Convincing the audience of a message’s benefits involves two main steps of making
sure that the benefit really will occur, and explaining it to the audience.
If the problem is a large one, it is good to demonstrate you-attitude by asking the
audience whether they want to confirm the original plan or make different
arrangements.
“RFP” stands for Research Funding Programs that are often requested by
non-governmental agencies.
Listening to the feelings of co-workers is an important part of listening skills at work.
An oral presentation should be more complex than a written message when delivered to
the same audience.
Research shows that organizations with low levels of diversity have the highest profits,
and the highest number of customers.
A tried and true way of improving customer service is increasing the oral
communication skills of sales representatives and customer service agents.
Telepresence is a low-cost alternative for videoconferencing and allows employees to
connect and collaborate remotely with web cameras that are standard on many newer
laptops or tablets.
One of the easiest categories of negative messages to write comprise of claims and
complaints.
Bypassing occurs when two people use the same word or phrase to mean, or denote,
different things.
One should provide an explicit apology irrespective of whether the mistake is minor or
major.
Formalization is the longest phase during which most of the team’s work is done.
The use of passive voice is desirable when it needs to emphasize the object receiving
the action, instead of the agent.
It is better to use readability formulas instead of testing one’s draft with an audience.
Instant messages should be used specifically for long messages on critical issues such
as getting feedback on a report or negotiating a price.
Personal space is the distance people want between themselves and other people in
ordinary, non-intimate interchanges.
“SLC, Utah” is an example of the proper way to present the city and state as part of
your address in a rsum.
Successful teams analyze their tasks thoroughly before they begin to search for
solutions.
Oral messages are better at presenting several specific details of a law, procedure, or
policy compared to written messages.
Speakers who use many changes in tones, pitch, and stress seem to be dull and confused
during an oral presentation.
People who do not know each other well and feel more comfortable with one another if
a piece of furniture separates them is an example of a spatial cue.
Proposals are mostly created for projects which are short and less expensive than
routine work.
Online surveys do not generate a random sample.
Referral interviews work only for job candidates who know powerful people very well.
If one is flying for an interview, it is important to leave time margins for flight delays
and cancellations.
(p. 503)-Only a dot chart can be used to show correlations.
Good writers maintain one consistent style and approach for all audiences.
A reason why gestures should be used when language fails to convey a message is that
they have the same connotation in all countries.
Visual communications expert, Charles Kostelnick distinguishes four levels of design
which provide an organized way to think about the design choices one makes.
The culture to which a team belongs can be a distinct asset, uniting strangers in positive
ways.
While stating reasons in a negative message, it is good to use as many reasons as
possible, including weak and strong ones.
Title pages and transmittals can be written as soon as recommendations are known.
On a survey, bypassing occurs when two people use the same words or phrase but
interpret them differently.
It is important to double-check the words in a refusal in order to be sure that the reason
stated does not backfire if it is applied to other contexts.
Widgets are tiny software programs that can be dragged, dropped, and embedded into
social media sites.
Skills in listening, conversation, nonverbal communication, and networking are an
important part of interpersonal skills.
Frasier would like to use a visual to show timelines for proposals that his department is
working on. He could choose a dot chart to illustrate this data in a visual.
Bias-free language does not discriminate against people on the basis of sex, physical
condition, race, ethnicity, age, or any other category.
It is not necessary to use prescribed forms, layouts, or wording in job communications
since they should be tailored to your unique qualifications and reflect on you as an
individual.
Which of the following phone skills should one adopt while leaving a message on voice
mail?
A. State only one’s name because the number will be recorded
B. Leave a clear and concise message for it to be easily understandable
C. State one’s phone number quickly because the line may get disconnected
D. Be persistent and keep trying the number if one repeatedly gets the voice mail
E. Leave an elaborate message in order for it to be clear to the receiver
Application essays:
A. should begin with a paragraph that catches the reader’s attention.
B. should end with a summary paragraph.
C. should use language that would be appropriate for several different positions within
the same company.
D. are formal documents that should not use the first person.
E. use topic sentences at the end of your paragraphs.
Choose the best revision of this sentence: “I want an interview with you.”
A. I anxiously await a phone call from you so that we can meet to discuss job
opportunities.
B. I can’t wait to hear from you.
C. Any time at all that you want to call and have me for an interview, I am available.
D. I look forward to talking to you about how my qualifications could meet the
company’s corporate needs.
E. I assure you will not be disappointed if you hire me.
Positive roles of individuals that help a team achieve its task goals consist of:
A. taking every opportunity to be the first to speak.
B. disagreeing with all solutions to make them more concrete.
C. restating major points and summarizing decisions.
D. insisting on responding to everyone else’s comments.
E. insisting on one’s own arguments and points put forward.
Which of the following is most likely to be a characteristic of formal work culture?
A. Individual offices
B. Non-hierarchical structure
C. Decentralization
D. Casual attire
E. Self-managed teams
_____ occurs when two people use the same words or phrases but interpret them
differently.
A. Sampling
B. Bypassing
C. Misconceptions
D. Confidence interval
E. Branching
Jonathan Reyes is attending an interview at a law firm in California. His interviewer has
asked him to walk him through his resume. Which of the following should Reyes do?
A. Read out the resume aloud to the interviewer
B. Be honest about sharing negative data about former employers
C. Cover as many points as much as he can in ten minutes
D. Avoid making eye contact because it may distract him
E. Highlight his best features in less than three minutes
Which of the following helps in creating goodwill?
A. Me-attitude
B. Neutral emphasis
C. Negative emphasis
D. Biased language
E. You-attitude
Kylie is writing the concluding section of a proposal on “Renewable Energy used in
villages of Vietnam”. Which of the following diction would be appropriate for her
proposal?
A. “We will try to install a high number of solar power panels in the Dak Lang
province."
B. “We hope to install many solar power panels in several villages of Dak Lang
province."
C. “We are thinking of installing 50 solar power panels in the Dak Lang
province."
D. “We plan to install 50 solar power panels in the Dak Lang province of
Vietnam."
E. “We are visualizing the installation of 50 solar power panels in many villages of
Vietnam."
Evelyn Jones who works for Lobo Events, an event management company, is preparing
a document on the problems faced while hosting events and revenue generated. In the
report, she explains unavailability of venues for events around season time and steep
charges by music bands as challenges faced by them. In addition, she explains the
company’s performance and that it generated revenue of $25, 00,000 in the last three
months. Which of the following documents is Evelyn preparing?
A. Letter of transmittal
B. Performance appraisal
C. Quarterly report
D. Formative assessment
E. Summative assessment
Which of the following is true of networking?
A. Successful networks are used solely for finding jobs.
B. Good networkers work for a “one-way” reputation.
C. Good networkers look for ways to reciprocate.
D. Good networkers network just for themselves.
E. A “two-way” reputation hurts further networking.
Zo works for a fashion house in Manhattan and recently gave an oral presentation to her
colleagues on a marketing plan for a line of woolen clothing. The presentation was
liked by everyone in the audience. Zo feels the presentation was a success because she
chose the oral medium of communication instead of a written medium. Which of the
following did Zo most likely present in her presentation?
A. Extensive data about marketing plans
B. Complex statistical information about markets rates
C. Specific, minute details about the marketing plan
D. Lengthy data about successful marketing plans
E. Passion and emotion about the plan
Which is a good design tip when preparing graphs and charts?
A. Use stripes and wavy lines to differentiate segments or items on black and white
graphics.
B. Add a variety of clip art images as decorations to stimulate interest.
C. Use many different colors for multicultural audiences to ensure there is at least one
that pleases everyone in the group.
D. Use as little shading and as few lines as are necessary for clarity.
E. Use stripes, wavy lines, and checks rather than shades of gray when you design
black-and white graphs.
Which of the following represents negative information in the best possible manner?
A. “We failed to raise funds for the charity event happening next week."
B. “We have been unsuccessful in organizing funds for the event."
C. “The weak funding plan resulted in insufficient funds for the charity event."
D. “We have not finished gathering funds for the charity event next week."
E. “We will be able to raise sufficient funds by beginning of next week."
Which of the following is true of purpose statements in oral presentations?
A. It is disconnected from one’s choice of strategy.
B. It is the same as the introduction of one’s talk.
C. It needs to be memorized instead of written down.
D. It should always be explicit in a presentation.
E. It guides the choice of strategy and content.
_____ allows professionals to connect with colleagues and other industry members and
use the site to network and earn recommendations from past and current clients.
A. Facebook
B. LinkedIn
C. Blogs
D. Twitter
E. Orkut
Which of the following should one undertake to write a good proposal?
A. Use a language that an audience expects to see and understand
B. Use bragging diction which gains the respect of the audience
C. Use “believing” diction to make arguments more convincing
D. Choose an unexpected format to capture the audience’s attention
E. Avoid the use of facts and figures which make proposals boring
Naomi Boyd is planning on launching a new line of out-of-the-box clothing wear in
Belgium. She has done considerable research about the country and knows that the
public is very open to new ideas and concepts and greets changes. Which of the
following is Belgium most likely do be characterized by?
A. Masculine culture
B. High uncertainty avoidance index
C. High power distance index
D. Low uncertainty avoidance index
E. Individualist culture
To be effective, a table should:
A. place items that readers are to compare in columns rather than in rows.
B. shade alternate columns for easy reading.
C. be labeled as one of the numbered figures in a document.
D. contain numbers that show several decimal places for precision.
E. provide column and row totals or averages whether relevant or not.
Which of the following is true of using a nonsexist language?
A. Indicates marital status when one knows a reader’s gender
B. Uses traditional gender pronouns to refer generally to someone
C. Uses terms that assumes everyone in the audience as heterosexuals
D. Uses gender neutral job titles instead of stereotypes
E. Uses “Mrs.” salutation for all married women
Which of the following best represents a polychronic culture?
A. Employees follow strict work schedules according to clock time.
B. Employees give importance to establishing bonds between colleagues.
C. Employees undertake one task at a time to perform it flawlessly.
D. Employees maintain a rigid structure of undertaking activities.
E. Employees segment time into small segments and divide tasks accordingly.
Which of the following should be followed while choosing information for a
presentation?
A. Have seven main points which help an audience connect with at least one
B. Avoid giving an outline if material is detailed and ensure they stay focused on the
presentation
C. Make the audience aware of negatives and inconsistencies even if they do not
enquire about them
D. Avoid connecting main points and their relations as this tends to confuse the
audience
E. Choose information that is most persuasive for an audience and which answers
questions
James is an executive at fashion house, Shawn Hill. He recently received feedback from
a corporate client that they liked their new eco-friendly line of clothing. James’
colleague, Victor, already prepared an e-mail response for the client but James found
the communication negative. Which of the following should James say in the e-mail
which replaces the negative connotation with positive emphasis?
A. “I hope you liked our designs well enough to place an order with us."
B. “I am hoping you will from now on place all your important orders with us."
C. “We at Shawn Hill look forward to receiving a lot more orders from you."
D. “I assume you found exactly what you were looking for in our designs."
E. “Whenever you need eco-friendly clothing, please let us know."
Which of the following needs to be undertaken to avoid listening errors from
misinterpretation?
A. Avoid summarizing points because it may seem disrespectful
B. Avoid checking the person’s background which may seem over curious
C. Write down key points that affect how work will be evaluated
D. Ignore instructions which may seem unnecessary or irrelevant
E. Raise a controversial issue to make a conversation interesting
A person with a debating conversational style is most likely to:
A. see aggressiveness directed at the audience personally, as negative.
B. interpret statements about side issues as efforts to shape a topic.
C. expect new comments to acknowledge the last speaker’s comment.
D. see and identify questions as requests for information.
E. offer solidarity and share troubles to establish a sense of community.
Alice Morales has been informed by an interviewer that they will conduct a phone
interview for her tomorrow. If she performs well in this round, she will have a
face-to-face round with the director of the organization in the next week. She is very
keen about the job and has prepared well for the interview. Which of the following
should Morales do in the phone interview which will help her fare well in it?
A. Take ample notes during the interview which will help her keep track of the entire
conversation
B. Copiously browse online information while answering questions during the
interview
C. Elaborate on seven main points which she wants the interviewer to remember about
her
D. Put on music in the background to calm her mind and get rid of nervousness and
anxiety
E. Smile and lean forward while talking because it will help her add warmth to her
words
Jean Harvey works for Help Aid Foundation and needs to raise funds to rehabilitate
women in Ghana. She fixes an appointment with a multinational company which has
shown interest in contributing toward the cause. For her presentation, she is now
brainstorming ideas for openers. With the help of examples, provide four possible
openers that Harvey can use in her presentation.
Harvey can use the four basic modes of an opener which include questions, narration,
startling statements, and quotations. For the question type of opener she can use, “Did
you know that a majority of women in Ghana get married by the age of 17?” Harvey
can also narrate a success story of the rehabilitation campaign for her opener. In
addition, she can use startling statements such as “Did you know 80% of women in
Ghana’s villages are uneducated?
_____ means attributing an idea or fact to its source in the body of the text.
A. Quotation
B. Documentation
C. Acknowledgement
D. Citation
E. Plagiarism
What is the first step that helps in understanding another culture?
A. Being unaware of practices in other cultures because it makes one biased toward
them
B. Realizing that people from another culture may do things differently and it does not
make them inferior
C. Avoid asking questions about behavior patterns because it may seem overly curious
D. Understanding that people within a culture are predictable and have identical
patterns of behavior
E. Stereotyping groups of people which help understand them and their characteristics
better
Which of the following illustrates parallel items in the list and best fits into the structure
of the sentence that introduces the list?
A. The following suggestions can help employers avoid bias in job interviews:
1. Ask questions based on the job description
2. Making decisions based on applicant’s merit
3. Selecting and training interviewers
B. The following suggestions can help employers avoid bias in job interviews:
1. Basing questions on the job description
2. Asking the same questions to all applicants
3. Selecting and training interviewers carefully
C. The following suggestions can help employers avoid bias in job interviews:
1. Base questions on the job description
2. Ask the same questions to all applicants
3. Selection and training of interviewers carefully
D. The following suggestions can help employers avoid bias in job interviews:
1. Basing questions on the requirements of position
2. Specific list of questions used for all applicants
3. Carefully selecting and training interviewers
E. The following suggestions can help employers avoid bias in job interviews:
Which of the following should one do while analyzing business communication
situations?
A. Avoid taking into account emotions of other people when stakes are high
B. Take into account the needs of the organization and not those outside the
organization
C. Use written channels instead of oral channels for better decision making
D. Use detailed instructions to understand audiences and corporate culture
E. Consider one’s own needs in addition to those of one’s superior and audience
_____ refers to the reasons or logic a writer or speaker offers in a message.
A. Emotional appeal
B. Credibility
C. Psychological reactance
D. Argument
E. Logical fallacy
Lisa, a student working for the school journal, is conducting a rough pretest of a survey
to determine the maximum amount students are willing to pay for the journal. She
distributes the survey to the first 50 students she runs into. The sample she is using is
called:
A. a judgment sample.
B. a convenience sample.
C. the population.
D. a random sample.
The _____ technique involves thinking of ideas without judging them and consciously
generating several ideas.
A. brainstorming
B. automatic writing
C. psychography
D. mirror writing
E. asemic writing
The _____ can be calculated by adding up all figures and dividing it by the total
number of samples.
A. median
B. mean
C. range
D. variance
E. mode
Gina Morrison is attending an interview where she is asked questions especially about
the past job such as “Tell me what you did when you had to make quick decisions at
your previous job?” What kind of an interview is she attending?
List the criteria for a good report problem.
What is an overview and how is it different from a signpost?
Define an active voice and a passive voice. How are they different from one another?
Explain how to organize a persuasive direct request.
Describe some of the tools used for personal branding.
What are some advantages of a good document design?
List three tips for properly designing a pie chart as a visual in a document.
How is visual communications expert, Charles Kostelnick’s intra-level of design
different from his inter-level of design?
How important is an executive summary in a business plan?
How can you make your application letter professional?
Question: “How often do you use the parking garages downtown?”
How should you organize a prospecting job letter?
Discuss with an example, the SWOT analysis pattern of organizing data in reports.
What are task project reports?
Explain how to label and refer to visuals in the text of a document.
Enlist three communication behaviors of successful interviewees.