Business Communication Key Terms (Chapters 9 – 14)

A set of 170 vocabulary flashcards covering key business communication terms from Chapters 9–14, designed to aid exam preparation.

Analytical reports

Reports that analyze data, draw conclusions, and try to persuade readers to act on recommendations.

Business reports

Documents of varying length and formality that convey information, answer questions, or solve problems.

Conference reports

Also called trip reports; inform management about trends, procedures, equipment, or regulations learned at conferences.

Executive summary

A condensed version of a long report, proposal, or plan highlighting what executives need to know.

Feasibility reports

Documents that examine the practicality and advisability of pursuing a course of action.

Formal writing style

Objective, authoritative, and impartial style appropriate for proposals and long research reports.

Functional headings

One- or two-word labels that show a report’s outline but reveal little about content.

Infographics

Visual representations of data or information to aid quick understanding.

Informal writing style

Friendly tone with first-person pronouns and short sentences, used for brief internal reports.

Informational reports

Reports that present data without analysis or recommendations.

Internal proposals

Justification or recommendation reports distributed within an organization.

Interim reports

Also called project or progress reports; describe the status of ongoing projects.

Justification reports

Reports that recommend actions such as buying equipment or changing procedures; also called recommendation reports.

Letter format

Report form that looks like a business letter with date, inside address, salutation, and close.

Manuscript format

Formal report format printed on plain paper without letterhead, beginning with a title and structured headings.

Meeting minutes

Summaries of the proceedings and decisions of meetings.

Memo format

Report that begins with Date, To, From, and Subject headings and is longer and more organized than a routine memo.

Portable document format (PDF)

Adobe file type that condenses documents while preserving layout and graphics.

Primary data

Information gathered firsthand through observation, surveys, or experiments.

Problem statement

Sentence or paragraph that clarifies the task and defines a report’s purpose and scope.

Progress reports

Interim documents that describe the status, timetable, and issues of continuing projects.

Purpose statement

Sentence that defines a report’s focus and serves as a standard for staying on target.

Recommendation reports

Justification reports that propose specific actions to solve problems.

Secondary data

Information taken from what others have recorded or published.

Slide deck

A digital slideshow used to present information visually.

Summary

A brief condensation of the main points of a book, article, report, meeting, or convention.

Talking headings

Headings written as short sentences that provide information and spark interest.

Templates

Preformatted digital forms for repetitive documents such as sales or inventory reports.

Trip reports

See conference reports; summarize information acquired during business travel.

Yardstick reports

Analytical documents that compare multiple solutions against criteria to determine the best option.

APA Style

American Psychological Association, an organization determining the format of using and listing sources of research in the social sciences.

Appendixes

Sections in reports or proposals containing supplementary material of interest to some readers.

Area charts

Segmented line charts showing how components of a whole change over time.

Back matter

Report sections following the body, including references and appendixes.

Bar charts

Visuals that compare quantities with horizontal or vertical bars of varying lengths.

Browser

Software application that connects to servers and displays webpages.

Budget

Proposal section listing projected costs; also called statement of costs.

Citation formats

A way to direct readers to your sources with parenthetical notes inserted into the text and with bibliographies.

Contract cheating

Buying essays or papers online to pass off as one’s own work.

Database

Digitally stored, searchable collection of information accessible by computers or mobile devices.

Deliverables

Tangible items a proposal promises to produce for a client.

Documentation

The act of giving credit to information sources.

Experimentation

Primary research method that produces data suggesting cause-and-effect relationships.

Flowchart

Diagram that simplifies and clarifies procedures or processes.

Front matter

Preliminary report sections before the body, such as title page and table of contents.

Formal report

A document in which a writer analyzes findings, draws conclusions, and makes recommendations intended to solve a problem; is the product of thorough investigation or analysis; and presents organized information to decision makers in business, industry, government, and education.

Grant proposal

A formal document submitted to a government or private organization that explains a project, outlines its budget, and requests money in the form of a grant.

Interview

Primary research technique involving questioning subject experts for information.

Letter proposal

A proposal presented in manuscript format (usually no more than ten pages) or in a short (two- to four-page) letter; sometimes called informal proposal.

Limitations

Part of a scope statement that narrows a topic by noting constraints or exclusions.

Line charts

Graphs that show data trends or changes over time.

Memorandum of transmittal

A memo written to the recipient of an internal formal business report and delivered with the document; announces the topic of the report, tells how it was authorized, briefly describes the project, highlights the report’s findings, conclusions, and recommendations, and expresses appreciation.

MLA Style

Modern Language Association, an organization determining the format of using and listing sources of research in the humanities.

Observation

Gathering primary data by watching people, processes, or organizations firsthand.

Organization charts

Diagrams showing reporting relationships, spans of control, and communication channels.

Outline

Hierarchical arrangement of main topics and subtopics to organize ideas.

Paraphrasing

Restating another’s ideas in your own words and style.

Periodicals

Publications issued on a regular schedule, such as journals and magazines.

Pie charts

Circular graphs showing a whole and the proportional size of its components.

Plagiarism

Using others’ ideas or words without proper documentation.

Primary research

Generating or gathering firsthand data via interviews, surveys, or observation.

Primary sources

Original data collected firsthand, such as surveys, interviews, and meetings.

Proposal

Written offer to solve a problem, provide a service, or sell equipment.

Request for proposal (RFP)

Document issued by organizations specifying needs and inviting competitive bids.

References

List of all sources consulted in a project when using APA documentation.

Research

Methodical search for information relevant to a report topic.

Scope statement

Explanation defining which problems will be researched and analyzed.

Search engine

Tool that scans millions of webpages to locate specified content.

Secondary research

Use of existing data published or recorded by others.

Secondary sources

Previously compiled or analyzed information, such as books and articles.

Segmented line charts

See area charts; show how parts of a whole change over time.

Solicited proposal

Proposal prepared in response to an explicit RFP.

Survey

Method of gathering information from a sample of people to generalize findings.

Table

Systematic display of quantitative or verbal information in rows and columns.

Table of contents

List of report headings with their starting page numbers.

Unsolicited proposal

Proposal submitted without an explicit request from the recipient.

Work plan

Tentative schedule guiding the investigation of a project.

Works Cited

List of sources consulted when using MLA documentation style.

Business etiquette

Practice of showing consideration, courtesy, and respect in business settings.

Civility

Politeness and courteous behavior toward others.

Cyberbullying

Use of digital devices to scare, anger, or shame others.

Desirable workplace behavior

Conduct that fosters cooperation, positive results, and a strong corporate image.

Desk rage

Extreme anger or violent outbursts in the workplace.

Dining etiquette

Expected table manners and behaviors during business meals.

Distributed Age

Term describing today’s workplace characterized by widespread remote collaboration.

Emotional intelligence

Ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own and others’ emotions.

Ethics

Set of moral principles or virtues guiding behavior.

Hard skills

Technical abilities specific to a field or occupation.

Hybrid model

Work arrangement balancing remote work with on-site presence.

Integrity

Adherence to moral values; incorruptibility.

Matrixed teams

Groups whose members work on multiple teams and report to different managers.

Pitch

Highness or lowness of sound; vocal attribute affecting speech tone.

Polish

Overall professionalism, including first impressions, handshake, voice quality, and dining skills.

Professionalism

Blend of soft skills, etiquette, polish, social and emotional intelligence, and civility.

Rate

Pace or speed of spoken words.

Social intelligence

Ability to interact well, perceive others’ needs, and accurately grasp situations.

Soft skills

Interpersonal and social abilities, sometimes equated with emotional intelligence.

Text neck

Posture problems caused by bending the head while looking at screens.

Uptalk

Rising inflection at sentence ends that makes statements sound like questions.

Virtual meetings

Gatherings of dispersed participants using communication technology instead of face-to-face contact.