RSC PROGRESSION II – III Exam with Complete
Solutions
Joseph is listening to his direct report Brenda talk about her interactions with a difficult
client yesterday. Brenda: "I know that my customer wasn't happy about his product, but
he really took his frustration out on me. He assumed I was the reason for his discomfort
and spent 10 minutes berating me to my face with accusations, swearing, intimidating
gestures and even threats to try to have me fired. It was terrible." How can Joseph
respond to Brenda to practice effective communication? Select all that apply. -
ANSWER- Ask clarifying questions to better understand what she thinks about how the
situation went and how she feels about it.
Lean in toward her and keep eye contact.
Communicate compassion by saying something like, "I'm sorry this happened to you.
Dealing with customers like this one is so hard and can be really upsetting."
Why is listening important? - ANSWER- It lessens and relieves interpersonal conflict.
It increases productivity as everyone understands their common mission in a similar
way.
It helps people to feel valued and understood, which empowers them to bring their best
to the job at hand.
ALL ARE TRUE.
Select the three primary skills discussed in this lesson that will improve your ability to
actively listen. Select all that apply. - ANSWER- Ask effective questions.
Quiet the outside.
Quiet the inside.
Hilda is sharing important client feedback to her co-worker Johnny but Johnny is having
a hard time listening to and understanding what Hilda is sharing. He keeps thinking
about all of the emails piling up in his inbox that he needs to respond to. He's also a little
frustrated that Hilda thinks she needs to tell him this because he knows he's not to
,blame. He's the best employee on the team, their A player! What barriers to listening do
you think Johnny is struggling with? Select all that apply. - ANSWER- Distraction.
Selfishness.
True or False. Quieting your inside is more important than quieting your outside. -
ANSWER- FALSE
True or False. The tone, pitch, and volume of your voice are important components of
nonverbal communication. - ANSWER- TRUE
How does "open body language" look in practice? Select all that apply. - ANSWER-
Arms at your side or relaxed in your lap. Nodding head.
Appropriate eye contact.
For written communication, it is best to use active language instead of passive. Which of
these examples is active? - ANSWER- Julia told me about the problem.
Why is active listening better than interested listening? Select all that apply. - ANSWER-
Active listening understands the meaning of the other person's message, while
interested listening assumes you've understood correctly.
Active listening listens for both intellectual and emotional understanding, while
interested listening may only understand one of these areas.
True or False. In using persuasive communication to convince an audience to take
action, it is important to present a list of standard, one-size-fits-all benefits that you tell
everyone up front. - ANSWER- FALSE
What are the benefits of promoting healthy conflict? - ANSWER- All are benefits of
promoting healthy conflict.
Change and growth.
Stronger relationships.
, Increased innovation.
Higher morale.
Walter and Evan are in the midst of a conflict. Walter is concerned about how possible
solutions can be used to improve the customer experience while Evan wants only to
decrease costs and increase the bottom line. Though they disagree, they each give the
other person time to express their opinions. They are specific about their concerns, they
listen to each other, and they discuss how each person's ideas could be incorporated
into the final decision. After a long discussion they come to a decision that each of them
can get behind. What are some characteristics of Walter and Evan's healthy conflict
management process? Select all that apply. - ANSWER- Active listening.
Working together for a win-win.
Making sure the other person feels heard.
The five conflict styles are Avoiding, Compromising, Competing, _________ and
__________. - ANSWER- Accommodating. Collaborating
The first action in proactively promoting healthy conflict is to establish _________. -
ANSWER- Expectations
Which of the following is not an action used in proactively promoting healthy conflict? -
ANSWER- Giving it some time to blow over.
The essential ingredient in bad conflict management is confusing your _______ with
your _________. - ANSWER- Role/identity
True or False. The end result of conflict is to bring everyone to a place where they can
agree. - ANSWER- FALSE
True or False. It is OK to blame other people only when the blame is well-founded and
will lead to corrective action. - ANSWER- FALSE
Solutions
Joseph is listening to his direct report Brenda talk about her interactions with a difficult
client yesterday. Brenda: "I know that my customer wasn't happy about his product, but
he really took his frustration out on me. He assumed I was the reason for his discomfort
and spent 10 minutes berating me to my face with accusations, swearing, intimidating
gestures and even threats to try to have me fired. It was terrible." How can Joseph
respond to Brenda to practice effective communication? Select all that apply. -
ANSWER- Ask clarifying questions to better understand what she thinks about how the
situation went and how she feels about it.
Lean in toward her and keep eye contact.
Communicate compassion by saying something like, "I'm sorry this happened to you.
Dealing with customers like this one is so hard and can be really upsetting."
Why is listening important? - ANSWER- It lessens and relieves interpersonal conflict.
It increases productivity as everyone understands their common mission in a similar
way.
It helps people to feel valued and understood, which empowers them to bring their best
to the job at hand.
ALL ARE TRUE.
Select the three primary skills discussed in this lesson that will improve your ability to
actively listen. Select all that apply. - ANSWER- Ask effective questions.
Quiet the outside.
Quiet the inside.
Hilda is sharing important client feedback to her co-worker Johnny but Johnny is having
a hard time listening to and understanding what Hilda is sharing. He keeps thinking
about all of the emails piling up in his inbox that he needs to respond to. He's also a little
frustrated that Hilda thinks she needs to tell him this because he knows he's not to
,blame. He's the best employee on the team, their A player! What barriers to listening do
you think Johnny is struggling with? Select all that apply. - ANSWER- Distraction.
Selfishness.
True or False. Quieting your inside is more important than quieting your outside. -
ANSWER- FALSE
True or False. The tone, pitch, and volume of your voice are important components of
nonverbal communication. - ANSWER- TRUE
How does "open body language" look in practice? Select all that apply. - ANSWER-
Arms at your side or relaxed in your lap. Nodding head.
Appropriate eye contact.
For written communication, it is best to use active language instead of passive. Which of
these examples is active? - ANSWER- Julia told me about the problem.
Why is active listening better than interested listening? Select all that apply. - ANSWER-
Active listening understands the meaning of the other person's message, while
interested listening assumes you've understood correctly.
Active listening listens for both intellectual and emotional understanding, while
interested listening may only understand one of these areas.
True or False. In using persuasive communication to convince an audience to take
action, it is important to present a list of standard, one-size-fits-all benefits that you tell
everyone up front. - ANSWER- FALSE
What are the benefits of promoting healthy conflict? - ANSWER- All are benefits of
promoting healthy conflict.
Change and growth.
Stronger relationships.
, Increased innovation.
Higher morale.
Walter and Evan are in the midst of a conflict. Walter is concerned about how possible
solutions can be used to improve the customer experience while Evan wants only to
decrease costs and increase the bottom line. Though they disagree, they each give the
other person time to express their opinions. They are specific about their concerns, they
listen to each other, and they discuss how each person's ideas could be incorporated
into the final decision. After a long discussion they come to a decision that each of them
can get behind. What are some characteristics of Walter and Evan's healthy conflict
management process? Select all that apply. - ANSWER- Active listening.
Working together for a win-win.
Making sure the other person feels heard.
The five conflict styles are Avoiding, Compromising, Competing, _________ and
__________. - ANSWER- Accommodating. Collaborating
The first action in proactively promoting healthy conflict is to establish _________. -
ANSWER- Expectations
Which of the following is not an action used in proactively promoting healthy conflict? -
ANSWER- Giving it some time to blow over.
The essential ingredient in bad conflict management is confusing your _______ with
your _________. - ANSWER- Role/identity
True or False. The end result of conflict is to bring everyone to a place where they can
agree. - ANSWER- FALSE
True or False. It is OK to blame other people only when the blame is well-founded and
will lead to corrective action. - ANSWER- FALSE
