Ch.7
Dave sends an email to his colleague, Stan, asking for important details about an ongoing project. Stan is on a business trip and finds no time to reply to all of Dave's queries. Dave wrongly perceives that Stan is ignoring him. Which of the following should Dave do?
Dave should call Stan or send a polite message saying he would appreciate an early reply.
"The finance meeting will be at 10:00 on Thursday in the main conference room" is a good subject line for an email.
False
A Microsoft study found that interruptions have little impact on performance because most people can focus on two or more things at a time.
False
A business memo is high in richness because the writer can carefully craft the messages at his or her own pace and on his or her schedule.
False
Email is a form of synchronous communication, because the individuals involved can pay attention to and respond to communications at a time of their choosing.
False
For informal business phone calls, send your conversation partner an invitation with a specific call time and an agenda of what you plan to discuss.
False
In order to manage e-interruptions effectively, reply immediately to all messages.
False
In the workplace, email communication is typically considered fairly casual because it is less permanent than print communication.
False
Lena is correct in thinking that she should immediately start a business call with the first issue to be discussed.
False
Terri sends out an email that simply lists tasks and assigns deadlines. She is correct in assuming that this email will not convey any emotion.
False
Texting during meetings is rude and should be done only in case of an emergency.
False
The neutrality effect means that recipients are more likely to perceive messages that are intended as neutral as negative.
False
Until you know the texting style of a colleague, you should use mainly abbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons.
False
Writers must be more careful to ensure ease of reading in print messages than in digital messages such as emails.
False
Paul always hits "reply to all" whenever he answers a team email, even if the email was a question posed by one other person and directed only to Paul. When he initiates an email about his project, he sends it to everyone in his department. Judging only from this information, what impact does Paul have on his department's communications?
He is contributing to email overload in his department.
Why are companies like Google and Microsoft joining the Overload Research Group?
It is an organization devoted to finding solutions to the problem of too many e-interruptions.
What is cyber silence?
It is the act of not responding to emails or other digital communications.
Craig is the sales manager at Blaize Supersports and has a 20-member sales team. During an average day, Craig receives about 115 emails and sends out 75 emails. James, a salesperson at the store, is typing an email to Craig. James wants to take a week off to spend time with his family. Which of the following is true concerning the subject line of James's email?
It should use a descriptive subject line such as "James requests time off."
Which of the following is a helpful tip for using webcams during a group video call?
Maintain direct eye contact with the camera as much as possible.
Which of the following is a helpful guideline for phone conversations with business colleagues?
Make sure that the conversation time is balanced between both parties.
How is productivity affected when employees multitask?
Productivity drops by up to 40 percent.
Which of the following guidelines best ensures that your email is easy to read?
Provide a descriptive signature block.
What should you do when you cannot respond to a request made in an email?
Reply immediately to explain how soon you can respond in full.
Karla, the administrative assistant, sends an email with the annual holiday schedule to everyone in the department. At the bottom of the email, Karla types "no reply necessary." What can you infer about Karla from this?
She is trying to reduce email overload.
When Sherry sends task-oriented emails to colleagues, she always tells them the deadline for the tasks and details about when she is available to talk or meet. What conclusion are Sherry's colleagues likely to draw from this?
Sherry respects their time and other commitments.
Which of the following is a reason why greetings and names are omitted from emails?
Some professionals view emails as the equivalent of memos, which traditionally omit names and greetings.
Which of the following is an example of the neutrality effect?
Sue writes an email in which she intends to express a positive emotion, but readers decode it as neutral.
It should use a descriptive subject line such as "James requests time off."
Team meeting, Harper conference room, at 11:00
Edgar texted vital information to his supervisor, Tonya. Later, Edgar found out that Tonya was offended that he did not think the message was important enough for a phone call. Edgar failed to consider the meta message of his text.
True
Email communication is the primary form of private, written business communication.
True
Even colleagues who know each other well often misinterpret humor and sarcasm in digital communications.
True
Focusing on task-related facts and issues in your reply is a good way to defuse situations involving cyber incivility.
True
Ingrid receives an email in which a customer calls her "the most incompetent, lazy excuse for a customer service representative I have ever had to deal with." This is an example of a flame.
True
Spoken messages in the workplace are low in control but high in richness.
True
You should turn off message alerts as they can distract you and reduce your focus.
True
When preparing for a business phone call, you should do many of the same things you do for
a meeting
Jasper has to send out a number of communications. Which of the following is appropriate to send as a text?
a quick compliment to a colleague who gave a great presentation
Hannah is in the middle of writing a report, and she does not want to disrupt the flow of her work by walking over to the department bookcase to double check the name of their main competitor's product. She decides to text Joe, who sits next to the bookcase, to ask him to do it. Because of repeated incidents like this, Hannah is likely to be seen as
a taker
Maya's virtual team includes editors in the United States, designers in Italy, and fact checkers in India. Maya wants the team to discuss the development process for their next book. Which communication channel will best allow team members to consider what they say, to respond in a way that is comfortable, and to fit the discussion in their schedules?
an electronic discussion board
Polly needs to communicate with many people in her department. It is not necessary for everyone to receive the message at the same time. Which of the following is the best tool for Polly to use?
an email
Which of the following is most likely to be placed in the subject line of an email?
an expected action
Individuals involved in ______ communication can pay attention to and respond to communications at a time of their choosing.
asynchronous
Email communication is
characterized by little coordination
Which of the following can help keep email-induced distractions at bay?
checking your messages just two to four times a day
Rick is trying to schedule a video teleconference with colleagues at several locations. To do so, he needs to coordinate their schedules and also check to see if the company needs to invest in any additional resources to make it happen. By addressing coordination and resource issues, he is dealing with
constraint
Which of the following is most likely to be included in the signature block of an email?
contact details
When choosing a communication channel, ______ refers to the degree to which communications can be planned and recorded, thus allowing strategic message development.
control
Logan dislikes email and texting because he cannot hear the other person's tone of voice or see facial expressions. Logan's frustration is related to a lack of
cues
Pongtorn receives an email in which a colleague accuses him of not caring about the success of the team. Pongtorn responds by with an email that apologizes for giving that impression and reports his progress on the tasks the team assigned him. What action has Pongtorn just taken?
defusing
Ayele sends the following message to the people he supervises in the factory: "Plant inspection Wed. 9:00. Some fun, huh? Ayele." What is the best way to make this text more professional?
deleting the phrase "Some fun, huh?"
James usually wants other people to think well of him, but when he is online, he feels anonymous enough to say profanely negative things. What is the term for such comments?
flames
Savita sends the following message to a colleague she has texted only once before: "Do you want to meet for coffee to discuss combining our efficiency reports?" What would make this text more professional?
identifying who she is at the beginning of the message
Which of the following deals with how quickly someone is able to give feedback during communication?
immediacy
What advantage do landlines have over mobile phones?
more reliable audio
Chris and Susan are employees of Finvest Corp. During a recent performance review, Susan's manager tells her that her productivity has declined this year and she needs to improve. When Susan confides this to Chris, he mentions objectively that he has noticed she is spending more time texting on the job. Susan responds by saying, "I don't need you to criticize me too!" Susan's behavior is an example of
negativity effect.
Clement, a customer service representative at Sarah's Supermart, has a tough time handling customers during his first week on the job. Carlo, Clement's colleague, guides him through this difficult period. Afterward, Clement writes Carlo an email to thank him warmly for his help. Carlo neither reacts nor replies. Carlo's behavior is an example of
neutrality effect.
When Samantha was asked to inform a colleague she dislikes about a meeting, she waited until an hour before the meeting to email the information to the woman. What is this an example of?
passive incivility
Bao is conducting a study that compares the cost of keeping print messages on file versus storing digital messages in the cloud. What aspect of communications relates to the storage of messages?
performance
Angel prefers written communication because she can brainstorm, draft, edit, revise, and otherwise develop her message before delivering it. Which aspect of communication does she value?
planning
Frequent incoming messages can
reduce creativity.
Which of the following involves adjusting your initial perceptions by making more objective and fact-based evaluations and fewer personal judgments?
reinterpretation
Which of the following facilitates a one-stop work space containing project and meeting information, shared files, and communication platforms?
social networking
Ismail needs to let Felicia know that the funds for her pet project have been slashed. Which communication channel should Ismail use?
spoken communication
Which of the following serves the same function in emails that headlines do in newspapers and magazines?
subject lines
Which of the following is typically used for short, one-to-one or one-to-many messages and is ideal for quick announcements and scheduling?
texting
One possible negative effect of texting is that
the brevity of texts can make them sound bossy.
Which of the following would help to reduce e-interruptions?
using rich channels of communication to accomplish tasks completely
Just before Ellen goes to bed at 11:00 p.m., she realizes that she forgot to confirm a meeting that she is supposed to attend the following day. She texts her colleague the following message: "Hi, it's Ellen. Are we still on tomorrow at 3:00?" What should she have done differently?
waited to send the text right after she arrived at the office the next day
