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Answers to Chapter Review Questions
1. Define communication. When is it successful? (Obj. 1)
Communication is the transmission of information and meaning from a sender to a receiver.
2. Describe the five steps in the process of communication. (Obj. 1)
1. The sender has an idea.
3. Name four barriers to communication and be prepared to explain each. What other
barriers have you experienced? (Obj. 1)
1. Bypassing
4. Define digital message. (Obj. 2)
5. In what ways is business writing different from school essays and private messages?
(Obj. 2)
Business writing has a purpose and a strategy; it is written to solve problems and convey
6. Describe the components in each stage of the 3-x-3 writing process. Approximately how
much time is spent on each stage? (Obj. 2)
Phase 1 (prewriting) involves analyzing the message purpose, anticipating the audience, and
thinking of ways to adapt the message to be most effective. Phase 2 (drafting) involves
7. What does WIIFM mean? Why is it important to business writers? (Obj. 3)
8. How does profiling the audience help a business communicator prepare a message?
(Obj. 3)
Profiling the audience helps a business communicator determine the level of language, the
9. What seven factors should writers consider in selecting an appropriate channel to
deliver a message? (Obj. 3)
1. Importance of the message
2. Amount and speed of feedback and interactivity required
3. Necessity of a permanent record
10. Why is positive wording more effective in business messages than negative wording?
(Obj. 4)
11. What is the "you" view? When can the use of you backfire? (Obj. 4)
The “you” view is effective when it focuses on audience benefits. It is ineffective when it is
12. What are three ways to avoid biased language? Give an original example of each. (Obj.
4)
Writers can generally avoid biased language by choosing alternate forms for words using
13. When are team-written documents necessary? (Obj. 5)
14. How do teams collaborate during the three phases of the writing process? (Obj. 5)
Team members usually work together during the prewriting stage as they brainstorm and
decide on the purpose, audience, content, organization, and design of their document or
15. What is a wiki, and why is it superior to e-mail in collaborating on writing projects?
(Obj. 5)
A wiki is a website that allows multiple users to collaboratively create and edit documents.
Answers to Critical Thinking Questions
1. Has digital transmission changed the innate nature of communication? (Obj. 1)
The authors of this text argue that the basic elements of communication have not been
changed as a result of digital transmission. Successful communication still requires the
transmission of meaning from source to receiver. However, others might contend that
2. Why do you think employers prefer messages that are not written like high school and
college essays? (Obj. 2)
Businesspeople prefer messages that are purposeful, persuasive, economical, and audience
3. Why should business writers strive to use short, familiar, simple words? Does this
"dumb down" business messages? (Obj. 4)
Using short, familiar, simple words increases the likelihood that business messages will be
4. A wise observer once said that bad writing makes smart people look dumb. Do you
agree or disagree, and why? (Objs. 1−4)
Bad writing conveys the impression that the writer is uneducated, uncaring, unintelligent, or
5. Ethical Issue: A student in a business communication class refused to join a team
report-writing project because he said he hated situations in which he would end up
doing all the work with credit going to the team. What counseling should the instructor
give?
The instructor might assign the student a separate task, but doing so would undermine the
group effort. Also, other students might then opt out, reducing the effectiveness of the
assignment. A better plan would be for the instructor to explain the benefits of learning to
ZOOMING IN
TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie Inspires Doing Good With a Powerful
Message
Critical Thinking
In planning your business messages, how can you alter your writing to effectively engage
audiences of various ages or education levels?
Explain to students that, as business writers, they should try to be aware of their readers'
expectations, preferences, and limitations. For example, if they were writing to a very young
audience, they would want to use short sentences and basic vocabulary so the readers could
Why do even experienced writers use a writing process?
When people are unclear about what they want their writing to accomplish, it is unlikely that
Why is it so important to know your purpose before beginning to write?
Knowing one’s purpose saves time and effort. Many writers begin writing and only as they
approach the end of a message do they realize what they want to achieve. In writing the
message, they work out details and think through the message. As they think and write, their
ZOOMING IN
Your Turn: Applying Your Skills at TOMS Shoes
Working together, students will draft an e-mail encouraging their classmates to join them on a
Ethics Check Solutions
Ethics Check, Page 123
Bypassing or False Advertising?
J. C. Penny produced a T-shirt emblazoned with a ferocious red and blue eagle beneath the
words “American Made.” However, a small label inside revealed that the shirt was made in
Mexico. In response to complaints that the slogan was deceptive, a Penny spokeswoman
said that “American Made” referred to the actual person wearing the shirt, not to the
manufacturer. Do you think this was a simple case of miscommunication?
Although J. C. Penney officials had one meaning for the slogan in mind, the T-shirt carried
another meaning. Perhaps the slogan was just a little too clever. Certainly, company officials
Ethics Check, Page 128
Essays for Sale
Websites with playful names such as Cramster (now called Chegg Homework Help),
Course Hero, Koofers, and Spark Notes provide ready-made solutions and essays for
students. Do such sites encourage cheating and undermine the mental sweat equity of
day-to-day learning?
Students can probably name many more websites that provide essays and solutions to old exams.
Some might argue that professors should not assign essays that can easily be purchased online,
Supporters of such sites say that using these sites is not cheating. For instance, in a New York
Times article, “Psst! Need the Answer to No. 7? Click Here,” one student said that when a
Photo Essay Solutions
Photo Essay Page 125
Despite the growing number of multitaskers in society, studies have found that people who
combine texting, video, phone, and other activities perform tasks significantly worse than
nonmultitaskers. According to researchers, our brains can do two things at once, but they
can’t do them very well. In particular, recall, focus, and attention become impaired by
information overload. The findings have broad implications for such multitasking
behaviors as texting and driving, homework and Facebooking, and e-mailing while
working. How can communicators win the attention of audiences in the digital age?
Because of the proliferation of digital media, knowledge workers are increasingly distracted by
multitasking. Effective communicators can overcome such obstacles by recognizing the potential
for distraction and taking action to control both the message and situation. In particular, effective
Photo Essay Page 129
One would imagine that executives at Amazon use only the latest digital communication
technologies to share information during meetings. However, instead of reading from
interactive whiteboards and Kindles, CEO Jeff Bezos and his leadership team spend the
first 30 minutes of strategy meetings reading paper memos and jotting comments in the
margins. According to Bezos, memos are ideal because they have a narrative structure that
allows for a logical development of ideas. What do business writers need to think about
when preparing written materials for meetings?
In the first phase of the writing process, business writers must be able to do the following:
determine the purpose of the message, profile the audience members who will receive the
message, and select the right channel to deliver information. Since writers at Amazon are writing
