CSET Communication & Stakeholder Relations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project manager needs to communicate a major scope change to a skeptical executive sponsor. Which approach is most effective?
- Send a detailed email outlining all technical impacts
- Schedule a face-to-face meeting and lead with business impact first (Correct answer)
- Post an update in the project management tool and wait for a response
- Ask a team member to relay the information informally
Correct answer: Schedule a face-to-face meeting and lead with business impact first
For sensitive or complex messages to senior stakeholders, face-to-face communication leading with business impact is most persuasive and relationship-preserving.
Question 2: Which communication model best describes the process where a sender encodes a message, transmits it through a channel, and the receiver decodes it?
- Transactional model
- Linear model (Correct answer)
- Interactive model
- Constructivist model
Correct answer: Linear model
The linear (Shannon-Weaver) model describes one-way message transmission from sender to receiver through a channel.
Question 3: A stakeholder repeatedly misunderstands project updates despite written reports being sent. What is the FIRST corrective action a project manager should take?
- Increase the frequency of reports
- Assess whether the communication format matches the stakeholder's preferences (Correct answer)
- Copy more people on the emails to ensure accountability
- Escalate the issue to senior management
Correct answer: Assess whether the communication format matches the stakeholder's preferences
Diagnosing the root cause—a mismatch between communication style and stakeholder preference—should precede any change in frequency or escalation.
Question 4: In stakeholder management, a 'champion' is best defined as:
- An external consultant hired to oversee communications
- A stakeholder who actively promotes and supports the project (Correct answer)
- The project's primary budget approver
- A stakeholder with the highest level of influence
Correct answer: A stakeholder who actively promotes and supports the project
A champion is a stakeholder who advocates for the project, helping to gain broader organizational support.
Question 5: Which technique is most appropriate for managing a large, geographically dispersed stakeholder group with varying information needs?
- Hold weekly all-hands video calls for every stakeholder
- Develop a tiered communication plan segmenting stakeholders by role and need (Correct answer)
- Send a single monthly newsletter to all stakeholders
- Assign each stakeholder a personal liaison
Correct answer: Develop a tiered communication plan segmenting stakeholders by role and need
A tiered communication plan allows targeted, relevant information delivery to different stakeholder segments without overwhelming any group.
Question 6: Active listening is distinguished from passive listening primarily by:
- Listening without taking any notes
- Paraphrasing, asking clarifying questions, and providing verbal/nonverbal feedback (Correct answer)
- Allowing the speaker to finish before responding
- Focusing solely on the speaker's words, ignoring tone
Correct answer: Paraphrasing, asking clarifying questions, and providing verbal/nonverbal feedback
Active listening involves engaged behaviors—paraphrasing, questioning, and feedback—that confirm understanding and encourage the speaker.
Question 7: When a project manager identifies a stakeholder as 'resistant' on a power-interest grid, the recommended engagement strategy is to:
- Minimize contact to avoid conflict
- Monitor their activity without direct engagement
- Proactively engage them to understand concerns and move them toward support (Correct answer)
- Remove them from the stakeholder register
Correct answer: Proactively engage them to understand concerns and move them toward support
Resistant stakeholders with significant influence require proactive, targeted engagement to surface concerns and shift their stance.
CSET Communication & Stakeholder Relations 2
A project manager needs to communicate a major scope change to a skeptical executive sponsor.
Which approach is most effective?