CTC Communication Skills & Conflict Resolution 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A team coach notices two members consistently interrupting each other during meetings. Which intervention best addresses the underlying communication dynamic?
- Assign speaking turns by role seniority
- Introduce a team agreement on listening before responding (Correct answer)
- Remove both members from future discussions
- Report the behavior to senior management
Correct answer: Introduce a team agreement on listening before responding
Team agreements create shared accountability for communication norms without imposing hierarchy.
Question 2: In the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, which style is characterized by high assertiveness and high cooperativeness?
- Avoiding
- Competing
- Collaborating (Correct answer)
- Compromising
Correct answer: Collaborating
Collaborating seeks a win-win outcome by fully addressing the needs of both parties.
Question 3: A team is experiencing tension after a failed project. A coach uses 'retrospective communication' primarily to:
- Assign blame for specific failures
- Extract lessons that improve future team interactions (Correct answer)
- Document grievances for HR review
- Evaluate individual performance metrics
Correct answer: Extract lessons that improve future team interactions
Retrospective communication focuses on learning and forward improvement rather than assigning fault.
Question 4: When a conflict arises between a team member's personal values and team goals, a CTC coach should first:
- Advise the member to subordinate personal values to team goals
- Explore the nature of the tension through open questioning (Correct answer)
- Escalate to HR immediately
- Remove the member from goal-setting discussions
Correct answer: Explore the nature of the tension through open questioning
Exploring the tension through dialogue respects the individual and can surface valuable insights for the team.
Question 5: Which communication approach does NVC (Nonviolent Communication) prioritize when expressing a conflict?
- Stating judgments about the other party's motives
- Describing observations, feelings, needs, and requests (Correct answer)
- Using authoritative language to set firm boundaries
- Summarizing the conflict for a neutral third party
Correct answer: Describing observations, feelings, needs, and requests
NVC's four-component model separates observation from evaluation and links feelings to unmet needs.
Question 6: A team coach observes that a remote team's video calls are dominated by one time zone group. The most systemic solution is to:
- Limit speaking time for the dominant group
- Rotate meeting times and use asynchronous tools to balance participation (Correct answer)
- Require all members to adjust to a single schedule
- Have the coach speak on behalf of underrepresented members
Correct answer: Rotate meeting times and use asynchronous tools to balance participation
Rotating schedules and asynchronous tools structurally distribute inclusion rather than relying on individual restraint.
Question 7: During a conflict mediation session, a coach remains silent for 15 seconds after a team member finishes speaking. This technique is known as:
- Active disengagement
- Strategic pausing to encourage deeper reflection (Correct answer)
- Passive avoidance of the issue
- Nonverbal disagreement with the speaker
Correct answer: Strategic pausing to encourage deeper reflection
Deliberate silence after a statement invites deeper thinking and often prompts the speaker to expand on their real concern.
CTC Communication Skills & Conflict Resolution 2
A team coach notices two members consistently interrupting each other during meetings.
Which intervention best addresses the underlying communication dynamic?