Email and Other Traditional Tools for Business Communication
In a business environment, potentially serious errors in emails include
- unknowingly sending sensitive information. - addressing emails to the wrong recipients. - accidentally releasing confidential data.
According to a recent study, nearly all business professionals expect an email response within
4 hours
Cyber incivility can be defined as showing ______ online.
disrespect
E-interruptions are defined as interruptions caused by
electronic messages
Which of the following should you do at the end of a business phone call?
- summarize next steps - wrap up important points
Which of the following contribute to cyber incivility?
- the quick pace of online interaction - the lack of face to face interaction online
Which of the following are reasons you should exercise discipline and avoid personal instant messages at work?
- to gain the respect of your colleagues - to establish your professionalism
Hannah had a productive phone call with her colleague during which a number of decisions were made. After hanging up, Hannah could not remember many of the decisions. Which of the following best explains what she should have done?
Hannah should have taken some notes during the call.
Is it important to follow up in writing on decisions made during business phone calls?
Yes, because a written follow-up improves the likelihood that you will accomplish your shared goals.
Which of the following are examples of how to indicate an instant messaging exchange is complete?
- "talk to you tomorrow." - "have a nice evening"
Which of the following is an example of the best way to begin a business phone call?
"Hello, Jacob. Thank you so much for speaking with me today."
You are sending a text message to a colleague you have not spoken to in over a year. Which of the following is the most appropriate text message to send?
"Hi. This is Janet. Do you happen to have the budget report from personnel?"
The main reason that using a webcam for group calls is advantageous is because
it allows for rich conversations with nonverbal cues.
When a business professional writes an email to another business professional, which of the following qualities should be avoided to be respectful of time?
- mediocre writing - lack of clarity
Which of the following are common interactive tools that come with videoconferencing platforms?
- polling - screen sharing - online chat
If you are leading a group call, which of the following will help ensure a productive call?
- sending out information about the technology you will use to make the call - practicing beforehand with the technology for the call
For which two of the following situations would instant messages be the most appropriate choice?
- short business messages - uncomplicated business messages
Which of the following are reasons email is not considered a rich channel for communication?
- email is deficient in verbal cues - email does not have nonverbal cues
Nancy was both nervous and excited about her phone call with a client. Her enthusiasm was manifested in the phone call by fast and seemingly rushed talking. Which of the following is the most likely reaction from the client?
The client believed Nancy wanted to move on to other things.
To ensure the best-quality audio for business phone calls, which of the following is the best choice?
a landline connection if available
Most business professionals consider instant messages in the workplace as ______ .
a relatively casual communication channel
When group call participants spend the beginning of a call figuring out the technology, the meetings
are generally unproductive
When writing a business email, maintaining a high standard of writing is key for which of the following reasons?
the number of people who might see the message is high
Which of the following is true regarding business professionals who frequently ask questions and offload their own tasks to others instant messages or email?
they get a reputation as takers rather than givers
When working in a shared workspace or attending a meeting, you should consider ______ for incoming instant messages.
turning off the sound alerts
Which of the following best exemplifies the most appropriate tone for a workplace instant message?
"Nice job in today's meeting! I'm available to help with follow-up calls if you need it."
Which of the following would be the most appropriate response to an instant message from a colleague that reads, "We need to reschedule tomorrow's meeting. It will be next Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the main conference room. I apologize for any inconvenience."
"Thank you for the update. I've noted the new date in my schedule."
Which of the following would be the most appropriate instant message response to the following instant message: "Sandy wanted to remind everyone about the farewell luncheon for Tom tomorrow at noon. Hope to see everyone there!"
"Thanks for the reminder! Looking forward to seeing everyone!"
Which of the following messages would be the most appropriate to send via instant message to a colleague?
"The team meeting has been confirmed for 9 a.m. this Friday."
Which of the following statements about instant messaging in the workplace are true?
- Attitudes toward instant messaging in the workplace vary significantly. - Instant messaging is suited for short and simple business messages.
Candace makes a lot of phone calls for her job. She has received feedback indicating that she speaks in a monotone and does not sound very engaged. Which of the following can she do to speak more enthusiastically and pleasantly?
- Candace should engage in nonverbal behaviors, such as smiling, sitting up straight, and gesturing, during phone calls. - Candace should listen to her recorded voice to get ideas about changes she should make.
Which of the following statements about sending work instant messages after work hours are true?
- IMs can blur the line between personal and work time. - IMs may be considered more intrusive than emails.
Which of the following statements about instant messaging in meetings are true?
- It is becoming increasingly common in some organizations. - It can cause distractions and be abused.
Lee just started working in a traditional, corporate setting that has many workplace regulations. Lee's previous job was with an innovative start-up company. She wants to send a question to her manager about a presentation she is planning. She needs an immediate answer, so she decides to send an instant message. Which of the following should she consider before sending the message?
- Lee should think about her manager's attitudes towards instant messaging. - lee should evaluate the meta message of her instant message
Which of the following will help you use a webcam effectively during group calls?
- Position the webcam so you are speaking directly to your listeners. - Make certain you have good lighting and a clean background. - Maintain direct eye contact with the webcam.
Effective texting during workplace meetings includes which of the following?
- Prompting team members about topics to cover - Asking for information from colleagues or clients outside the meeting
Which of the following can be accomplished by phone calls, in contrast to other, less-rich channels?
- They help business professionals resolve problems more quickly. - They help business professionals manage conflict more effectively. - They allow business professionals to connect with better understanding.
Tim, a supervisor, and Sue, his supervisee, just concluded a phone call during which many decisions were made, including how tasks would be delegated to specific team members. Which of the following should Tim do to make certain the agreements are accomplished?
- Tim should send a reminder message to Sue within a few hours after the call. - Tim should document the agreements of the conversation so that there is a record.
Which of the following are reasons why you should consider turning off the sound alerts for incoming texts in your workplace?
- Turning off sound alerts can increase productivity. - Sound alerts tend to be very distracting.
Which of the following are appropriate ways to begin a group call?
- You should engage each participant at the beginning of the call. - You should start the call with purpose.
Which of the following should you do during business phone calls to get the most out of them?
- You should make the call your entire focus. - You should avoid multitasking.
Which of the following should you do to prepare for less formal phone conversations?
- You should plan the purpose of the phone conversation. - You should decide on the major points to cover. - You should let your conversation partner know the approximate duration of the call.
Which of the following are reasons why you should take such actions such as smiling, using hand gestures, and sitting up straight during business phone calls even though the other caller cannot see you?
- Your nonverbal behaviors can be reflected in your voice. - Acting like you would if you were talking in person can carry through in a pleasant, clear voice.
Emails that are easy to read have which of the following features?
- a subject line that clarifies the message - obvious labeling of document attachments
Because business professionals use a large quantity of email for communication, they typically associate emails with which of the following?
- email fatigue - information overload
Which of the following are examples of communication channels?
- face to face dialogue - phone conversations - emails
Email is suitable for which of the following types of messages in business?
- stating holiday work hours - routine work information - the sharing of facts
What qualities are valued for email by business managers who believe that emails should express no emotion?
- straightforwardness - task based messages
Which of the following best explain why you should clearly end an instant messaging exchange in workplace texts?
- to prevent the exchange from awkwardly dragging on - to send a signal that the exchange is complete
Business professionals who habitually change meeting times and locations at the last minute via instant messages are generally considered to be
unreliable
Douglas is a business professional in sales. He has a new product to promote that he believes will be very popular and that several companies will want to sell. To build connections with these companies and best be able to address any doubts about it, which approach should Douglas take?
Douglas should try to reach the companies by phone.
Jason's company just began using a new technology for videoconferences, and Jason is excited to try out the interactive options. He thinks they will be very useful for his team. In his first meeting he shares his screen, conducts a poll, and uses the virtual whiteboard just to try them out. After the meeting the participants have trouble remembering what was discussed during the call. Which of the following is the most likely reason?
Jason used the interactive tools with no real purpose.
Pappy sent an identical instant message to two members of his team about the deadline for a report. One recipient felt Pappy was criticizing him and anticipating that he would miss the deadline. The other recipient appreciated the reminder and was grateful for Pappy's organizational skills. Which of the following is the best option for Pappy in order to avoid future misinterpretation of his instant messages?
Pappy needs to consider the meta messages of his instant messages
Sam made all the arrangements needed for an important business call. He provided an agenda and checked the quality of his phone. During the call, Sam used the caller's name, gave him a warm greeting, and kept the call on point and within the time limit he had anticipated. Sam said everything he had intended and, although his caller did not say very much, Sam felt the call went well. He later received feedback that the caller did not feel much of a connection to Sam. Which of the following might best explain why?
Sam did not share conversation time equally with the caller.
Suzanne has an important phone call with a new client. She has prepared carefully for the call, providing an invitation and detailed agenda to the client. She needs to make the call from a new location different from where she usually works. Which of the following should she also do to make sure she has a successful phone call?
She should test the audio quality of her phone from the new location.
Why should sarcasm and jokes in workplace instant messages be avoided in most cases?
They can be easily misunderstood or misinterpreted.
Ideally, business email writers should favor a(n) ______ tone.
balance between a formal and friendly tone
The general name for the medium through which a message is transmitted is the
communication channel
Currently, the primary form of written business communication is
For the next few years, which of the following is expected to be the most commonly used tool for written business communication?
emails
Because of the neutrality effect, a business email recipient may incorrectly interpret the sender's
emotional intent
True or false: Group calls differ from other virtual meetings in that they do not require participants to follow the guidelines of effective virtual meetings.
false
True or false: In a business setting, emails will always get read, even if they are hard to read.
false
True or false: True task-based business emails allow the sender to easily avoid any emotion.
false
Sam gets off work, goes to the gym, and then has dinner with some friends. When he gets home he remembers that he forgot to add a section to a team report that is due the following week. He needs information from his colleague Stacy to write the section. Sam is afraid that he will forget if he doesn't communicate with Stacy right away, but he doesn't want to disrupt her evening. Which of the following is Sam's best option?
he should send an email
Work phone conversations are similar to ______, so you should consider sending an invitation with an agenda to your conversation partner.
meetings
According to the neutrality effect, when senders of a business message impart a positive emotion to a message, recipients have a tendency to interpret the message as having ______ emotion.
neutral
During work hours you should avoid ______ instant messages.
personal
Other than a text, which of the following is the most courteous way of contacting colleagues if you have to change a meeting time or place at the last minute?
phone call
Because of e-interruptions, the average business professional loses around how many hours of productivity per day?
several hours
During business phone calls, conversation time should be
shared equally between the callers
Most instant messages in the workplace should be reserved for
straightforward, positive messages
Most effective business calls get to the point
within one to two minutes
Which is the recommended course of action when you quickly need information that you can get yourself without too much trouble?
you should get the answer yourself
Which of the following should you do in an instant message to a colleague you do not regularly communicate with via instant message?
you should identify yourself.
Which of the following should be done at the beginning of a business phone call?
you should make a few light comments to get the conversation started
Which of the following is the best way to make a business phone call more personal?
you should use your caller's name
_____ business professionals are the group most likely to expect an immediate response to an email.
younger