business communications final
List the three (3) basic components of the AIM planning process for most persuasive messages. 1. 2. 3.
Audience analysis Information gathering Message development
Business casual dress is intended to project
a comfortable, relaxed feel while maintaining a high standard of professionalism.
Persuasion implies that you are communicating with someone who thinks the same way as you do.
false
Presentations should always use analytical appeals rather than emotional appeals.
false
Reviewing a report in multiple sittings has a negative impact on the review process.
false
Slides that have visible white space seem skimpy and give the presentation an unprofessional appearance.
false
Speakers should pass out handouts during the first minute of a presentation because that is when audiences form their deepest impressions.
false
The bar chart, due to its limited forms, is less versatile than the pie chart or the line chart.
false
The first task of most persuasive messages is to
gain the attention of the readers.
Which of the following is an example of an ability?
good communicator
Nearly all reports contain ______ to help readers quickly navigate through them.
headings
The main aim of your presentation is to draw support and
influence key decision makers in your audience.
When business professionals enter into primary research with preexisting assumptions or conclusions, they are likely to
interpret the data incorrectly.
Inaccuracies in a résumé can cost you the chance at a job interview.
true
Internal and external persuasive messages contain many common elements.
true
Many young managers fail to set expectations because they want to maintain a friendly feeling with subordinates.
true
Messages that provide directions and messages that set expectations both involve telling others what to do.
true
The AIDA model of mass sales messages is aimed at getting customers to think
"I want this product or service."
List any six (6) of the nine (9) "principles" for establishing your presence when delivering presentations. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
1. Establishing credibility 2. Maintain authenticity 3. Know your material 4. Speak with confidence 5. Focus on people 6. Stay flexible 7. Use the room to your advantage 8. Communicate nonverbally 9. Dress for success
When evaluating the usefulness of data quality, what five (5) concerns/issues should be considered? List all five (5). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
1. Reliability 2. Relevance 3. Adaptability 4. Expertise or Expert-Based 5. Biases
Stories in presentations should typically last for
30 seconds to one minute.
Which of the following statements about a table of contents is true?
A table of contents is expected for nearly any report over ten pages long.
If someone asks you something you do not know during a question-and-answer session, what should you do?
Admit that you do not know and offer to find the information.
How can you make sure that your business report meets the needs of the target audience?
Consider updating them about your progress in creating the report and involving them in the process.
Which of the following statements about cover pages is true?
Formal reports, regardless of length, always include a cover page.
As you review your presentation, which of the following should you ask yourself to determine how factual you've been?
Have I carefully considered various interpretations of my data?
Many routine business messages involve such things as teams coordinating their assignments, customers buying products, and colleagues asking if they can meet. Such messages are known as
requests.
Which of the following statements about leading questions is true?
In surveys, leading questions produce unreliable and unusable information.
Which of the following statements about online research is true?
Industry sites list a variety of sources that may be more current than the information in business databases.
One of the best ways to understand a potential employer's needs is to
research the strategic goals and unique challenges of the company.
What is one of the purposes of the preview in a presentation?
to generate interest among the audience
A compelling preview helps the audience listen to the whole presentation
true
A report must be reviewed at least once for typos or mechanical errors.
true
A speaker who allows a question-and-answer period takes a risk, as audience members may ask difficult questions.
true
A young professional who has only a few years of job experience should generally use a chronological résumé.
true
Achieving a positive, can-do tone in your communications is appropriate in nearly all business situations.
true
An executive summary tells the story of the report so the busy reader can get the gist of the content.
true
Bad news is best delivered in person.
true
Documenting your sources for secondary research helps decision makers judge the quality of your data.
true
During a presentation, you should use gestures that show affirmation and acceptance of your audience members.
true
For business research, the information you can access through business databases and other sources at your library is generally the most reliable.
true
Having presence means commanding attention, garnering respect for your ideas, engaging your listeners, and even inspiring your audiences to action.
true
In order to design your presentation slides for ease of processing, limit the amount of information on any given slide.
true
Most people justify their business decisions based on the soundness of ideas, not feelings.
true
One advantage of giving bad news in a written communication is that you can ensure that you state the bad news with great care and accuracy.
true
Presentations put a spotlight on speakers, providing them with the opportunity to build credibility.
true
The first step in developing research-based business reports is identifying what decision makers want to accomplish.
true
The mum effect occurs when bad news is filtered out of messages as they are passed up the chain of command.
true
The title should explain the primary point of a chart.
true
The tone for most routine messages should be helpful, professional, and reader centered.
true
The tone of your delivery often outweighs the content of your message when providing face-to-face feedback.
true
To help you identify your interests, abilities, and attributes, you might consider completing a self-inventory.
true
To prevent employees and customers from ignoring announcements, the subject line must be specific and must create interest.
true
Using positive wording in persuasive messages helps your audience focus on the benefits rather than the drawbacks of what you are trying to promote.
true
When bad-news message recipients know you are concerned about them, they generally respond without antagonism and even appreciate your honesty.
true
When choosing between bullets or numbered lists in responding to an inquiry, consider whether the order of the items is important.
true
When using a story line approach to business presentations, the stories should connect facts with people and their business goals.
true
When you analyze data in a group, you are less likely to inadvertently misinterpret the data.
true
When you are creating cover letters and résumés, you are writing persuasive messages.
true
When you have secured an interview, you have made the initial cut and are likely deemed a good candidate.
true
While designing slides, use bold, italics, and other formatting features to make key phrases or key components in figures stand out.
true
Without a problem statement, reports lack direction and may be seen as unimportant.
true
You can raise the credibility of your report by providing supporting details for your conclusions.
true
A mistake that many job applicants make while creating résumés is
trying to display everything they do well.
Which of the following should be avoided during most presentations?
turning off the lights
To ensure that the bar charts are formatted effectively, the bars should be about ______ the width of the space in between bars.
twice
Presentations allow you to express your views in a(n) ______ environment.
two-way
A business writer who wants to help readers rapidly process and group the information in a report should
use bulleting and enumerated lists.
Recognizing others' needs, wants, ideas, and preferences as legitimate and reasonable is known as
validation
Which question will help you to establish credibility with the readers of your routine messages?
what information does the audience need, and how do they want to receive it?
Reports or guides that are issued by the government and organizations and that generally describe research about solving a particular issue are referred to as
white papers.
Why is efficiency one of the primary goals when sending routine messages?
The volume of routine messages is high.
What can you do to encourage employees to read announcements?
Use a specific, catchy subject line that creates interest.
Which of the following formatting guidelines increases the effectiveness of all types of charts?
Use darker colors to represent the most important data series.
Which of the following is a guideline connected with the SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication?
Use your facial expressions to connect with your audience and show enthusiasm for your topic.
Which statement accurately describes the use of you-voice in persuasive messages?
Using the you-voice forces you to personalize the message for your readers.
Which of the following is an appropriate attention-getter for an external message?
a catchy statement
While describing accomplishments and experiences in a résumé, begin statements with
action verbs.
The writing style of your persuasive messages should be
action-oriented and lively.
Identifying your career goals helps you
address those areas where you most need improvement.
Which of the following is an effective way of delivering a negative performance review?
adopting a team-centered orientation
Which of the following should be avoided when conveying bad news to customers?
an accusatory tone
Which of the following is the first step in the planning process for writing persuasive messages?
analyzing the audience
Compared to delivering bad news in person, delivering bad news in writing
appears more callous and impersonal.
In a business report, recommendations
are specific and based on facts.
The preview of a presentation should generally include a(n)
attention-getter.
The beginning of your presentation is critical because
audience members form quick impressions about you and your message during this time.
Celebrity endorsements in advertising are based on the _____ principle of influence.
authority
Persuasive messages should conclude with a(n)
call to action.
In the model for mass sales messages called AIDA, "D" stands for
desire.
APA and MLA are types of
documentation systems.
Precision in reports relies on
facts.
According to communication specialist Dave Zielinski, communicators should avoid openness when delivering bad news.
false
Business professionals who fail to do audience analysis for routine messages lose credibility.
false
During a presentation, you should always give detailed explanations for questions because short responses are ineffective.
false
Exaggeration is acceptable in persuasive messages.
false
Generally, an executive summary for a 50-page report should be about two pages long.
false
Glyn has just graduated from college, and he has decided to apply for three different types of jobs. He should use the same cover letter and résumé for each application.
false
If you gather as much information as you can from a variety of sources, then you are less likely to make objective judgments and propose fair solutions.
false
If you want to find a job that matches your long-term goals, you should send out a lot of applications as soon as you start the job-search process.
false
In a résumé, you ought to list any personal details that most people would find admirable.
false
It is important to ensure that your slides are the primary focal point throughout your presentation.
false
Most HR professionals say that creating a presence on LinkedIn is a waste of time.
false
Strong nouns and verbs make persuasive messages seem dull or mundane.
false
The manner in which Luis delivers bad news to his employees will have little to no effect on his credibility.
false
The most important step in the AIDA model for mass sales messages is D—description of the problem.
false
Typically, routine messages deal with complex matters that require in-depth analysis.
false
Using percentages in tables, as opposed to counts, makes it difficult for readers to make effective comparisons quickly.
false
When delivering negative performance reviews, managers should focus on attitudes and intentions rather than actions and results.
false
When learning how to do effective presentations, change all of your problem behaviors at the same time to develop a consistent style.
false
Placing data labels on each slice of a pie chart makes it difficult to interpret.
false.
Which of the following is the best way to deliver presentations with authenticity?
finding ways to present your real self to your audience
Which of the following is true of visual learners?
they enjoy gestures and metaphors.
Which of the following is an important principle for using slides?
Do not spend too much time looking at your slides with your back to the audience.
Which of the following statements is a helpful guideline for presenting with slides?
Do not start your slides until after you have made preliminary remarks to your audience.
What is the advantage of front-loading a routine message?
It makes it easier to grab the reader's attention.
Which of the following statements made by an employee would be a counterproductive response to a negative review?
My boss doesn't care about my work, so why should I care what he thinks?
Which of the following is a guideline for writing an effective résumé?
Position your most important contributions first.
Which of the following statements about primary research is true?
Primary research provides feedback directly related to an organization and its needs.
What is the main challenge that authors of routine messages have to overcome?
Readers receive so many routine messages that it is hard to catch their attention.
Which of the following is true about developing routine messages?
Routine messages need to be reviewed.
Which of the following is the best example of a less-direct message?
The warranty clause has expired, so we will not be able to replace your television.
Which of the following is true of auditory learners?
They believe emotion is best conveyed through voice.
Which of the following is true of kinesthetic learners?
They need breaks about every 20 minutes.
Which of the following techniques will help you make your presentation be about people?
introducing colleagues and referring to them by name during your presentation
For your presentation to be effective, you must summarize your ______ and reemphasize them several times.
key takeaway messages
Which of the following is an example of a bad-news message that is characterized by high severity and low controllability?
laying off an employee
In order to design your slides to facilitate ease of processing
limit your text to ten words per line.
The career summary section of a résumé should provide the candidate's
major accomplishments, abilities, and attributes.
Decision makers are unlikely to take your report seriously when you
make recommendations that are not explicitly linked to facts and conclusions.
A person with high emotional intelligence will usually
manage emotions to respond constructively to negative feedback.
Which of the following sections is considered optional in a résumé?
objective statement
When you lose your train of thought during a presentation, you should
pause briefly to regain your composure and your line of thinking.
People often misread body language, so you should
pay attention to your audience member's and adjust your presentation based on their reactions.
To develop original reports, make sure that you avoid
plagiarizing in any form.
A person who has to deliver a bad-news message should gather as much information as possible from a variety of sources to reduce the
probability of making subjective judgments.
Failure to set expectations will most likely lead to
professional disappointments.
Which of the following should you focus on during the reviewing step of writing a routine message?
proofreading
A message is said to be indirect when it
provides the rationale for a request before making the request.
Which of the following will help you reduce skepticism once you have described your solution?
providing a strong rationale
What does discussing coordination mean?
providing guidelines for how employees should communicate and cooperate with one another Correct
Which of the following raises the credibility of a report?
providing supporting details for your conclusions
When you describe your own role and responsibilities to supervisees, they are more likely to
realize that you and they are mutually accountable.
The ______ of data acquired through secondary research is how well it applies to your specific business problem.
relevance
Which component of the FAIR test relates to the question "Have I stated the message in a way that recognizes the inherent worth of others?"
respect
Which of the following terms is used for the process that involves the analysis of data collected by others with no direction from you or members of your organization?
secondary research
Which of the following is characteristic of a strong routine message?
short paragraphs
In a bad-news message, a buffer is a statement that is typically used to
show appreciation.
The purpose of cover letters and résumés is to
show how you meet the needs of your prospective employers.
Which of the following actions during a speech is most likely to result in your audience judging you as caring?
showing that you are interested in the needs of your audience
Which of the following statements in a résumé shows quantifiable accomplishments in a previous job?
supervised a 10-member telemarketing team
Which of the following guidelines makes a presentation more effective?
speaking to your audience not the screen
Which of the following is one of the best ways to relax immediately before a presentation?
speaking with audience members to break the ice
The recommendations made within a business report must be
specific and actionable.
Which of the following components is usually found in a set of directions but not in a set of expectations?
step-by-step instructions
A leading question is one that
suggests an answer to the respondents.
A person who has to deliver bad news should avoid
taking the blame for something that is not his or her fault.
Your résumé should tell a story of
the value you can provide to a company.
A disadvantage of online surveys is that
they are so common that respondents may get tired of answering them carefully.
Problem statements are most effective when
they provide the unique context of the problem for the organization.