45) Storytelling is
A) inappropriate for professional communication.
B) acceptable in business, but only for messages organized in the direct approach.
C) an effective way to organize messages in a surprising number of business communication
scenarios.
D) none of the above.
46) When allocating your time among the three stages of the writing process, you should use
about a fourth of the time for planning, half the time for writing, and a quarter of the time for
completing.
47) All business messages have both a general purpose and a specific purpose.
48) The three general purposes of business messages are to inform, to persuade, and to
collaborate.
49) Even if nothing will change as a result of your message, you should send it if you believe it
is important.
50) Once you have established your purpose, it’s best to consider whether it is worth pursuing at
this time.
51) No matter how you feel personally about a situation, your communication should reflect your
organization’s objectives.
52) When analyzing your audience, you should ignore everyone except the key decision makers.
53) As long as your message is clear, the size of your audience should not influence the approach
you choose to take.
54) One effective informal method for learning more about your audience’s information needs is
to ask them directly for input.
55) When you get a vague request for information, the best way to handle it is to provide all the
information you can and allow the audience to pick and choose what is useful to them.
56) Skilled communicators include only the information that their audience has specifically
requested.
57) Accuracy of information is less important in business communication than in other types of
communication—everyone is busy, and mistakes are simply unavoidable.
58) When it comes to business research, online sources generally require more careful evaluation
than other types.
59) If you provide inaccurate information in a business message, the best course of action is to
say nothing and hope that no one notices.
60) Messages can be unethical simply because certain details have not been included.
61) As long as your message is clear and interesting, the medium you choose doesn’t really
matter.
62) As business communication models evolve, the lines separating oral, electronic, and written
media have become more distinct and easier to define.
63) In today’s fast-paced environment, traditional business messages rely primarily on graphical
elements, with occasional support from text.
64) Infographics refers to messages that combine powerful visuals with supporting text.
65) Despite the advantages of electronic media, the growth of electronic communication options
has caused great frustration for many audiences.
66) Face-to-face communication is the richest medium.
67) A real drawback of most visual media is that it requires skill to create effective images.
68) Poorly organized messages are unlikely to be effective, regardless of their content.
69) “Latest Investment Performance” is an example of a message topic, whereas “Poor
Investment Performance Continues” is an example of a main idea.
70) The indirect approach is best when your audience is likely to be skeptical.
71) Step one of the writing process is ________, in which you analyze the situation, gather
information, select the right medium for the message, and organize the information.
72) The final step in the writing process is ________ your message, which involves revising,
producing and distributing it.
73) The three general purposes of business messages are to inform, to persuade, or to ________
with the audience.
74) In addition to having a general purpose, each business message has a (an) ________ purpose.
75) During the planning step you need to analyze your ________, including its size and
composition, existing knowledge about the subject, and probable reaction to your message.
76) A good way to test the thoroughness of your message is to use the ________ approach and
ask whether the message answers who, what, when, where, why, and how.
77) Speeches, presentations, and meetings are all examples of ________ media.
78) ________ refers to the use of two or more media to craft a single message, typically some
combination of audio, video, text, and visual graphics.
79) Media ________ is the ability of a medium to convey a message using more than one
informational cue, facilitate feedback, and establish personal focus.
80) In deciding which ________ to use for a message to a manager in another department, you
should consider factors such as formality, confidentiality, feedback, time, and cost.
81) Good ________ helps readers understand and accept your message, and saves them time in
the process.
82) Your entire message supports, explains, or demonstrates your ________ ________—a
specific statement about the topic of your message.
83) The ________ of your message is the range of information you present, the overall length,
and the level of detail—all of which need to correspond to your main idea.
84) No matter how long your message is, you should limit the number of major support points to
roughly ________.
85) A positive email announcing a new, more convenient travel reimbursement policy should
follow the ________ approach for organizing messages.
86) Describe at least three of the tasks involved in developing an audience profile.
87) You’ve been asked to prepare a report on whether or not your company should consider other
health insurance providers. List four informal techniques for gathering information to include in
your report.
88) How can the journalistic approach help you include all required information in your business
messages?
89) Briefly describe how to meet an unfamiliar audience’s informational needs.
90) List at least three strategies to help ensure the accuracy of information you include in
business messages.
91) Briefly explain how the growth of electronic communication has become both a blessing and
a curse for business communicators.
92) Briefly define media richness, and provide at least one example each of a rich medium and a
lean medium.
93) Briefly explain the difference between the topic of a message and the main idea.
94) In preparing a letter to a vendor regarding a missing part of your order, would the direct or
indirect approach be preferable? Briefly explain your choice.
95) Briefly distinguish between the direct and indirect approaches to organizing business
messages.
96) What are the four tasks involved in planning business messages?
97) Explain each phase of the three-step writing process.
98) List at least three helpful questions to ask in evaluating the purpose of a message.
99) How can your audience’s level of understanding help you determine the appropriate amount
of information to include in a business message?
100) Briefly describe at least three factors to consider when choosing media for business
messages.