You must include at least one visual aid in the presentation. Follow the guidelines for visual aids from the textbook.

7) Summarize the main ideas in the conclusion.

8) At least three written sources of information are required for the technical presentation.

9) Submit an extended paragraph that identifies the primary obstacles to audience understanding and details the exact methods you used to overcome these obstacles.

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Technical Presentation NAME__________________________________

INTRODUCTION

TOPIC____________________

Superior _____

Excellent _____

_____

_____

Good _____

Fair _____

Poor _____

Attention Justification Credibility Preview AUDIENCE

_____

_____

_____

Estimation of Audience Knowledge Adapted to Audience Knowledge

ORGANIZATION

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

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Clear Progression Transitions Transition Phrases Forecasting

CONTENT Supporting Material Appropriate Effective Use of Visual Aids Used General Strategies Content Overcomes Obstacles to Understanding

CONCLUSION

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

Review Main Points Clincher DELIVERY _____ Vocal Clarity Volume, Rate, Flow Articulation, Pronunciation Vocal Quality Natural, Conversational, Varied, Emphasis Eye Contact Regular, Direct, Inclusive Sustained Stance Gestures

_____

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_____

_____

_____

TECHNICAL PRESENTATION ASSIGNMENT Enhancing Audience Understanding AUDIENCE: Consider audience knowledge carefully before developing your presentation.

TOPIC: Your job is to explain an issue that would be particularly difficult for the audience to understand. The speech should focus on helping the audience understand (1) what something means or (2) how something works or functions.

STRATEGIES: This speech must be designed to do more than merely give new information.

Use strategies appropriate for the particular type of technical content.

TIME LIMITS: Your speech is to be 6 to 10 minutes in length. Effective time management will be considered in the speech grade. Speeches that are under-time will be rated as “Poor” at best in terms of Idea Development.

OUTLINE: Develop and type a formal, full-sentence, preparation outline, closely following the format covered in class. You will turn your outline in to me before you speak.

COVER PAGE: Create a cover page(s) that includes the following information: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Your name.

The speech topic.

A properly worded “specific purpose” for your speech.

A thorough paragraph in which you answer the following questions: (1) Why specifically would your audience have difficulty understanding your topic? (2) What specifically have you planned to do to help your audience overcome these difficulties? (3) Why do you believe your plan will be effective?

SUPPORTING MATERIAL: Use a good deal of supporting material (statistics, testimonies, examples) throughout your speech to defend and validate your claims. This support should come from a variety of highly credible sources. To meet minimum requirements, at least three of your referenced sources must be credible, objective, widely published and accessible written publications. Prepare a separate reference page of support sources (only those sources specifically cited in the speech) using APA style format and include it with your formal outline.

VISUAL AIDS: Using visual aids in this presentation is required. You must create and use a minimum of two informative visual aids (as opposed to visual attention getters) in the body of the speech. Process presentations will be expected to have at least one visual aid designed to help the audience see the “big picture” (i.e., clarifying the whole and parts). Be sure the visual aids enhance your speech and do not become distractions. Make sure that you practice your speech with the visual aids.

PRESENTATIONAL STYLE: Deliver the speech in extemporaneous style, striving for audience contact and a natural but professional presentation. Do not use your preparation outline for presentation. Instead, develop a key-word outline on a few index cards to help guide you as you speak. Do not read from your key-word outline. Establish direct eye contact. Avoid a mechanical, "memorized" quality.

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TECHNICAL PRESENTATION EVALUATION SHEET Enhancing Audience Understanding Name: ____________________________________ Evaluation Scale: Excellent = 4, Good = 3, Fair = 2, Poor = 1, Unacceptable = 0 SPEECH DELIVERY...

Eye Contact: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____

Comments:

Eye contact is regular, sustained (not simply short glances), and established throughout the presentation.

Speaker engages entire audience and is not highly dependent on notes.

Stance: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____

Comments:

Stance is solid and confident. Speaker has good posture, keeps both feet firmly planted, refrains from shifting or swaying, does not lean on podium or table, etc.

Gestures: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____

Comments:

Strong and natural gestures are used throughout to illustrate, emphasize, and add visual variety.

Use of Visual Aids: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____

Comments:

Visual aids are displayed at appropriate time for appropriate length. Speaker makes direct reference to all information on visual aids and points our specifics in a helpful way. Handling of visual aids does not interrupt flow of presentation.

Vocal Clarity/Intelligibility: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = ____

Comments:

Effective volume and rate are demonstrated. Delivery flows smoothly and is free from articulation and pronunciation problems.

Vocal Quality/Emphasis: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____

Delivery is natural, conversational, and enhanced by good vocal variety (volume, pitch, rate, etc.). Vocal quality is used effectively to emphasize points and reinforce structure.

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Comments:

SPEECH CONSTRUCTION...

Construction of Visual Aids: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____

Comments:

A variety of visual aids are used in the speech body.

Visual aids are easy to understand, appealing, and of professional quality. Information is limited to only what is necessary, and all information is large enough to be easily seen and read.

Topic/Cover Page: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____

Comments:

Cover page material is complete, thorough, and clear.

Topic is sufficiently narrowed and fits assignment.

Identification and explanation of audience and strategies are thorough, thoughtful, and accurate.

Idea Development: 4 3 2 1 0 x 2 = _____

Comments:

All ideas are clearly explained, point development is thorough, and information provided is in-depth and well synthesized.

Supporting Material: 4 3 2 1 0 x 2 = _____

Comments:

A good variety of quality sources are used effectively for point support.

Structure/Organization: 4 3 2 1 0 x 2 = _____

Comments:

Main points are clearly stated and well balanced.

Speech demonstrates effective use of signposting and transitions. Organizational pattern is appropriate, and sequencing of ideas is clear and logical. Introduction and conclusion are complete, concise, and effective.

Comments: Strategy Application: 4 3 2 1 0 x 2 = _____

Strategies for overcoming obstacles to audience understanding are evident in the speech construction and presentation. Strategies are appropriate for the topic and type of technical presentation.

Document Format: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____

Comments:

Document production is high quality. Preparation outline and APA reference page are in proper format.

FINAL PERCENTAGE GRADE Sum from above (0-60 points):

_____

Base Points

40

Total:

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Chapter 10: Proposal Presentations Exercise: Identify and Critique the Arguments Purpose: To help students properly identify and critique arguments.

Procedures: Copy a number of editorials and letters to the editor from your town’s local newspaper. Because many college students do not read their local paper, it may be necessary to provide a brief background on the topics of the editorials or letters. Begin by having students identify the various deductive and inductive arguments in the opinions. After each argument has been identified, test them against the criteria listed in the textbook.

Discussion: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments in this editorial? How could the arguments be made stronger? Do strong arguments make the editorial persuasive?

Do weak arguments hurt the persuasiveness of the opinion? What other persuasive factors may help overcome weak arguments (e.g., emotion or credibility)?

Exercise: Draw Out Your Syllogisms Purpose: To teach students that they can’t help but reason using syllogisms.

Procedures: Copy a number of editorials and letters to the editor from your town’s local newspaper. Because many college students do not read their local paper, it may be necessary to provide a brief background on the topics of the editorials or letters.

Tell students that everyone reasons using syllogisms. However, we don’t often fully state this reasoning in the form of major premise, minor premise, and conclusion. Rather, we make assumptions that represent one premise in a larger syllogism. To illustrate this point, have students identify the various assumptions that writers are making in the editorials or letters to the editor. Then, have students write out the unstated portion of the syllogism.

For example, in a number of editorials have suggested that the September 11th attacks on the U.S. were made easier by the belief in many parts of the world that the U.S. was a paper tiger, unwilling to risk casualties to defend itself. The defeat of the Taliban and al Qaeda forces, these sources say, demonstrated American resolve. Several syllogisms can be found in this line of reasoning.

If our enemies believe we are too weak to retaliate, they are more likely to attack.

Our enemies prior to September 11th believed we were too weak to retaliate.

Our enemies attacked on September 11th.

If our enemies believe we are strong and are resolved to destroy those that attack us, they are less likely to initiate an attack.

Our actions in Afghanistan proved we have the ability and resolve to respond.

Attacks will be reduced.

Teaching students to draw out assumptions into full syllogisms helps them see how deductive reasoning works in everyday practice. At Idaho State University, we ask students to draw out several syllogisms in their own presentation and submit those with their outlines. You can see an example of this at the end of the sample proposal presentation in Chapter 10.

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Exercise: Proposal Presentation Purpose: The proposal presentation is a chance for students to apply the information from the textbook to make a persuasive appeal of belief or action.

Procedures: Ask students to prepare a persuasive presentation on a topic of their choosing. At Idaho State University, some faculty members limit students to business topics while others allow any topic, as long as it is persuasive.

As is the case with most of our speaking assignments at ISU, we ask students to include a brief “audience analysis statement” with their written work. In this assignment, students are asked to identify the type(s) of audiences (favorable, active, neutral, apathetic, or hostile) they have based on the audience survey they conducted several days earlier. If students have a mixed audience, they must choose a target audience and justify that selection. Students must then discuss the specific appeals to credibility, logic, and emotion they used to sway this audience.

Students should pay particular attention to audience objections and explain the refutation methods they used to meet these objections.

In addition, we ask students to draw out several syllogisms in their presentation and include these with their written work (see previous exercise). Instructors can evaluate these syllogisms as part of the assignment grade. Two different assignment sheets and evaluation forms are included for the persuasive proposal. The second assignment sheet and evaluation form are more structured than the first.

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Proposal Presentation Assignment 1. Create a 7-9 minute speech designed to persuade the audience to accept a specific belief or action.

2. Follow one of the structures for persuasive speaking discussed in the textbook.

3. Use an abundance of inductive and deductive logic to support your assertions. Cite your sources in the speech to insure proper credit for your research and enhance your credibility.

4. Use strong appeals to credibility and emotion.

5. One point in the body of your speech should be a refutative argument.

6. Speak with polished delivery from a delivery outline.

7. On the day you speak, turn in to me: A. A full sentence outline.

B. A bibliography with at least five sources; up to three sources may be from the Internet.

C. An Audience Analysis Statement. This analysis should state the kind(s) of audience the class represents for your particular topic (favorable, apathetic, neutral, active, or hostile). Explain the content, structure, and delivery choices you made to persuade this audience. Explain the objections this audience has for your topic and the refutation methods you used to respond to those objections.

D. Fully write out and label the parts of two syllogisms you used in your speech (state the major premise, minor premise, and conclusion).

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Evaluation Form: Proposal Presentation Speaker ________________________________ Topic____________________ Time__________ Superior

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

Introduction Gained Attention Justified Topic Credibility Preview Appropriate for Structure

Audience Analysis Adapted to Audience (favorable, apathetic, neutral, active, hostile) Adapted to Other Situation and Listener Characteristics

Structure Structure Appropriate Transitions Btw. Points Signposts

Content Logic Credibility Emotion Refutation Balanced Appeals to Logic, Credibility, Emotion

Conclusion Review Belief or Action Reinforced

Delivery Vocal Clarity Volume, Rate, Flow Articulation, Pronunciation

Vocal Quality Natural, Conversational, Varied, Emphasis

Eye Contact Regular, Direct, Inclusive Sustained

Stance Gestures

37 .

PERSUASIVE PROPOSAL ASSIGNMENT AUDIENCE: Analyze your audience and identify the type(s) of audiences (favorable, active, neutral, apathetic, or hostile) you have based on the audience survey you conducted earlier. If you have a mixed audience you must choose a target audience and justify that selection.

TOPIC: You may select any persuasive topic that you want. The primary goal of this presentation is to persuade people to adopt a particular belief or take a particular action.

STRUCTURES: Choose one structure for persuasive speaking covered in the textbook that best fits the goals of the situation. Regardless of the structure employed, incorporate a good variety of arguments using logic, credibility, and emotion.

TIME LIMITS: Your speech is to be 6 to 10 minutes in length. Effective time management will be considered in the speech grade. Speeches that are under-time will be rated as “Poor” at best in terms of Idea/Argument Development.

OUTLINE: Develop and type a formal, full-sentence, preparation outline, closely following the format covered in class. You will turn your outline in to me before you speak.

COVER PAGE: Create a cover page(s) that includes the following information: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Your name.

The speech topic.

A properly worded “specific purpose” for your speech.

The persuasive speaking structure chosen.

A thorough paragraph that clearly justifies the speaking structure choice. Make an argument for the appropriateness of your choice, and also explain how and why the other options are less appropriate.

An Audience Analysis Statement that clarifies the kind(s) of audience the class represents for your particular topic (favorable, apathetic, neutral, active, or hostile).

Explain the content, structure, and delivery choices you made to persuade this audience.

Explain the objections this audience has for your topic and the refutation methods you used to respond to those objections.

SUPPORTING MATERIAL: Use a good deal of supporting material (statistics, testimonies, examples) throughout your speech to defend and validate your claims. This support should come from a variety of highly credible sources. Sources of support material must be clearly and fully cited in the speech. To meet minimum requirements, at least three of your referenced sources must be credible, objective, widely published and accessible written publications.

Prepare a separate reference page of support sources (only those sources specifically cited in the speech) using APA style format and include it with your formal outline.

PRESENTATIONAL STYLE: Deliver the speech in extemporaneous style, striving for audience contact and a natural but professional presentation. Do not use your preparation outline for presentation. Instead, it is best to develop a key-word outline on a few index cards to help guide you as you speak. Do not read from your key-word outline. Establish direct eye contact. Avoid a mechanical, "memorized" quality.

38 .

PERSUASIVE PROPOSAL EVALUATION SHEET Name: ____________________________________ Evaluation Scale: Excellent = 4, Good = 3, Fair = 2, Poor = 1, Unacceptable = 0 SPEECH DELIVERY...

Eye Contact: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____ Eye contact is regular, sustained (not simply short glances), and established throughout the presentation.

Speaker engages entire audience and is not highly dependent on notes.

Comments:

Stance: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____ Stance is solid and confident. Speaker has good posture, keeps both feet firmly planted, refrains from shifting or swaying, does not lean on podium or table, etc.

Comments:

Gestures: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____ Strong and natural gestures are used throughout to illustrate, emphasize, and add visual variety.

Comments:

Vocal Clarity/Intelligibility: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____ Effective volume and rate are demonstrated. Delivery flows smoothly and is free from articulation and pronunciation problems.

Comments:

Vocal Quality/Emphasis: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____ Delivery is natural, conversational, and enhanced by good vocal variety (volume, pitch, rate, etc.). Vocal quality is used effectively to emphasize points and reinforce structure.

Comments:

SPEECH CONSTRUCTION...

Topic/Cover Page: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____ Cover page material is complete, thorough, and clear.

Topic is sufficiently narrowed and fits assignment.

Persuasive structure is well justified, and persuasive strategies are accurately identified.

Comments:

Idea Development: 4 3 2 1 0 x 3 = _____ All ideas are clearly explained, point development is thorough, and information provided is in-depth and well synthesized.

Comments:

39 .

Supporting Material: 4 3 2 1 0 x 2 = _____ A good variety of quality sources are used effectively for point support. Thorough citations are clearly provided in the speech in a way that establishes source validity and credibility.

Structure/Organization: 4 3 2 1 0 x 3 = _____ Main points are clearly stated and well balanced.

Speech demonstrates effective use of signposting and transitions. Persuasive structure is properly applied, and sequencing of ideas is clear and logical.

Introduction and conclusion are concise, effective, and appropriate for the selected persuasive structure.

Comments:

Overall Persuasive Impact: 4 3 2 1 0 x 2 = _____ Arguments are clear, logical, and reasonable.

Presentation structure, content, support, and delivery reflect a clear and strong persuasive intent and leave a convincing persuasive impact.

Comments:

Document Format: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____ Document production is high quality. Preparation outline and APA reference page are in proper format.

Comments:

FINAL PERCENTAGE GRADE Sum from above (0-60 points): Base points:

Total:

_____ 40

_____

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Chapter 11: Sales Presentations Exercise: Understanding the Importance and Function of Metaphors in Selling Purpose: To help students understand the importance of metaphor in business-to-business selling and learn to adequately interpret the persuasive appeal of sales metaphors.

Procedures: Select several advertisements from business publications (Wall Street Journal, Business Week, or Fortune) that are aimed at selling to business people. These advertisements are useful because the appeals used in them are similar to the appeals made in face-to-face or group sales presentations. Select ads that employ some form of metaphorical appeal. Use the questions below to stimulate discussion.

Discussion: Start the discussion by analyzing the comparison that the metaphor suggests. What two things are being compared in this metaphor? Based on the metaphor, what are we supposed to think about the product or service being advertised? What perception is the company encouraging with the metaphor? Is the metaphor pleasing or attractive? Is the metaphor persuasive? Why or why not? Does the metaphor make sense for this particular product or service? Can you think of other metaphors that might be more persuasive?

Exercise: Evaluating the Logic, Credibility, and Emotional Appeals Made in Business-toBusiness Selling Purpose: To teach students to evaluate the content appeals made in business selling.

Procedures: Select several advertisements from business publications (Wall Street Journal, Business Week, or Fortune) that are aimed at business people. Such advertisements are useful because the appeals used in them are similar to the appeals made in face-to-face or group sales presentations. Select ads that employ some form of credibility, logical, or emotional appeal. Use the questions below to stimulate discussion about the ad’s content.

Discussion: What kind of content appeals are made in the advertisement? Is logical reasoning used and, if so, what kind? Evaluate the strength of the inductive and deductive claims in the ad. Does the ad make a credibility appeal? Is this credibility appeal convincing, why or why not?

What, if any, emotional appeals are present in the advertisement? Are these persuasive? Does the ad do anything to reduce the three fears of buying mentioned in the textbook? If the fears are not addressed, what would you include to reduce those fears?

Exercise: Qualifying Clients Purpose: To instruct students in the use of questions to qualify clients for a sales pitch.

Procedures: Have students select a product or service that they plan to sell to their fellow students. The product can be as simple as laundry detergent, tutoring services, taxi rides toand-from the store, used textbooks (not this book, of course), or any other relevant product or service. Have the students develop a brief list of 4-8 questions designed to “qualify” customers for their product or service. The questions can be adapted from Figure 11.1, Questions for Qualifying Sales Prospects. Have each student interview two or three classmates to determine whether they are qualified to purchase the product or service. Students should record the

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answers to their questions to determine whether these “clients” are worth pursuing. Use the questions below to stimulate classroom discussion.

Discussion: Were your classmates qualified prospects? If so, what is it that makes them a qualified prospect? Were some of the prospects not qualified to purchase the product or service? If so, what makes them unqualified? Could these prospects be convinced to eventually purchase the product? Where should you draw the line about continuing to pursue an unqualified prospect? Ask your classmates if they could eventually be convinced to purchase this product and what kinds of persuasion would make them more responsive?

Exercise: Creating and Delivering a Sales Presentation Purpose: To provide students with experience with the various elements in the selling process.

Procedures: (1) Have students select a product or service that they plan to sell to their fellow students. The product can be as simple as laundry detergent, tutoring services, taxi rides to-and from the store, used textbooks (not this book, of course), or any other relevant product or service.

Have students develop a brief list of 4-8 questions designed to “qualify” members of the class for this product or service. Follow the procedures for qualifying customers outlined in the previous exercise above. We strongly recommend that a significant portion of the class represent qualified customers for each student’s product or service. It’s boring for students who live on $500 a month to listen to sales presentations asking them to buy things they cannot even imagine affording (Ford Explorers, Florida time-share condominiums, European vacations etc.).

(2) Once the prospects are qualified, students should create a second survey that analyzes the audience’s knowledge and interpretation of their product or service (see Chapter 6). The questions in this survey should help the students classify the audience into one of the categories in Figure 6.1 and understand any objections or fears they have about purchasing the product or service.

(3) Students should conduct research on their product or service using consumer magazines or the Internet. This research is vital for developing persuasive content. Ask students to create a sales presentation that uses clear visual aids and includes strong content, delivery, and structure.

(4) The instructor may want to make students include at least one metaphor in their presentation and address one fear the audience expresses about purchasing the product or service.

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Chapter 12: Risk Communication Videotape: Are we scaring ourselves to death?

The John Stossel videotape Are we scaring ourselves to death? provides an excellent introduction to risk analysis, the concept of relative risk, and the tradeoffs that business leaders, government, and society must make regarding hazards that we will approach or avoid. The video covers a number of hazards including crime, flying, and chemicals and explains why these are not as serious as many believe and why more mundane activities outweigh many highly publicized hazards. The role the media plays in creating fear is discussed as well as the role of familiarity in decreasing people’s concerns. The tape is part of the Stossel in the Classroom series and can be purchased for approximately $50 at the following Web site: www.prcfund.org.

Exercise: Test Your Knowledge of Risk Purpose: We use the following exercise to prove to students that people can and do accurately estimate the relative risk posed by various hazards.

Procedures: Give students the handout entitled Test Your Knowledge of Risk and ask them to rank the hazards from 1-22 based on the number of people killed in the United States each year by that hazard.

The handout gives instructors the option of having students rank the risks individually, as a group, or both. (We find that doing both also helps us make a point about the relative efficacy of groups versus individuals on complex decision tasks). We have found that most students can correctly place six to eight of the top hazards somewhere in the top ten. Thus, even though they probably won’t get the exact placement of many hazards correct, they can correctly identify several of the most serious hazards. Contrary to the opinions of many business and government leaders, people do have a solid understanding of the most risky activities and events and can separate these from other activities and events that kill far fewer people.

Discussion: Why then, do people seem to ignore their own knowledge and express little concern over relatively more hazardous activities and more concern over relatively less hazardous activities? This question can lead the class to a discussion of the concern factors in Figure 12.1.

These factors explain why people don’t limit their decisions about risk to mortality and morbidity rates.

Exercise: Analyzing Audience Concerns Purpose: This exercise helps students understand why different people come to different conclusions about the kinds of risks they will approach and avoid.

Procedures: Put the class into groups of 5-6 students. Provide the handout entitled, How Much Fear? and ask each group to judge the relative degree of concern that the hazards pose for the citizens of the three hypothetical communities in the handout. The degree of concern can be ranked from 1-10, with one representing little or no concern and 10 representing maximum fear.

Discussion: Have students discuss and justify their rankings by referring to the factors of concern in Figure 12.1.

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Rank the Hazards Directions: Rank order the following hazards based on the number of deaths (mortality) that you estimate each produces per year in the United States. That hazard that you believe produces the most deaths should be ranked “1” the second most hazardous is “2,” and so forth.

Cause of Death

Individual Rank

Group Rank

Lightning CO poisoning at home Fires in the home Alcohol-related Hang gliding

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

Skiing Falls in the home Food poisoning AIDS Tobacco use

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

Football Solar radiation (skin cancer) Drunk driving Radon gas (lung cancer) Secondhand smoke

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

Motor-vehicle accidents Bicycle accidents Drowning Riding school bus Firearms accidents

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

Tornadoes Bees, wasps

_________ _________

_________ _________

The # of “Top Ten” hazards that you placed somewhere in the top ten

_________

_________

Adapted from: “Facing our fears.” Consumer Reports, December, 1996.

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Correct Rankings Below are the correct rankings for each hazard from the most recent data available (2002).

CAUSE OF DEATH Tobacco use Alcohol-related Motor-vehicle accidents Secondhand smoke Radon gas (lung cancer)

DEATHS/YEAR 419,000 108,000 42,000 40,000 18,600

Drunk driving AIDS Solar radiation (skin cancer) Falls in the home Food poisoning

17,000 15,300 7,800 7,100 5,000

Drowning Fires in the home Firearms accidents Bicycle accidents CO poisoning at home

3,900 3,600 2,000 950 850

Lightning Tornadoes Bees, wasps Skiing Football

93 82 64 41 13

Hang gliding Riding school bus

8 7

Note: The table is not exhaustive and omits many other causes of death.

Figures are based on the most recent years available and most come from: Ropeik, D., and Gray, G., Risk: A Practical Guide for Deciding What’s Really Save and What’s Really Dangerous in the World Around You (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002).

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How Much Fear?

This exercise is designed to familiarize you with the factors that influence the relative fear people experience when approaching a hazard. Turn to Figure 12.1 in your textbook and familiarize yourself with factors that influence people’s concern about a hazard.

Read the three scenarios below and decide on the amount of concern or fear that the hazard creates for the citizens of that community. Rank the fear that each scenario will create on a scale from 1-10 (1 represents no fear and 10 represents intense fear). Which scenario is likely to pose the greatest concern to the public? Which is likely to create the least concern? Explain your conclusions.

1. The water department in Centerville has discovered various contaminants in three of twelve underground wells. The wells have been shut down because the contaminants are above EPA standards and are known to cause cancer. No contaminants have shown up in the other nine wells, and, provided the contaminants do not spread, these wells can provide adequate water for the city. The pollution is believed to be leaching into the groundwater from the local landfill. Because it is old, the landfill lacks the latest technology to prevent further incursions.

2. Fairfield is a town that is situated one hundred miles from a large nuclear research facility. The water for the town comes from an aquifer that passes under that nuclear station. Recent tests at the site revealed trace levels of plutonium that was injected into the wells years ago, when such practices were common. The plutonium is migrating toward the boundary of the site, although none has been detected past that boundary. Nevertheless, Fairfield residents are nervous because the aquifer is their only source of water. Although the site employs several thousand people, almost none live in Fairfield, and the resident gain little or no direct economic benefit from the site.

3. Richfield Township, a suburban bedroom community next to a large city, often exceeds EPA maximum levels for ozone during the summer. Ozone is a byproduct of automobile engines and becomes trapped close to the ground during hot, humid summer rush hours. Ozone produces short-term health effects such as wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, and decreased lung function.

The effects, however, are temporary and are usually eliminated by the body in less than twenty-four hours. Exposure can be reduced by staying indoors during rush hour.

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Chapter 13: Crisis Communication More Complete List of Organizational Crises (1982-2010) 1. Beech-Nut is fined $2 million for mislabeling baby juice concentrate as 100 percent pure fruit juice (1982).

2. Tylenol pills are poisoned, resulting in seven deaths (1982).

3. Brinks is robbed of 3.5 tons of gold bullion at Heathrow Airport (1983).

4. Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, India, kills over 2,000 (1984).

5. During a strike by Hormel workers, razorblades are found in some of the company’s Products (1985).

6. A. H. Robins files Chapter 11 amidst claims that its Dalkon IUD causes miscarriages and deaths (1985).

7. Tampon makers Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Procter & Gamble, and others face a problem when the product is linked to toxic shock syndrome (1985).

8. Rumors spread that Procter & Gamble’s logo reflects Satan-worshipping management (1986).

9. Morton Thiokol struggles to explain its role in NASA’s Challenger explosion (1986).

10. For a second time, Tylenol pills are poisoned, resulting in more deaths (1986).

11. Audi vehicles accelerate without explanation (1987).

12. The Park Service is accused of bad policies during the massive Yellowstone Park fires (1988).

13. Dean Whitter stockbroker charged with bilking investors of $2.6 million (1989).

14. Massive oil spill from the Exxon Valdez along the coast of Alaska (1989).

15. Veryfine Products and other apple juice manufacturers face public scrutiny when the safety of using apples treated with Alar is questioned (1989).

16. Perrier’s benzine incident leads to a massive product recall (1990).

17. Florida Snapps restaurants work to contain a rumor that an AIDS-infected manager regularly contaminated hamburger meat with the disease (1990).

18. Sudafed capsules are tainted with cyanide, causing two deaths (1991).

19. Newspapers report that the United Way’s CEO earns more than $400,000 a year in salary and spent more than $100,000 a year for first-class air travel and Super Bowl tickets (1991).

20. An interruption of long-distance telephone service blocks more than 5 million AT&T calls into and out of the New York City area (1991).

21. Sears Auto Centers in California are accused of defrauding customers by performing unnecessary repairs (1991).

22. Dow Corning targeted in FDA breast implant probe (1992).

23. NBC News is accused of ethical impropriety when it rigged a GM truck to blow up for footage on its Dateline story (1993).

24. Jack-in-the-Box restaurants are linked to more than 600 cases of food poisoning throughout the Pacific Northwest that eventually killed several children (1993).

25. Syringes are found in cans and bottles of Pepsi Cola (1993).

26. CBS News is accused of violating journalistic ethics when Connie Chung interviews Newt Gingrich’s mother (1995).

27. The army is rocked by scandal when five drill instructors in Maryland are charged with rape, forcible sodomy, and improper relations with female recruits (1996).

28. Texaco is accused of racism when audiotapes reveal upper management using derogatory language about African-American employees (1996).

29. Consumer Reports rates the Isuzu Trooper sports utility vehicle “not acceptable”

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because of its tendency to roll over (1996).

30. Hudson Foods, Inc., in Columbus, Nebraska, is accused of causing an outbreak of E. coli bacteria that kills several people (1997).

31. The Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee is accused of paying bribes to International Olympic Committee members to secure votes for the games (1998).

32. The Targhee National Forest is the subject of a National Geographic article that depicts vivid images of clear-cutting practices (1997).

33. Over 249 people across Belgium and France become sick after drinking Coke (1999).

34. SabreTech, a maintenance contractor to ValuJet airlines, is convicted of criminal charges in connection with the 1996 plane crash over the Everglades (1999).

35. Burger King recalls its Pokemon toy/ball giveaway after one child dies and another is injured (1999).

36. Eleven Texas A&M students are killed and 27 injured when a giant bonfire structure collapses (1999).

37. An explosion rocks the Phillips petroleum plant near the Houston ship channel. The complex was the site of a 1989 explosion and fire that killed 23 and injured 130 (2000).

38. Employees sign a letter criticizing Alaska Airlines for poor maintenance procedures following a crash off of California (2000).

39. Both Firestone Tires and Ford Motor Co. are accused of negligence for a series of vehicle rollovers that involve Firestone Wilderness tires and Ford Explorers (2000).

40. Facing charges of fraudulent bookkeeping and deceptive business practices, Enron declares bankruptcy, wiping out the retirement savings of many of its employees (January 2002).

41. The accounting firm Arthur Andersen struggles to survive after it is charged with ignoring Enron’s shoddy business practices (January 2002).

42. Motorcycle gangs clash at an annual festival in Laughlin, Nevada; the fight spills onto Harrah’s Casino floor, killing three (2002) 43. Martha Stewart is charged with insider trading; the controversy threatens her home decor empire (2003).

44. Fourteen employees are shot and six killed at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics subassembly plant in Meridian, Mississippi, by a disgruntled worker with a known history of racial slurs and provocative comments to coworkers (2003).

45. Thirteen trapped West Virginia coal miners are reported safe by a mining representative, then 12 are found dead (2003).

46. Major League Baseball’s long-drawn steroids scandal is renewed when Rafael Palmeiro admits to taking performance-enhancing drugs (August 2005).

47. Federal, state, and local governments come under heavy criticism for various failures during the Hurricane Katrina aftermath in New Orleans (September 2005).

48. Wendy’s sales plummet after false allegations are made that a human finger was found in the chain’s chili; the perpetrator is later convicted (2005).

49, The National Hockey League suffers enormous financial and image damage when it becomes the first major professional sports league to lose an entire season to a labor lockout (2004-2005).

50. The bagged vegetable business suffers enormous losses when spinach from California suppliers is found to contain E-coli bacteria, a potentially lethal pathogen (September 2006).

52. Taco Bell was forced to close several of its restaurants due to E. Coli-contaminated lettuce sickening dozens of people in the Northeast (2006).

53. JetBlue Airlines receives sharp criticism when passengers on dozens of planes are stranded on the tarmac at a New York airport for up to 11 hours (February 2007).

54. Menu Foods is forced to recall 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat food tainted 48 .

with a poison used to kill rats in some countries (March 2007).

55. Toy-making giant Mattel is forced to recall more than nine million toys that contained magnets or lead paint that could be swallowed (August, 2007).

56. T.J. Maxx is widely criticized for its slow reaction to the massive theft of the consumer credit card data of 45.7 million of its customers in New England (2007).

57. Mattel recalls over 22 million toys manufactured in China due to the presence of potentially lethal levels of lead and other toxins in the products (2007).

58. NBA Commissioner, David Stern, responds to allegations that referee Tim Donaghy regularly bet on NBA games, including those he refereed (2007).

59. Importers of food, toys, tires, pet food, medicine, toothpaste and chopsticks from China are accused allowing shoddy, poorly manufactured products into the country (2007).

60. AIG, Goldman Sacks, and other large banking organizations must defend huge bonuses paid to employees despite the fact that many were the recipients of large bail-out funds from the federal government (2009).

61. Continental Express Airlines leaves passengers stranded in a hot plane with overflowing toilets for five and one half hours in Rochester, MN (2009).

62. Toyota motors receives enormous criticism and initiate a massive safety recall for brake and unexplained acceleration problems on a number of its model (2010).

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Label the Image Restoration Message: The NHL Lockout The National Hockey League suffered enormous financial and image damage when it became the first of the four major professional sports leagues to lose an entire season to a labor lockout.

Because a lockout is a management initiated work stoppage (as opposed to a strike, which is a labor initiated stoppage), the League’s leaders, Gary Bettman and Bill Daly, needed to explain their actions in a way that, at the very least, didn’t further damage the NHL’s image in the eyes of its fans.

Below are a number of comments that Bettman or Daly made during the lockout. These image restoration messages are grouped into three categories. Each category represents a particular type of image restoration message (e.g., simple denial, accident, bolstering, attack the accuser).

Read the comments in each category and label what image restoration category the messages fit into.

“To our millions of fans and the thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on our game. . .It is truly unfortunate that we have to go through this. I assure you that no one is more unhappy about this situation than I am.” (NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman).

“It’s about doing the right thing to ensure that the game and the franchises are healthy” (October 2004) (“Doors locked,” 2004) “The NHL has lost $1.8 billion over the 10 years of the existing collective bargaining agreement.

We’re out of time, we’re out of gas, it’s time to make it right.” (September 1004) (“NHL owners vote,” 2004) “Our intention throughout the collective bargaining process has been, and continues to be, the creation of an enduring partnership with our players that will allow you to enjoy a world-class product, at affordable prices, and enter each season confident that your favorite team can compete for the most cherished trophy in pro sports, the Stanley Cup. Our resolve to deliver on that promise will not change.” (“Gary Bettman’s Letter to the Fans,” 2005) “We owe it to our fans, we owe it to the game to fix it.” (September 2003) (Karl, 2003).

“We need to make the right deal to make this league and our franchises healthy. We owe it to the game. We owe it to our fans. We owe it to our franchises in the markets we play in.”

(October 2004) (“Bettman: NHL won’t,” 2004)

“The National Hockey League made significant efforts over the past 5 ½ years to avoid having to miss any games this season.”

“We want to move the process along. They’re [the National Hockey League Players Association] looking to stall. . .It’s clear that they’re engaged in a charade. They want to fill the time between now and Sept. 15, force a lockout and take their chances. That’s unfortunate for the sport, unfortunate for the players, and certainly unfortunate for our fans” (“NHL exec accuses,” 2004).

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Assignment: Image Restoration Briefing Purpose: The crisis briefing is a chance for students to develop image restoration strategies in response to an actual organizational crisis.

Procedures: Have students select a crisis from the list provided in Figure 13.2 or select another crisis that they know from personal experience. We have had students select a variety of local crises, including a nearby school district that lost money because it engaged unscrupulous fund raisers, a local factory accused of violating the Clean Air Act, and our university’s athletic department when football players were accused of statutory rape. Amending the list in Figure 13.2 to include local crises can give the assignment more connection to students’ experience.

After students have selected the crisis, they must select an approximate time period in which the crisis briefing is given and limit what they say to what was known at that time. We tell students to avoid choosing a hypothetical briefing date that is too close to the actual crisis situation. The students will need to give themselves some “distance” from the event so that it will be possible to locate and include various written sources as supporting material. Responses immediately following crisis events are almost always limited to unsupported and unverified speculation.

The students are asked to write a brief overview of the crisis, its effect on various publics, as well as the events that precipitated the crisis. This statement is not only necessary for the class, but for the instructor as well. Because the class will not be familiar with the details of every crisis listed in Figure 13.2, they need to hear about it prior to listening to the briefing. We have students read their description prior to the actual briefing and this does not count as part of the 5-7 minute time limit. In addition, instructors will not be familiar with the details of every crisis and must have the relevant details if they are to evaluate the use of image restoration strategies in the speech. Thus, the overview should be included with the materials handed in for the assignment.

Remind students about the difficulty in coming “clean” with apologies. Some students take the easy way out of the assignment and offer huge mea culpas for everything the organization is accused of doing. However, remind students that in addition to responsibilities to the public, they also have a responsibility to the firm, its employees, and shareholders that may prevent open apologies and direct admissions of guilt. This reminder usually forces students into more creative image restoration techniques.

As with most speaking assignments, we ask students to turn in an “audience analysis statement” wherein the student details the kind of audience they think they are addressing and the specific strategies they employed to persuade the audience. Remind students that the goal is often to take an audience in one category (antagonistic) and move them into another category (concerned, bemused, or animated). Students should be specific in explaining why specific image restoration strategies will persuade their audience. We find that such statements force students to carefully consider their tactical choices. This section includes assignment handouts and evaluation forms for the crisis briefing. Two examples are included, the first are the less structured version of the assignment and evaluation form.

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Assignment: Image Restoration Briefing Goal Create a briefing based on a case study of a particular organizational crisis. The goal of this briefing is to restore the image of the organization.

Select an organizational crisis from the list provided in your textbook or from your own knowledge of crises in government or business. Thoroughly research the crisis to discover what events precipitated the problem? Research the organization’s response to this crisis. What did the organization say and do in response to this event? It is usually helpful to learn about the comments, both positive and negative, that news gatherers, government officials, and media pundits made about the organization’s response to the crisis. This information can help you decide what elements of the original organization’s response you want to use in your crisis briefing.

Assume the role of a corporate executive in the organization experiencing the crisis and create a 5-7 minute briefing that responds to the crisis using several of the image restoration strategies cited in your textbook. Select the strategies that are most appropriate for the circumstances you have discovered in your research. Provide appropriate support (logic, credibility, emotion) for the image restoration strategies you use. Make sure the strategies are appropriate for the kind of audience (bemused, concerned, reactive, or antagonistic) you are facing.

Include a one-paragraph statement that defines the kind of audience you are facing and explains how the strategies you employed will improve the organization’s image in the eyes of that audience.

Your grade will be based on how well your speech is organized and structured, how credibly you employed the image restoration strategies, and whether these were persuasive and appropriate.

Formal Requirements 1. The briefing should be 5-7 minutes in length.

2. The briefing should include an appropriate introduction, body, and conclusion.

3. The briefing should include clear transitions between major divisions.

4. You should prepare a paragraph that provides background information on the crisis. This paragraph should include: a. details that precipitated the crisis b. choose a time period (a month & year) in which the briefing is delivered c. describe the audience for the briefing (e.g., the press, stockholders, community, etc.)

5. Try to limit the information in your briefing to information that was available to organizational leaders at the time of your briefing.

6. Label the image restoration strategies you employed in the body of the speech in the lefthand margin of the outline.

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7. Support your image restoration strategies with appropriate appeals to credibility, emotion, and logic.

8. Turn in your preparation outline on the day you are to give your briefing.

9. Turn in an audience analysis statement that explains the kind of audience you are facing and explains why the strategies you employed will help restore the company’s image in the eyes of that audience.

10. Assume there are no corporate lawyers to censure your briefing content.

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Crisis Briefing Evaluation Form Speaker_________________________ Topic____________________ Time__________ Superior _____

Excellent _____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

Structure Well Structured Transitions Signposts

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

Content Strategic Choices Balanced Strategies Consistent Strategies Logical Support Credibility/Emotion

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

Delivery Vocal Clarity

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

Introduction/Conclusion Gained Attention Specific Purpose Preview

Good _____

Fair _____

Poor _____

Belief Reinforced Review Audience Analysis Adapted Audience Reactive, Concerned, Bemused, Antagonistic

Narrative Other Situational/ Listener Variables

Volume, Rate, Flow, Articulation, Pronunciation

Vocal Quality Natural, Conversational, Varied, Emphasis

Eye Contact Regular, Direct, Inclusive, Sustained

Stance Gestures

54 .

IMAGE RESTORATION BRIEFING Restoring Organizational Image while Protecting Public Interests AUDIENCE: Assume that you are an organizational spokesperson responding to a specific organizational crisis event. Your audience consists of various media representatives (newspaper, radio, television). Depending on the nature of your organization and the scope of the crisis, you can decide whether they represent local, state, regional, national, or international media sources.

TOPIC: Your goal is to create a briefing based on a case study of a particular organizational crisis. Select an organizational crisis from Figure 13.2 in your textbook or from your own knowledge of crises in government or business.

Thoroughly research the crisis to discover the background and precipitating events, what the organization did and said in response to the crisis, and any critique or praise that commentators made about the organization's actions. This information will form the backbone of your crisis briefing.

Assume the role of a corporate representative for the organization experiencing the crisis and create a briefing that responds to the crisis using image restoration strategies dealt with in class.

Select the strategies that are most appropriate for the circumstances you have discovered in your research. Provide appropriate support (logic, credibility, emotion) for the image restoration strategies you use.

STRUCTURE: All crisis briefings should conform to the N-A-R pattern for persuasive speaking covered in your textbook.

TIME LIMITS: Your speech should be 6 to 10 minutes in length. Effective time management will be considered in the speech grade. Speeches that are under-time will be rated as “Poor,” at best, in terms of Idea Development.

Outline: Develop a preparation and delivery outline for your crisis briefing. The preparation outline should conform to the following: • •

•

Insert clear headings in the manuscript to designate the different sections of the speech (i.e., Introduction, Narrative, Arguments, Refutation, and Conclusion).

The main ideas in the body should be stated in clear, declarative sentences that make a clear claim designed to restore your firm’s image (e.g., “Despite what you may have read in the papers, our organization is not responsible for this disaster”).

Clearly identify each image restoration strategy used in the arguments section of the manuscript. Do this by using a blue or black ink pen to identify and label the strategy in the left hand margin next to the section that uses the strategy.

COVER PAGE: Create a cover page(s) that includes the following information: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Your name.

The name of the organization you are representing.

A concise statement identifying the crisis situation.

The approximate date of the crisis itself.

The hypothetical date the crisis briefing would have taken place.

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6.

7.

The specifics regarding your audience (i.e., mix of local, regional, national media representatives).

A thorough paragraph that clearly justifies what you consider to be the primary image restoration strategy used in the briefing.

Note: Do not choose a hypothetical briefing date that is too close to the actual crisis situation.

You will need to give yourself some “distance” from the event so that it will be possible to locate and include various written sources as supporting material (see below). Responses immediately following crisis events are almost always limited to unsupported and unverified speculation.

SUPPORTING MATERIAL: Use a good deal of supporting material (statistics, testimonies, examples, etc.) throughout your speech to defend and validate your claims. This support should come from a variety of highly credible sources. Sources of support material must be clearly and fully cited in the speech. You must use and cite supporting material from a minimum of three credible, objective, widely published and accessible written sources. Prepare a separate reference page of support sources (only those sources specifically cited in the speech) using APA style format and include it with your formal outline.

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IMAGE RESTORATION BRIEFING EVALUATION SHEET Restoring Organizational Image while Protecting Public Interests Name: ____________________________________ Evaluation Scale: Excellent = 4, Good = 3, Fair = 2, Poor = 1, Unacceptable = 0 SPEECH DELIVERY...

Eye Contact: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____

Comments:

Eye contact is regular, sustained (not simply short glances), and established throughout the presentation; speaker engages entire audience and is referring to but not simply reading the outline.

Stance: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____

Comments:

Stance is solid and confident; speaker has good posture, keeps both feet firmly planted, refrains from shifting or swaying, does not lean on podium or table, etc.

Gestures: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____

Comments:

Strong and natural gestures are used throughout to illustrate, emphasize, and add visual variety.

Vocal Clarity/Intelligibility: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____

Comments:

Effective volume and rate are demonstrated; delivery flows smoothly and is free from articulation and pronunciation problems.

Vocal Quality/Emphasis: 4 3 2 1 0 x .5 = _____

Comments:

Delivery communicates sincerity, appropriate concern, and is enhanced by good vocal variety (volume, pitch, rate, etc.); vocal quality is used effectively to emphasize points and reinforce structure.

SPEECH CONSTRUCTION...

Topic/Cover Page: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____

Comments:

Cover page material is complete, thorough, and clear; crisis topic fits assignment; primary strategy choice is appropriate and well justified.

Idea/Argument Development: 4 3 2 1 0 x 2 = _____

Comments:

All ideas are clearly explained; arguments are fully developed and logically supported; information provided is in-depth, well synthesized, and strongly persuasive.

Comments: 57 .

Supporting Material: 4 3 2 1 0 x 2 = _____

A good variety of quality sources are used effectively for point support; thorough citations are clearly provided in the speech in a way that establishes source validity and credibility.

Structure/Organization: 4 3 2 1 0 x 3 = _____

Comments:

Main points are clearly stated and well balanced; speech demonstrates effective use of signposting and transitions; N-A-R pattern is properly applied and sequencing of ideas is clear and logical.

Use of Strategies: 4 3 2 1 0 x 3 = _____

Comments:

All image restoration strategies are accurately identified in the manuscript; a proper variety of strategies are used; strategies are appropriate for the crisis situation and serve to restore organizational image while protecting public interests.

Document Format: 4 3 2 1 0 x 1 = _____

Comments:

Proper preparation outline format; high-quality document production; proper APA style reference page.

FINAL PERCENTAGE GRADE Sum from above (0-60 points):

_____

Base points: 40

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Test Bank This section includes multiple choice and essay questions for each of the book’s 13 chapters.

The questions are designed to test cognitive learning on a variety of levels, from rote knowledge to complex evaluation, using Bloom’s Taxonomy.

In 1956 Benjamin Bloom and a team of educational psychologists developed a classification system for intellectual behavior that included three overlapping domains: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. The six cognitive learning skills are listed below Knowledge: the ability to define, list, memorize, name, repeat, recognize, or reproduce information.

Comprehension: the ability to classify, describe, explain, identify, or report on information.

Application: the ability to apply, demonstrate, employ, illustrate, interpret, or practice information.

Analysis: the ability to appraise, compare, contrast, distinguish, or differentiate material.

Synthesis: the ability to use information to arrange, compose, create, develop, formulate, plan, prepare, or propose actions or strategies to solve problems.

Evaluate: the ability to appraise, argue, defend, judge, predict, support, or evaluate the importance, relevance, usefulness, or thoroughness.

Questions for each chapter are arranged in ascending order, from knowledge to evaluation.

Correct answers are given for the multiple choice questions.

Chapter 1: The Role of Communication in Business and the Professions Multiple Choice Questions 1. Meanings are defined as: a. messages exchanged between people. b. involuntary expressions of present emotions. c. interpretations we develop for particular experiences. d. private associations people have for a symbol. (answer: c, knowledge) 2. According to your textbook, signs are defined as: a. involuntary expressions of present emotion. b. voluntary expressions that stand for something else. c. letters, sounds, words, or mathematical expressions. d. the psychological meanings people assign to words. (answer: a, knowledge)

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3. Symbols are defined as: a. involuntary expressions of present emotion. b. voluntary expressions that stand for or represent something else. c. meanings or interpretations people assign to an event. d. a low correspondence between the sender and receiver. (answer: b, knowledge) 4. Which of the following represents the definition of role-taking? a. Paying attention to the audience and adapting to quizzical looks or signs of boredom. b. Imagining the audience’s reactions or concerns prior to the presentation. c. Multi-channel messages that help one understand the audience. d. Selecting meaning from within ourselves to attach to another person’s signs and symbols. (answer: b, knowledge) 5. All of the following are useful means to increase shared meaning EXCEPT: a. engaging in role-taking. b. paying attention to feedback. c. using ambiguity. d. paying attention to the connotative meanings of words. (answer: c, knowledge) 6. Cognitive meanings are _____, whereas emotional meanings are _____. a. noise/encoded b. messages/expressed directly c. experiential/feedback d. encoded/expressed directly (answer: d, comprehension) 7. Jared agrees with his company’s goal of providing the safest products on the market. This is an example of: a. contractual shared meaning. b. ambiguity. c. role-taking. d. consensual shared meaning. (answer: d, comprehension) 8. Role-taking can be thought of as: a. guess-work to estimate how an audience will respond to a message. b. anticipating a reaction rather than waiting for a person’s actual feedback. c. a way to understand difficulties or objections to your message. d. all of the above are forms of role-taking (answer: d, comprehension)

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9. University foundation directors raise money by first building relationships with potential donors and, only after this is accomplished, asking for large donations. Obviously, this suggests that foundation directors understand the difference between: a. signs and symbols. b. feedback and role-taking. c. short range goals and long range goals. d. feedback and signs. (answer: c, application) 10. John and Alexi don’t really care for each other. They take different approaches to most decisions. Yet they can work together because each does his job and they don’t try to get closer or become friends. This is an example of: a. consensual shared meaning. b. ambiguity. c. contractual shared meaning. d. all of the above (answer: c, application) 11. You want to persuade a group of people who use one product to switch to your product.

What must you lean about these people before selecting persuasive communication tactics? a. You need to know what the audience thinks about the product they are now using, as well as what they think of your product. b. You need to take an inventory of every available communication tactic. c. You need to know about strategic communication. d. You need to watch for feedback from your audience. (answer: a, application) 12. Why is communication an art rather than a science? a. Because effective communication involves understanding the unique nature of different audiences and selecting strategies to adapt to that uniqueness. b. Because effective communication means having a large repertoire of communication behaviors. c. Because effective communication involves learning appropriate recipes for success and applying them when circumstances warrant. d. Because effective communication means finding out what the audience wants and giving them what they want. (answer: a, synthesis) Essay Questions 1. Define the terms ambiguity and shared meaning. Explain how the terms differ from one another. (knowledge, comprehension) 2. The textbook argues that most persuasion relies on consensual shared meaning. Explain why this is true? Provide an example to support your explanation. (comprehension, application) 3. Your textbook defines communication as the exchange of messages between people for the purpose of creating or influencing meaning. Think of a recent interaction you had with another person and apply the definition of communication to that exchange. What messages did you exchange and what meanings were created or influenced? (application) 61 .

4. Your textbook suggests that signs and symbols operate as labels that influence the meanings people give to events. Describe an example not covered in the book where you or another person tried to change the meaning of something with a new label. What meaning did the event first have and in what way was the label supposed to change that meaning? (application, analysis) 5. The textbook argues that events do not carry any single meaning. Instead, meanings are assigned to events through communication. Describe an event that once had one meaning for you and later came to have a different meaning. What changed the meaning of the event for you? (application, analysis) 6. Define and explain the three steps of the strategic communication process. Use an example from your own experience to illustrate the application of these three steps. (application, synthesis) 7. Explain some of the contributions communication can make to employee motivation and creativity, even during periods of corporate downsizing. (synthesis)

Chapter 2: Listening and Feedback in Organizational Relationships Multiple Choice Questions 1. Which of the following is NOT part of recall listening? a. receiving the message b. attending to the message c. getting one interpretation from the message d. assigning meaning to the message (answer: c, knowledge) 2. In this disconfirming response, the speaker disparages the other person in the conversation or the other’s feelings. a. avoiding involvement b. tangential remark c. disqualification d. imperviousness (answer: c, knowledge) 3. According to your textbook, confirmation is defined as a response that: a. validates another person’s experience or emotions, but disagrees with the content of the message. b. validates another person’s experience or emotions and agrees with the content of the message. c. creates expressive and instrumental benefits for both parties in the relationship. d. disqualifies the other person with a tangential response. (answer: b, knowledge)

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4. This form of disconfirmation occurs when a person’s verbal comments are disconnected from or only minimally connected to the first person’s remarks. a. tangential/irrelevant remarks b. imperviousness c. disqualification d. avoiding involvement (answer: a, knowledge) 5. According to the textbook, undermotivated listeners tend to: a. turn off rather than listen to dull content. b. turn off when faced with uninspired delivery. c. avoid taking notes. d. all of the above are traits of unmotivated listeners (answer: d, comprehension) 6. What element is missing from the following rejection message: “I don’t think your approach to this problem is the best one”? a. Disagreement with the content. b. Agreeing with the content. c. Emotional/experiential qualifier. d. Direct disconfirmation. (answer: c, comprehension) 7. All of the following are disconfirming messages EXCEPT: a. disqualification. b. disagreement with the content. c. imperviousness. d. tangential remarks. (answer: b, comprehension) 8. Alexis tends to take long periods away from her listening to think her own thoughts and consider what the other person is saying. This behavior represents: a. brief departures from the line of conversation. b. imperviousness. c. private arguments. d. large departures from the line of conversation (answer: d, comprehension) 9. Sasha’s boss, Alexis, says, “I’m not sure I understand the source of your reaction. Could you review for me how you arrived at this conclusion?” This is an example of: a. rejection. b. agreeing with the content. c. disconfirmation. d. probing behind feelings. (answer: d, application)

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10. Which of the following responses represents disconfirming behavior? a. “I think failure is a harsh prediction, what you really mean is there could be some problems.” b. “While I appreciate your feelings and would feel the same in your shoes, I think there are other ways to address the issue.” c. “Your assessment is accurate and I’d like to know more about how you made your analysis.” d. All of the above are disconfirming behaviors. (answer: a, comprehension, application) 11. Which of the following responses represents rejection behavior? a. “While I appreciate your feelings and would feel the same in your shoes, I think there are other ways to address the issue.” b. “Your assessment is accurate and I’d like to know more about how you made your analysis." c. “You’ll get over this and feel less angry when you give what I’ve said a little thought.” d. All of the above are rejection behaviors. (answer: a, comprehension, application) Essay Questions 1. A fellow student approaches you and asks to borrow your notes for the last class, which he missed because of illness. The last time you loaned your notes to a person they were lost.

Create a response that rejects rather than disconfirms this request. (application, synthesis) 2. Using the definition of confirmation offered in Chapter 3, explain why the behaviors “agreeing with the content,” and “endorsing the emotions/experiences of another” represent confirming behaviors. (analysis, synthesis) 3. Although listening comprises the vast majority of our communication time, we spend very little time during our formal education learning to listen. Provide two explanations for this contradictory situation. (synthesis)

Chapter 3: Communicating in Organizational Groups and Teams Multiple Choice Questions 1. Which of the following is NOT a leadership communication behavior in the task area? a. contributing ideas b. stimulating creativity c. seeking ideas d. verbalizing consensus (answer: d, knowledge) 2. All of the following behaviors are appropriate for meetings EXCEPT: a. announcements. b. new business. c. discussions. d. decisions. (answer: b, knowledge)

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3. All of the following steps are used in the process of brainstorming EXCEPT: a. brainstorm ideas. b. instruct members in procedures and warm-up. c. evaluate ideas and select the best solution. d. silently generate ideas. (answer: d, knowledge) 4. Which of the following is NOT a method by which a leader defines a team’s focus? a. Develop clear task roles for group members. b. Elevate heroes who represent abstract goals. c. Use rituals to celebrate milestones. d. Create identification by espousing shared values. (answer: a, knowledge) 5. Which of the following is NOT a means of creating increased team identification? a. Constant reference to the presumed “we.” b. Espouse shared values. c. Use labels to categorize events. d. Create a common enemy. (answer: c, knowledge) 6. A _____ is what a person wants, while _____ are the needs, desires, fears, and concerns that lie behind what the person wants. a. accommodations/interests b. positions/interests c. positions/accommodations d. interests/positions (answer: b, knowledge) 7. Whereas the _____ technique is useful for equalizing participation in ad hoc groups, the _____ technique is supposed to speed team decisions and encourage less powerful members to talk. a. GDSS/brainstorming b. nominal group/GDSS c. nominal group/brainstorming d. GDSS/nominal group (answer: b, comprehension) 8. Using the language of power developed in Chapter 4 of your textbook, what power resource do managers (as opposed to leaders) use to supervise and motivate employees? a. resource power b. expertise power c. communication skills d. interpersonal linkage power (answer: a, comprehension)

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9. The person most likely to emerge as a leader is the one who: a. can set goals and confer rewards on employees who comply with job requirements. b. can clearly set goals, explain job requirements, compensate success, and punish failure. c. exhibits communicative flexibility, behaving differently for different members. d. is appointed by the organization to oversee various elements of the team’s work. (answer: c, comprehension) 10. Which conflict style is marked by low assertiveness and low cooperativeness? a. the accommodative style b. the compromising style c. the avoidance style d. the problem-solving style (answer: c, comprehension) 11. A team you have been appointed to lead is creative, but undisciplined. They come up with innovative ideas but are never able to implement them in a reasonable time or at a reasonable cost. What leadership communication behaviors are needed to correct this situation? a. summarizing and resolving conflict b. regulating participation and verbalizing consensus c. seeking idea evaluation and goal setting d. agenda making and seeking ideas (answer: c, application) 12. A team you have been appointed to supervise never seems to move forward. Members present many new ideas, some of which are very creative, but few agreements are reached and few ideas are ever implemented. All of the following leadership behaviors can help correct this problem EXCEPT: a. goal setting. b. seeking ideas. c. verbalizing consensus. d. summarizing. (answer: b, application) 13. A university team convened to address the problem of student retention. Which step in the Reflective Thinking Sequence is the most important step for solving this problem? a. define the problem b. develop a list of criteria c. list solutions d. select a single solution (answer: a, application) 14. According to the theory of Groupthink, rationalizations and stereotypes will tend to increase: a. the illusion of invulnerability. b. direct pressure. c. mind guarding. d. conflict. (answer: a, analysis)

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15. You are leading a team that keeps secrets, withholds information from one another, and only reveals information when it’s personally advantageous. Which team member competencies do these people lack? a. experience and problem-solving ability b. openness and supportiveness c. personal style and experience d. experience and supportiveness (answer: b, comprehension) 16. According to research, creative thinkers have all of the following qualities EXCEPT: a. they are prepared and knowledgeable. b. they are tolerant of ambiguity and messiness. c. they focus intensive effort on the problems. d. they are wreck-less risk takers. (answer: d, comprehension) 17. This creative discussion technique encourages members to think laterally by “forcing” together elements that are completely unrelated. a. Standard Agenda b. Group Decision Support Systems c. Morphological Analysis d. Sens-ational Thinking (answer: c, comprehension) 18. You need to develop a new dessert dish for your restaurant. You gather your chefs together for a team-based creative session. Which of the following discussion methods would prove most useful for developing this new dessert offering? a. Sens-ational Thinking b. Standard Agenda c. Morphological Analysis d. Group Decision Support System (answer: c, application) Essay Questions 1. Define the basic distinctions between a group and a team. Explain what makes a team different from a group. (knowledge, comprehension) 2. Define and explain the three characteristics of creative ideas. (knowledge) 3. List the five major steps of the Reflective Thinking Sequence. Explain how each of the five steps contributes to an effective decision. (knowledge, comprehension) 4. Explain how labels operate to influence meaning? Describe an example of an event whose meaning changed based on a new label. (comprehension) 5. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the competitive and avoidance styles of conflict. When should each be employed in a conflict? (comprehension) 6. Your product development team is very energetic and creative. However, for the next meeting the team must choose one of two products to develop and bring to market.

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Describe three leadership behaviors you will use to move this group forward. Justify the use of these three techniques by explaining how they will help the team make its decision. (application, analysis) 7. Define the term Groupthink. Name two leadership communication behaviors and two member role behaviors that can prevent the occurrence of Groupthink. Explain how each behavior will work to prevent Groupthink. (application, synthesis) 8. Describe the essential difference in motivation between the person who is guided by a manager and an employee who chooses to follow a leader. What differences mark the motivation of the person under the manager versus the person under the leader? (analysis) 9. Explain the relationship between charisma and communication that is articulated in Chapter 5 of your textbook. Provide an example of a charismatic leader and explain why this person illustrates the relationship between charisma and communication you just articulated. (analysis, synthesis) 10. Define the term creativity. Explain how each step in the process of brainstorming can increase the likelihood of creative ideas. How does each step in the process contribute to creative ideas? (analysis, synthesis) 11. What does the role-taking concept from Chapter 1 suggest about effective group leadership? According to this concept, what kind of leader will be the most effective in a group or team? (synthesis) 12. Explain how the steps in the process of Morphological Analysis increase the likelihood of developing creative ideas. How does each step in the process contribute to creative ideas?

Your answer should refer to the three characteristics of creative ideas. (analysis, synthesis) 13. Explain how the steps in the process of Sen-sational Thinking increase the likelihood of developing creative ideas. How does each step in the process contribute to creative ideas?

Your answer should refer to the three characteristics of creative ideas. (analysis, synthesis)

Chapter 4: Interpersonal Politics and Power in Communication Multiple Choice Questions 1. According to your textbook, power is defined as: a. the ability to influence others. b. a person’s ability to accomplish tasks. c. actions not officially sanctioned by the organization. d. a way to reconcile interests through negotiation. (answer: a, knowledge) 2. According to your textbook, organizational politics is defined as: a. controlling resources to influence others. b. using one’s unique skills and knowledge to influence others. c. a way of reconciling diverse interests through negotiation. d. the ability to dominate and control others. (answer: c, knowledge)

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3. These harassers, motivated by bravado or competition with groups of other men, embarrass women with lewd comments, physical evaluations, or other unwanted sexual attention. What kind of harassers are these people? a. Power-Players b. One-of-the-Gang c. Pests d. Bullies (answer b, application) 4. The presence of token female and minority employees and stereotyping can lead some white male managers to: a. commit outright discrimination in employment, compensation, and promotion. b. express a preference for mentors who are similar to themselves. c. exaggerate the differences between themselves and minorities, seeing minorities as less qualified for advancement. d. refuse to serve as mentors to women and minorities. (answer: c, comprehension) 5. This kind of harasser insists on sexual favors in exchange for raises, promotions, etc. a. The Power-Player b. The Mentor-Helper c. The Groper d. The Bully (answer: a, comprehension) 6. Threats, negotiations, and promises represent: a. overt politics. b. hidden politics. c. expertise power. d. interpersonal network power. (answer: a, comprehension) 7. Stereotyping leads some male managers to view women and minorities differently than they view themselves. All of the following are ways for women and minorities to solve this problem EXCEPT: a. express and demonstrate a desire for advancement. b. become a member of a white manager’s in-group. c. seek out minority managers to serve as mentors. d. demonstrate commitment to the job. (answer: c, comprehension) 8. Jesse Altimirano is attempting to turn around a failed division at his new organization. This is an example of acquiring power through: a. communication skills. b. interpersonal network skills. c. success skills. d. expertise power. (answer: d, application)

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9. Keiko is a senior manager who makes a powerful appearance and is able to argue well for her positions. What form of power does Keiko wield? a. resource control b. communication skills c. interpersonal network power d. expertise power (answer: b, application) 10. Saying to a harasser: “If you don’t stop touching me I will file a complaint,” is an example of: a. overt manipulation. b. a threat. c. an assertive message. d. an aggressive message. (answer: b, application) 11. In response to an incident of harassment a woman says: “Touch me again and I will file a complaint. You must be a major low-life to treat a person this way.” This message is a combination of which of the following strategies? a. assertive-empathic/rhetorical multifunctional b. threat/aggressive c. threat/overt manipulation d. overt manipulation/aggressive (answer: b, application) 12. All of the following are criteria against which to judge the ethics of political activity EXCEPT: a. ethical employees must eliminate harm to others before proceeding with political activity. b. employees should do their best to balance self-interest against the organization’s interests. c. ethical employees should avoid political activity because it involves self rather than organizational interests. d. employees should avoid changing proposals even if the circumstances change. (answer: a, analysis) 13. Because this supervisor is so well respected across the organization, and because he/she only commit acts of sexual harassment in private, it’s very difficult for the victim to prove his/her case. What type of harasser does this supervisor represent? a. The Mentor-Helper b. The Groper c. The Bully d. The Serial Harasser (answer: d, application) Essay Questions 1. Explain why most peoples’ preference for working with similar others can prevent advancement for women and minorities. (comprehension) 2. Describe and explain three of the four general categories of sexual harassment behaviors. (comprehension)

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3. Imagine that you work for a tyrannical, unpleasant supervisor who capriciously demotes or fires people. Describe three things you can do to increase your own power. In your answer, refer to the three sources of power mentioned in Chapter 4 of the textbook. (synthesis) 4. Assess the validity of your book’s claim that power is a feature of all interpersonal relationships. Is this a valid statement? Can you think of any interpersonal relationships where hierarchy does not exist or where partners are complete equals in most aspects of their relationship? (evaluation) 5. A woman enters her factory job through an area where rail cars are unloaded. The male employees there subject this woman to a barrage of comments about her body and crude references to sexual intercourse. Which kind of harasser does this behavior indicate? Why? (comprehension) 6. A woman enters her factory job through an area where rail cars are unloaded. The male employees there subject this woman to a barrage of comments about her body and crude references to sexual intercourse These men have no direct control over the woman’s job.

Which set of solutions, formal or informal, should the woman use to stop this harassment? In your answer, refer to the three goals that any strategy to stop harassment should meet. (evaluation) 7. A woman’s boss constantly asks her out on dates, despite her rejections. He also makes several mildly suggestive sexual comments each week. Which kind of harasser does this behavior indicate? Using two informal communication strategies discussed in Chapter 4 of your textbook, structure a response to these harassing instances. Evaluate how well each of the strategies will meet the three goals that a solution to harassment should meet. Which of the two strategies is most likely to meet the three goals? (synthesis, evaluation) 8. Read the story of James Johnson that your instructor has reproduced for this exam. Apply the standards of ethical politics from the Ethics Brief in Chapter 4. Using those standards, explain whether the accountant’s actions are ethical or unethical. (evaluation)

Chapter 5: Professional Interviews Multiple Choice Questions 1. The pre-interview stage includes all of the following steps EXCEPT: a. research. b. resume writing. c. verbal strategies for the interview. d. cover letters. (answer: c, knowledge) 2. On your resume, the _____ is a category under which specific information is classified. a. heading b. lead c. description d. key word (answer: a, knowledge)

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3. Leads consist of: a. categories under which specific information is placed. b. the first information for each entry under a heading. c. descriptions of specific education and experience. d. all of the above (answer: b, knowledge) 4. Good descriptions should: a. use active words. b. employ action words. c. quantify accomplishments. d. all of the above (answer: d, knowledge) 5. All of the following are part of the four-step procedure for answering interview questions EXCEPT: a. state your answer briefly. b. provide concrete evidence to support your claim. c. summarize your evidence. d. reconnect the answer to the original question. (answer: c, knowledge) 6. Descriptions should focus on: a. transferable skills. b. leads. c. summarizing evidence. d. dates. (answer: a, knowledge) 7. All of the following are techniques for answering questions EXCEPT: a. successful candidates don’t initiate action, they follow the interviewer’s lead. b. successful candidates refer to the organization. c. successful candidates support their claims with examples and evidence. d. successful candidates have natural, but enthusiastic delivery. (answer: a, knowledge) 8. What is the problem with the following lead?

2000 – 2004, Edwards University, BA in Psychology. a. The lead does not emphasize the correct information. b. There is no use of bold type or italics to highlight information. c. The lead incorrectly emphasizes dates. d. All of the above represent problems with this lead. (answer: d, application)

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9. The following sentence, “I know that your company is devoted to bringing new products to market,” spoken during an interview is an example of: a. being an active participant in the process. b. making specific reference to the organization. c. the candidate supporting his/her claim. d. all of the above (answer: b, application) 10. What is the problem with the following goal statement for a performance planning interview?

“Next year I will decrease product returns.” a. It covers two goals rather than just one. b. It does not provide a method to measure output, although it clearly could. c. It is too long instead of being stated succinctly. d. There are no problems with the above goal statement. (answer: b, application) 11. What is the problem with the following goal statement for a performance planning interview?

“Next year I plan to increase the number of people that we serve by 3% while reducing costs by 6%. a. It covers two goals rather than just one. b. It does not provide a method to measure output, although it clearly could. c. It is too long instead of being stated succinctly. d. There are no problems with the above goal statement. (answer: a, application) Essay Questions 1. Your textbook recommends a four step procedure for answering questions during an interview. State each of those four steps. (knowledge) 2. The book claims that role-taking is vital to the interview process. Define role-taking. How does role-taking contribute to a successful job interview? (knowledge, comprehension) 3. Rewrite the following lead so that it highlights the relevant information. (application) Emporia State University, Emporia, KS, 97054. BBA in Management, 3.47 GPA. 4. Researching companies is vital for role-taking. How does research aid the role-taking process? How does role-taking aid the process of writing a resume and cover letter? (analysis) 5. Rewrite the following sentences into an effective description. (synthesis) I have significant sales experience at Lamont’s apparel in Minneapolis.

While at Lamont’s I received two merit raises based on outstanding sales performance.

I learned to manage inventory in the Men’s Department.

I have been working at Lamont’s for five years.

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I learned to match customers’ needs with our inventory to make a sale.

Duties included sales, inventory management, opening and closing, floor displays.

6. Create three headings that can be included on your resume that do not relate to education or work experience. Explain how each heading will highlight a unique element of your own experience. (synthesis) 7. Your textbook recommends a four step procedure for answering questions during an interview. Imagine you are interviewing for a job in your field and are asked the following question: “Which course in college did you like the best and why?” Answer the question using the four step procedure outlined in the text. (synthesis) 8. In an interview you are asked: “What supervisory or leadership roles have you had in the past?” Write a brief answer that supports your claims with illustrations, comparisons, or testimony. (synthesis) 9. You are applying for a sales position at a television station. Select an aspect of your school or work experience and explain why this experience qualifies you for the position. Explain why this description is persuasive. (synthesis, evaluation) 10. Develop two goal statements for a job you currently have or one you recently held that could be used in a performance planning interview. Explain why these statements meet the criteria for good goal statements specified in class and in the textbook. (synthesis, evaluation)

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Chapter 6: Considering Audience Feedback Multiple Choice Questions 1. The size of the audience should influence the speaker’s: a. formality. b. purpose. c. occasion. d. all of the above (answer: a, knowledge) 2. All of the following are part of a formal audience situation analysis EXCEPT: a. occasion. b. captivity. c. size. d. physical environment. (answer: b, knowledge) 3. All of the following factors are part of listener analysis EXCEPT: a. audience predisposition toward the speaker. b. the organizational environment. c. captivity. d. demographics. (answer: b, knowledge) 4. All of the following are ways to adapt to an audience’s minimal knowledge EXCEPT: a. define all relevant concepts and terms. b. use visual aids to depict difficult structures and processes. c. use jargon if it fits within organizational norms. d. provide extensive background material on the topic. (answer: c, knowledge) 5. The textbook recommends that speakers error on the side of providing extensive background, clear definitions, and thorough explanations for mixed audiences, even at the risk of boring knowledgeable audience members. However, _____ can help quell frustration among knowledgeable members. a. publicly acknowledging the different experience levels present in the audience b. defining only those terms for which conflicting definitions exist c. pitching the information at a moderate level d. alienating expert listeners by focusing on basic information (answer: a, knowledge) 6. Knowing whether an audience is captive or voluntary will NOT necessarily help a speaker predict: a. whether the audience is interested in the topic. b. whether the audience is favorable toward the topic. c. whether the audience is unfavorable toward the topic. d. all of the above (answer: d, comprehension)

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7. The meaning an audience has for the topic is: a. either favorable, apathetic, neutral, active, or hostile. b. a combination of the audience’s interpretation of the topic and knowledge about the topic. c. the interpretation the audience assigns to the topic or proposal. d. all of the above (answer: b, comprehension) 8. A group of sales managers went to a meeting expecting to hear an update on a new product. Instead, they were frustrated to hear a persuasive appeal for more resources for the product team. The speaker in this example failed to consider: a. the context of the presentation. b. the appropriate level of formality. c. the organization’s culture. d. the purpose of the presentation. (answer: d, application) 9. For the favorable audience (positive interpretation, little knowledge), the speaker should: a. work to motivate interest in the topic. b. strengthen favorable attitudes while providing specific information the audience lacks. c. establish goodwill and remind the audience about the basic values you share. d. all of the above (answer: b, analysis) 10. For the active audience (positive interpretation, a lot of knowledge) a speaker should: a. avoid alienating the audience with an extensive set of credentials. b. use powerful attention-getters to overcome apathy. c. focus on getting the audience to take concrete action. d. emphasize the urgency and relevance of the topic. (answer: c, analysis) 14. When structuring a speech for a hostile audience (negative interpretation, a lot of knowledge), the speaker should: a. move from areas of agreement to areas of disagreement. b. include a question and answer session. c. emphasize action. d. encourage audience participation and feedback. (answer: a, analysis) 15. Which of the following content strategies is most appropriate for the hostile audience (negative interpretation, a lot of knowledge)? a. Use reluctant testimony. b. Secure commitments with specific appeals to action. c. Emphasize specific action steps. d. all of the above (answer: a, analysis) Essay Questions 1. Although feedback and role-taking are adequate means of adapting to interpersonal and small group audiences, why is the more formal process of audience analysis required for 76 .

public presentations? In your answer, define the concepts of feedback, role-taking, and audience analysis. (knowledge, comprehension) 2. You are the leader of a charity that is soliciting corporate donations. One company’s philanthropic board is favorably predisposed to the idea your charity promotes, but knows very little about your group’s successes. Describe one content, one structure, and one delivery strategy you can employ to convince this group to give you money. What will each strategy contribute to the overall persuasive effort? (knowledge, comprehension, analysis) 3. Describe and explain three strategies for adapting an informative topic to an audience with minimal knowledge. Explain how each strategy will help the audience better understand the topic. (comprehension) 4. Describe several ways to increase or decrease the formality of a presentation. Summarize the differences between a very formal presentation and a less formal presentation. (comprehension, analysis) 5. You work in the purchasing department of a large factory buying office supplies, computers, fax machines, etc. You are asked to report on your department’s actions over the past year.

Although they know very little about the constraints your department faces, employees frequently complain about many of your buying decisions. What kind of audience does this group represent? Name two content strategies you can use to use to adapt to this audience and explain why these will change perceptions of your unit. (application, analysis) 6. Why is an extensive justification step required for an audience with minimal or no knowledge of your topic? (analysis) 7. Even a college classroom will reflect a distinct organizational culture. Describe two implicit rules that govern your classroom presentations. What adaptations do speakers have to make based on the norms you just mentioned? What are the consequences of not adapting to these norms? (analysis, synthesis) 8. Explain the distinction the book makes between legitimate adaptation to the audience and pandering. Do you believe it is possible to adapt without pandering? In your opinion, is the line your textbook authors draw between adaptation and pandering firm enough to prevent slipping into unethical behavior? (knowledge, analysis, evaluation) 9. Your textbook suggests that most attempts to adapt to audience demographics can be dangerous. Assess the value of this argument? Is it correct? Why or why not? (evaluation)

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Chapter 7: Preparing and Delivering Presentations Multiple Choice Questions 1. When selecting a topic, speakers should consider all of the following EXCEPT: a. audience expectations about the occasion. b. personal interests. c. audience experience. d. the personal purpose statement. (answer: d, knowledge) 2. The specific purpose statement specifies: a. the audience outcome the speaker desires. b. the main ideas in the speech body. c. audience interests. d. the speaker’s personal experiences. (answer: a, knowledge) 3. _____ are a collection of individual examples. a. Examples b. Statistics c. Testimonials d. Definitions (answer: b, knowledge) 4. An Internet browser is: a. a “post office box” address for sites on the Internet. b. a program that searches Web pages to create an information index. c. a site on the World Wide Web created by a company or individual. d. a program of operating instructions that allows a computer to interact with documents on the Web. (answer: d, knowledge) 5. The capstone statement should: a. preview the main ideas in the speech body. b. review the main ideas in the speech body. c. reinforce the specific purpose statement. d. justify the topic. (answer: c, knowledge) 6. The basic introduction should accomplish all of the following purposes EXCEPT: a. begin the presentation with a clincher. b. justify the topic. c. build credibility. d. preview the main ideas. (answer: a, knowledge)

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7. All of the following tactics can be used to gain an audience’s attention EXCEPT: a. a startling statement. b. a rhetorical question. c. justifying the topic. d. a story. (answer: c, knowledge) 8. A speech that covers the three main chemical processes needed to make plastic should use which of the following structures? a. problem-solution structure b. cause-effect structure c. topical structure d. spatial structure (answer: c, application) 9. What is the flaw in the following purpose statement?

“I want my audience to understand clear-cutting and I want to persuade them that clearcutting is an environmentally sound method of harvesting trees.” a. The purpose statement should be written as a full infinitive sentence. b. The specific purpose statement should be limited to one distinct idea. c. Specific purpose statements should be worded so they are sharp and concise. d. Specific purpose statements should not be phrased as questions. (answer: b, application) 10. “So far, we have discussed molecules called monomers, now I will cover polymerization, the process of joining monomers together to form different plastics.” This device is called: a. forecasting. b. parallel language. c. a transition phrase. d. a transition. (answer: d, application) 11. Suppose the main points of a speech are: I. Acute viral infections vigorously invade the tissues of the body.

II. Latent viruses hide from the immune system, producing persistent infection.

What is the arrangement of this presentation? a. topical structure b. chronological structure c. spatial structure d. problem-solution structure (answer: a, application) 12. What is exemplified in the following main idea?

I. The two parts of an atom are the nucleus and the outer shell of electrons. a. an attention gaining device b. forecasting c. parallel language d. a transition (answer: b, application)

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Essay Questions 1. Describe and explain the reasons for creating both a preparation outline and a delivery outline. In your answer, explain the contradictory challenges involved in any presentation. (comprehension) 2. Explain the purpose of the Speech Adaptation Checklist. How is it different from the Audience Analysis Checklist described in Chapter 6? How does the Speech Adaptation Checklist help a speaker prepare for his/her presentation? (comprehension, analysis) 3. Why are connectives so important in a presentation? Describe two connective devices discussed in Chapter 7 and explain how they serve the functions you mentioned in the first part of this question. (comprehension, analysis)

Chapter 8: Creating and Using Visual Aids Multiple Choice Questions 1. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of including visual aids in a presentation? a. Visual aids increase the clarity of complicated material. b. Visual aids provide pictures for the speaker to voice-over. c. Visual aids add to the persuasiveness of a message. d. Visual aids make a presentation more dynamic than one without visuals. (answer: b, knowledge) 2. What is the primary drawback to using objects for visual aids? a. Objects are low-tech and not very impressive. b. Most objects are too large to be manipulated or too small to see. c. Objects are useful in training sessions, but not for informative presentations. d. All of the above are problems with objects. (answer: b, knowledge) 3. The primary problem with handouts is that: a. they distract the audience. b. audience members may move ahead of the speaker by considering information not yet covered. c. audience members may miss information by stopping to focus on the handout. d. all of the above are problems created by handouts (answer: d, knowledge) 4. Which of the following statements is good advice for selecting a background template for your PowerPoint presentation? a. Dark backgrounds are better than light backgrounds. b. A background color that changes shades across the slide is better than one that maintains consistent shading. c. A light background with consistent shading makes for the best template. d. Complicated backgrounds with many colors make the best templates. (answer: c, knowledge)

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5. When creating computer generated visual aids: a. consistency is the rule. b. work as much technical sophistication as you can into each visual aid. c. use three dimensions for all charts and graphs. d. all of the above (answer: a, knowledge) 6. Dividing pie charts into 8-12 slices: a. sacrifices the impact of the chart. b. makes the chart difficult to label. c. makes the chart confusing to the audience. d. all of the above. (answer: d, comprehension) 7. You need to create a chart or graph that depicts the basic structure of a small engine carburetor. What kind of chart or graph will present this information most effectively. a. chart b. pie chart c. constructed visual d. bar graph (answer: c, application) 8. You need to create a chart or graph to compare the sales performance of your product and a competitive product over the past three years. What kind of chart or graph will present this information most effectively? a. a chart b. a pie chart c. a line graph d. a textual visual (answer: c, application) 9. You work for a publishing firm and must summarize sales data for 10 different books in four different regions of the country. What kind of chart or graph will present this information most effectively? a. a chart b. a pie chart c. a bar graph d. a line graph (answer: a, application) 10. You need to display the relationship of four costs for a new product introduction (research and development, marketing, advertising, and sales) to the total cost for that product. What kind of chart or graph will present this information most effectively? a. a chart b. a line graph c. a bar graph d. a pie chart (answer: d, application)

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11. You need to compare the results of a customer satisfaction survey at two different time periods. What kind of chart or graph should you use to present this information? a. a bar graph b. a chart c. a line graph d. a pie chart (answer: a, application) Essay Questions 1. Chalk boards, magic marker boards, and flip charts have several advantages and disadvantages. Name and explain one advantage and one disadvantage of these visual aids. (knowledge, comprehension) 2. The goal of a visual aid is to manage meaning for the audience. Describe two guidelines for the effective use of visual aids and explain how these contribute to the speaker’s ability to manage meaning during a presentation. (comprehension) 3. Passing visual aids around the room presents a problem. Describe this problem. Describe and explain two solutions to the problem. (comprehension, application)

Chapter 9: Technical Presentations Multiple Choice Questions 1. The two goals of technical communication are: a. good research and shared meaning. b. integrity and accuracy. c. shared meaning and integrity. d. accuracy and shared meaning. (answer: d, knowledge) 2. As a goal for technical communication, accuracy means: a. including the full spectrum of opinion even if various opinions conflict. b. avoiding the use of jargon to dazzle the audience or obscure meaning. c. providing correct, complete, and detailed information. d. presenting information in such a way that the audience understands the speaker’s intended meaning. (answer: c, knowledge) 3. To help an audience understand a new or confusing concept a speaker should employ all of the following techniques EXCEPT: a. graphic models. b. logical definitions. c. etymological examples. d. typical examples. (answer: a, knowledge)

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4. To clarify difficult concepts the speaker should: a. include connectives that emphasize physical description. b. provide a graphic model of the structure or process. c. provide an organizing analogy. d. insure that clear definitions are included. (answer: d, knowledge) 5. Which of the following techniques should be used to clarify difficult structures or processes? a. graphic models, and examples and non-examples b. graphic models, organizing analogies, and clear connectives c. graphic models, and typical examples d. graphic models, examples and non-examples, and connectives (answer: b, knowledge) 6. When people are trying to understand new and difficult concepts they are trying to: a. distinguish a concept’s essence from its associated features. b. understand examples of the concept. c. grasp the whole concept at once. d. all of the above (answer: a, knowledge) 7. “The chances of your home being destroyed in a nuclear power accident are one in five septadecillion. This is approximately the same odds of your home being struck by lightning and a meteorite at the same instant.” This is an example of: a. using unnecessary jargon. b. necessary technical language. c. a typical example. d. translating measurement scales. (answer: d, application) 8. “Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is both cheap and versatile, making it the world’s most widely used and industrially important plastics. Pipes and pipe fittings, garden hoses, building sidings, cable insulation and food packaging are made of PVC.” This statement is an example of: a. using unnecessary jargon. b. a series of examples. c. translating measurement scales. d. an organizing analogy. (answer: b, application) 9. Nuclear energy can be obtained from nuclear fusion or nuclear fission. In fusion atoms are split, which releases enormous energy. In fission atoms are combined, also releasing energy. This statement represents: a. an etymological definition. b. a logical definition. c. an operational definition. d. a definition by example. (answer: b, application)

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10. “The word plastic comes from the Greek plastikos, meaning ‘fit for molding.’ It’s name describes a key feature of all plastics: when heated they become soft and pliable.” This statement represents: a. an etymological definition. b. a logical definition. c. a jargon definition. d. an operational definition. (answer: a, application) 11. “There are two basic kinds of solar heating available for homes. Whereas passive solar heating uses the placement of the home and large windows to let light in during the winter, active solar heating uses photovoltaic panels to convert light directly into electricity.” This statement represents: a. a typical example. b. a logical definition. c. a series of examples and non-examples. d. an etymological definition. (answer: b, application) 12. The statement, “FMC creates elemental phosphorus by cooking raw ore and skimming off the phosphorus vapor,” is an example of: a. a typical example. b. an organizing analogy. c. definition by example. d. a measurement scale. (answer: b, application) 13. The popular description that suggests global warming works like a “greenhouse effect” is an example of: a. a typical example. b. a logical definition. c. a non-example. d. an organizing analogy. (answer: d, application) Essay Questions 1. Define and distinguish between the two goals of technical communication. What makes these two goals different from one another? (knowledge, comprehension) 2. You have been asked to make a presentation to a group of American managers who do business in foreign countries. The topic of your presentation is the difference between a “bribe,” which is illegal under the Foreign Practices Corruption Act, and a “facilitative payment” which is allowed under the same federal act. Name and describe three strategies you will use to make the distinction between a bribe and a facilitative payment. (application) 3. A business person wants to locate a storage facility for low level hazardous wastes (household chemicals and light industrial solvents) in your community. Many of these chemicals can cause cancer. Describe two obstacles to understanding that will make it difficult to explain the facility to the community. (analysis)

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4. You are leading tours through your newly redesigned chemical plant. The plant is huge and complicated. Three different facilities in the plant manufacture various chemicals that are brought together in a fourth area to produce the final product. Name and describe three strategies you will use to explain the plant’s manufacturing process. (application)

Chapter 10: Proposal Presentations Multiple Choice Questions 1. In which step of Monroe’s Motivated Sequence does the speaker provide a verbal depiction of the results of the speech? a. the attention step b. the need step c. the action step d. the visualization step (answer: d, knowledge) 2. In which step of Monroe’s Motivated Sequence does the speaker demonstrate that a problem exists? a. need step b. satisfaction step c. visualization step d. action step (answer: a, knowledge) 3. The persuasive structure that eliminates rival solutions is the: a. N-A-R structure b. Monroe’s Motivated Sequence c. the balance structure d. problem-solution structure (answer: c, knowledge) 4. Your textbook defines a claim as: a. a line of inductive or deductive reasoning. b. reasoning that connects two events. c. an interpretation you want the audience to accept. d. an argument that moves from general to specific. (answer: c, knowledge) 5. A form of reasoning that assumes every substance has a distinguishing set of characteristics, the presence or absence of which is taken as a sign of the presence or absence of the substance is: a. causal reasoning. b. reasoning from a syllogism. c. reasoning from sign. d. reasoning from example. (answer: c, knowledge)

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6. Emotion can be aroused through all of the following EXCEPT: a. demonstrating competence. b. vivid language. c. descriptive detail. d. effective delivery. (answer: a, knowledge) 7. The best way to increase an audience’s perception of your trustworthiness is by: a. demonstrating objectivity with unbiased research. b. delivering an energetic, confident speech. c. using Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. d. analyzing audience variables. (answer: a, comprehension) 8. “Since the introduction of sex education in the schools in the 1960s, teen pregnancy has jumped enormously. Obviously, sex education is producing greater, not fewer, teen pregnancies.” This statement represents: a. causal reasoning. b. reasoning from sign. c. reasoning from example. d. a hypothetical syllogism. (answer: a, application) 9. “All workers are motivated by money. Tom Marlin is a worker. Therefore, he is motivated by money.” This is an example of: a. inductive reasoning. b. causal reasoning. c. reasoning from sign. d. none of the above (answer: d, application) 10. “Human decisions are superior to bureaucratic rules. Humans are flawed, but think and act based on the information before them. No regulatory rule can do that.” This is an example of reasoning from: a. syllogism. b. testimony. c. analogy. d. sign. (answer: a, application) 11. “Either our dog or the neighbor’s cat got into the garden and tore up the flowers. Our dog has not done that since he was punished for it last month. It must have been the neighbor’s cat.” This is an example of what type of reasoning? a. categorical syllogism b. disjunctive syllogism c. reasoning from example d. hypothetical syllogism (answer: b, application)

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12. When you mention that you are a CPA during your speech on taxes you are attempting to bolster credibility in which of the following dimensions? a. dynamism b. trustworthiness c. concern d. competence (answer: d, application) 13. “Although many people believe that a ban on handguns in the U.S. would violate the Second Amendment of the constitution, this is untrue.” What kind of refutation does this sentence represent? a. turn b. minimization c. denial d. causality (answer: c, application) 14. “The Environmental Protection Agency has tried to cut the amount of mandatory recordkeeping it forces companies to perform. As a result, a company that once wrote and submitted almost 1 million pages of environmental records to the EPA now sends less than 1000 pages.” This is an example of reasoning from: a. enthymeme. b. testimony. c. sign. d. example. (answer: d, application) 15. During a speech on gun control legislation, you say, “As Peter Jones has noted, ‘The control of guns is vital for the growth and well being of society.’” In what sense is this evidence not as useful as it might be? a. It is a biased and inadequate sample. b. It is dull rather than interesting. c. It does not identify the expertise of the source. d. It quotes a person lacking objectivity. (answer: c, evaluation) 16. “Some textbook authors are boring and Jim DiSanza is a textbook author. Therefore, Jim DiSanza is boring.” As correct as this reasoning may sound, what flaw prevents it from being reasonable? a. The middle term is not used in its universal or unqualified sense. b. The minor premise doesn’t affirm the antecedent or deny the consequent. c. Sufficient signs are not present. d. The terms of the syllogism are not causally related. (answer: a, evaluation)

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17. “Either you will buy this car from me today or you can go somewhere else and get ripped off.” What flaw prevents you from accepting this statement? a. The middle term is not used in its universal or unqualified sense. b. The minor premise doesn’t affirm the antecedent or deny the consequent. c. The major premise doesn’t include all reasonable alternatives. d. The points of the analogy are not similar. (answer: c, evaluation) 18. “If a system of managerial decision making is flexible to employee needs then it will increase employee morale. Our new method of team decision making is flexible to employee needs.

Our new method will improve employee morale. The above syllogism is: a. flawed because it doesn’t use the middle term in its unqualified sense. b. not flawed. c. flawed because all reasonable alternatives are not included in the major premise. d. flawed because the minor premise denies rather than affirms the antecedent. (answer: b, evaluation) 19. Which two persuasive speech structures are most appropriate for an audience that doesn’t know much about the problem? a. Monroe’s Motivated Sequence and the problem-solution structure. b. Monroe’s Motivated Sequence and the balance structure. c. The balance structure and the N-A-R structure. d. The N-A-R structure and the problem solution structure. (answer: a, analysis) Essay Questions 1. In Chapter 1, your textbook suggests that the primary goal of most business communication is achieving shared meaning. Define the term “shared meaning.” Explain how and why shared meaning is the primary goal of most persuasive proposals. (knowledge, comprehension) 2. Define and describe the major differences between the problem-solution structure and Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? (knowledge, comprehension) 3. You want to persuade you company’s purchasing department to save money by changing travel agencies. Explain three forms of inductive reasoning that you can use to support your belief that the new agency will cut travel costs. Explain how each of these three forms of reasoning will bolster your case. (application, analysis) 4. Depositing more than 10,000 dollars in cash at your neighborhood bank could lead to inquiries from the FBI investigating whether the money was acquired through the sale of illegal drugs. What kind of reasoning are federal authorities using to initiate these investigations? State their reasoning in several sentences. Evaluate the adequacy of this reasoning by applying the appropriate tests of evidence. (application, analysis, evaluation) 5. “If you have grammatical and typographical mistakes on your resume, then you probably won’t get hired. John has no mistakes on his resume. John will get hired.” What kind of syllogism does the above statements represent? Evaluate the strength of this reasoning using the appropriate criteria. (application, evaluation) 88 .

6. “You can get a college education or end up an uneducated bum?” What kind of syllogism does the above statement represent? Evaluate the strength of this reasoning using the appropriate criteria. (application, evaluation) 7. You work for a company that manufactures plastic parts for the aerospace industry. You are trying to recapture a contract to sell impellers (fan blades) to a company that cancelled your contract because of poor quality and late delivery. You want to persuade the client that your company has solved its quality and delivery problems. What structure should you use for this presentation? Justify your choice as the best one available. (analysis, evaluation) 8. You sell chemical solvents that clean and preserve fragile manufacturing equipment. Most plant managers are unaware of your product and don’t know that they aren’t getting the most out of their equipment. What structure should you use to sell this product to the plant managers? Justify your choice as the best one available. (analysis, evaluation)

Chapter 11: Sales Presentations Multiple Choice Questions 1. A qualified sales prospect: a. has a need for the salesperson’s product or service. b. has the financial resources to purchase the salesperson’s product or service. c. can be made interested in the salesperson’s product or service. d. all of the above (answer: d, knowledge) 2. When making a one-time buy: a. The company or agency is buying parts or supplies crucial to their day-to-day operation. b. The company or agency is making a large purchase such as new software or mainframe computer. c. The company is receiving a cold call from a salesperson. d. The company is making a commodity purchase. (answer: b, knowledge) 3. A product’s features are the: a. examples used to demonstrate the product’s quality. b. benefits the product provides the company that buys it. c. the things the company that made the product or service cares about. d. all of the above (answer: c, knowledge) 4. A product’s benefits are the: a. advantages the product provides for the customer. b. things the company that made the product or service care about. c. examples used to demonstrate the product’s quality. d. all of the above (answer: a, knowledge)

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5. This phrase refers to the credibility a speaker derives from the organization for which they work. a. derived credibility b. prior credibility c. the Halo Effect d. the Trustworthiness Effect (answer: c, knowledge) 6. Stories are: a. a form of example. b. a metaphor that communicates the product’s benefits. c. the things the company that made the product care about. d. all of the above (answer: a, knowledge) 7. To overcome the fear that significant others in the organization will tell the client they were crazy to buy your product or service you should: a. inoculate the client against counter claims by stating objections and rehearsing refutations. b. build a strong relationship with the client. c. use the Halo Effect. d. build personal credibility with the client. (answer: a, knowledge) 8. Which of the following patterns characterizes a Charismatic decision-maker? a. This person is highly suspicious of every data point presented. b. This person is easily enthralled with new ideas. c. This person hates uncertainty and ambiguity. d. This person bases all decisions on what has been done in the past. (answer: b, knowledge) 9. Which of the following patterns characterizes the Controlling decision-maker? a. This person is highly suspicious of every data point presented. b. This person is easily enthralled with new ideas. c. This person hates uncertainty and ambiguity d. This person bases all decisions on what has been done in the past. (answer: c, knowledge) 10. Which of the following patterns characterizes the Skeptical decision-maker? a. This person is highly suspicious of every data point presented. b. This person is easily enthralled with new ideas. c. This person hates uncertainty and ambiguity. d. This person bases all decisions on what has been done in the past. (answer: a, knowledge) 11. What kind of argumentation skills are required to overcome client fears? a. credibility building skills b. causal reasoning skills c. refutation skills d. testimony skills (answer: c, comprehension) 90 .

12. One of the best ways to determine if a prospect is qualified is to: a. ask questions. b. listen for metaphors. c. listen for similes. d. all of the above (answer: d, comprehension) 13. Wayne sells natural gas to large corporations that need it to fuel generators, or as a raw material in a chemical process. As such, Wayne sells: a. a specialty product. b. a systems product c. a feature product d. a commodity. (answer: d, comprehension) 14. Gedde carefully avoids exaggerating any claims about his product, so as not to disappoint clients after the product is delivered. Gedde is using which of the following methods of building customer trust? a. Building the client’s trust in his company b. Building the client’s trust in his firm’s marketing c. Building the client’s trust in his industry d. Building the client’s trust in him as a reliable person (answer: b, comprehension) 15. A sales and marketing consultant promises to “cultivate” a firm’s client base. Which of the following metaphors does this sales pitch emphasize? a. war b. gardening c. machine d. game (answer: b, application) 16. When Kandi shows her potential client digital copies of the various awards her firm has received over the past two years, she is using which of the following methods of building customer trust? a. Building the client’s trust in her company b. Building the client’s trust in her firm’s marketing c. Building the client’s trust in her industry d. Building the client’s trust in her as a reliable person (answer: a, application) Essay Questions 1. Describe two standards against which visual aids should be checked before their inclusion in a presentation. (knowledge) 2. In what way is shared meaning the central goal of any sales presentation? Use an example to illustrate your answer. (comprehension)

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3. How does audience analysis contribute to creating shared meaning in a sales presentation?

How do listening skills contribute to the ability to adapt to audience needs? (comprehension) 4. Name and describe two important delivery skills needed for sales presentations. Explain how these two skills will improve the chances of making a sale. (comprehension) 5. You are selling a product to a company and working with a buyer who is a “Skeptic.” Explain some of the things you will do in the presentation to appeal to this decision-maker. (application) 6. You are selling a product to a company and working with a buyer who is a “Thinker.” Explain some of the things you will do in the presentation to appeal to this decision-maker. (application) 7. You sell computer programs that help travel agencies keep track of customer needs and preferences. In a few sentences, develop a line of persuasive reasoning to sell this product that uses a war, game, or gardening metaphor. (application)

Chapter 12: Risk Communication Multiple Choice Questions 1. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons we are fearful about risks, despite the fact that we live longer, healthier lives than any time in the past? a. Diseases are more frightening than ever before. b. Many people suffer from a poor sense of perspective. c. We are often not in control of decisions that effect our lives. d. We cannot understand the technology involved in many risks. (answer: b, knowledge) 2. Risk assessments attempt to: a. assess the value of approaching or avoiding a particular hazard. b. reduce the amount of conflict created in a risk campaign. c. quantitatively measure the risk posed by a particular hazard. d. increase the amount of public input into the process of decision making. (answer: c, knowledge) 3. All of the following are sources of imperfect risk knowledge EXCEPT: a. industry lacks toxicity studies on most chemicals. b. it is not easy to attribute a group of deaths to a single cause. c. toxins come into contact with other chemicals, changing their toxicity. d. it is not possible to quantify risks to health, only those risks that cause death. (answer: d, knowledge) 4. Helping an audience understand probability and tradeoffs are ways to: a. teach the audience to detect a risk message. b. help the audience decode a difficult risk message. c. help deepen the audience’s understanding of risk. d. help create agreement about the likelihood or severity of risk. (answer: c, knowledge) 92 .

5. All of the following are obstacles to gaining agreement about the solution to a hazard EXCEPT: a. parties disagree about the existence of the risk. b. the steps to action seem unclear. c. parties disagree about the condition’s likelihood or severity. d. the parties disagree about the best solution. (answer: b, knowledge) 6. Which of the following is NOT a level of public involvement in risk communication? a. Information level b. Culture level c. Consultation level d. Engagement level (answer: b, knowledge) 7. All of the following represent “best practices” in risk communication EXCEPT: a. Account for uncertainty inherent in risk communication. b. Account for stakeholder perceptions. c. Involve the public after decisions have been made. d. Present messages honestly and with compassion. (answer: c, knowledge) 8. Getting people to test their homes for Radon, a naturally occurring gas that causes cancer represents which of the following types of risk communication? a. Precaution advocacy b. Outrage management c. Care communication d. Proposal risk communication (answer: a, application) 9. The five decade long campaign against smoking has focused largely on getting individuals to quit the habit. As such, this campaign has which of the following action and outcome goals? a. private action/care communication b. private action/precaution advocacy c. public action/outrage management d. public action/care communication (answer: b, application) 10. A risk campaign aimed at getting parents to immunize kids against childhood diseases is an example of which of the following action and outcome goals? a. private action/care communication b. private action/precaution advocacy c. public action/outrage management d. public action/care communication (answer: b, application)

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11. A community is downwind of a plant that produces air pollution. Although the levels are well within EPA limits, community members blame the plant for colds, infections, and childhood asthma. The town receives almost no economic benefit from the plant. All of the following perceptual factors are likely to increase concerns in this town EXCEPT: a. the risk is involuntary. b. townspeople have no control over the risk. c. the hazard has dread consequences. d. townspeople will perceive the risk is unfair. (answer: c, application, analysis) 12. A community in the Western U.S. is considering a waste-to-power incinerator. The county is free to make any decision it wants as long as it stays within federal environmental guidelines. All of the following factors are likely to reduce concern about the incinerator EXCEPT: a. the county controls the decision. b. the waste is a natural rather than a human product. c. the need for the incinerator is perceived to be fair. d. the material burned in an incinerator is familiar. (answer: b, application, analysis) 13. What is the essential factor that influences an audience’s decision about the credibility of the risk communication process? a. The process must include the necessary expertise. b. The process must include objective content. c. The process must allow emotional expressions. d. The process must be consistently open to citizen input. (answer: d, analysis) 14. Which of the following will probably improve an audience’s perception of source credibility? a. Making an organized presentation. b. Stating one’s education, credentials, and experience. c. Admitting uncertainty. d. All of the above will contribute to audience perceptions of trustworthiness (answer: d, synthesis) 15. All of the following will contribute positively to individual credibility EXCEPT: a. displaying similarities. b. citing sources. c. being clear and concise. d. hiding persuasive intent. (answer: a, synthesis) Essay Questions 1. Why is credibility such an important factor in discussing risks with a lay-audience? (knowledge) 2. Explain some of the reasons that Americans are more concerned about risk than in past, despite the fact that we live longer, healthier lives than ever before. (comprehension) 3. Summarize two sources of imperfect knowledge in risk analysis studies. (comprehension) 94 .

4. Explain some of the factors that make ethical risk communication more effective than unethical risk communication. In your answer, define the central features of ethical risk communication. (comprehension) 5. Describe and explain two kinds of consistency that an organization’s messages need if they are to be seen as credible by a lay-audience. Why does inconsistency usually provoke outrage from an audience? (comprehension, analysis) 6. A county discovered that PCBs from its landfill are leaching into the groundwater used by a nearby community. PCBs are a known cancer-causing agent. Most people don’t know the water is contaminated or what PCBs are. Define and describe two strategies the county can use to raise awareness of this problem. (comprehension, analysis) 7. Why is bias almost impossible to overcome in a risk communication campaign? Describe two source credibility factors that can help a communicator overcome bias in the eyes of a lay-audience. (application) 8. A company wants to convince people that its state-of-the-art plan to clean-up contaminated soil near its plant will solve the problem. Explain the action goal and type of risk communication that this represents. (application) 9. A community lives downwind of a plant that produces air pollution. Although the levels of pollution are within EPA limits, community members blame the plant for colds, infections, and childhood asthma. The town does not receive tax payments from the plant and it employs only a few people in the area. Describe two perceptual factors that will tend to increase this community’s concern about air pollution and two perceptual factors that will decrease concern about the pollution. (application, analysis) 10. No utility has started construction of a commercial nuclear power facility for almost 30 years.

Citing the perceptual factors the lead to increased concern about a hazard, explain why most people fear nuclear power. (analysis, synthesis) 11. If you had to group all the process credibility factors under one general principle, what would that principle be? Explain how this principle covers the more specific factors that lead audiences to perceive a process as fair. (synthesis)

Chapter 13: Crisis Communication Multiple Choice Questions 1. Emergency response communication focuses on: a. restoring the organization’s image. b. projections about some harm occurring at a future date. c. the immediate audience, meaning victims, potential victims, family members, and emergency responders. d. All of the above. (answer: c, knowledge)

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2. Image restoration tactics are: a. messages that restore an organization’s damaged credibility. b. techniques for resolving technical or human problems that precipitate a crisis. c. written documents that anticipate the most predictable crises that could affect the organization. d. all of the above (answer: a, knowledge) 3. An attempt to reduce responsibility for a crisis by appealing to factors that can’t be controlled is an example of which of the following image restoration strategies? a. attack the accuser b. appeal to accident c. differentiation d. shifting the blame (answer: b, knowledge) 4. When a speaker attempts to restore their organization’s image by convincing the audience that the crisis isn’t as bad as it might appear, they are engaged in: a. differentiation. b. corrective action. c. bolstering. d. minimization. (answer: d, knowledge) 5. An organization’s attempt to remunerate the victims to counter-balance the effect of a crisis is an example of which image restoration strategy? a. compensation b. corrective action c. defeasibility d. mortification (answer: a, knowledge) 6. An audience that believes the organization’s responsibility is high, but the severity of the crisis is low is: a. a bemused audience. b. a concerned audience. c. an animated audience. d. an antagonistic audience. (answer: b, knowledge) 7. An audience that believes the crisis is not the organization’s fault, but thinks the results of the crisis are sever is: a. a bemused audience. b. a concerned audience. c. an animated audience. d. an antagonistic audience. (answer: c, knowledge)

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8. In 2005, a woman in San Jose was arrested and accused of putting a human finger in her Wendy’s chili and claiming she found it there. The type of crisis that Wendy’s faced is classified as: a. Megadamage. b. organizational misdeed. c. human breakdown. d. rumor. (answer: d, comprehension) 9. The collapse of Enron represents which of the following types of crises? a. malevolence b. human breakdown c. organizational misdeed d. technical breakdown (answer: c, comprehension) 10. A valve at a chemical plant fails and results in a localized chemical spill that, nevertheless, must be reported to the public and the EPA. What type of crisis does this represent? a. malevolence b. human breakdown c. megadamage d. technical breakdown (answer: d, comprehension) 11. When Vernon Jordan, and advisor to President Clinton, was accused of finding Monica Lewinsky a job in order to get her away from the press he responded with the following defense: “Throughout my professional career I have been privileged to assist people with their vocational aspirations. . .I believe in giving a helping hand.” This response represents which of the following image restoration strategies? a. corrective action b. attack the accuser c. appeal to accidents d. differentiation (answer: d, application) 12. A company that experienced a major chemical spill while upgrading its facilities makes the following claim: “We were attempting to install new pollution control equipment and during this process a tank was damaged, releasing the chemical.” This is an example of which of the following image restoration strategies? a. good intentions b. defeasibility c. minimization d. provocation (answer: a, application) 13. An airline bumps you from your flight and gives you a free round trip ticket. The free ticket is an example of which of the following image restoration strategies? a. corrective action b. differentiation c. compensation d. shifting the blame 97 .

(answer: c, application) 14. When Sears was accused of making unneeded repairs at its automotive centers they responded by saying: “Our policy of preventative maintenance—recommending replacement of worn parts before they fail. . .makes for safer cars on the road.” What image restoration strategy does this comment represent? a. corrective action b. simple denial c. good intentions d. transcendence (answer: d, application) 15. During a Christmas holiday season, twice as many American Airlines pilots called in sick as usual, forcing the airline to cancel 10% of its flights. In response, American said: “During the holidays, some American Airlines pilots and their union, the Allied Pilots Association, disrupted our operation and inconvenienced our passengers by means of an illegal ‘sickout.’” This quote is an example of which of the following image restoration strategies? a. simple denial b. shifting the blame c. attacking the accuser d. provocation (answer: b, application) 16. Which of the following strategies is the least helpful means of restoring a company’s image when dealing with an antagonistic audience? a. mortification b. simple denial c. compensation d. corrective action (answer: b, analysis) 17. Which of the following strategies will be most successful in restoring a company’s image when dealing with a concerned audience? a. corrective action b. attack the accuser c. provocation d. differentiation (answer: a, analysis) Essay Questions 1. Distinguish between an organizational problem and an organizational crisis. In your answer, provide an example of a problem and a crisis. (knowledge) 2. Your textbook argues that in an organizational crisis the audience’s perception is reality.

Explain the significance of this statement as it relates to communication during a crisis. (comprehension) 3. Why are apologies that come after denial or attacking the accuser sometimes worse than no apology at all? (comprehension)

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4. During a Christmas holiday season, twice as many American Airlines pilots called in sick than usual, forcing the company to cancel 10% of its flights. The company and the pilots union were in the midst of a long contract negotiation. Design a campaign to restore American’s image in the eyes of its flying customers using at least two image restoration strategies. (application, synthesis) 5. Throughout 2009-2010, the Toyota Motor Company dealt with a variety of brake and acceleration problems in several of its most popular model vehicles. Using the table that describes the differences between risk and crisis communication, explain why the Toyota incident is an example of crisis communication, not risk communication. (application, synthesis) 6. In 1999, Amazon.com, an on-line seller of books and CDs, was accused of taking payments from publishers to place books on its “Destined for Greatness” list without informing customers of the payments. According to the audience matrix in your textbook, what kind of audience do Amazon.com customers represent? Why? Develop a campaign to restore Amazon.com’s image using at least two image restoration strategies. Why are these strategies the best strategies to restore Amazon’s image? (analysis, synthesis) 7. During a Christmas holiday season, twice as many American Airlines pilots called in sick than usual, forcing the company to cancel 10% of its flights. Imagine you were an American passenger delayed by the sick-out. What kind of audience do you represent and why? (analysis) 8. Name and describe two different methods of making an ambiguous apology. In your opinion, are ambiguous apologies ethical or unethical? Why? (comprehension, evaluation)

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