A justification report is an internal report designed to persuade top management to
approve a proposed investment or project.
Improving your communication skills may be the single most important step you can
take in your career.
Ethical businesspeople view persuasion as a way to align their own interests with what
is best for the audience.
Using simple language in persuasive messages usually increases your credibility with a
skeptical audience.
Meeting minutes are a summary of important information shared during a meeting and
a record of decisions made.
A conversational tone is not appropriate for most business messages.
To draw attention to important points or terms italic type is more effective than
boldface.
Writing “teasers” on microblogging sites can be effective, as long as the payoffs to
which they lead are valuable and legitimate.
Human or technological interventions between the sender and the receiver can block or
distort messages.
Guiding users to the best material for their needs can be done through the use of content
curation sites.
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge others based on your own personal standards
and beliefs.
Firms on the leading edge of the mobile revolution are hesitant to integrate mobile
technology in their organizations.
Presentation software will ensure the audience can correctly view the presentation
regardless of the size and type of screen being used.
If your proposal is solicited, follow the instructions in the RFP.
Ethical communication is true in every sense and includes all relevant information.
Screencasting allows you to capture what takes place on your screen and create a video
that you can email to other users, so they can view how to use software programs.
Overhead transparencies are old-fashioned visuals that are no longer used in business
presentations.
Companies that are succeeding in social media use a “we talk, you listen” approach to
communication.
It is as important to appear to be fair as it is to actually be fair.
Presentations offer important opportunities for you to put all your communication skills
on display.
People are often judged based on the way they dress.
The personal mobile devices of employees always have the same level of security as
those devices issued by the company.
The components of a formal proposal are entirely different from those of other formal
reports.
When designing a communication for a mobile device, white space should be increased.
Use the direct approach for negative messages, if the message will have a relatively
minor impact on the audience.
Using iTunes to distribute podcasts is unrealistic for most organizations.
The Statistical Abstract of the United States provides access to more than 750
periodicals and newsletters that focus on specific trades or industries.
When you’re preparing an online message, you can assume that no one but your
intended audience will see it.
Because they contain more textual information than structured slides, free-form slides
require less preparation and practice on the part of the speaker.
Policy statements or procedural changes are generally neutral, so readers will not react
emotionally to them.
In line charts showing trends, the vertical axis indicates time or quantity, and the
horizontal axis indicates amount.
Online presentations nurture “human moments” that travel across the digital divide with
ease.
When you edit someone else’s work without knowing their goal, you run the risk of
making the piece less effective.
Respecting the chain of command is an important element of effective email messages.
The primary goal of empathic listening is to solve the speaker’s problem.
Successful marketing and sales messages match the product’s selling points to the
audience’s primary needs or emotional concerns.
Messaging systems range from semi-public systems such as standard text messaging on
mobile phones, to private systems that are closed to anyone outside of invited members.
Website designers use the term informative nomenclature to describe the content,
structure, labeling, and navigational flow of all the parts of a website.
Which of the following should be used if you want to show how the composition of
something has changed over time?
A) Surface chart
B) Line chart
C) Data visualization
D) Infographics
E) Bar charts
A presenter who is using free-form slides is
A) released from the constraints of place and time.
B) responsible for conveying more of the content.
C) more likely to present complex subjects in a cohesive, integrated manner.
D) able to rely on each slide to function as a multimedia teleprompter.
E) no longer the focus of attention because the slides are.
When writing to ask for a settlement, which type of routine message should you write?
A) A recommendation
B) A claim
C) A reference
D) Request for adjustment
E) A good will message
When responding to rumors and countering negative information in a social media
environment, a company should NOT
A) engage customers early and often.
B) monitor online conversations.
C) rely on its reputation to protect it.
D) respond appropriately and professionally.
When responding to a customer’s complaint about one of your company’s services, you
should
A) soften the situation with excuses such as “Nobody’s perfect” or “Mistakes will
happen.”
B) use a generous, grudging tone.
C) use a standard form letter with blanks left for filling in unique information in neat
handwriting.
D) avoid blaming anyone in your organization by name.
E) identify who is specifically to blame.
According to your textbook, structured presentation slides are usually the best choice
for
A) persuasive presentations.
B) educational presentations.
C) routine informative presentations.
D) motivational presentations.
E) small, persuasive presentations.
When writing a routine message, how is the explanation developed?
A) As a series of questions
B) As an outgrowth of your opening remarks
C) As an act of persuasion
D) As indirectly as possible
E) As a specific request that includes deadlines
Legends should be included with
A) controversial reports.
B) all visuals in business reports.
C) complex graphs.
D) visuals that do not use color for emphasis.
E) infographics in the report.
The opening of a request for a recommendation should include
A) a buffer statement to distract the reader.
B) a statement implying that you’re applying for a position.
C) a statement on why the recommendation is needed.
D) an apology for bothering the reader.
E) a statement about the skills you would like emphasized in the recommendation.
What do many U.S. companies expect from employees, even those who work in teams
and collaborative settings?
A) Group harmony
B) Equality
C) Consistent communication style
D) Group success
E) Individualism
Which of the following is a tool that allows the presenter to view all presentation slides
on one screen?
A) Slide transition
B) Hyperlink
C) Builds
D) Slide sorter
E) Animation
Specialty typefaces such as Bauhaus, Stencil, or Calligraphic are
A) the default typeface for routine business messages.
B) easy to read in long blocks of text.
C) rarely used in business communication.
D) preferred for highly formal business messages.
Why is it important to learn a few key phrases in the language of a colleague in another
country?
A) To help determine the nature of ethics and values
B) To better learn about the economic and business institutions
C) To indicate you are committed to the business relationship
D) To increase your understanding of religious beliefs
E) To better assess political patterns
Which of the following is an important consideration when using digital media?
A) Printing costs
B) Using technology tools wisely
C) Incompatible hardware
D) Revision costs
E) Availability of the technology
Which of the following is an advantage of delivering a report or proposal in person?
A) The ability to request a follow up meeting
B) The opportunity to introduce the report or proposal
C) The elimination of computer viruses
D) An opportunity to highlight additional web-based content
E) Time to review the contents of the report or proposal
Which nonverbal signal indicates the intensity of feelings and conveys emotions?
A) Time and space
B) Slouching
C) Personal appearance
D) Touch
E) Facial expression
Which of the following should be incorporated into a persuasive message to make it as
effective as possible?
A) Demographics
B) Audience’s interest in being motivated
C) Audience’s desires and interests
D) Issues of safety and security
E) An authentic expression of appreciation
Consider the following statement: “Our profits, which have been disappointing, are
only part of the total picture.” This statement uses a ________ to deliver negative news.
A) mixed metaphor
B) parenthetical expression
C) deflective reference
D) contingent modifier
Which of the following will help a reader navigate a document more easily?
A) Visuals
B) A formal tone
C) An introduction
D) A strong closing section
E) Headings and links
________ is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and
norms for behavior.
A) Attitude
B) Culture
C) Disposition
D) Preference
What are the steps in the three-step writing process?
A) Writing, proofing, and distributing
B) Planning, writing, and completing
C) Analysis, commitment, and implementation
D) Writing, adapting, and composing
E) Analysis, gathering, and organizing
Effective business writers use ________ to help readers prepare for upcoming
information and ________ to help them verify and clarify what they’ve just read.
A) introductions; conclusions
B) previews; reviews
C) synopses; executive summaries
D) headings; subheadings
E) executive summaries; reviews
In addition to being a request, a request for proposals (RFP) is ________ that provides
potential bidders with the information they need to compose effective proposals.
A) an actionable effort
B) a comprehensive document
C) an analytical report
D) an informational report
E) an indirect report
When you need to revise a long, complex document
A) start the process as soon as you’ve finished your first draft.
B) start by focusing on misspelled words and grammar errors.
C) save time by multitasking while you’re revising the document.
D) try to put your draft aside for a couple of days before you start.
In which way do performance reviews help an employee develop a personal plan to
ensure continued performance?
A) By documenting evidence of performance
B) By clarifying job requirements
C) By eliminating the need for disciplinary action
D) To avoid disputes about pay and promotions
E) To identify areas of greatest interest to the employee
Which type of report is an annual tax report?
A) Monitor
B) Operating
C) Activity
D) Compliance
E) Policy
________ is the practice of assigning a wide range of generalized attributes to an
individual based on his or her membership in a particular culture or social group.
A) Xenophobia
B) Ethnocentrism
C) Stereotyping
D) Cultural pluralism
Which of the following can be done to edit a document for conciseness?
A) Clarify awkward references
B) Clarify sentence structure
C) Replace camouflaged verbs
D) Delete unnecessary words and phrases
E) Impose parallelism
What is a word’s denotative meaning?
A) The feelings associated with a word
B) Its literal meaning
C) An expression of a quality or characteristic
D) A broad, encompassing category of ideas
E) Its ability to stand for something that cannot be seen or touched
Which of the following microblog practice is similar to the content curation capabilities
of a blog?
A) Hashtags
B) Crowdsourcing
C) Links to Wikis
D) Retweeting or forwarding messages
E) Sandboxing
Which of the following should the close of a routine reply include if follow-up action is
needed?
A) A sincere thank you
B) A detailed explanation of why the follow-up is needed
C) A clear statement of who will do what and when
D) An acknowledgement of the help the audience will give in the follow-up
E) Details of the follow-up action needed
List three functions of the close in a business report.
List three techniques for deemphasizing bad news.
What is the difference between tone and style in business writing?
Discuss the advantages of using email as a primary medium of communication.
How can businesses use social networking to support collaboration?
Discuss the elements of effective document design.
Briefly describe the three tasks an effective closing to a presentation should accomplish
and give an example of a sentence that would be an ineffective ending.
Explain the dual purposes of employment interviews.
What are emoticons? Why are they controversial in business communication?
Identify and discuss five elements that characterize credible, professional report
content.
Discuss elements of building credibility with the audience.
Briefly explain the difference between primary research and secondary research.
Identify and explain the five steps in the listening process.
Identify the typical sequence of employment interviews and describe what employers
tend to look for at each stage.
Why is it important to revise the first draft of your writing?