IS-242.c Answers (FEMA Effective Communication)

D. Restating in your own words the meaning of what you just heard. The course lists summarizing, using your own words (not parroting back what was said) and remaining neutral as the ways paraphrasing shows you listened.

False. The course says it is social media that provides almost instantaneous messaging to those who have access; print media suit information that is not time-critical.

True. The course's active listening techniques include entering the speaker's situation and imagining their frame of reference and point of view, which is empathic listening.

A. Are used to confirm facts or to stop a discussion. Direct questions require a simple yes or no answer or a statement of fact and are used to confirm facts or to stop a discussion; open-ended questions encourage interaction.

D. Emergency communications are designed to raise awareness and provide knowledge rather than provoke a desired response. This is the exception: the course says emergency warnings differ from other messages because their purpose is to elicit a specific response, not merely raise awareness or provide knowledge.

A. Vary the pace of your presentation and slow down for important points. The course's checklist for presenting to an audience is to speak loud enough to be heard, vary the pace, slow down for important points, use the pause and avoid a monotone voice.

C. Be sure disaster-related materials are written at 10th- to 12th-grade reading levels. This is the exception: an estimated 20 percent of American adults read at or below the 5th grade level, so the course says materials must be written at appropriate reading levels.

True. The course says you attend to nonverbal cues to gauge how your message was received, and to read your audience and be sensitive to nonverbal cues.

D. Resistance to change The course gives 'We've never done it that way before' as its example of the internal roadblock of resistance to change or automatic dismissal.

A. Speak in a normal tone and make sure your lips are visible. The course says not to shout at a person with a hearing disability unless asked, but to speak in a normal tone and make sure your lips are visible.

D. Newspaper article An approaching tornado is time-critical; the course says print media such as newspapers suit information that is not time-critical.

C. Look for changes in body language. The course says to watch for puzzled looks, since most people show it on their faces when they don't understand, and to look for changes in body language.

A. Enhances comprehension of the message content. The course's most effective tool reaches the target audience, gets information there when needed, delivers reliably, enhances comprehension of the message content and fits resource limits.

False. The course says to avoid answering your own question: wait a few seconds so someone can respond, and if too much time passes, rephrase the question.

False. The course says that even in its simplest form, communication is a two-way process shaped by both the speaker and the audience.

True. The course lists seeking the public's cooperation, instilling public confidence and providing information to help families reunite among the functions of emergency public information.

D. Use multiple formats and media to reach the widest possible audience. The course says it is wise to use multiple formats and media to reach the widest possible audience.

D. Places emphasis on the person instead of the disability. The course says to use people-first language, placing the emphasis on the individual instead of the disability.

False. The course says to present the speech aloud until it is completely familiar; even if you already know the material, extra practice helps reduce anxiety.

A. Using natural gestures and positive facial expressions. The course says to avoid barriers such as a lectern, avoid a fixed position, and use natural and spontaneous gestures and positive facial expressions.

A. Slow down and use shorter phrases. The course says to use a microphone in a large room, use short phrases and slow your pace, and lower your pitch to make your voice carry.

D. Magazine feature story A collapsed bridge needs immediate notice; the course says print media such as magazines suit information that is not time-critical, such as in-depth analysis.

A. Lead staff in a review of the Incident Command System. A staff review transmits specific knowledge in a logical sequence, which the course says informational presentations do; creating awareness, changing attitudes and garnering support are motivational aims.

C. The process of turning thoughts into communication The course defines encoding as the process of turning thoughts into communication.

D. Anything that reduces the clarity of the message The course defines noise as anything that reduces the clarity of the message, a barrier or attenuator to effective communication.

D. Syntactical noise The course's noise examples list syntactical noise as mistakes in grammar; semantic noise is different understandings of a word.

B. Physiological-impairment noise The course lists hunger, fatigue and headache under physiological-impairment noise.

B. Semantic noise The course defines semantic noise as different understandings of a word.

A. Psychological noise The course lists stress, anger or sadness in the moments of communication as psychological noise.

True. The course says a good receiver confirms what they decoded, not just what they heard.

C. 50% The course says that while 50% of the time should be spent listening, this often does not happen.

False. The course says hearing is a sensory experience that gathers sound waves indiscriminately; we can hear something without choosing to listen.

B. The ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process The course defines listening as the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages; hearing is the indiscriminate sensory experience.

B. Multitasking distracters such as text messages and email The course gives multitasking distracters such as text messages, email and social media as external roadblocks; the others are internal.

C. A setting with too many distractions This is the exception: the course lists a setting with too many distractions as an external roadblock.

D. Mental shortcuts that make thinking easier, which can lead to cognitive biases The course calls heuristics mental shortcuts, such as a rule of thumb or past experience, that can lead to cognitive biases.

D. Anchoring bias The course defines anchoring bias as the tendency to be overly influenced by the first piece of information we receive.

C. Confirmation bias The course describes confirmation bias as noticing messages about our preferences and discounting information contrary to our beliefs.

True. This is the course's definition of the Halo Effect.

False. The course says paraphrasing shows you listened by remaining neutral, expressing neither agreement nor disagreement, verbally or nonverbally.

False. The course says to use your own words when paraphrasing, not parroting back what was said.

D. Perspective taking, staying out of judgment, recognizing emotions in others and communicating that emotion The course describes empathy as perspective taking, staying out of judgment, recognizing emotions in other people and communicating that emotion.

B. Emotional contagion The course says emotions are contagious and that this phenomenon, known as emotional contagion, is caused by mirror neurons.

C. Mixed messages The course says that when nonverbal cues don't match the spoken words, the result is mixed messages.

B. Is well prepared and confident This is the exception: the course says mixed messages can indicate the speaker is experiencing conflict, is not sincere or is not committed to the message.

A. 2-10 inches The course says to use a microphone when in doubt and generally hold it 2-10 inches from your mouth.

B. Pause, take a breath and gather your thoughts The course says to pause (pauses feel longer to you than to the audience), take a breath and gather your thoughts.

B. Open-ended questions The course says that for encouraging interaction, open-ended questions are more effective than direct questions.

A. What, how, when or why The course says open-ended questions usually begin with what, how, when or why; direct questions often begin with is, can, how many or does.

False. The course says to acknowledge all responses positively and never judge a response or declare that an answer is wrong.

True. The course says questions should be clear, simple and concise, each focused on a single issue.

A. Use one standard message format for everyone This is the exception: the four key actions are clear and understandable content, delivery tailored to specific needs, alternate avenues for communication, and communicating with respect.

B. Clear, user-friendly and age appropriate The course sets the baseline that all communications should be clear, user-friendly and age appropriate.

A. Access to effective communication The course says a guiding principle for serving individuals with disabilities is access to effective communication.

True. The course says people with disabilities must be given the same information, and communication with them must be as effective as communication with others.

B. Sign language interpretation of spoken presentations The course's examples of alternate formats include sign language interpretation, video captioning and downloadable large-print materials.

B. 20 percent The course says an estimated 20 percent of American adults read at or below the 5th grade level.

True. The course gives this as an example of how eye contact has different meanings among different cultures.

C. 4 to 12 feet The course gives social distance for social and business transactions as 4 to 12 feet.

True. The course says the timing of verbal exchanges is culturally influenced, and in some cultures a pause before replying is polite and considered.

B. Be careful of jargon and abbreviations that others may not understand The course says to be careful of jargon and watch the use of TLAs and other language that may not be understood by others.

True. The course's tips for cross-cultural communication include being patient because it may take more time.

False. The course says to talk directly to the person with the disability; doing otherwise implies you doubt their ability to understand.

B. It is associated with separate and segregated services The course says to avoid terms that lead to exclusion, noting that 'special' is associated with 'separate' and 'segregated' services.

D. Identify yourself and others with you The course says to identify yourself and others with you, and continue to identify the person with whom you are speaking.

C. Place yourself at eye level with the person The course says to place yourself at eye level, for example by sitting on a chair or standing a little farther away.

B. Talking to the leaders of the cultural groups in your community The course says to network by talking to the leaders of the cultural groups in your community.

C. Food or water The course says information during an incident is as critically important to people as food or water.

A. By calming fears and managing expectations The course says people who know what to expect are more likely to follow instructions and allow responders to do their jobs.

D. Rumor and speculation quickly fill the information vacuum The course says rumor and speculation quickly fill the vacuum, and you must then also counter the misinformation that circulated.

A. Message source The course's message source factor covers who issues the warning, the credibility of the warning source and the level of trust in that source.

True. The course lists perceptions, meaning previous experience with a hazard and perceptions of proximity and risk, as a factor in warning response.

False. The course says that most often you will use a combination of high and low technology methods to deliver a consistent message.

D. They are interactive, letting participants voice questions and concerns The course says in-person communication is interactive, allowing participants to voice their questions and concerns and giving you the opportunity to respond.

C. The listener or viewer must choose to turn on the TV or radio The course notes that the listener or viewer must choose to turn on the TV or radio in order to receive the message.

C. Limited control once the message goes out The course lists limited control once the message goes out as a limitation of social media.

A. Clarity, specificity and consistency The course says that in a crisis, clarity, specificity and consistency are vitally important.

False. The course says to word crisis messages precisely, avoid jargon, codes and acronyms, and use common terminology.

True. The course says there is little distinction in practice and uses alert and warning interchangeably for messages to the public.

C. So that those without local knowledge can understand their risk The course says to describe where the impacts will occur so those without local knowledge can understand their risk.

C. An official source with public credibility The course says the warning source should identify an official source with public credibility.

B. They reduce delays and can be translated in advance The course says pre-approved templates can reduce delays in issuing alerts and can be translated into other languages in advance.

False. The course says not to delay important information for a scheduled briefing, especially if it impacts life and safety; release it as soon as possible.

B. Who, what, when, where, how and possibly why The course says materials should be focused, concise and informative and cover who, what, when, where, how and possibly why.

C. Create awareness, change attitudes or garner support The course says motivational presentations create awareness, change attitudes or garner support, using concrete and vivid language.

A. Reiterate the main points briefly and ask questions to ensure understanding The course says the conclusion of an informational message reiterates the main points briefly and asks questions to ensure understanding.

A. Providing the action step that you want the audience to take The course's motivational sequence is to open with attention, create a need, show your message satisfies it, use visualization, and provide the action step.

A. An average of twice in each sentence The course's practice tips include trying to gesture an average of twice in each sentence.

B. To either side of the equipment and screen The course says to stand to either side (rather than in front) of the equipment and screen and talk to the audience, not the image.

True. The course's PowerPoint tips include controlling attention by turning the projector off or making the screen black when not in use.

False. The course says dark colors such as black, blue, green, brown and purple stand out and are easier to read than pastels.

C. At least 1 inch tall The course says to use bold printing at least 1 inch tall because smaller letters are hard to read.

D. The top 2/3 of the board The course says to use the top 2/3 of the board because text near the bottom is hard to read, especially from the back of the room.

D. You are less in control of the content and flow, and they are hard to pre-script The course says interactive presentations give you less control of content and flow and are difficult to pre-script, so plan by anticipating questions.

C. About 70% The course says glossophobia is one of the most common phobias, affecting about 70% of the population.

True. The course lists knowing there is no perfect presentation, realizing audiences want the presenter to succeed, and knowing it is okay to pause.