BCOM Ch. 9 LearnSmart

The ______ planning process can be completed quickly for most routine messages.

AIM

What question should you ask yourself before sending a routine request?

Will the recipient understand what I want done?

When you justify a routine request, you should provide

the rationale for the request in your message.

The primary message in a routine communication should have ______ words.

10 or fewer

It should take about ______ to complete a routine business message.

5 to 15 minutes

A routine message should be written with which two of the following questions in mind?

How would my audience want to receive this information? How much detail does my audience expect?

Sending thank-you notes can accomplish which of the following?

boost repeat business maintain strong working relationships

Apologies become ineffective when they are

cliché. vague. insincere.

Thank-you notes for ______ should be less formal but should not feel exaggerated.

colleagues

Managers and supervisors need to ______, even if they are afraid of going beyond their authority.

communicate clear expectations

Factors that lead to personal offenses include

different communication styles. personality clashes. careless comments.

Numerous routine messages are handled daily. Therefore they need to be produced with

efficiency

After harming someone at work, whether intentionally or not, business professionals with high ______ will quickly try to make amends.

emotional intelligence

A request does not require which of the following components?

expressing sympathy

When employees explain their reasons in the text of routine requests, the company is better able to maintain ______ by keeping written records that show why decisions were made.

transparency

It is appropriate to extend sympathies to a professional contact

when a loved one passes away. when a loved one becomes seriously ill.

The most effective thank-you notes are

written by hand. sent promptly. sincere.

Establishing clear expectations, especially when you are the supervisor or manager, directly

improves your credibility. cultivates interpersonal trust.

A person reading a well-crafted announcement should grasp all of its important information

in 10 to 15 seconds.

How much time do most readers expect it will take to grasp the main point of a routine business message?

less than 10 to 15 seconds

Handling a routine message typically requires ______ other types of business correspondence.

less time than

In business correspondence that includes procedures and directions, ______ the steps to differentiate them from each other.

number

When responding to inquiries, which of the following are the three best ways to set off separate questions?

numbered lists special formatting bullets

Messages that include directions usually

offer guidelines for specific tasks.

An effective apology contains which of the following components?

saying you regret your actions admitting that you offended someone promising not to commit the offense again

In an email announcement business message, the ______ must be specific and must pique the interest of the reader so that the message will not be overlooked.

subject line

The ______ of a routine request should be clear and specific.

subject lines.

In routine business correspondence, the primary message should appear in

the first sentence or two.

By a large margin, most business messages are

routine messages.

When drafting a routine message, you should strive for a ______ tone.

reader-oriented professional helpful

Thank-you notes for customers and clients ______, whereas thank-you notes for colleagues ______.

require more formality and respect; should be more casual but not excessive in showing appreciation

Which of the following take place during the reviewing stage of a routine message?

getting feedback for a group message proofreading the message rereading the message

In response to a routine business request, the reader is likely to express little or no ______ to what the message is saying.

resistance

Routine messages that include directions are much like those that

set expectations.

When making a claim to a company, the explanation that you lay out should be

reasonable. logical. professional.

What is the most important goal of a routine business message?

to capture the reader's attention

An appreciation message should be which of the following?

genuine simple personal

An announcement is what type of communication?

one-to-many

Which of the following would be considered a business announcement?

a notice that the office Christmas party will be held in the conference room a mass email informing customers that the company is moving to a new location a statement that the company is changing its dress code

When delivering an appreciation message, an exaggerated display of gratitude may

appear unprofessional. seem insincere.

When a professional contact encounters a personal loss, it is ______ to extend sincere sympathies.

appropriate

In a routine business message, how long should the primary message be?

no more than 10 words

Which of the following might you use to highlight key ideas when drafting a routine message?

numbering bullets external links

A company writes to one of its suppliers, requesting an adjustment to the invoice for a recent shipment because some of the merchandise was missing. This type of business message is known as ______.

a claim

All routine business messages should contain which of the following components?

a primary message a restatement of the key message details

Your response to inquiries will be more effective if you ______ so that readers can easily identify your answers.

mark each question with a bullet or number

Routine business messages should be constructed like other good writing, through use of

planning. drafting. reviewing.

Proofreading and requests for feedback should take place during the ______ stage of routine message development.

reviewing

To be an effective routine message, a claim should do which of the following?

Make a call to action. Explain why the claim is being made.

Which of the following are true of routine business messages?

Readers usually respond positively to them. They convey straightforward information. Readers are unlikely to resist them.

Why is it not advisable to compose a business message that includes step-by-step instructions written in narrative form within a paragraph?

The narrative format for instructions is more difficult to follow.

Which of the following statements about routine messages called claims are correct?

The purpose is to have the other company comply with your claim. Long-term relationships should be respected.