CTL Communication & Feedback 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A team leader wants to improve upward communication. Which action best supports this goal?
- Implementing anonymous suggestion boxes and open-door policies (Correct answer)
- Holding more mandatory all-hands presentations
- Sending weekly status report templates to all staff
- Requiring written approval for all team decisions
Correct answer: Implementing anonymous suggestion boxes and open-door policies
Anonymous channels and open-door policies reduce fear of reprisal, encouraging team members to share concerns upward.
Question 2: When delivering corrective feedback, the timing principle of 'immediacy' means:
- Feedback should always be delivered in real time during the task
- Feedback should be given as close to the observed behavior as possible (Correct answer)
- Leaders should immediately escalate issues to HR
- Feedback meetings should be kept under 10 minutes
Correct answer: Feedback should be given as close to the observed behavior as possible
Immediacy ensures the specific behavior is fresh in both parties' minds, making the feedback more relevant and actionable.
Question 3: A leader uses the 'praise sandwich' frequently. A key risk of this technique is:
- Employees receive too much positive reinforcement
- The corrective feedback gets diluted and employees only remember the praise (Correct answer)
- Team members stop making mistakes altogether
- Documentation becomes harder to complete
Correct answer: The corrective feedback gets diluted and employees only remember the praise
The praise sandwich can cause recipients to discount or miss corrective feedback because it is buried between positive messages.
Question 4: Active listening in a feedback session requires the leader to:
- Prepare counterarguments while the employee speaks
- Summarize, reflect, and ask clarifying questions without interrupting (Correct answer)
- Take thorough notes on every word said for the HR file
- Maintain eye contact and nod to signal agreement with all points
Correct answer: Summarize, reflect, and ask clarifying questions without interrupting
Active listening involves paraphrasing, reflecting feelings, and asking questions to ensure full understanding before responding.
Question 5: Which scenario represents a 'communication breakdown' in team leadership?
- A team leader sends a project update via email and confirms receipt
- Instructions are given verbally but team members interpret them differently due to lack of clarity (Correct answer)
- A leader holds a debrief after a completed project phase
- Team members use a shared digital workspace to track tasks
Correct answer: Instructions are given verbally but team members interpret them differently due to lack of clarity
When the same message is interpreted differently by recipients, a communication breakdown has occurred due to unclear encoding.
Question 6: A cross-functional team member raises a concern outside their area of expertise. The leader should:
- Redirect them to focus only on their assigned tasks
- Dismiss the concern as outside their scope
- Acknowledge the concern, thank them, and follow up appropriately (Correct answer)
- Forward the concern to the relevant department without discussion
Correct answer: Acknowledge the concern, thank them, and follow up appropriately
Acknowledging and following up on concerns builds psychological safety and encourages continued engagement across boundaries.
Question 7: Non-verbal communication accounts for what approximate percentage of the total meaning conveyed in face-to-face interactions, according to classic communication research?
- Less than 10%
- About 25-30%
- More than 50% (Correct answer)
- Exactly 50%
Correct answer: More than 50%
Research by Mehrabian and others suggests that non-verbal cues (tone, body language) carry the majority of emotional meaning in face-to-face communication.
CTL Communication & Feedback 3
A team leader wants to improve upward communication.
Which action best supports this goal?