Previews, transitions, and reviews are less important in podcasts than are other methods
of digital communication.
The social networking aspect of microblogs makes them good for asking one’s
followers for input or advice.
A survey is considered valid if it measures what it was intended to measure.
One way to overcome anxiety before a presentation is to practice until the presentation
is perfect.
You should never ask to see the location for your presentation in advance, since doing
so shows a lack of confidence.
Including visuals in your report or presentation is a particularly powerful way to
communicate with a culturally diverse audience.
Within a business context, a community manager writes software code for corporate
social media networks.
Using builds can help prevent your audience from reading ahead during your
presentation.
The concept of cultural competency applies when a person becomes such an expert in
his or her culture that most communication is largely automatic.
Business reports don’t require a work plan.
Preparing visual content for smartphones does not differ from preparing visual content
for a laptop or a desktop computer.
In business reports, it is never appropriate to combine the direct and indirect approaches
by revealing conclusions and recommendations as you go along.
The statement of purpose for analytical reports will usually need to be more
comprehensive than one for informational reports.
Email makes it easy to express emotion in an accurate and appropriate way.
Data visualization is focused on extracting broad meaning from data (rather than on
clarifying individual data points).
A compound sentence contains one main thought (independent clause) and one or more
subordinate thoughts (dependent clauses).
Adopting a “you” attitude in business writing is simply a matter of using the pronoun
“you” as much as possible.
People are aware of their own cultural biases.
Storytelling should be avoided when giving a presentation on important material.
Because a rsum is usually written in short, crisp phrases, proofreading is less important
than in other documents.
Colors have the same meaning in all cultures.
To avoid awkward situations, it is best to deliver bad news for employees in writing
whenever possible.
Compelling headlines are an essential tool for drawing in readers.
Bars in a bar chart should always be aligned horizontally.
Business communicators use a wide range of specialized and private social networks, in
addition to public networks.
Today’s employers want all jobseekers to submit video rsums.
In the final paragraph of an application letter, be sure to inject additional evidence of
your knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Topical organization is rarely used when creating informational reports.
When you’re composing the requirements section of a request for proposals (RFP), you
can assume that bidders will understand the conventions and protocols of your industry.
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.
If you have to compose a negative message, keep in mind that your audience will be
indifferent to what you have to say.
Critical thinking includes using time management skills and accepted standards of
texting and instant messaging language.
Which of the following is an outcome of effective listening in the workplace?
A) Lost opportunities
B) A premium on communication skills
C) Stronger organizational relationships
D) Less temptation to multitask
E) More opportunity to contribute
Because application letters are ________ messages, the AIDA approach is ideally suited
for them.
A) positive
B) negative
C) persuasive
D) routine
E) direct
Because phone calls lack the visual richness of face-to-face conversations, you’ll need
to use ________ to convey confidence and professionalism.
A) questions and social media
B) smartphones and apps
C) context and subject matter
D) attitude and tone of voice
Successful marketing and sales messages begin with
A) an understanding of audience needs.
B) an awesome marketing campaign.
C) a persuasive call to action.
D) an all-out effort to recruit marketing personnel.
E) a list of benefits.
________ is the tendency to judge all other groups according to your own group’s
standards, behaviors, and customs.
A) Xenophobia
B) Ethnocentrism
C) Stereotyping
D) Cultural pluralism
Friendly notes with no direct business purpose, such as those conveying congratulations
or thanks, are called ________ messages.
A) salutary
B) recognition
C) goodwill
D) condolence
E) persuasive
When using the direct approach for a negative message, which of the following should
open the message?
A) Reasons for the situation
B) The bad news
C) Reasons for the decision
D) A positive statement of good will
E) A statement of your desire to maintain a good relationship
In preparing presentations, keep in mind that audience attention levels and retention
rates drop sharply after ________ minutes.
A) 10
B) 20
C) 30
D) 40
E) 50
Which of these is a key difference between a blog and a microblog?
A) Audience
B) Purpose
C) Timing
D) Interaction
E) Character count
Which of the following could companies do to encourage positive reviews on
user-generated content sites?
A) Reward customers for positive reviews
B) Guide customers to the best content
C) Focus on high levels of performance and quality
D) Share valuable material with the audience
E) Incorporate ready-made curation solutions
Use the model for positive messages when you write
A) a letter of resignation.
B) a letter of acceptance.
C) a letter declining a job offer.
D) follow-up inquiries.
E) the rsum.
Which type of document describes a company’s mission, objectives, structure, and
operations?
A) Topical report
B) Compliance report
C) Operating report
D) Business plan
E) Summary
How can you tell if your responses to interview questions are being well received by the
interviewer?
A) Pay attention to follow-up questions
B) Pay attention to their nonverbal cues
C) Ask for feedback on your response when the question is especially difficult or odd
D) Ask if the interviewer has reservations about your response
E) At the end of the interview, ask if any of your responses need clarification or further
detail
Which of the following is the process of examining financial aspects of a proposed
decision in an analytical report?
A) Troubleshooting
B) Feasibility reporting
C) Due diligence
D) Failure analysis
E) Market analysis
Which of the following is one of the advantages of virtual meetings for employees who
participate in them?
A) Members can take advantage of selective listening techniques
B) Prejudgment is eliminated
C) Nonverbal communications are more effective
D) There is reduced wear and tear on employees
E) Members have greater interest in interaction
When you’re writing email messages in the workplace, remember that business emails
A) require a higher level of quality than personal emails.
B) should never be shorter than one screen.
C) aren’t constrained by the rules of grammar, punctuation, and syntax.
D) are the best medium for internal messages, regardless of their content.
The best time for college students to begin developing a job-search strategy is
A) about six months prior to graduation.
B) now—even if they are a year or more away from graduation.
C) no earlier than the second semester of their junior year.
D) immediately after graduation.
E) during the last semester of college
How can free-form slides prevent cognitive overload in the audience?
A) By offering “big picture” views instead of detail
B) By creating text-heavy slides
C) By creating slides that all look alike, creating flow and uniformity
D) By being used only as a way to support a detailed handout
E) By limiting the amount of information delivered in each slide
A special class of diagrams called ________ can feature stylized versions of charts and
graphs or offer structured narratives.
A) informatics
B) pictograms
C) infographics
D) monograms
E) tag clouds
Which of the following is an expected behavior on the job?
A) Using text messaging whenever possible
B) Communicating ethically
C) Saving time by limiting research sources
D) Ensuring others are listening to what you have to say
E) Using text language and shortened forms of grammar and spelling whenever
possible
Which of the following is viewed as an advantage to a more diverse workforce by
business leaders?
A) Increased competitive advantage
B) Lower wages
C) Better educated employees
D) Improved communication skills
E) Increased levels of ethnocentrism
Much of your workplace communication will occur during in-person or online
meetings. If you’re leading a meeting, you can help to make sure it’s productive by
A) preparing carefully.
B) conducting the meeting efficiently.
C) using meeting technologies wisely.
D) all of the above.
In an upcoming presentation, you plan to cover three important changes to your
employees’ working hours. The proper place to list this plan would be the ________
slide.
A) cover
B) introduction
C) agenda
D) teaser
E) summary
Which stage of the interview process helps the organization determine who the top
candidates are for the open position?
A) Offer
B) Screening
C) Final
D) Selection
E) Open-ended
An employee who describes the data she collected from six different plant managers
without drawing any conclusions is preparing
A) an analytical report.
B) an informational report.
C) a proposal.
D) a work plan.
E) a series of recommendations.
Most routine informative messages have a(n) ________ tone.
A) positive
B) relational
C) neutral
D) dogmatic
E) adversarial
How can communicators show respect and communicate effectively and positively with
people in other cultures?
A) By assigning a wide range of generalized attributes to members of the other culture
B) By ignoring the difference between another person’s culture and their own
C) By allowing members of the other culture to understand your role within their
culture
D) By adapting their communication style to that of the other culture being encountered
E) By judging members of other cultures based on standards of behaviors of their own
culture
Using “teasers” in electronic media as a way to pull readers or listeners into a story or
other document is
A) unethical and should always be avoided.
B) appropriate only when large purchases are not involved.
C) acceptable, as long as the payoff is valuable and legitimate.
D) never appropriate for microblogging sites.
Which of the following is a drawback of messaging?
A) Speed
B) Conversational tone
C) Number of messages
D) Response time
E) Its leanness as a medium
Which of the following should you look for when proofreading a document for writing
errors?
A) Poor research
B) Missing exhibits
C) Technical problems, such as missing fonts
D) Punctuation mistakes
E) Page numbering errors
How can proper use of headlines help to create interest in a blog?
List and briefly explain the three roles nonverbal communication plays in
communication.
Why is it important to send a follow-up message after an interview?
List at least three drawbacks of using instant messaging in business.
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of various sentence structures.
How can you minimize the work for all involved when requesting proposals, while
maximizing the effectiveness of the proposals you are receiving?
If you’re called upon to create marketing or sales messages for mobile commerce, what
two things should you keep in mind?
Briefly describe the elements of a negative message that uses the indirect approach.
List three types of reports commonly used to monitor and control operations in
business.
Describe how to develop a message using words that communicate well.
Why do social media require a different approach than other forms of communication?
Discuss how you can increase your credibility when writing a business report.
Explain the difference between a high-context culture and a low-context culture, and
provide at least one example of each difference.
How should you structure a message of inquiry after an interview has taken place?
What are the four general categories of informational reports?