Exta Question Flashcards
A talent development (TD) professional has been asked by leaders of several departments to deliver a virtual training for a business software tool. There is little budget for this request and the reasons for the request are unclear. The TD professional is aware of some existing resources. Which step should the TD professional take first in response to this request?
Partner with the department leaders to analyze the business needs and propose a solution.
Explanation:
The first step for a talent development professional in response to this request is to partner with department leaders and analyze the underlying needs in order to propose a solution. Other choices jump straight to a solution rather than understanding the needs first.
As part of a training course, learners are required to participate in a discussion board that allows them to examine and discuss certain data. Which level of Bloom’s taxonomy does this activity best address?
Level of Blooms Taxonomy
Creating
Evaluating
Analyze
Apply
Understanding
Remembering
Explanation
The analyze level of Bloom’s taxonomy involves examining information, including breaking down that information into parts. The understand level involves comprehending the information, and the apply level involves being able to use the information in new situations. Both levels are below the analyze level. The evaluate level is higher than the analyze level and involves being able to make judgments about the information.
A manufacturing company needs to implement a training program to reduce operational errors but is reluctant to invest the time, money, and resources for the talent development (TD) team to develop the program. What is the most appropriate method for the TD professional to achieve buy-in?
Build a partnership with key stakeholders.
Building a partnership with leaders in the organization is the first imperative step for success. It involves understanding their overall business strategy and aligning that to the talent development solution. Determining why the company will not invest in employee development is not the best way to get buy-in. Analyzing the sources of operational errors and developing a SWOT analysis would occur after building a partnership.
A talent development (TD) professional is planning to deliver formal learning on a new human resources system to manage personal data. When choosing a content delivery methodology, what is the most important criterion for the TD professional to consider?
Target audience learner characteristics
Organizational needs are the most important aspect to consider in planning education. The other choices are appropriate criterion to consider, but are not the most important.
A talent development (TD) professional is creating presentation slides to explain how an engine works. What is the best way for the TD professional to approach including visuals and text on the slides?
Include explanatory visuals of the engine with descriptive text nearby that directly relates to how an engine functions.
Explanation:
Explanatory visuals with descriptive text placed nearby promote the greatest learning in the widest audience. Decorative visuals and irrelevant text distract from the learning objective. Removing text and only using animations is not the best solution for all learners. Placing visuals and text on different slides can split the attention of the audience, and is therefore less effective than putting both on the same slide.
Which statement best exemplifies the primary responsibility of a facilitator?
Ensure the training environment is conducive to learning.
Explanation:
Facilitators build consensus and agreement around decisions the group makes, and are accountable to the group. They are not meant to be experts in the content. Trainers and presenters are responsible for imparting information, with a goal for the audience to comprehend and retain
A participant is unhappy with the results of an assessment and meets with a talent development (TD) professional to discuss the results. The participant is very angry during the meeting. What should the TD professional do first to defuse the participant’s anger?
Acknowledge and identify the source of anger.
Explanation:
In order to defuse the anger, the talent development (TD) professional should acknowledge and identify the source of anger and agree to listen in order to find the cause, instead of just referring the participant to the participant’s supervisor. The TD professional should focus on the complaint, not on the person, and avoid being defensive.
In which situation would it be most appropriate to use a confidentiality agreement?
Sharing a client’s process with a third party
Explanation:
Confidentiality agreements are used to ensure trade secrets are not divulged because those who are privy to trade secrets may derive economic value from them. A client’s process is a trade secret and requires a confidentiality agreement before it may be shared with a third party. Subpoenaed files, client contracts, and needs assessments are not examples of trade secrets.
Which action is most valuable for ensuring that a project is managed successfully?
Share clear and customized updates on project progress with all project stakeholders and team members regularly.
Explanation:
For a project to be successful, it is essential to have a clear communication plan for all stakeholders. Therefore, sharing clear and customized updates on project progress with all stakeholders regularly will be essential. Sharing updates only when stakeholders ask for information will create lack of confidence among stakeholders about how the project is being managed. While it is very important to control costs, project management requires an equal focus on many other aspects such as timely execution and delivery, proper communication, risk management, and so forth. Avoiding adding any buffer time is risky, as all project factors are unlikely to be within a project manager’s control.
A talent development (TD) professional is coaching a group of managers in an organization. How could the TD professional best demonstrate active listening skills?
Ask the managers clarifying questions.
In active listening, the listener has a high level of interaction with the speaker, listening for content, meaning, and feelings. Asking clarifying questions is a type of interaction that exemplifies active listening. While encouraging the managers to act is a type of interaction, it is not as good a demonstration of active listening as asking clarifying questions because it does not particularly facilitate further understanding by the listener. Passive listening describes a situation in which the listener has no interaction with the speaker, such as listening to the radio or a podcast. Listening without interruption would also be considered passive listening. Attentive listening refers to a situation where the listener has some interaction with the speaker, such as listening for content in class or taking notes in a meeting.
A talent development (TD) professional has been asked to develop and implement employee engagement initiatives in an organization. Which approach should the TD professional use to ensure effective implementation of the engagement initiatives?
Emphasize engagement activities by keeping them distinct from daily interactions.
Explanation:
The talent development (TD) professional should ensure that managers are the primary drivers of their employees’ engagement. The TD professional should provide managers coaching on building engagement plans with their employees and tracking the employees’ progress, which will help the managers learn to be accountable for their employees’ engagement. The TD professional should measure engagement on an ongoing basis instead of relying exclusively on annual engagement surveys. The TD professional should weave engagement into daily interactions, making it meaningful to employees’ day-to-day experiences.
Which statement best describes the primary purpose of performance analysis?
To assess work environment and individual factors related to performance
Explanation:
The goal of performance analysis is to assess the work environment and individual factors related to performance (e.g., mindset, skill, disposition). Affecting the employee’s knowledge and skill is not a part of performance analysis. Determining performance measures is part of, but not the primary purpose of, performance analysis. It is too soon to identify training solutions, as the problem must be identified first.
What is the best approach for a talent development professional to use when implementing an organizational development strategy?
Focus on the whole organization and its interconnected parts, paying attention to how changes in one area impact other areas.
Explanation:
Systems thinking is important when implementing an organizational development strategy. Focusing on the whole organization and its interconnected parts is the best approach because it promotes thinking of the organization as a system and considering how some areas affect others. It is incorrect to focus only on training interventions, rather than choosing the right intervention for the need. The other choices focus only on specific areas of the organization without a broader systems approach.
Which is the best way to communicate the value of a training session to employees who are reluctant to attend?
Get senior management to endorse the training.
Explanation:
Leadership endorsement and advocacy is essential to sustaining support for talent development initiatives, programs, and activities because the rest of the organization will be watching and will take leadership’s involvement as a stamp of approval. Singling out the reluctant employees, attracting employees by offering rewards, and making training mandatory might increase the attendance but is unlikely to communicate the value of the training to the employees and convince them that it will be beneficial.
Which results best demonstrate a successful alignment of talent development initiatives to organization strategy?
Improved employee job performance
Explanation:
When talent development initiatives are aligned with organizational strategy, employee job performance will improve. While this may also result in reduced employee turnover or improved employee engagement, these results are not the best measures of success. Reduced operational cost is unrelated.
A talent development professional is developing a community of practice. Which factor is most crucial to the success of the community?
Obtaining support from senior leadership
Explanation:
Obtaining support from senior leadership is the most crucial factor to the success of the community because without it, employees are less likely to engage in the community of practice. Other answer choices are less important as they will not be effective if no one, or very few people, engage in the community due to lack of leadership support.
When defining outcome metrics for a talent development (TD) program, what is the best way for a TD professional to ensure alignment with business objectives?
Partner with key stakeholders to determine what program success looks like and how it will be measured.
Explanation:
When defining outcome metrics, a talent development professional should define expectations so that a return on expectations can be evaluated. This requires partnering with stakeholders to determine what program success looks like. Researching other organizations may be helpful, but will not be specific to the organization’s goals. Establishing metrics on concept recall does not include outcomes. ROI may not be the best outcome measure for the business objectives.
A talent development (TD) professional has been asked to determine the factors that contribute to a company’s shipping delay. Which analysis tool would be most useful for the TD professional to use?
Force field analysis
Explanation:
Force field analysis helps in identifying the forces that influence a situation. It help finds ways to strengthen the positive forces and weaken or eliminate the restraining forces. SWOT analysis looks at strengths and weaknesses (internal to the organization) and opportunities and threats (external to the organization). PEST analysis helps monitor external factors influencing an organization. Correlation analysis evaluates the data, resulting in a statistical direct correlation, inverse correlation, or zero correlation.
A talent development professional uses a dashboard to track learners’ skills then customize a learning pathway for career growth. Which type of analytics in the dashboard would best depict learners’ future growth?
Predictive analytics
Explanation:
Predictive analytics focus on what is going to happen in the future and is the best choice to use in the dashboard to depict future growth. Other choices would not show future growth: descriptive analytics focus on what happened, diagnostic analytics focus on why something happened, and prescriptive analytics focus on how to make something happen.
A talent development (TD) professional is implementing a major change to an organization’s employee development program and wants to build a strong partnership with management by demonstrating expertise as a systems thinker. What does the TD professional need to do to meet this goal?
Explain how changes in one part of the organization will affect the rest of the organization.
Explanation:
Becoming a systems thinker requires that a talent development professional show understanding of how changes in one part of the organization will affect the rest of the organization. Focusing on one aspect, such as a training solution, does not demonstrate understanding of the interconnectivity of various parts of the organization. Creating a process plan and providing data on how changes will benefit employees are part of change management but do not particularly demonstrate systems thinking.
Explain how changes in one part of the organization will affect the rest of the organization.
Lateral thinking
Explanation:
Lateral thinking or perspective shifting is the practice of considering a problem or opportunity from an unusual point of view (e.g., “How would a five-year-old view this?”). Benchmarking refers to studying other organizations that are best at creativity and innovation and bringing those lessons to one’s organization. Analogy thinking takes concepts from other industries or organizations and applies their best practices in a new context. Mind mapping is a visual thinking tool for capturing and linking concepts and ideas.
Which learning objective best demonstrates correct application of instructional design standards?
“Given a return service call, the customer service representative will be able to complete the appropriate section of an internal order form with zero defects.”
Explanation:
The correct statement uses audience, behavior, condition, and degree to formulate the objective. The condition is, “Given a return service call.” The audience is, “the customer service representative.” The behavior is, “complete the appropriate section.” The degree is, “zero defects.” Other answer choices are missing a degree or condition.
What is the best approach to take when developing a marketing strategy to promote the talent development function within an organization?
Create a comprehensive business case supporting the value of talent development.
Explanation:
A business case is the best way to help promote talent development (TD) as it helps an organization’s leadership understand the value of TD in supporting organizational strategy. The other choices do not provide the same level of understanding.
When should a talent development professional use a closed-ended question in a coaching session?
To get a “yes” or “no” answer from the participant.
Explanation:
Closed-ended questions require nothing more than a “yes” or “no” answer. They are most frequently used to get specific information or to reach agreement. Open-ended and Socratic questions are used to understand problems, examine ideas logically, and encourage participants to gain a deeper understanding of a situation.
A talent development professional is developing a business case for overhauling new employee onboarding procedures to be delivered virtually. Which statement in the business case most effectively conveys the need for change?
“We will be able to save the organization $50,000 per year in labor costs by requiring new employees to complete five virtual modules on their start date, instead of requiring them to sit in a classroom for two days.”
Explanation:
In a business case, it is important to use clear, concise, and influential business language. This ensures the reader understands the message. Overly formal language, informal language, or slang should not be used. The correct response clearly and concisely states the amount of the savings ($50,000), the category of the savings (labor costs), and change being made (five virtual modules instead of two classroom days).
Which action is most important for managers implementing individual development plans (IDPs)?
Explain the IDP framework and accountability to the employee
Explanation:
The most important role of the manager in the IDP process is to explain the framework and provide feedback. The employee maintains responsibility for completing the tool and keeping it updated. The manager is not in charge of initiating follow-up meetings or completing the tool for the employee. Helping the employee develop the IDP is not the most important step.
During a meeting with stakeholders, a talent development (TD) professional recognizes that one stakeholder’s nonverbal communication is demonstrating frustration. Which is the best action for the TD professional to take?
Display positive emotions.
Explanation:
The talent development (TD) professional can change the stakeholder’s impressions by expressing positive emotions for the stakeholder to mirror. It would encourage the negative emotions if the TD professional reflected the stakeholder’s tone. The TD professional should not respond to nonverbal communication with verbal acknowledgement or discussion, particularly in front of the group.
When analyzing an organization’s employee engagement program, a talent development professional finds it is unaligned and inconsistent with other programs. Which step should be taken to improve the employee engagement program?
Integrate engagement initiatives with organizational goals.
Explanation:
The talent development professional should propose that engagement initiatives be integrated into organizational goals to communicate the importance of the initiatives. Viewing the engagement program as a stand-alone program and making the program profit-driven rather than mission-driven are barriers to employee engagement. Highly engaged cultures integrate engagement into mission-focused business initiatives and also into individual goal setting.
A talent development (TD) professional has developed a proposal for a training program and submitted it for senior leadership’s review. Senior leadership indicates the program does not need to include focused development on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as the workforce is already diverse. Which is the best way to address this feedback?
Discuss the proposal with the leaders, describe how the content aligns with the program strategy, and share industry resources that support it.
Explanation:
Knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is important to advancing leadership strategies. In this case, the best way for the talent development professional to address leadership’s feedback is to continue to discuss the proposal with them, including how it fits with the program strategy. Other choices are incorrect because they remove DEI from the program and/or do not correctly use organizational strategy to influence leadership.
A talent development professional determines that influencers within an organization are resistant to change, resulting in an overall resistance in the company as their opinions have an impact on the opinions of others. Which organizational development theory is illustrated in this example?
Social network theory
Explanation:
The talent development professional’s conclusion is supported by social network theory. This theory focuses on the role of a social network to transmit information and influence within an organization. Complexity theory focuses on how systems impact collective behavior. Open systems theory refers to how organizations are affected by their environment. Cognitive theory focuses on how thoughts control actions.
Which type of data would be best classified as intellectual capital for a company?
Processes and standard operating procedures
Explanation:
Intellectual capital includes employees’ expertise, processes, standard operating procedures, formulas, and other intangible assets of the company. The other examples cannot be classified as intangible assets belonging to the company.
Which is considered an essential principle of a workplace diversity and inclusion organizational strategy?
It expresses the organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Explanation:
A workplace diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategy should express the commitment of the entire organization to D&I. As it should reflect the entire organization, it should not be developed from the top down. A D&I strategy establishes consistent policies and organizational systems rather than generic and holistic guidelines. It must become part of the organizational culture, not stem from it.
A talent development professional writes a learning objective that states, “On a call from a customer with a lapsed account, the customer service representative who has completed the ‘Introduction to Customer Payments’ program should identify the lapsed status and read the required compliance scripting in at least two of three calls.” Which element is demonstrated in the phrase “in at least two of three calls”?
Degree
Explanation:
In a learning objective, the degree is the criteria for performing the task appropriately. In this case, “in at least two of three calls” is the degree of the learning objective. Other answer choices are elements of a learning objective, but are not demonstrated in the phrase “in at least two of three calls.”
According to the constructivist approach, what should a talent development professional’s role be when facilitating a learning program?
Create opportunities for learners to experience and practice concepts in real-world settings.
Explanation:
In constructivism, learning involves carefully designed experiential opportunities like what learners encounter in the real world. Behaviorism states that positive and negative reinforcement shape behavior and learning, while cognitivism focuses on presenting information logically to learners so that they can understand and remember it
Design thinking relies most heavily on which characteristic?
Empathy
Explanation:
Design thinking relies on empathy to integrate the needs of employees with the needs of the organization. Loyalty may lead to the needs of one group being prioritized above another. Expressiveness and integrity are less important as they are not related to understanding those outside of the individual (e.g., the employees, the organization).
When designing a strategic plan, what is the best first step in developing the objectives once the strategic goals have been established?
Develop the specific tasks that will achieve the goals.
Explanation:
Objectives focus on details and provide more specific tasks that must be accomplished in order to achieve goals. Defining high-level organizational goals are not objectives. Action plans provide the critical details to achieve the strategies. They answer the questions of who will do what and by when as well as identifying key programs and initiatives, providing a timeline, and assigning resources to tasks.
