Communication Skills Test - 1

Communication Skills Test: Answers with Explanations

1. When conversing with others,

A. I usually do most of the talking.
B. I usually let the other person do most of the talking.
C. I try to equalize my participation in the conversation.

Best answer: C.
Conversations should be a balanced two-way flow of dialogue.

2. When I first meet someone,

A. I wait for the other person to make the introduction first.
B. I introduce myself with a smile and offer a handshake.
C. When I first meet someone, I hug the person.

Best answer: B.
It's good to initiate the introduction and introduce yourself with a handshake and smile. If shaking hands is difficult, a quick head nod is a good substitute. Initiating the introduction with a smile and handshake (or head nod) helps build rapport.

3. I usually,

A. "warm-up" new conversations with small talk.
B. I usually avoid small talk and jump into more important matters.
C. I usually avoid starting conversations.

Best answer: A.
It's good to initiate conversations with small talk. Topics to warm-up the conversation might include a chat about the weather, news of interest, or impressions about the current activity (if you're at a meeting, staff party, or other gathering, for example).

Examples of conversation starters might be:
"It's sure warm today, isn't it?"
"Did you hear about the big accident on the freeway? Traffic's backed-up for miles."
"What did you think about the Blazers game last night?"
"This is a nice party, isn't it?"
"Could I get you something to drink?"

4. I usually,

A. Make an effort to remember and use peoples' names.
B. Don't pay attention to names as I tend to forget them.
C. Only learn the names of important people.

Best answer: A.
It's good to call people by name whenever possible. It makes a good, lasting impression, and it makes the other person feel important and special. To help remember names, try these techniques:

Repeat: After the person tells you his or her name, immediately use it several times in the conversation.
"It's nice to meet you, Bob."
"I agree with you, Bob."
"That was a great joke, Bob!"

Associate: Associate the person's name to something unique and special. You might:
Associate the person's name with a unique feature about the person. For example:
"Gilda has beautiful green eyes."
Think - "GG" - Green Gilda
"Jack tells funny jokes."
Think - "JJ" - Joking Jack
Associate the name with a visual picture. For example:
"Sandy" - visualize a sandy beach.
"Glenn" - visualize John Glenn launching into space.
Associate the name with a personal connection.
For example:
"Brian" - My uncle's name is Brian.
"Lucy" - I had a turtle named Lucy.
Jot: Jot the person's name down with an identifying description that will help jog your memory later. For example:
"Chuck" - tall; glasses; works in Accounting; has twin sister; runs marathons; new to Portland.

5. I_________ use courtesy words and phrases - "Please," "Thank you," "You’re welcome," "I'm sorry."
A. Frequently
B. Occasionally
C. Never

Best answer: A.
Regular use of these courtesy words and phrases is important to show politeness and build rapport.

6. I tend to

A. to be serious and don't smile often while conversing.
B. Smile all the time while conversing.
C. Smile at appropriate times while conversing.

Best answer: C.
Smiling when greeting people and at appropriate times greatly helps build rapport.