BA105 Ch4

While reading an e-mail message from her boss, Melissa is distracted by numerous typographical and spelling errors. These errors that detract from the message and make it difficult to read are called

noise

Which of the following is the best wording to avoid racial, ethnic, age, and disability bias?

AARP membership is open to anyone age 50 or over.

Anthony is part of a virtual team collaborating on a written proposal. Which of the following collaboration tools can help his team work together on this shared document?

All of these choices

Which of the following takes place during the third phase of the 3-x-3 writing process?

All of these choices

Which of the following takes place during the first phase of the 3-x-3 writing process?

Analyze the audience and your purpose for writing.

Team writing is especially important for documents that require the expertise or consensus of many people.

True

Which of the following statements about the "you" view is most accurate?

Be careful because second-person pronouns such as you and your can be overused and misused.

Kendra is part of a team that will be preparing a presentation to the board of directors about a new product idea. What will her team likely do the first time they meet?

Brainstorm for ideas.

Which of the following sentences uses conversational, middle-level diction?

Hello! You will not believe what I just learned. Drop by my office before you leave today to discuss it.

Select the best definition of communication.

Communication is the transmission of information and meaning from one individual or group to another

Which of the following occurs during the second phase of the 3-x-3 writing process?

Conduct research to gather the data you need to provide facts

Sofia is an event planner and is responding to an e-mail request from a client. What should Sofia do during the second phase of the writing process?

Determine the best organizational pattern for her reply message to the client.

Alex is having trouble concentrating on a report he is reading because his smartphone keeps ringing and his colleagues keep sending him text messages. What kind of communication barrier is this?

Digital interruptions

How can one become a better business writer?

Do all of these choices.

Which of the following statements about the 3-x-3 writing process is most accurate?

Experienced writers usually spend the most time on the third phase of the writing process.

Because jargon can be confusing, it should never be used in business writing.

False

Business communicators generally spend the most time on the prewriting phase of the 3-x-3 writing process.

False

Encoding is the process of translating a message from its symbol form into meaning.

False

Exhibiting sarcasm or anger in a business message can help you get your point across or meet your goals.

False

Robert is gathering data for a business proposal he is writing. Robert is in the first phase of the writing process.

False

Text messages, e-mail messages, business letters, memos, and reports are most effective when they use a formal tone.

False

The first question to ask yourself when composing a business message is "What channel should I use to send the message?"

False

The process of communication begins when the receiver puts a message into writing.

False

Words like denigrate, the undersigned, and expropriate should be used in business messages because they will make you sound more professional.

False

You need to give me an answer by Friday is an example of sentence that uses a positive tone.

False

____ helps the sender know whether the message was received and understood.

Feedback

You are talking with the president of your company about a possible merger. Which of the following is the most useful feedback you can provide during the conversation?

If I understand you correctly, your recommendation is that we go through with the merger.

Which of the following is an example of an internal disruption in the decoding process?

Meaghan finds her mind drifting during a lecture as she thinks about her upcoming trip to Florence.

Robert must send an e-mail message to a client in Turkey. He is carefully selecting his words to ensure that his Turkish client, who speaks English as a second language, will understand them. He is involved in which part of the communication process?

Message encoding

Hannah posts her résumé on the websites of several companies. Unfortunately, it is poorly formatted and contains several spelling and grammar errors. What kind of communication barrier may this cause?

Physical distraction

Preparing a business message or presentation is easier and more efficient if you have a systematic process to follow.

True

Jorge is working on a sales brochure to promote a new product. Which of the following will Jorge do during the third phase of the writing process?

Proofread the brochure carefully for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

You want your writing to sound positive and courteous. Which of the following sentences has the best choice of wording?

Please give us your feedback about your online ordering experience.

Professional business messages should not include texting-style abbreviations such as BTW, slang, sentence fragments, or chitchat.

True

Profiling the audience means anticipating how both primary and secondary audiences will react to a message.

True

Francis is starting his first full-time job after graduating from college, and he wants to sound conversational but professional on the job. What is the best advice you can give him?

Strive for an informal, conversational tone in most business messages.

Which of the following statements about team writing is most accurate?

Team members will usually gather at the beginning of a project to brainstorm.

You want to use precise, vigorous words to give your readers more information and keep them interested. Which of the following sentences has the best wording?

The March balance sheet reports a 10 percent decrease in expenses for the first quarter of the fiscal year.

Which of the following sentences does not show gender bias?

The servers at Cafe Divine are always professional.

Cassandra is trying to decide whether to call her boss or to send an e-mail message. Cassandra is in the first phase of the writing process.

True

Every message you write should begin with the notion that your audience is thinking What's in it for me?(WIIFM)

True

Good attorneys always defend their clients demonstrates better business writing than A good attorney always defends his client.

True

In team writing projects, team members usually work most closely together during Phase 1, the prewriting phase.

True

The best feedback to a message is descriptive rather than evaluative.

True

The third phase of the writing process involves editing, proofreading, and evaluating your message.

True

You and your boss come from very different educational and professional backgrounds. You are most likely to experience communication barriers due to differing frames of reference.

True

You can start lowering your energy expenses immediately is an example of an audience-focused sentence.

True

Which of the following statements about business writing is least accurate?

When writing business documents, business communicators should recognize that quantity enhances quality.

You are in charge of preparing a sales brochure and must profile your audience. What question should you ask to profile your primary audience?

You should ask all these questions

Which of the following statements about anticipating and profiling your audience is most accurate?

You will adjust your tone, style, and content to accommodate the expectations and needs of your audience.

Which sentence best illustrates the "you" view?

You will receive your complete walking tour itinerary one month before your trip.

Jeanette is offended when she notices that only masculine pronouns are used in the company's human resources manual. This decoding problem is a result of

a semantic obstacle

Differences in frames of reference are especially significant when

communicating with people from different cultures

Robert says that he will answer his client's questions "as soon as possible." Robert plans to answer the questions by early next week; his client expects the answers by the end of the day. This misunderstanding results from

bypassing

While conducting an orientation session for new employees, Clayton noticed looks of confusion on the faces of some listeners. He then paused and asked his audience, "What questions do you have so far?" Clayton was striving to overcome communication barriers by

creating an environment for useful feedback.

Suzanne has just received an e-mail message from a client and is reading it carefully to determine her client's needs. She is involved in the ____ part of the communication process.

decoding

Deborah is writing a proposal to solicit business from a potential client. She should expect to spend the most time on

editing, proofreading, and evaluating the proposal.

Jay includes the sentence "Let me know whether I can answer any questions" at the end of his e-mail message as a way to encourage

feedback.

A company's annual report describes the company's efforts to give back to the community. The primary purpose of this report is to ____; the secondary purpose is to ____.

inform; promote goodwill

Devon is writing an e-mail message to a customer to tell him that the customer's order has been shipped. His primary purpose is to

inform

The primary purpose of messages that sell products, convince managers, motivate employees, and win over customers is to

persuade

Determining whether a message will be transmitted by e-mail or delivered in person is part of

selecting an appropriate communication channel for the message.

So that your needs can better be met in the future, please complete the online survey about your recent flight with Southwest Airlines is an example of

spotlighting audience benefits.

The process of communication is successful only when

the receiver understands an idea as the sender intended it.

A face-to-face conversation is considered a richer medium than a written report or proposal.

true

Omar is writing an e-mail message about a new delivery service. In anticipating and profiling the audience, he should

try to get a general idea of who his audience is.