This unit is four BASK lists, and the counts matter as much as the contents.
Elements of communication
The BASK names five: source; sender; receiver; message; feedback.
This is not the textbook transmission model. Encoding, decoding, noise, medium, channel, context and timing are not on the BASK list, and the distractors are built almost entirely from them. Note that source and sender are listed as separate elements.
General communication techniques: four
Planning communications; listening actively; checking for understanding; asking questions.
These are the everyday four. Anything more elaborate belongs to the specialized list.
Techniques for specialized situations: eight
Giving feedback; facilitating focus groups; facilitating staff meetings; using skits or storytelling; creating communication plans; translating technical jargon; facilitating communication from an anonymous source; informal communication.
- Eight specialized, four general. Reversing the two counts is the tested error.
- Giving feedback, storytelling, creating communication plans and informal communication are all specialized, not general. Asking questions and checking for understanding are general.
- Choosing a medium by richness is media-richness reasoning; the BASK does not list it as a specialized technique.
Elements of nonverbal communication: four
Eye contact; body language; proximity; gestures.
- Tone of voice is NOT one of them. Neither are pace, volume, silence, facial expression, dress or posture, however natural they sound.
- Written formatting and emoji use are not BASK nonverbal elements either.
The counts are the fastest way to eliminate a wrong option, because most distractors add or drop an item rather than replace the whole list. Carry in: five elements, four general techniques, eight specialized techniques, four nonverbal elements.