In preparing a speaking outline for your presentation, avoid cluttering it with complete
sentences.
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Accuracy of information is less important in business communication than in other
types of communication everyone is busy, and mistakes are simply unavoidable.
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Most media can only be distributed through one channel.
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If you have 10 minutes or less to deliver your presentation, organize it much as you
would a brief written message.
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“Feb. 10th 2012” is the correct way to type the date in a letter.
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Because each electronic medium has unique requirements, basic communication skills
do not usually transfer from one system to another.
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If you intend for your message to reach users of mobile devices, present the content in
short paragraphs.
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Improving your communication skills may be the single most important step you can
take in your career.
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The level of cultural diversity at a company will have little effect on business
communication at that company.
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A message of appreciation can become an important part of someone’s personnel file.
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When addressing a persuasive claim or request for adjustment, you should appeal to
your audience’s sense of fair play, goodwill, or moral responsibility.
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As it applies to the contemporary workplace, the idea of diversity is limited to issues of
race and ethnicity.
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In a formal proposal, it is unprofessional to point out your company’s advantages over
its competitors.
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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.
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In intercultural conversations, speaking slowly is usually regarded as a sign of
disrespect.
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Data traffic on mobile devices exceeds voice traffic significantly.
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When traveling to another country to conduct business, you should assume that frequent
eye contact is regarded as a sign of honesty and openness in any culture.
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“Three AM in the morning” is an example of a redundancy.
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Showing up a few minutes late to an interview sends a strong message that you are a
busy person.
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Using hashtags in microblogs makes it easy for people to track topics of interest.
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Don’t worry about developing a job-search strategy before your senior year of college.
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Cloud computing offers little that can affect how teams conduct virtual meetings.
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One advantage of justified type is that it makes a message look more personalized and
less like a form letter.
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Most employers now prefer functional résumés to chronological ones.
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Although intellectual property laws were once a serious concern, the ease of sharing
information through social media has decreased the need to be concerned with them.
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Unlike words, visual images have connotative meanings that are consistent across
cultures.
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In the middle part of an application letter, spell out your ‘selling points” and other
potential benefits to your employer.
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Marketers are still waiting for mobile advertising and mobile commerce to gain traction
with smartphone users.
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In the close of a proposal to install energy-saving light fixtures at a local hospital, don’t
emphasize client benefits if you think they are obvious.
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Presenting with the help of an outline or notes is the most effective and easiest delivery
mode.
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In APA style, titles of articles are put in quotation marks and important words are
capitalized.
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Because lying on résumés is rare, employers are seldom on the look-out for it.
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One effective informal method for learning more about your audience’s information
needs is to ask them directly for input.
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Most interviewers expect applicants to be a few minutes late for their appointment.
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If you possess little authority in your organization, the direct approach will generally be
best for the persuasive messages you send to colleagues.
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Business communicators use a wide range of specialized and private social networks, in
addition to public networks.
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The indirect approach is best when your audience is likely to be skeptical.
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Bob N. Zing, the Director of Human Resources at CAP Co, Inc., has to write an internal
message to announce impending layoffs across the company. Rather than addressing the
layoffs directly, Bob decides to refer to them as restructuring operations and
eliminating redundancies. In this case, these euphemisms
A) reflect the standards of ethical information.
B) convey the “you attitude” for delivering bad news.
C) help employees understand the gravity of the situation.
D) fail to meet the “you” attitude test and ethical information standards.
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If you do not have a constant supply of new information to post on a business blog,
A) your audience will appreciate not having to process information that changes
constantly.
B) repost old material so your audience will not lose interest.
C) you should create a traditional website instead.
D) keep readers interested by adding daily comments on current events.
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If you choose not to list your GPA in the “Education” section of your résumé,
A) most employers will not consider you for an interview.
B) employers will generally respect you for being modest and not boasting about your
record.
C) you should be prepared to answer questions about it during the interview.
D) you should always state it in your application letter.
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If you decide to write a letter of recommendation about a job candidate, your goal
should be to
A) remain neutral about the candidate’s suitability for the job.
B) boost the job candidate’s sense of self-worth and well-being.
C) explain why you’re qualified to access the candidate.
D) convince readers the candidate has the characteristics necessary for the job.
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Every organization has ________, which encompasses all communication that occurs
outside the lines of command in the company’s organization structure.
A) a lateral communication network
B) a peer-to-peer communication network
C) an informal communication network
D) an adjacent communication network
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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.
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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of ethical communication?
A) It includes all relevant information.
B) It is designed to hide some negative information.
C) It is true in every sense.
D) It is not deceptive in any way.
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In ________ paragraph, a writer analyzes the reasons for and/or the consequences of an
action, an event, or a decision.
A) an illustration
B) a comparison and contrast
C) a cause and effect
D) a problem and solution
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During the question-and-answer stage of an interview
A) control the conversation and stress your achievements.
B) let the interviewer lead the conversation.
C) respond to all questions without hesitation.
D) don’t ask any questions of your own.
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If a person is ________, he or she has a fear of strangers and foreigners.
A) xenophobic
B) vestiphobic
C) xylophobic
D) decidophobic
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Answering questions at the end of a presentation gives you a chance to
A) obtain important information.
B) build enthusiasm for your point of view.
C) emphasize your main ideas and supporting points.
D) all of the above.
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Which of the following is an example of a descriptive title for a visual?
A) How CamCo Reduces Costs
B) CamCo Cost Reductions Are Increasing Each Year
C) Reducing Costs Is a Number-One Goal at CamCo
D) Whither Camco: Is the Rollercoaster Ride Over?
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Marketers use microblogging systems to send ________ that withhold key information,
in order to attract the attention of current and prospective customers.
A) teasers
B) platitudes
C) anagrams
D) testimonials
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Using video to enhance business messages
A) has become difficult and expensive, since audiences now have such high
expectations.
B) is generally a bad idea, since it takes away from the main idea.
C) is easier than ever, thanks to low-cost video cameras and video sharing sites such as
YouTube.
D) is effective for tech-savvy audiences, but a turn-off for most others.
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Which of the following sentences contains a camouflaged verb?
A) Some do; others don’t.
B) She is a marketing manager but also serves as ad manager.
C) The recommendation of the committee is to proceed as planned.
D) He slowly, deliberately added the numbers.
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Which of the following would NOT be an effective technique for gaining audience
attention in sales messages?
A) Offering an exciting product benefit
B) Encouraging people to place an order
C) Offering a unique solution to a common problem
D) Appealing to people’s emotions
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Use of parliamentary procedure
A) tends to slow meetings down.
B) contributes to dissent among participants.
C) helps meetings run more smoothly.
D) is only useful for meetings with more than a dozen participants.
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The majority of résumés are subjected to keyword searches in an applicant tracking
system or other database. Keywords that will catch a computer’s attention include
A) college degrees.
B) industry-specific jargon.
C) technical terms associated with a specific profession.
D) all of the above.
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A title slide
A) is the equivalent of a report’s cover and title page.
B) defines the topic of the presentation and informs the audience why you are speaking
on the topic.
C) lists the topics you plan to cover in your presentation.
D) always contains the word “Introduction.”
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If you want to post your résumé on a job website, you should
A) present your résumé in a less formal style.
B) choose sites that allow all potential employers to see your contact information.
C) post on as many job websites as possible to help you build your brand.
D) avoid websites that don’t allow you to restrict the display of your contact
information.
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The most common way to organize a résumé is
A) functionally.
B) retrospectively.
C) chronologically.
D) organically.
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In the practice of ________, behaviorally targeted ads from one website follow an
online shopper when he or she moves on to other websites.
A) flanking
B) remarketing
C) cyber stalking
D) stealth advertising
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As a contemporary approach to business communication, the ________ is interactive,
conversational, and usually open to all who wish to participate.
A) reflexive communication model
B) computer-assisted communication model
C) social communication model
D) give-and-take communication model
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The close of a proposal should
A) summarize how your proposed solution will benefit the reader.
B) reemphasize why your firm is the right choice for the job.
C) ask for a decision from the reader.
D) do all of the above.
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One effective way to arouse interest at the start of a speech is to
A) always start things off with a joke.
B) unite the audience around a common goal.
C) tease the audience by not mentioning specifically what you’ll be talking about.
D) do none of the above.
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The accepted principles of conduct that govern behavior within a society are known as
A) laws.
B) social guidelines.
C) ethics.
D) none of the above.
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All of the following except ________ are elements in the planning phase of the
three-step writing process.
A) gathering information
B) adapting to the audience
C) selecting the right medium
D) organizing the information
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You would not need to cite a source if you have
A) used a direct quotation of under 250 words from a book titled Modern Economics.
B) used a table from the 1985 Farmer’s Almanac.
C) described, in your own words, a plan for organizing production lines, which
appeared in a professional journal.
D) provided general knowledge about your topic.
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A disadvantage of electronic presentations is
A) they’re difficult to include in online meetings and webcasts.
B) they are difficult to store or transport.
C) they can be time-consuming to create.
D) they cannot be customized for different audiences.
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All of the following except ________ will help you plan effective email messages.
A) making sure every email you send is necessary
B) following company email policy
C) ignoring the chain of command
D) keeping virus protection up to date
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The best time to distribute an agenda for a meeting is
A) before the meeting.
B) at the start of the meeting.
C) during the meeting.
D) after the meeting.
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The term ________ refers to the interactions and processes that take place among the
members of a team.
A) group dynamics
B) process reconciliations
C) interpersonal rotations
D) cross-functional interlocutions
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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
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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
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An effective communicator knows how to select the best combination of media and
channels to reach his or her target audience. Identify the six basic media-channel
combinations from which a communicator can choose.
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What presentation tools are often used for small-group sessions?
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Today’s workplace includes the members of four generations: the Radio Generation,
Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. What challenges does the composition
of the contemporary workforce pose for on-the-job communication?
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What three message points can you use to write most simple request messages?
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Rewrite the following sentence to improve clarity and avoid the long noun sequence:
“The financial estimates and accounting consulting firm will be closed next week.”
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Explain why editing for conciseness is important, then list the four steps it involves.
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Many routine requests have several parts. Identify and discuss best practices for
explaining and justifying a routine request.
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Why is writing analytical reports more challenging than writing informational reports?
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How is the denotative meaning of a word different from its connotative meaning?
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What opportunities and challenges are associated with the use of instant messaging in
the workplace?
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Identify and discuss the eight factors you should consider when completing slides and
other visuals.
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Briefly describe at least three meeting technologies that make it easy for virtual teams
to interact.
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Explain how information architecture functions as an outline for web design.
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Explain five types of materials that are often best presented on handouts.
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Why is it important to select the right typeface for a business message?
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List the four steps involved in planning an oral presentation.
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Briefly explain problem factoring.
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What is ethnocentrism, and how can it be overcome?
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