Bus Comms Exam 2

Which of the following are good principles for determining the amount of information to include in a business communication?

: The reader might not know how to respond to a message that has too little information; Too much information is distracting and makes the message harder to comprehend.

In general, for complex or analytical business communications, the average written sentence length should be ___ or fewer words.

: 20 words

Which sentences contain wordy prepositional phrases?

: In order to increase the number of successful sales, take out advertisements in a newspaper; On occasion we have lunch at our place of business; In the future, we will address these issues with due diligence in hopes of arriving at a solution.

Parallel language is important when:

: The writing contains a series or list.

What are characteristics of business communication that is complete?

: It is accurate; It provides all relevant information; It is specific.

Why is accuracy an essential element of business communication?

: People will make important decisions based on the communication; Inaccuracy causes readers to lose trust in the writer.

Compared to average business writers, expert business writers spend more time doing which three things?

: Reviewing the text; Planning the document; Thinking about the effect of the message.

In response to a business communication that is vague, what do people tend to do?

: Feel that their questions have not been answered; Start skimming to find the information they want; Become impatient.

The use of specific facts in your business communication will typically help convince the reader about which things?

: You care about the reader; You know what you are talking about.

Reviewing a business communication before sending it is important because the review helps:

: Eliminate embarrassing errors; Improve the message; Prevent costly mistakes.

When deciding how much white space to leave on a page, what is important to consider?

: Too little white space makes the text look cluttered; Too much white space can make the text look off-putting; Too much white space makes the text look sparse.

The important principle in business writing is:

: To say what needs to be said in as few words as possible.

When readers receive a business message that consists of long paragraphs, they typically will:

: Skim the text instead of reading each word.

In business communication, how many ideas or topics should a paragraph usually address?

: One.

Which sentences contain redundant words or phrases?

: We base our evaluations on a company's past history; We will be happy to aid and assist you with your project; Each year we sponsor an annual family retreat that includes friends and family members.

Which sentences contain empty phrases?

: With all due respect, these sales projections appear to be incorrect; Needless to say, we made no profit last year.

When your writing style is similar to the way your readers think and talk, what happens?

: They will process the information more easily.

Which sentence is improved by converting the verb "to be" into an action verb?

: "Our food bank is also a dietary guidance organization" becomes "We also provide dietary guidance."

A sentence written in active voice specifies the doer of the action. Why is this important?

: Accountability and coordination are vital in business.

For which situation would the use of the passive voice be preferable?

: When presenting a problem situation to your manager and avoiding placing the blame on anyone.

Cyber incivility can be defined as showing ___ online.

Answer: Disrespect

According to a recent study, nearly all business professionals expect an email response within:

Answer: 4 hours

Which of the following are examples of communication channels?

Answer: Emails; Face-to-face dialogue; Phone conversations

For the next few years, which of the following is expected to be the most commonly used tool for written business communication?

Answer: Emails

Which of the following can be accomplished by phone calls, in contrast to other, less-rich channels?

Answer: They help business professionals manage conflict more effectively; They allow business professionals to connect with better understanding; They help business professionals resolve problems more quickly.

Email is suitable for which of the following types of messages in business?

Answer: Routine work information; Stating holiday work hours; The sharing of facts

Which of the following is the best way to make a business phone call more personal?

Answer: You should use your caller's name.

Which of the following should be done at the beginning of a business phone call?

Answer: You should make a few light comments to get the conversation started.

True or False: In a business setting, emails will always get read, even if they are hard to read.

Answer: False

When a business professional writes an email to another business professional, which qualities should be avoided to be respectful of time?

Answer: Lack of clarity; Mediocre writing

In a business environment, potentially serious errors in emails include:

Answer: Unknowingly sending sensitive information; Accidentally releasing confidential data; Addressing emails to the wrong recipients

When writing a business email, maintaining a high standard of writing is key for which reason?

Answer: Many people may see the message.

___ business professionals are the group most likely to expect an immediate response to an email.

Answer: Younger

True or False: True task-based business emails allow the sender to easily avoid any emotion.

Answer: False

Because of the neutrality effect, a business email recipient may incorrectly interpret the sender's:

Answer: Emotional intent

Which of the following are constructive steps that can be taken to address workplace cyber incivility?

Answer: Defusing; Confrontation; Reinterpretation

Pappy sent an identical instant message to two members of his team about the deadline for a report. One recipient felt Pappy was criticizing him, while the other appreciated the reminder. What is the best option for Pappy to avoid future misinterpretation?

Answer: Pappy needs to consider the meta messages of his instant messages.

For which two situations would messaging be the most appropriate choice?

Answer: Uncomplicated business messages; Short business messages

Most messaging in the workplace should be reserved for ___.

Answer: Straightforward, positive messages

What are guidelines for asking questions via messaging?

Answer: Make sure questions are easy to answer; Ask simple and short questions.

Which statements correctly describe the corporate approach to collaboration platforms?

Answer: It typically prioritizes a planned, professional, and productive approach to team communication; It more closely aligns with professional communication norms than the engagement approach does; It is more closely associated with MS Teams than with Slack.

Kurt's team has been using a collaboration platform to communicate about Project A for 4 months. Which two practices would have been most helpful in producing quality work?

Answer: The team met in real time to work through difficult points; Each member of the team participated regularly.

What rapidly changing factor has led to the Social Age in business?

Answer: Communication technology

What are some of the advantages of using collaboration platforms?

Answer: Increased productivity; Increased responsiveness; Increased efficiency

The most effective business collaboration tools all include the extensive use of which of the following?

Answer: Written communication

Before you create any individual blog posts for your organization, you need to do which of the following?

Answer: Clarify your company's brand; Gain a shared sense of the brand message

In business social software, dashboards are useful for which of the following reasons?

Answer: They can provide information about your coworkers; They can increase work efficiency; They are customizable.

Because of profiles included on business social networks, employees who do not know each other personally often feel more ___ than they would using only email.

Answer: Connected

Which of the following is an appropriate use of business social network profiles?

Answer: Finding the appropriate coworkers for a task

A complete business social networking profile can result in increased ___ among colleagues in a business or organization.

Answer: Teamwork

Meta messages are the ___ messages decoded by others from someone's online presence.

Answer: Underlying; Overall

Simone posted a question on her company's forum about selecting a venue for the annual sales meeting. The venue needs to accommodate 200 people and include lodging and conference rooms. What is the most appropriate response?

Answer: “I have heard great things about Skamania Lodge. They host a lot of conferences and can accommodate up to 500.”

What is the most effective way of telling external stakeholders the story about a company?

Answer: Blog posts

Corporate blogs are used for public relations, which serves to build relationships with people. What is the primary reason for building such relationships?

Answer: To improve the corporation's reputation and credibility.

Which of the following are components of the press-release style for blog posts?

Answer: Dateline; Contact information; Headline

What information is appropriate to include in the boilerplate, or positioning statement?

Answer: The company's customers; The company's products and services; What distinguishes the company from its competitors

Bob, an art dealer, is writing a professional blog post about a new mixed-media artist who will soon have a show at his gallery. What should Bob include to enhance his credibility?

Answer: Provide information about the artist and the show at the beginning; Provide hyperlinks for additional information on the artist.

Communities of practice are groups focused on:

Answer: Shared activities

Social media facilitates which of the following for business professionals?

Answer: Gaining insights into best work practices; Ongoing learning about their company

What are the recommended levels and types of comments for high-performing teams on business social media platforms?

Answer: Most comments should be directly related to work, followed by about 15 to 20 percent supportive comments, and the remaining comments mostly social.

1. **Which of the following are true of routine business messages?**

**Answer:** They convey straightforward information; Readers are unlikely to resist them; Readers usually respond positively to them.

2. **It should take about ___ to complete a routine business message.**

**Answer:** 5 to 15 minutes

3. **Handling a routine message typically requires ___ other types of business correspondence.**

**Answer:** Less time than

4. **The ___ planning process can be completed quickly for most routine messages.**

**Answer:** AIM

5. **In a routine business message, how long should the primary message be?**

**Answer:** No more than 10 words

6. **The primary message in a routine communication should have ___ words.**

**Answer:** 10 or fewer

7. **The main text of a routine message should consist of ___.**

**Answer:** Brief paragraphs with pertinent details

8. **Which of the following should take place more frequently?**

**Answer:** Employees thanking each other; Employees thanking supervisors; Supervisors thanking employees.

9. **Which of the following might you use to highlight key ideas when drafting a routine message?**

**Answer:** Numbering; Bullets

10. **Proofreading and requests for feedback should take place during the ___ stage of routine message development.**

**Answer:** Reviewing

11. **In response to a routine business request, the reader is likely to express little or no ___ to what the message is saying.**

**Answer:** Resistance

12. **What question should you ask yourself before sending a routine request?**

**Answer:** Will the recipient understand what I want done?

13. **When you justify a routine request, you should provide:**

**Answer:** The rationale for the request in your message.

14. **To maintain goodwill when making a routine request, you should compose your message with a tone that has which two characteristics?**

**Answer:** Other-oriented; Positive

15. **Managers and supervisors need to ___, even if they are afraid of going beyond their authority.**

**Answer:** Communicate clear expectations

16. **When explaining your expectations to employees that you manage, what are the three main elements to include?**

**Answer:** How the work will be coordinated among all the people who are involved; Deadlines for the project; Each person's responsibilities.

17. **Routine messages that include directions are much like those that ___.**

**Answer:** Set expectations

18. **When providing directions in a routine message, you should give ___ instructions.**

**Answer:** Step-by-step

19. **Why is it not advisable to compose a business message that includes step-by-step instructions written in narrative form within a paragraph?**

**Answer:** The narrative format for instructions is more difficult to follow.

20. **When drafting a routine message, you should strive for a ___ tone.**

**Answer:** Professional; Reader-oriented; Helpful

1. **Which type of statement requires reading “between the lines” to grasp the entire meaning, since the underlying meaning is not stated?**

**Answer:** An implicit statement

2. **Which of the following should you do when trying to persuade colleagues and partners?**

**Answer:** Let them know that you need them; Let them know that you appreciate them.

3. **Which statements accurately depict issues with the tone of persuasive messages?**

**Answer:** A persuasive message constructed from passive rather than active words is less likely to be believable; A persuasive message with too high a level of confidence and positivity can come off as pushy or exaggerated.

4. **Which factor is typically the most important in gaining your colleagues' support when you appeal to shared purpose and shared values?**

**Answer:** Your credibility

5. **Which of the following are examples of persuasion?**

**Answer:** Getting your boss to consider a different perspective; Winning over peers to agree with your ideas; Convincing clients to use your services.

6. **When a person writes a persuasive business message, ___ is particularly important.**

**Answer:** Credibility

7. **The second stage of the AIM planning process involves:**

**Answer:** Gathering information

8. **When trying to persuade others, your most effective approach is the one that meets:**

**Answer:** The needs of your audience

9. **Why is it important to understand your target audience's needs and values?**

**Answer:** It puts you in a stronger position to successfully persuade them to accept your ideas.

10. **You should reread and evaluate all of your persuasive messages, since they can potentially do which of the following?**

**Answer:** Enhance your credibility; Decrease brand value; Increase your company's revenue.

11. **What should you include in a message to make it more persuasive to employees?**

**Answer:** Options for them to choose; Validation of shared concerns; A positive vision of change.

12. **Which of the following is not one of Robert Cialdini's six methods of influence?**

**Answer:** Social cues

13. **Nancy sends New Year's cards to people she doesn't know, and several respond by sending her a card. This is an example of:**

**Answer:** Reciprocation

14. **The principle of persuasion based on the idea that people typically stay with something once they have committed to it is known as ___.**

**Answer:** Consistency

15. **The cohesion among thousands of people who march together for a common cause embodies which principle?**

**Answer:** Social proof

16. **Because his six principles of influence are powerful and can do harm, Cialdini refers to them as:**

**Answer:** “Weapons of influence”

17. **True or False: Emotional appeals are typically unhelpful and counterproductive because audiences generally rely on reason to make their decisions.**

**Answer:** False

18. **Developing strong ideas that could benefit your audience will make you seem more ___.**

**Answer:** Competent

19. **Unlike persuasive messages, most business writing is:**

**Answer:** Direct and explicit

20. **What is a major method of gaining reader attention in internal persuasive messages?**

**Answer:** Identifying a business need