Quintanilla, Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
4. Job applicants should use the business letter format of written communication to write cover
letters for job applications.
5. Anyone being asked to write a letter of recommendation should be specifically asked if they
would be willing to write a favorable letter.
6. Process directives are a form of written communication that addresses changes in company
policies.
7. Written proposals should only include bulleted lists of objectives.
8. Interview data is a type of qualitative information included in business reports.
9. Email communication carries less formal expectations than written communication.
10. Thank-you notes should be sent after you have received a job offer.
11. Excellence in writing requires you to evaluate your audience.
12. Process directives are filed as official documents of organizational policy.
13. A workforce communication assessment is also known as an organization audit.
14. A workforce communication assessment is an inventory or evaluation of the communication
practices of the top management only.
15. Strategic planning is the development of a plan that emphasizes goals, initiatives, strategies,
and targets utilized to help employees strive for a shared vision and commitment to the
organization’s core values.
16. If Jake has submitted a report, he has submitted a written communication used to
summarize research or assessment findings to inform managers about important issues related
to business.
17. If Dion likes qualitative data, it is because these data are made up of numbers, percentages,
statistics, and surveys.
18. Jim and John are planning to use qualitative data in their report. These data will be made up
of actual words, phrases, responses to open-ended questions, and interviews.
19. Jorge needs information that is written communication that is presented with maps and
other visual designs to lay out a broader vision of where the company is going and what specific
strategies will be used in the near future. Jorge needs planning documents.
20. Raylynn was hired at her job because she had experience writing forms of written
communication used to send messages and make announcements to a variety of media
organizations, including newspapers, radio, television news, and internet reporters. These are
known as press releases.
21. Betsy has been asked to be the marketing member of the committee for the upcoming
homecoming dance off-campus that will benefit a major charity. To try to get a large turnout
and to raise a lot of money, Betsy has sent out messages and announcements to a variety of
media organizations, including newspapers, radio, television news, and internet reporters in the
area. Betsy has sent out workforce communication assessments.
22. People working in businesses and professional organizations rely on Twitter and Instagram
instead of email to communicate with colleagues and accomplish their work.
23. Donnie believes that it is important to strive for written communication and professional
excellence when using email. He’s right.
24. Twila believes that because email is an informal method of communication, professional
excellence does not apply to email. She’s right.
25. Unlike a high school or college paper, excellent written communication needs only a clear
general purpose and clear organization.
26. It is highly recommended that you develop an outline before you begin writing. Such an
outline will help you determine the organizational structure of your message.
27. Poor organization of your written message will lead to ineffective communication.
28. Clear organization of a written message alone will guarantee that your message will be
clear.
Quintanilla, Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
29. Excellence in written communication requires your audience to adapt to your message.
30. When writing, you should consider your audience, such as the reader’s place in the
organization, his or her level of understanding, and the amount of interest in and involvement
with the topic at hand.
31. When considering the audience for your writing, it is unnecessary to consider the audience
members’ interest in your topic because they will all have to read it anyway.
32. When Dexter is writing for his team, he should use “general language” because more
people will understand his message and he will reduce misunderstandings.
33. A primary audience is made up of other readers who may need or use this information.
34. Considering the KEYS approach, for some people knowing yourself means realizing that you
are not very good at editing your own work.
35. Typos on your résumé can lose you a job and typos on a report can cause you to lose
credibility.
36. Sentence fragments, inappropriate use of punctuation, and the like are considered to be
typos.
37. To achieve professional excellence, your documents and emails should be printed in black
and should be legible.
38. Downsizing letters are part of the overall grouping of planning documents.
39. Examining your strengths and weaknesses related to all aspects of your written
communication is part of the KEYS approach to excellence in written communication.
40. According to the KEYS approach, you should set a goal to improve your written
communication skills and realize that you need to make the improvements before any other
members of your team see your writing.
1. The second key (KEYS approach), to evaluate the professional ______, is essential for you to
become more audience centered and aware of how you are coming across to other people in
your writing.
2. According to the KEYS approach, you should become more ______ of whether your written
communication sounds demanding and/or negative.
3. The third key (KEYS approach) suggests that you should begin to think before sending out
memos and emails, and be much more aware that your ______ to perform and motivate can
affect your written communication.
4. General language is usually characterized as vague statements that can easily be
misunderstood, whereas ______ language makes precise references.
5. ______ serve as a form of written communication used in business and professional settings
to provide feedback to employees about how they are performing on the job
6. When Jacob uses employee reviews, he needs to keep in mind that they should be used
carefully to document ______ performance and areas for the employee to improve.
7. A ______ is a form of written communication used to provide a documented reference for
students and professionals.
8. A letter of recommendation is needed when a college/university or ______ requests one.
9. Thank-you letters can be sent via ______ (which is great for delivery speed), but we should
also think about how impressive it is to actually receive a handwritten note.
10. Jonathon likes to send ______, a form of thank-you letter used to remind employers of your
interview and to emphasize that you’re the right person for the job.
11. ______ should be reserved for communicating information that’s critically important.
12. Descriptions of new policies/procedures and changes to those already in place are types of
memos known as ______.
1. Describe a situation in which a company would be advised to release proactive media
writing.
2. What should be included in employee reviews?
3. Why is written communication important?
4. Bram is writing press release that he wants to catch the attention of media people and stand
out among the other press releases they receive. Identify the six strategies for achieving Bram’s
goal.
Ans: Answers should include the following: (1) Research your audience. Know who the people
5. Explain the difference between using general language and specific language and provide an
example of each.
6. Message presentation refers to that visual component. Explain the impact of carelessly
written communication.
7. Discuss why it is that memos should only be used infrequently.
8. Discuss how memos called process directives can be used.