Communication Foundations
This process involves sending, receiving, and trying to understand messages before everything falls apart.
What is communication?
This type of communication flows from boss to employee — often with zero context and urgent deadlines.
What is downward communication?
This barrier occurs when people only focus on what confirms their beliefs — basically 90% of internet comments.
What is confirmation bias?
Listening with your full attention — not your “nod every 8 seconds” technique.
What is active listening?
What nonverbal communication tactic did Caleb use to communicate with Dr. Johnston
What is his middle finger
This element determines how a message travels — usually chosen poorly and leading to chaos.
What is the communication channel?
Employees rely on this communication direction to warn bosses about problems… which leaders sometimes treat as “annoying emails.”
What is upward communication?
This happens when someone only hears the part of the message that supports their mood of the day.
What is selective perception?
Repeating someone’s message in your own words — the polite version of “Let me fix what you just said.”
What is paraphrasing?
What artifact does Dr. Johnston use to convey her personality?
What is her grinch mug
When someone interprets a message exactly how you didn’t mean it, this element failed.
What is decoding?
This informal, word-of-mouth communication system spreads information faster than WiFi.
What is the grapevine?
Using words the audience doesn’t understand is called this — also known as “corporate poetry.”
What is jargon?
Summarizing the key points of what someone said — usually because they talked in circles.
What is summarizing?
Which student is most confident in communicating his ideas?
Who is Jesse?
This part of communication includes facial expressions, gestures, and the RBF stare.
What is nonverbal communication?
When you stop paying attention during a meeting and start listening to the person next to you
What is selective attention?
Remembering a presentation and thinking of the positive feedback over how stressful it was to present
What is selective retention?
This technique acknowledges someone’s feelings without saying they’re right — a survival skill in arguments.
What is validation?
What example of nonverbal communication does Dean Harris use everyday?
What is a fistbump?
These four things — sender, message, medium, receiver — form the core of this model, which humans still manage to mess up regularly
What is the communication process/model?
Employees hide information, sugarcoat it, or leave out crucial facts — a behavior known as this delightful communication breakdown
What is filtering?
Two people using the same words but meaning completely different things is a problem caused by this concept.
What is semantics?
This listening level involves genuinely trying to understand someone instead of planning your comeback.
What is empathetic listening?
Is Dr. Johnston an introvert or an extrovert?
What is an introvert?