Buad Exam 3

The AIDA model of mass sales messages is aimed at getting potential customers to think

"I want this product or service."

Which scenario illustrates the principle of consistency?

A manager asks volunteers to sign up by return email because then they will be more likely to carry through.

What is the best way to handle objections, according to Michael Maslansky?

Agree with the objections.

In the context of developing persuasive messages, what is most likely to help you demonstrate a voice of competence?

developing strong ideas in the interest of your audience

This is a quotation from a negative performance review delivered by a senior manager to a team leader: "I know you and your team have the potential to turn things around by our next performance review; hence, we need to totally focus on getting everything right from now on." This is an ineffective thing to say in a performance review because it

does not provide measurable and realistic expectations.

Veronique, a sales manager at Wild Wind Apparel, is reviewing the performance of her team. She observes that one of her subordinates, Mae, has performed poorly in the last quarter. When giving Mae a negative performance review, Veronique should ensure that she

emphasizes ways to solve the problem

While writing a routine message, you should

ensure the tone of the message is reader-centered.

To show your sincerity in an appreciation message, you should

focus exclusively on the recipient.

External persuasive messages often

focus more on promoting products and services.

The first task of most persuasive messages is to

gain the attention of the readers.

What is a component of the AIDA approach to mass sales messages?

gaining attention

What is the most expensive medium for sending mass sales messages?

hard-copy letters

It is especially important to review persuasive messages because nearly all of them are

high-stakes communications.

Grace manages a sales team and most of her subordinates have performed well. However, one of the team members, Joe, has been performing poorly. Grace has created a file that records Joe's performance issues and contains a few emails from colleagues criticizing him in confidence. While delivering the negative feedback to Joe, Grace should

keep the negative emails from other colleagues private.

Typically, internal persuasive messages focus mostly on

logical appeals.

When you reduce the confidence and positivity in your message, you run the risk of

making your idea seem weak or unexciting

Matthew needs to inform his employees that they will not receive a bonus this year to help the company survive a recession. If Matthew communicates this bad message in an evasive and misleading manner, it will likely

negatively affect his credibility.

Chris is the owner of a company. After losing two of his biggest customers, he has to cut back on hours for his employees. He sends them an email with the subject line "A change to our shift lengths" and says how they are not getting as many orders now that their two best customers have left. As a result, the length of each shift will be reduced by 90 minutes. Chris closes by expressing the hope that hours can be expanded again if they gain new customers in the next few months. What mistake did

not delivering the message in person

Mallory provides each member of her team access to a Google doc that indicates when every aspect of the project is due. The assignments for each team member are shown in a different color. Which of the three components of setting expectations has Mallory completed?

setting deadlines

In the context of developing persuasive messages, the process of understanding the needs and values of others

requires a strong listening orientation.

Which component of the FAIR test relates to the question "Am I giving enough information to bad-news recipients for them to respond well?"

respect

When Millie heard there were only a limited number of tables available for the event, she made sure to sign up quickly. Her behavior illustrates the principle of influence known as

scarcity.

What is a characteristic of a strong routine message?

short paragraphs

When making requests, ________ goes a long way in maintaining goodwill

showing respect for the recipient's time

Read the email that Bryan sent to his team below. Then choose the answer that best explains what is wrong with the message. SUBJECT: Proposal draft due Friday Just a reminder that the proposal draft is due Friday for all team's. Please finalize your work ahead of the deadline on Thursday.

Bryan did not reread the message.

Which employee is using a reframing statement?

Getting honest feedback on my work will make me a better employee

Which guideline is recommended for messages that express sympathy?

Handwrite your expression of sympathy whenever possible.

Which question should you ask yourself to determine if the bad-news message you plan to send passes the "facts" aspect of the FAIR test?

Have I gathered all the relevant information and examined various accounts of the same event?

Natalie has to write a letter denying a customer's request for a free replacement on her two-year-old business laptop, which is past its warranty. Which buffer statement is most appropriate for her to use?

I am sorry to hear that your laptop is no longer performing as expected.

Sasha is the team leader for a product development group. Recently, one of his subordinates, Kate, suggested that the 15-member team celebrate a major milestone by taking the afternoon off to go to play golf together at the company's expense. Sasha cannot approve this request, since the team's budget for entertainment is not enough to pay for everyone. What should Sasha say to Kate when he meets with her to discuss her proposal?

I would be happy to listen to any other ideas you have about how to celebrate our team's achievement.

Which statement accurately describes persuasion in the post-trust era?

In the post-trust era, persuasion is becoming increasingly difficult.

What is the advantage of front-loading a routine message?

It makes it easier to get the reader's attention.

What is the foremost requirement of an expression of sympathy?

It must be sincere.

What is an effective way of delivering a negative performance review?

Link performance to consequences.

Which statement about choosing attention-getters for persuasive messages is accurate?

Posting a testimonial is a good attention-getter, particularly for external messages.

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.

Read the request Megan sent to her supervisor below. Then choose the answer that most accurately evaluates the email. SUBJECT: Request for vacation time in October Rob, as we discussed yesterday, I would like to take the first week in October as vacation time. My aunt is relocating and I am flying out to Seattle to help her move. My current project ends September 20, so the trip should not interfere with any department deadlines. Would you be able to let me know by the end of this week so I can

The email is specific, positive, and shows concern for the department

Read the email that Brigette sent to her supervisor below. Then choose the answer that best explains what is wrong with the message. SUBJECT: Praise for our supplier's work Kim, I just wanted to let you know that Grayson Inc. is doing exceptional work as our new parts supplier. I'm really happy with their efforts

The email is too general to tell Kim anything about Grayson's performance.

Why is efficiency one of the primary goals when sending routine messages?

The volume of routine messages is high.

Which statement accurately describes appreciation messages?

You should begin your appreciation messages with an expression of thanks.

What is an ineffective way to soften the blow of a bad-news message?

a direct message structure

In the post-trust era, customers and clients view persuasive messages that contain simple language as

a display of transparency and respect.

What is a common component of all routine messages, including messages that express sympathy?

a statement of goodwill

Which component is most likely to be included in an appreciation message?

a statement of goodwill

A person with high emotional intelligence will usually

develop a reframing statement to manage emotions.

Which component of the FAIR test refers to the transparency of the motives and reasoning of the person delivering the bad news?

access

The writing style of your persuasive messages should be

action-oriented and lively.

Tonya walked into her boss's office and made the following apology: "I should not have yelled at you today when I found out that my trip was canceled. I did a poor job of controlling my emotions. I'll do better next time." What component of an apology did Tonya fail to include?

an expression of regret

Compared to delivering bad news in person, delivering bad news in writing

appears more callous and impersonal.

What will help guarantee that your information is accurate and reliable?

applying the FAIR test

Many employees ignore announcements because announcements

are broadcast to a large number of employees.

It is important to ask colleagues to review persuasive messages because persuasive messages

are directed to people who resist your ideas, products, or services.

Persuasive messages should conclude with a(n)

call to action

Which principle is in play when an employee works overtime to finish a project because she promised the team they would make the deadline?

consistency

The degree to which the bad-news message receiver can alter the outcome is referred to as

controllability.

Carol owns a small business and she makes all the purchasing decisions. When she talks to a salesperson, she just wants the facts and loses patience when they try to push her for a decision. She tells them not to call her, but they can occasionally email if they have a new product. Using Williams and Miller's decision-making styles, one could conclude that Carol is a(n)

controller.

An employee who displays altruistic-nurturing motivational values prefers to receive bad news that

demonstrates concern and shows goodwill.

Lance writes a note to his boss apologizing for not having the most recent analysis with him at the morning meeting. At the end of the message, he promises that he will not let that happen again. This promise is an example of

offering commitment.

An employee is looking for a colleague to give feedback on a persuasive message he has written. Which colleague would be the best choice?

one who may resist in the same way as the employee's audience

Announcements are a form of

one-to-many communications.

The human resource director needs to tell Bryce that his curt replies to inquiries from other departments have offended several staff members. She also must inform him that he is on probation for six weeks and will be fired if his behavior does not improve. It would be best for the director to deliver this message in a(n)

personal meeting.

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.

What is a component of setting expectations?

providing deadlines

The marketing manager sent an email to the team asking if they could meet on Tuesday to discuss the project. This message is an example of a(n)

request.

What are claims?

requests for other companies to compensate for or correct mistakes they have made

Sam was sure that sales were down at his company because the warehouse refused to use the new tracking system, in spite of the data that showed the warehouse was actually keeping on top of orders. He yelled at the warehouse manager during a meeting, telling him to fix the problem now. Sam's decision-making style is that of a(n)

skeptic.

Erin, the head of human resources at The Data Group, has to deliver a negative performance review to Micah. What is the best teaser statement for Erin to use in the subject line of her bad-news email?

some feedback on your recent performance

Which element is usually found in a set of directions but not in a set of expectations?

step-by-step instructions

Margarite is writing a brochure to explain the benefits of buying fruit from local farmers at the farmers' market rather than from chain grocery stores. What information will most likely make her brochure effective?

stories about local farm families who participate in the farmers' market

What is an example of a bad-news message that is characterized by low severity and high controllability?

telling an employee that her performance needs improvement or she will be fired

Veronica responded to Meg's idea by saying, "That's a really good idea, but it won't work in this situation." Veronica's response demonstrates

token appreciation

Yes-but statements are one of the most common forms of

token appreciation

Research on Sail Craft Corp. revealed that the company shows signs of the mum effect. As a result, Sail Craft is likely to

underperform year after year.

Recognizing others' needs, wants, ideas, and preferences as legitimate and reasonable is known as

validation.

Which action should communicators avoid when delivering bad-news messages?

viewing delivery of bad news opportunistically