Form B Workplace Communica!on with Computers

In what way does a compound-complex sentence differ from a complex sentence?

A compound-complex sentence has two main clauses and at least one dependent clause.

Which best defines an audience-centered approach to communication? The approach carries a message that is

An audience-centered approach involves understanding and respecting the members of the audience and making an effort to make the message meaningful to them.

What document, or part of a document, is a brief overview of a larger report?

An executive summary is a "mini" version of a report and is usually one to three pages in length.

A newly promoted manager needs to write a report on procedural changes she feels would benefit the organization. What approach should the manager take when planning the report, and why?

An indirect approach is best for a newly appointed manager until her/his credibility is established.

What approach should a person use when announcing good news?

Announce the good news followed by relevant details.

What is the first step in preparing for a meeting?

Because meetings consume much productive time and cost the company a lot of money, you should not hold meetings if other forms of communication will suffice.

What term best describes groups of people united by a similar interest in, or use of particular products?

Brand communities are groups of people united by their interest in and ownership or use of particular products.

What guideline is important for a person to remember when dining out with business colleagues?

Business meals include conversation. Consequently, choose foods that will not require much of your attention and can be eaten politely. For example, avoid foods that are messy, require cutting, or must be eaten with the fingers.

What seating arrangement is generally used when presenters are trying to accommodate a large audience?

Classroom seating is the best method for accommodating large audiences.

A manager needs to present information to a local staff as well as to the international staff. What would be the most efficient medium to use in terms of time, interaction, and cost?The manager should

Conducting a presentation with a live audience and allowing for questions, then posting a video, will allow all audience members to view the presentation, have questions answered, and view the presentation at a time appropriate to them.

Which pair of phrases illustrates a language bias and offers a correct, bias-free alternative for that phrase?

Congressman implies that only men serve in Congress. Congressional Representative removes the gender bias and makes the term applicable to either a man or a woman.

Which example best illustrates the conversational tone used in today's business writing?

Conversational tone reflects the writer's style or impression in the message. The correct tone depends on the nature of the correspondence, but this example strikes the appropriate balance.

What must a speaker establish before the listeners in a new audience will accept the message?

Credibility is the measure of believability based on honesty, objectivity, and awareness of audience needs.

What is the listener's primary purpose when engaged in critical listening? The listener's purpose is to

Critical listening involves both understanding and evaluation, with a goal of identifying useful information and separating opinion from facts.

A community center wants to expand services but lacks funding. They establish an online discussion forum to invite community members to give ideas and suggestions for funding sources. What type of communication are they using?

Crowdsourcing means inviting ideas and input from the public or from groups within an organization.

What is the best rule to follow when planning an e-mail message, and why?

Firms are electronically monitoring e-mails and have policies in place specifying how employees may use e-mail; consequently, be cautious about using company e-mail for personal communication. In addition, all e-mails are written and thus provide a permanent record of those communications that can be requested in legal proceedings.

Which example identifies the best way to reference a visual within the text of a report?

In a report, the visuals should be referred to prior to the reader encountering them in the document.

What is the primary purpose of knowledge management (KM)?

KM systems are used to organize information and make it available to everyone in the organization.

In business today, written messages including letters are most often used to foster good working relationships with which group of contacts?

Letters in particular perform important public relations functions by fostering good working relationships with customers, suppliers, and others. Within the organization, relationships are not often fostered by this means.

A market researcher wants to evaluate the degree of interest in a new brand of tablet computer among people in a specific metropolitan area. Which sampling method is most likely to result in useful data?

People who have bought similar products in the past are likely to buy them in the future, and people buying tablet computers are likely to be comfortable taking surveys on line.

What term best describes a process of recording audio or video for distribution on line?

Podcasting is a process of recording audio or video for online distribution. Podcasts are used to replace conference calls, newsletters, and training courses.

When presenting to an external group, a person can use what technique to best enhance an audience's understanding of the presentation?

Preview the message. Letting the audience know what will be talked about, the order of the information, and why it relates to them will make the presentation more meaningful to the audience.

A nonprofit organization sets up a message board where employees can discuss proposed business development plans. What communication model are they using?

Social communication models are interactive, conversational, and open rather than top down.

When speaking to another individual whose native language is different from her own, a person should follow which best practice?

Speaking clearly and obtaining feedback to ensure the message makes sense does encourage better communication between speakers of different languages. In addition, at the end of the conversation, it is especially important to summarize the key points.

What is the first step in preparing an outline for a presentation?

State your purpose and main idea.

Which situation is often a barrier to team effectiveness?

Teams that must operate across different time zones, countries, or cultures are prone to communication breakdowns.

What approach to a business communication opens with bad news, proceeds to the reasons for the situation, and ends with a positive statement?

The direct approach aims to maintain a good relationship with the audience and may offer a plan of action.

What is one of the goals when answering requests for information from a reader who is a potential purchaser?

The goal is to leave your reader with a good impression of you and your firm when answering requests where a potential sale is involved.

When refusing a routine request, one should typically use what kind of approach?

The indirect approach works best, as the bad news may be unexpected.

A human resources manager is preparing to send out a weekly newsletter to all employees of a medium-sized company. Because he wants to have a metric for deciding whether the newsletters are useful and should be continued, he uses the "return receipt requested" feature so he will know how many employees are reading the newsletter and how many are bypassing it. Why might this be considered a violation of netiquette?

The return receipt requested feature conveys information about the recipient's e-mail-reading activity and therefore may be considered an invasion of privacy.

The mean is a data measure that would best answer which question?

This asks for the mean. "What are average monthly sales?"

Which sentence is poorly constructed due to the use of a dangling modifier?

This is an example of using a dangling modifier. Does the truck confirm our conversation, or does the truck leave Monday?

How do online databases differ from web directories? Online databases

This response correctly identifies the way online databases work.

A computer hardware company receives an e-mail from a retailer saying that a shipment that was supposed to contain peripheral drives contained DVD-ROM discs instead. Which response best demonstrates a "you" attitude?

This response demonstrates a focus on the customer's needs.

Which statement about the use of topic sentences in business writing is true? Topic sentences

Topic sentences are explicit and give the reader a summary of the general idea that will be covered in the rest of the paragraph.

What should not be included in a research summary?

You should attempt to keep opinions out of any research summary and not draw conclusions based on them .

On which of these sites can companies establish a branded channel?

YouTube has branded channels that allow companies to organize and share videos.

When is a bumper slide used?

at each major section break, announcing which section is coming next

Which combination of colors is recommended for a presentation that will be given in a dimly lit room?

background dark, illustrations bright, text light... To increase readability in dim light, strong contrast is recommended, with background dark so that the light text and striking illustrations pop. For a well-lit room, reverse the contrast, making the background light and the text dark. Functional illustrations should still be bright in this situation.

What does IM stand for?

instant messaging