Section 14E - Face-to-Face: Speaking and Listening

Question 1

Spoken communication involves both speaking and ____.

Answer 1

Listening.

Question 2

What should an effective speaker control to create interest and improve communication?

Answer 2

Volume, pitch, pauses and speech rate.

Question 3

Vary your rate of speech to hold the audience’s attention and add emphasis. People can listen _____ times faster than the normal spoken rate of 120 words per minute.

Answer 3

Four to five times.

Question 4

Typically, is speaking louder or softer a more effective way to emphasize a point?

Answer 4

Softer.

Question 5

What should you remember when checking out a room to see how loudly you must talk?

Answer 5

That your voice will carry further when the room is empty instead of full.

Question 6

What is the use of higher or lower notes in your voice called?

Answer 6

Pitch. (Variety avoid monotone.)

Question 7

When speaking, the pause serves the same functions as ____ in writing.

Answer 7

Punctuation.

Question 8

____ is the art of expressing words distinctly. ____ is the ability to speak words correctly.

Answer 8

Articulation. Pronunciation.

Question 9

Why should you avoid mispronunciation?

Answer 9

Many people unfairly assume a mispronunciation reflects the speaker’s intelligence.

Question 10

What is the key rule regarding the length of a verbal communication?

Answer 10

Keep it short and sweet. (Be prepared, know what you want to say, then say it, keeping your purpose and audience in mind.)

Question 11

How much of our meaning may be communicated nonverbally through vocal cues, eye contact, body movement and gestures?

Answer 11

More than half.

Question 12

What most enhances the delivery of spoken communication?

Answer 12

Effective eye contact. (It lets listeners know you’re interested in them, lets you receive nonverbal feedback from the audience and enhances your credibility.)

Question 13

When speaking to an audience, it’s best to remain still behind a podium so you don’t distract from your message. (T/F)

Answer 13

False. (Feel free to move around. Effective body movement is free, purposeful and catches the eye of the listener.)

Question 14

____ are the purposeful use of your hands, arms, shoulders and head to reinforce your words.

Answer 14

Gestures. (They should be natural and purposeful, not distracting.)

Question 15

The time you have to prepare and the nature of the message can affect your choice of spoken delivery format. (T/F)

Answer 15

True.

Question 16

List three common spoken delivery formats.

Answer 16

1) Impromptu; 2) prepared; and 3) manuscript.

Question 17

Which spoken delivery format requires you to speak publicly without warning or on a few moment’s notice?

Answer 17

Impromptu. (It requires self-confidence, mastery of the subject and thinking on your feet.)

Question 18

Which spoken delivery format is the highest level of verbal communication, if mastered?

Answer 18

Impromptu.

Question 19

What does prepared speaking require?

Answer 19

A thorough outline - with careful planning, practicing and ample opportunity to prepare.

Question 20

Do you memorize a script for prepared speaking?

Answer 20

No, the words at the time of delivery are spontaneous and natural.

Question 21

Which spoken delivery format requires that every work spoken be absolutely perfect?

Answer 21

Manuscript.

Question 22

When speaking, what are the disadvantages of a manuscript briefing?

Answer 22

It can lack spontaneity, eye contact and body movement.

Question 23

Name the three types of speaking used in the Air Force.

Answer 23

Briefing, teaching lectures and formal speeches.

Question 24

What are the three qualities of every good briefing?

Answer 24

Accuracy, brevity and clarity. (Military briefings are concise and factual.)

Question 25

Which quality distinguishes the briefing from other types of speaking?

Answer 25

Brevity.

Question 26

In which of these scenarios would you use a briefing - to inform listeners about a mission, to direct listeners to perform a procedure, or to advocate a solution and lead the audience to accept it?

Answer 26

Use a briefing for all of those scenarios.

Question 27

You've just finished a briefing and are asked a question you cannot answer. What should you do?

Answer 27

Admit you don't know the answer and offer to provide it later.

Question 28

What is the instruction method used most often in the Air Force?

Answer 28

The teaching lecture.

Question 29

Formal lectures are generally one-way, with no verbal participation by students. How do informal lectures differ?

Answer 29

They have smaller audiences and permit verbal interaction between the instructor and students.

Question 30

What are the three basic purposes of a formal speech?

Answer 30

To inform, persuade or entertain.

Question 31

The ____ speech is a narration about a specific topic, but it isn't a sustained effort to teach.

Answer 31

Informative speech.

Question 32

What type of formal speech moves an audience to believe in or take action on a topic?

Answer 32

Persuasive speech.

Question 33

The ____ speech often relies on humor and vivid language.

Answer 33

Entertaining speech.

Question 34

An orientation talk and presentation at commander's call are examples of which type of formal speech?

Answer 34

Informative speech.

Question 35

A speech at a Dining-Out is an example of which type of formal speech?

Answer 35

Entertaining speech.

Question 36

Recruiting speeches and court-martial summations are examples of which type of formal speech?

Answer 36

Persuasive speech.

Question 37

____ occurs when your ears pick up sound waves transmitted by a speaker or other source.

Answer 37

Hearing. (It doesn't require consciously decoding information.)

Question 38

____ makes sense out of what is transmitted to your ears by sound waves.

Answer 38

Listening.

Question 39

What steps does active listening require?

Answer 39

Hearing, comprehending, evaluating and remembering the message.

Question 40

Why is effective listening especially important in the Air Force?

Answer 40

Because any miscommunication is potentially catastrophic. (It also helps build trust and mutual respect and helps leaders make better decisions and create a stronger bond with their Airmen.)

Question 41

Appropriate listening behaviors in one situation may be inappropriate in another. (T/F)

Answer 41

True.

Question 42

What are the three types of listening?

Answer 42

Informative, critical ad empathetic.

Question 43

What is the listeners' primary concern in informative listening?

Answer 43

Understanding information exactly as it is transmitted.

Question 44

List several ways to improve your informative listening skills.

Answer 44

1) Keep an open mind; 2) listen as if you had to teach it; 3) take notes (focus on the main points); 4) respond and ask appropriate questions (clarify and confirm); and 5) exploit the time gap between thinking and speaking speeds.

Question 45

Critical listening is the sum of informative listening and what?

Answer 45

Critical thinking. (Actively analyze and evaluate the speaker's message.)

Question 46

In informative listening, listen as if you had to teach it. How does this differ from critical listening?

Answer 46

In critical listening, listen as though you had to grade it.

Question 47

In informative listening, ask questions to clarify and confirm. What type of questions should you ask during critical listening?

Answer 47

Questions that probe and evaluate the intellectual content.

Question 48

Even when you're listening critically, you shouldn't mentally argue with the speaker until the message is finished. (T/F)

Answer 48

True.

Question 49

What type of listening do you use when communication is emotional or the relationship between speaker and listener is as important as the message?

Answer 49

Empathic listening.

Question 50

Empathic listening is often the last step in the listening process. (T/F)

Answer 50

False. (It is often the first step, a prerequisite to informational or critical listening.)

Question 51

Which type of listening is appropriate when evaluating a subordinate's capabilities?

Answer 51

Critical listening. (It is also appropriate when seeking input on a decision or conducting research.)

Question 52

Which type of listening is appropriate during mentoring and nonpunitive counseling sessions?

Answer 52

Empathic listening.(Also when communicating with family members.)