communications review questions

define personal branding

the establishment, maintenance, and communication of the identity of an individual, how one wants to be perceived

why is personal branding an important method of professional communications?

• build credibility and earn trust

• unlock opportunities and expand network

• raise awareness and advocate for key issues

• connect with consumers and wider public

• supports sharing of knowledge

what are the 6 steps involved in building a personal brand?

• introspection

• understand existing brand

• write personal brand statement

• shape physical footprint

• build online presence

• share brand with audience

what are the 4 elements included in a personal brand statement?

• name

• what you do

• why you do it

• what sets you apart

why must communicators include the 4 elements in a brand statement?

to clearly communicate their personal brand; ensure understanding between self and audience

define communication

the sharing of information to ultimately reach a common understanding

what is the critical characteristic of all communication?

the message received must be understood

what are the 4 elements common between all acts of communication?

• sender or source

• message

• channel

• receiver

what is the source/sender in regards to communication?

where the information comes from

what is the message in regards to communication?

the information being communicated

what is the channel in regards to communication?

method in which information is passed

what is the receiver in regards to communication?

the person/audience for whom the message is intended

define communicator credibility

the set of perceptions about sources held by receivers, influenced by the source but dependent on the opinions of receiver

what are the 8 factors that contribute to credibility?

• competence, qualifications, expertise

• accessibility

• trustworthiness, reliability

• dynamism, enthusiasm

• personal characteristics

• reputation

• power

• status, position

define communicator empathy

seeing issues through the eyes of others, feeling their emotions whilst controlling your own

why is communicator empathy useful for successful communication?

opens you to new perspectives, creates a connection and understanding between communicating parties

what are the three receiver response states?

• attention

• comprehension

• acceptance

what is the attention receiver response state?

receiver tunes in; extremely selective

what is the comprehension receiver response state?

transforming messages into meaning; should approximate sender’s meanings for effective communication

what is the acceptance receiver response state?

the aim of communication, understanding on all three levels

what is the belief level of receiver acceptance?

accepts the message as valid, correct, true

what is the attitude level of receiver acceptance?

accepts the message as desirable

what is the action level of receiver acceptance?

takes the action specified in the message or rejects it

why should communicators know the 3 receiver response states for effective communication?

knowing where (at which level) the problem is allows construction and direction of messages towards the problem

what is the role of lecture presentations when communicating to an audience?

the most widely used method of transferring knowledge; passive, only method suited for large groups

what stages of the adoption process are appealed to by lecture presentations?

• raising awareness

• creating interest

• mental evaluation

what are the axes of the audience concentration curve?

x: time

y: level of concentration

when is the highest level of audience concentration?

after 20 minutes

what are the implications of the audience concentration curve on lecture presentations?

key points/message should be conveyed earlier in lecture with higher concentration levels

what are the 4 key issues to consider when planning a lecture presentation?

• audience

• subject matter

• purpose/aim

• time available

how is the audience considered in the planning of a lecture?

dictates content, language, pace, and examples

how is subject matter considered when planning a lecture?

the speaker’s own competence in the matter, relevance to the audience

how is the purpose/aim considered when planning a lecture presentation?

what you want to achieve; how to best achieve

what are the 5 key steps to preparing a lecture presentation?

• structure of the presentation

• draft the talk

• plan and prepare visual aids

• rehearse

• prepare for the unexpected

what are the advantages of the theatre-style seating arrangement?

maximises seating capacity, good visibility of speaker

what are the advantages of horseshoe style seating?

natural flow for group discussions, clear line of sight to speaker

what are the advantages of cabaret style seating?

encourages discussion within groups, comfortable for long events

what are the 5 key principles to consider when presenting slides?

• clear

• consistent

• big

• progressive

• simple

what are the 4 reasons audience participation is important during a lecture or training course?

• helps hold audience attention

• essential to alter attitudes and behaviour

• helps audience take ownership of information

• helps check for understanding

what are 5 methods of achieving audience participation?

• buzz/hum sessions

• worksheets

• brainstorming

• role play/drama

• online polls or surveys

how can buzz/hum sessions achieve audience participation?

invites discussion between listeners before questions are asked; reinforces learning, more relaxed

how can worksheets achieve audience participation?

audience directly engages with the information presented

how can brainstorming achieve audience participation?

audience provides contributions, common/main points are summarised and conclusions are drawn, discussion

how can roleplay/drama achieve audience participation?

actors and observers; information is played out/used in presentation

how can online polls or surveys achieve audience participation?

real-time response for larger groups, participants commit to answer and learn from peers

what are 5 differences between writing business and personal emails?

• formal greetings

• clear/brief message

• formal conclusion

• proofread

• formatted to facilitate understanding

what are 5 ways to ensure the effective presentation of a table or figure?

• brief but explanatory title

• each column has column heading

• all abbreviations and special symbols are explained

• properly state source of data

• refer to table in text

what are the advantages of digital new media compared to print?

• fast (hourly cycle)

• wide audience, easy to access

• more space for stories and more visual impact

• less expensive to run

what is a communication campaign?

use of the media, messaging, and organised set of communication activities to generate specific outcomes among a large number of individuals

what are 4 advantages of communications campaigns?

• effective use of resources

• repetition of message

• larger audience

• builds cooperation between organisations

what are the 5 main stages of developing a communications campaign?

• analysis of the current situation

• objectives

• plan

• implement campaign

• monitor and evaluate

what is involved in the analysis stage of campaign development?

determination of the topic/purpose, situation, audience, channels, organisations, and competition; considered debate and analysis, reliable data, shared experience

what is involved in the objectives stage of campaign development?

creation of SMART objectives; overall and specific goals

what is involved in the planning stage of campaign development?

written development of messages, communication activities, audience, schedule, responsibilities, budget

what is involved in the implementation stage of campaign development?

putting detailed plan into action with repetition and consistency

what is involved in the monitoring/evaluating stage of campaign development?

formative and summative feedback and monitoring; maintaining accountability, progress, improvement, motivation, credibility

what are SMART objectives?

specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound

what is the key difference between the methods appropriate for simple change compared to difficult change?

simple change more passive, difficult change more active, focused on the individual

why evaluate a communications campaign?

determine effectiveness, know if objectives were achieved

what are the four types of evaluation used for campaigns?

• formative

• process

• outcome

• impact

what is formative evaluation of campaigns?

front-end feedback; determining strengths and weaknesses of materials and strategies before and during campaign

what is the process evaluation of campaigns?

back-end feedback; evaluating the effort and direct outputs of a campaign, success of activities

what is the outcome evaluation of campaigns?

back-end feedback; evaluation of effect and changes resulting from campaign

what is the impact evaluation of a campaign?

back-end feedback; evaluating change and long term results, was change caused by campaign?

what are 3 characteristics of effective communication campaigns?

• captures attention of the right audience

• delivers an understandable and credible message

• delivers message that influences beliefs and understandings of the audience

what is the contribution of open days and demonstrations relative to other knowledge transfer approaches?

• show difference between old and new

• teach new skills

• change policy

what are the 4 main requirements for a successful farm demonstration?

• facilitated dialogue

• social interaction

• hands-on experience

• real-life contact

what are 3 aspects of peer learning associated with farm demonstrations?

• experiential learning

• transformative learning

• network learning

what is experiential learning?

engages with listeners in direct experience and focused reflection; increases knowledge and develops skills

what is transformative learning?

process of making meanings from one’s own experiences; learners become aware of own and others’ assumptions

what is network learning?

opportunities for social interaction and establishment of new relationships, creates and strengthens relationships which can enable and support decision-making

what are the 6 key factors to consider when preparing a method demonstration?

• identify objective

• have everything ready

• job/task analysis

• prepare audience

• teach/present practical skill

• each participant practices under supervision

what are the 5 key factors to consider when selecting a site and host farmer for a demonstration?

• accessible location

• representative of population, typical of situation

• host is interested and happy to participate (as appropriate)

• acceptable to target audience (locally respected, opinion leader)

• good working relationship between host and organiser

what is peyton’s 4 step approach to teaching a skill?

• demonstration of skill at normal speed

• demonstration of skill with full explanation and questions

• demonstration of skill with learner providing explination

• learner carries out skill under close supervision

what are the attributes that define a group?

• interaction and communication

• agree and share a common purpose

• ability and willingness to act as a collective unit

• recognition of interdependence

• have established ground rules

• have shared identity

why do farmers join farmer discussion groups?

task needs/common goal (advice, info, moral support)

socio-emotional needs/interaction (building trust, empathy, openness, honesty)

what are tuckman’s 5 stages of group formation and development?

• forming

• storming

• norming

• performing

• adjourning

what is the forming stage of group formation?

members get to know each other and set ground rules

what is the storming stage of group development?

members come to resist control by group leaders, show hostility

what is the norming stage of group development?

work together developing close relationships and feelings of cohesiveness

what is the performing stage of group development?

work towards getting jobs done

what is the adjourning stage of group development?

group disbands after meeting goals or when members leave

what are 5 characteristics of good group dynamics?

• collaboration

• communication

• shared purpose and goal

• clear expectations

• know each other well

what are some barriers to listening?

• on-off listening

• red flag listening

• open ears, closed mind listening

• glassy eyed listening

• too deep for me

• don’t rock the boat listening

what is on-off listening?

the listener thinks 4 x faster than speaker can talk, mental free time occupied with listener’s other thoughts

what is red flag listening?

certain words or phrases trigger an emotional reaction, listener stops listening

what is open ears, closed mind listening?

listener decides that subject or speaker is boring, stops listening and jumps to conclusions

what is glassy-eyed listening?

listener’s thoughts are far from listening scenario, akin to daydreaming; facial expressions don’t match subject of discussion

what is too-deep-for-me listening?

listener decides subject is too deep when trying to understand a seemingly complex piece of info

what is don’t-rock-the-boat listening?

listener may stop listening if beliefs are challenged

what is the relevance of culture in group leadership?

nature of leadership is deeply rooted in culture: power distance and uncertainty avoidance contribute to cultural leadership style

what are the main styles of leadership?

• autocratic

• laissez-faire

• democratic

what is the autocratic leadership style?

the leader dominates with little or no consultation with members to make unilateral decisions

when is an autocratic leadership style appropriate?

hard and fast deadlines, emergencies, high-power-distance cultures

what is the laissez-faire leadership style?

little control is exercised on group, members sort out own roles and carry out jobs without leader guidance

what are the disadvantages of a laissez-faire leadership style?

lack of leadership can lead to floundering and lack of direction and motivation

what is the democratic leadership style?

leader makes decision with consultation with members, encouraging participation and motivates to self-direct; guiding with loose reins

what are 5 strategies for managing conflict in groups?

• avoidance

• surface harmony

• compromise

• suppression

• problem solving

what are the 4 sources of power from which leadership is derived?

• legitimate

• reward/cohersive

• expert

• referent

what is legitimate power?

derived from rank in formal hierarchy