Visuals used to present data are useful to present information and concepts.
The statement of purpose for an analytical report is often more comprehensive than for
an informational report.
Because mobile devices aren’t particularly useful for collaborative writing and other
workplace communication projects.
The level of cultural diversity at a company will have little effect on business
communication at that company.
When preparing numerical tables, you should express all items in a column in the same
unit.
Using an informative title for a visual, such as “Demand Grows Exponentially,” will
make it easier for your audience to understand the main idea depicted in that visual.
The best opening for a positive message includes the single most important information
you need to give the audience.
Recruiters enjoy receiving rsums that allow them to search for information, as if they
were on a treasure hunt.
If you’re still in school, you should present your educational background in depth on
your rsum, since that is probably your strongest selling point.
When compared to social media, mobile technology will have relatively little effect on
the nature of business communication.
The three steps in the writing process are planning, writing, and completing.
When you deliver bad news about business transactions (such as a delayed order
shipment), you should always apologize to the audience.
Creating an emotional appeal requires the creation of a claim based on a rational
argument and solid evidence.
When you’re verifying design plans for a presentation, make sure that the visuals drive
the message.
The purpose of a rsum is to get an employer interested in interviewing the candidate.
Body language is particularly important during the warm-up phase of a job interview.
Conflict between persons or groups in an organization is always destructive and must
be avoided at all costs.
A routine message should never include negative information.
The more good information a candidate presents about themselves in the rsum, the
better, so list all skills and abilities.
An executive dashboard is a customized online presentation of highly summarized
business information.
The education section of your rsum should list courses that have directly equipped you
for the job you are seeking and indicate any scholarships, awards, or academic honors
you have received.
Gamification links the virtual world of online social networking with the physical world
of retail stores and other locations.
A prospecting job application letter should begin with a statement designed to get the
reader’s attention.
In a formal report, the index provides a list of secondary sources used to prepare the
report.
The amount of jargon you use in a message should reflect your audience’s level of
familiarity with your topic.
Blogs should be used to replace word-of-mouth marketing.
Although you should vary the length of paragraphs in your business messages, in
general you should strive for short paragraphs.
When selecting people to participate in a survey, the most critical task is getting a
representative sample.
The chief advantage of free-form slides is the ability to change the design from one
slide to the next.
Clickables are Twitter-ready bites of information extracted from a blog post or other
messages.
Electronic presentations do not necessarily eliminate the need for you to provide the
audience with handouts.
As a rule, your colleagues and customers around the world will use the same
communication tools that you use.
Using words that are familiar to the audience makes your messages more effective.
Destructive feedback offers criticism but does not stimulate improvement.
Using hashtags in microblogs makes it easy for people to track topics of interest.
Behavioral interviews require candidates to ________ when they answer questions.
A) respond to situations that are intended to unsettle them
B) create hypothetical responses to theoretical scenarios
C) limit themselves to “yes” or “no” responses
D) use their own experiences and attributes
E) work through job-related problems
Which of these is a good combination of type sizes for a typical printed business
document?
A) 8 points for regular text; 32 points for headings
B) 6 points for regular text; 32 points for headings
C) 18 points for regular text; 12 points for headings
D) 72 points per inch for regular text; 36 points per inch for headings
E) 10 points for regular text; 18 points for headings
Include a title fly with business reports when you want to
A) give the name of the company for which the report has been prepared.
B) add a touch of formality to the report.
C) protect the report from dirt and careless handling.
D) provide a page for the reader to make notes on.
E) send copies of the same report to multiple companies.
The CEO of a pharmaceutical company asks you assess the company’s adherence to
laws governing television ads for prescription drugs. The CEO has requested a
A) personal activity report.
B) work plan.
C) compliance report.
D) policy report.
In addition to offering information and analysis, ________ can also include
recommendations.
A) indirect reports
B) analytical reports
C) informational reports
D) directive reports
E) direct reports
If you request a recommendation from a person you haven’t had contact with recently,
you should
A) use the opening of your letter to refresh the person’s memory.
B) enclose a stamped, preaddressed envelope.
C) use the persuasive approach.
D) use the bad-news approach.
E) outline a draft of the recommendation for them.
When writing an application letter in response to a job posting what should be included
in the letter?
A) The types of research done on the organization
B) Areas where the organization excels in the industry
C) What excites you about working for the organization
D) The specific qualification you have that were identified in the posting
E) An explanation of what you understand the company to be looking for
Which of the following makes framing decisions particularly important when videos are
watched on mobile devices?
A) The viewer can scroll through uninteresting sections
B) B-roll footage cannot be included
C) The need for balance is increased
D) Small screens limit the amount of detail viewers can see
E) Filming at angles will distort the picture
The problem-factoring process involves
A) looking at a problem from multiple perspectives.
B) considering how to allocate blame for a problem.
C) creating problems instead of solving them.
D) dividing a complex problem into a series of logical, connected questions.
E) assigning various team members specific aspects of the problem to solve
individually.
The collaborative nature of wikis makes them suitable for
A) getting messages out in a hurry.
B) aggregating “crowd knowledge.”
C) replicating radio or video broadcasts.
D) distributing discount coupons.
In participative management
A) employees are involved in the company’s decision making.
B) all top-level managers participate in profit sharing.
C) teams are discouraged in favor of individual achievement.
D) an authoritarian management model is used.
Unlike structured slides, free-form slides
A) are completely random and have no design consistency.
B) don’t follow a rigid design structure.
C) use the same color for background and text.
D) contain extra-large fonts.
E) have a limited impact on the viewer because they lack imagery.
Which of the following is an effective way to develop messages for mobile devices?
A) As discrete blocks of information
B) As long paragraphs
C) In less than 25 words
D) Using horizontal organization
E) With several embedded links
If you’ll be presenting to an audience that doesn’t know you,
A) there isn’t much you can do to build your credibility.
B) present your qualifications at the end of your talk.
C) build your credibility as you deliver your presentation.
D) introduce yourself and note your relevant experience and accomplishments.
How is the visual balance of a message’s design similar to the tone of its writing?
A) Visual balance, like tone, can be too formal, just right, or too informal
B) Visual balance should always contrast the formality of the tone
C) Visual balance is subjective, whereas tone is always objective
D) Visual balance and tone are both objective, measurable qualities
E) Writers and readers rarely agree on formality, in either design or writing
Which of the following is an advantage of using an oral, in-person channel and medium
combination?
A) There is an opportunity for immediate feedback
B) There is no permanent record
C) There is increased control over the message
D) It is less tedious for the sender and receiver
E) There is less nonverbal interference
Which of the following can help you establish the goals and strategy of the message?
A) Mind mapping
B) Scope
C) The main idea
D) Outlining
E) The direct approach
Which of the following is needed when practicing business etiquette when in teams and
in meetings?
A) Mutual respect and consideration among participants
B) Integration of mobile communication and social media
C) Participative management
D) Creativity
E) Formal rules of behavior
A typical routine request contains all of the following parts EXCEPT
A) an opening.
B) a body.
C) an appendix.
D) a close.
Which of the following is a disadvantage of the social communication model?
A) Information flows in one direction
B) User needs cannot be addressed quickly
C) Excessive costs
D) The incorporation of hybrid approaches
E) Less distinction between professional and personal lives
Because phone calls lack the visual richness of face-to-face conversations, which of the
following can be used to convey professionalism?
A) Etiquette
B) Gestures and posture
C) Listening skills
D) Facial expression
E) Attitude and tone of voice
Which of the following is an example of a communication channel?
A) Email
B) Mobile phone
C) Letter
D) Memo
E) Twitter
Which of the following should your goal be during the interview process?
A) To explain what you are looking for in an entry-level position
B) To show how classes have prepared you for a position in your field
C) To determine your value in the market
D) To explore what type of positions would be most interesting to you
E) To explain how your general potential translates to the specific needs of the position
In a negative message, the explanation section should
A) distract readers with current events.
B) apologize for any inconvenience the message may cause.
C) lead readers to your conclusion before you state it.
D) establish common ground with the reader.
When charts and diagrams are too complex for a screen, how can a presenter still
incorporate them into the presentation?
A) Provide a copy in handout materials
B) Create a build slide to show each key point of the material
C) Replace them with animation that makes the same point
D) Discuss them without using slides
E) Use a hyperlink to access the original data
During which step of the writing process do you define your purpose and audience
profile?
A) Writing
B) Composing
C) Planning
D) Producing
E) Completing
A ________ is a logical interpretation of the facts and other information in a report.
A) referendum
B) correlation
C) conclusion
D) recommendation
As it relates to a formal business plan, the ________ defines how the company will
generate revenue and produce a profit.
A) marketing strategy
B) business model
C) action forecast
D) financial projection
E) white paper forecast
Unlike Internet search engines, online databases
A) can be accessed only from a library.
B) often provide access to various parts of the hidden Internet.
C) are rarely up to date.
D) do not require a subscription.
E) provide only peer-reviewed sources.
A ________ helps a potential buyer move through the purchasing process without
having to make an immediate decision; a ________ encourages a potential buyer to
make a purchase decision immediately.
A) marketing message; product push
B) measured response; content quotient
C) persuasive appeal; purchase message
D) marketing message; sales message
E) persuasive appeal; product push
Identify and discuss the eight factors you should consider when completing slides and
other visuals.
Identify when it would be appropriate to use jargon and buzzwords.
What are the advantages of using virtual meetings when the workforce is
geographically dispersed?
What are linear and nonlinear presentations? How are they organized?
Discuss key points of controlling the style and tone in a message.
What is brand socialization? Why is it important in business?
Describe the nine steps in the postproduction process.
Why is email losing its appeal as a primary medium for many companies?
Rewrite the following to make it a more active statement: “I was in charge of customer
complaints and all ordering problems.”
Discuss issues to consider before sending presentation materials to the audience ahead
of time.
When creating podcasts for business, should you script them entirely and read them
word-for-word? Briefly explain your answer.
How can a presenter limit the scope of the presentation and be sure to stay within that
scope?
In emailing a vendor for an update on the ship date of your order, what elements should
you include in the closing of your request?
Discuss the advantages to engaging early and often when considering responding to
negative messages.
What can be done to show team members you are listening when they are resistant to
ideas or change?
Why is it important to write messages of appreciation?
Discuss guidelines for writing an analytical report that focuses on recommendations.
What potential legal problem can result from writing a critical recommendation letter?