Chapter 06 Communication



Chapter 06

Communication

 

Fill in the Blank Questions

 

1. In negotiations, language operates at two levels: the _____________ level (for proposals or offers) and the _____________ level (for semantics, syntax, and style). 

________________________________________

 

2. The use of _____________ ____________ is defined as when negotiators use positive words when speaking of their own positions, and negative words when referring to the other party's position. 

________________________________________

 

3. High levels of _____________ ____________ denote comfort and competence with language, and low levels denote discomfort, anxiety, or inexperience. 

________________________________________

 

4. Nonverbal communication—done well—may help negotiators achieve better outcomes through _____________ coordination. 

________________________________________

 

5. Researchers have been examining the effects of channels in general, and _____________ in particular, on negotiation processes and outcomes during much of the past decade. 

________________________________________

 

6. _____________ questions cause attention, get information and start thinking. 

________________________________________

 

7. _____________ ____________ involves receiving a message while providing no feedback to the sender about the accuracy or completeness of reception. 

________________________________________

 

8. _____________ - ____________ techniques allow negotiators to understand more completely the other party's positions by actively arguing these positions until the other party is convinced that they are understood. 

________________________________________

 

9. Achieving _____________ in negotiation is, in large part, making decisions to accept offers, to compromise priorities, to trade off across issues with the other party, or some combination of these elements. 

________________________________________

 

 

True / False Questions

 

10. While the blend of integrative versus distributive communication content varies as a function of the issues being discussed, it is also clear that the content of communication is only partly responsible for negotiation outcomes. 

True    False

 

11. Thompson et al. found that winners and losers evaluated their own outcomes equally when they did not know how well the other party had done, but if they found out that the other negotiator had done better, or was even pleased with his or her outcome, then negotiators felt less positive about their own outcome. 

True    False

 

12. Mitigating circumstances occur where negotiators explain their positions from a broader perspective, suggesting that while their current position may appear negative it derives from positive motives. 

True    False

 

13. Sitkin and Bies suggest that negotiators who use multiple explanations are more likely to have better outcomes and that the negative effects of poor outcomes can be mitigated by communicating explanations for them. 

True    False

 

14. Low verbal immediacy is intended to engage or compel the other party, while high verbal immediacy is intended to create a sense of distance or aloofness. 

True    False

 

15. High levels of language intensity are used to convey strong feelings in the recipient, while low intensity conveys weak feelings. 

True    False

 

16. A negotiator's choice of words may only signal a position; it may never shape or predict it. 

True    False

 

17. Manageable questions cause difficulty, give information, and bring the discussion to a false conclusion. 

True    False

 

 

Multiple Choice Questions

 

18. Define exonerating circumstances. 

A. Negotiators suggest that they had no choice in taking the positions they did.

B. Negotiators explain their positions from a broader perspective, suggesting that while their current position may appear negative it derives from positive motives.

C. Outcomes can be explained by changing the context.

D. Negotiators who use multiple explanations are more likely to have better outcomes.

E. None of the above can define exonerating circumstances.

 

19. Which of the following is not one of the five linguistic dimensions of making threats? 

A. The use of polarized language

B. The conveyance of verbal immediacy

C. The degree of lexical diversity

D. The extent of low-power language style

E. All of the above are elements of the five linguistic dimensions of making threats.

 

20. Gibbons, Bradac, and Busch suggest that threats can be made more credible and more compelling by using 

A. positively polarized descriptions of the other party.

B. low immediacy.

C. high intensity.

D. low verbal diversity.

E. None of the above can make threats more credible and compelling.

 

21. What are the most dominant contributors to breakdowns and failures in negotiation? 

A. Failures and distortions in perception, meaning, and feedback.

B. Failures and distortions in perception, feedback, and behaviors.

C. Failures and distortions in perception, communication, and framing.

D. Failures and distortions in perception, cognition, and communication.

E. None of the above contribute to breakdowns and failures in negotiation.

 

22. Questions can be used to 

A. manage difficult or stalled negotiations.

B. pry or lever a negotiation out of a breakdown or an apparent dead end.

C. assist or force the other party to face up to the effects or consequences of their behaviors.

D. collect and diagnose information.

E. Questions can be used for all of the above.

 

23. Which of the following are types of manageable questions? 

A. Close-out questions that force the other party into seeing things your way

B. Leading questions that point toward an answer

C. Impulse questions that occur "on the spur of the moment," without planning

D. Loaded questions that put the other party on the spot regardless of his/her answer

E. None of the above are types of manageable questions.

 

24. In passive listening 

A. the receivers restate or paraphrase the sender's message in their own language.

B. the receivers interject responses to keep communicators sending messages.

C. the receiver provides no feedback to the sender about the accuracy or completeness of reception.

D. senders may misinterpret acknowledgments as the receiver's agreement with their position, rather than that they are simply receiving the message.

E. None of the above occurs in passive listening.

 

 

Short Answer Questions

 

25. A communicative framework for negotiation is based on what assumptions? 

 

 

 

 

26. Having a BATNA changes which things in a negotiation? 

 

 

 

 

27. Define "reframing explanations." 

 

 

 

 

28. Define the "information is weakness" effect. 

 

 

 

 

29. What are the five linguistic dimensions of making threats? 

 

 

 

 

30. How can using the five linguistic dimensions make threats more credible and compelling? 

 

 

 

 

31. Some nonverbal acts, called attending behaviors, are particularly important in connecting with another person during a coordinated interaction like negotiation. Why? 

 

 

 

 

32. Define social bandwidth. 

 

 

 

 

33. What three main techniques are available for improving communication in negotiation? 

 

 

 

 

34. We know that role reversal can be a useful tool for improving communication and the accurate understanding and appreciation of the other party's position in negotiation. But when is it useful? 

 

 

 

 

35. As negotiations come to a close, what are the two key aspects of communication and negotiation that negotiators must attend to simultaneously? 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 06 Communication Answer Key

 

 

Fill in the Blank Questions

 

1. (p. 139) In negotiations, language operates at two levels: the _____________ level (for proposals or offers) and the _____________ level (for semantics, syntax, and style). 

logical, pragmatic

 

2. (p. 140) The use of _____________ ____________ is defined as when negotiators use positive words when speaking of their own positions, and negative words when referring to the other party's position. 

polarized language

 

3. (p. 140) High levels of _____________ ____________ denote comfort and competence with language, and low levels denote discomfort, anxiety, or inexperience. 

lexical diversity

 

4. (p. 142) Nonverbal communication—done well—may help negotiators achieve better outcomes through _____________ coordination. 

mutual

 

5. (p. 143) Researchers have been examining the effects of channels in general, and _____________ in particular, on negotiation processes and outcomes during much of the past decade. 

e-mail

 

6. (p. 145) _____________ questions cause attention, get information and start thinking. 

Manageable

 

7. (p. 145) _____________ ____________ involves receiving a message while providing no feedback to the sender about the accuracy or completeness of reception. 

Passive listening

 

8. (p. 148) _____________ - ____________ techniques allow negotiators to understand more completely the other party's positions by actively arguing these positions until the other party is convinced that they are understood. 

Role-reversal

 

9. (p. 149) Achieving _____________ in negotiation is, in large part, making decisions to accept offers, to compromise priorities, to trade off across issues with the other party, or some combination of these elements. 

closure

 

 

True / False Questions

 

10. (p. 136) While the blend of integrative versus distributive communication content varies as a function of the issues being discussed, it is also clear that the content of communication is only partly responsible for negotiation outcomes. 

TRUE

 

11. (p. 137, 138) Thompson et al. found that winners and losers evaluated their own outcomes equally when they did not know how well the other party had done, but if they found out that the other negotiator had done better, or was even pleased with his or her outcome, then negotiators felt less positive about their own outcome. 

TRUE

 

12. (p. 138) Mitigating circumstances occur where negotiators explain their positions from a broader perspective, suggesting that while their current position may appear negative it derives from positive motives. 

FALSE

 

13. (p. 138) Sitkin and Bies suggest that negotiators who use multiple explanations are more likely to have better outcomes and that the negative effects of poor outcomes can be mitigated by communicating explanations for them. 

TRUE

 

14. (p. 140) Low verbal immediacy is intended to engage or compel the other party, while high verbal immediacy is intended to create a sense of distance or aloofness. 

FALSE

 

15. (p. 140) High levels of language intensity are used to convey strong feelings in the recipient, while low intensity conveys weak feelings. 

TRUE

 

16. (p. 141) A negotiator's choice of words may only signal a position; it may never shape or predict it. 

FALSE

 

17. (p. 145) Manageable questions cause difficulty, give information, and bring the discussion to a false conclusion. 

FALSE

 

 

Multiple Choice Questions

 

18. (p. 138) Define exonerating circumstances. 

A. Negotiators suggest that they had no choice in taking the positions they did.

B. Negotiators explain their positions from a broader perspective, suggesting that while their current position may appear negative it derives from positive motives.

C. Outcomes can be explained by changing the context.

D. Negotiators who use multiple explanations are more likely to have better outcomes.

E. None of the above can define exonerating circumstances.

 

19. (p. 140) Which of the following is not one of the five linguistic dimensions of making threats? 

A. The use of polarized language

B. The conveyance of verbal immediacy

C. The degree of lexical diversity

D. The extent of low-power language style

E. All of the above are elements of the five linguistic dimensions of making threats.

 

20. (p. 140) Gibbons, Bradac, and Busch suggest that threats can be made more credible and more compelling by using 

A. positively polarized descriptions of the other party.

B. low immediacy.

C. high intensity.

D. low verbal diversity.

E. None of the above can make threats more credible and compelling.

 

21. (p. 144, 145) What are the most dominant contributors to breakdowns and failures in negotiation? 

A. Failures and distortions in perception, meaning, and feedback.

B. Failures and distortions in perception, feedback, and behaviors.

C. Failures and distortions in perception, communication, and framing.

D. Failures and distortions in perception, cognition, and communication.

E. None of the above contribute to breakdowns and failures in negotiation.

 

22. (p. 145) Questions can be used to 

A. manage difficult or stalled negotiations.

B. pry or lever a negotiation out of a breakdown or an apparent dead end.

C. assist or force the other party to face up to the effects or consequences of their behaviors.

D. collect and diagnose information.

E. Questions can be used for all of the above.

 

23. (p. 146) Which of the following are types of manageable questions? 

A. Close-out questions that force the other party into seeing things your way

B. Leading questions that point toward an answer

C. Impulse questions that occur "on the spur of the moment," without planning

D. Loaded questions that put the other party on the spot regardless of his/her answer

E. None of the above are types of manageable questions.

 

24. (p. 145) In passive listening 

A. the receivers restate or paraphrase the sender's message in their own language.

B. the receivers interject responses to keep communicators sending messages.

C. the receiver provides no feedback to the sender about the accuracy or completeness of reception.

D. senders may misinterpret acknowledgments as the receiver's agreement with their position, rather than that they are simply receiving the message.

E. None of the above occurs in passive listening.

 

 

Short Answer Questions

 

25. (p. 137) A communicative framework for negotiation is based on what assumptions? 

(1) The communication of offers is a dynamic process; (2) the offer process is interactive; and (3) a variety of internal and external factors drive the interaction and motivate a bargainer to change his or her offer.

 

26. (p. 137) Having a BATNA changes which things in a negotiation? 

(1) Negotiators with attractive BATNAs set higher reservation prices for themselves; (2) negotiators whose counterparts had attractive BATNAs set lower reservation points for themselves; and (3) when both parties were aware of the attractive BATNA that one of the negotiators had, that negotiator received a more positive negotiation outcome.

 

27. (p. 138) Define "reframing explanations." 

Outcomes can be explained by changing the context (e.g. short-term pain for long term gain).

 

28. (p. 139) Define the "information is weakness" effect. 

Negotiators who know the complete preferences of both parties will have more difficulty determining fair outcomes than will negotiators who do not have this information.

 

29. (p. 140) What are the five linguistic dimensions of making threats? 

The use of polarized language, the conveyance of verbal immediacy, the degree of language intensity, the degree of lexical diversity, the extent of high-power language style.

 

30. (p. 140) How can using the five linguistic dimensions make threats more credible and compelling? 

Threats can be made more credible and more compelling by negatively polarized descriptions of the other party and his or her position, high immediacy, high intensity, high lexical diversity, and a distinctively high-power style.

 

31. (p. 141) Some nonverbal acts, called attending behaviors, are particularly important in connecting with another person during a coordinated interaction like negotiation. Why? 

Because they let the other know that you are listening and prepare the other party to receive your message.

 

32. (p. 142) Define social bandwidth. 

The ability of a channel to carry and convey subtle social and relational cues from sender to receiver that go beyond the literal text of the message itself (see also Short, Williams, and Christie, 1976, who used the term "social presence"). Greater social bandwidth means that a channel can convey more cues having social, relational, or symbolic content.

 

33. (p. 145) What three main techniques are available for improving communication in negotiation? 

The use of questions, listening, and role reversal.

 

34. (p. 148) We know that role reversal can be a useful tool for improving communication and the accurate understanding and appreciation of the other party's position in negotiation. But when is it useful? 

This tool may be most useful during the preparation stage of negotiation, or during a team caucus when things are not going well.

 

35. (p. 149) As negotiations come to a close, what are the two key aspects of communication and negotiation that negotiators must attend to simultaneously? 

The avoidance of fatal mistakes and the achievement of satisfactory closure in a constructive manner.

 

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