BCOM Exam #2

What are potential business-related costs of making an apology?

-a permanent record in a performance review -an implication of legal responsibility

A message of apprectiation should include:

-a statement of goodwill -a brief rationale -an expression of thanks

Which types of routine business messages tend to be relatively infrequent?

-expressions of sympathy -apologies

Good techniques for an effective response to inquiries are:

-giving each question its own section -using bold to highlight each section -including links to web pages with additional information

When you express sympathy to a professional contact over a death, you should:

-handwrite the expression on a nice card -keep the expression brief -mention positive memories

Establishing clear expectations, especially when you are the supervisor or manager, directly

-improves your credibility -cultivates your interpersonal trust

Routine business messages generally focus on

-maintaining camaraderie at work -things to be done at work

A claim should:

-make a call to action -explain why the claim is being made -specify what the claim is

When delivering an appreciation message, an exaggerated display of gratitude may

-seem insincere -appear unprofessional

What is true about claims in routine messages?

-to have the other company comply with your claim -long-term relationships should be respected

If too little information is provided in your routine message, what is likely to happen?

-your receiver will be less apt to do what you are requesting. -your credibility will be diminished

Handling a routine message typically requires _______ other types of business correspondence.

less time than

List the components of a business claim in order, which the first component at the top of the list.

make a claim, provide a rationale, give a call to action, make a statement of goodwill.

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

no more than 10 words

An announcement is what type of communication?

one-to-many

When employees explain their reasons in the text of routine requests, the company is better able to maintain _______ by keeping written records that show why decisions were made.

transparency

It should take about _______ to complete a routine business message

5-15 minutes

An effective direction-giving message will include the ______ of "I want you to help out as much as possible"

meta message

For procedures and directions, _____ the steps to differentiate them from each other.

number

Messages that include directions usually:

offer guidelines for specific tasks.

The _____ of a routine request should be clear and specific.

subject lines

The _______ can be completed quickly for most routine messages

AIM planning process

A company writes to one of its suppliers, requesting an adjustment to the invoice for a recent shipment because some of the merchandise was missing. This type of business message is known as _________

a claim

When you discuss ______ as the manager of a project, you should give employees guidelines for how they will communicate with each other.

coordination

All routine business messages should contain which of the following components?

details, a restatement of the key message, a primary message

When making a claim, an effective message will balance ______ with _______.

directness; politeness

You can help maintain the _______ of the recipient of a routine request by showing respect for the recipient's time.

goodwill

When drafting a routine message, you should strive for a(n) __________ tone.

helpful, professional, reader-oriented

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

resistance

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

reviewing

By a large margin, most business messages are:

routine messages

Routine messages that include directions are much like those that:

set expectations

When providing directions in a routine message, you should give ______ directions.

step-by-step

The most important goal of a routine business message is:

to capture the reader's attention