Business Communications Chapter 2

16. Adapting your message to the audience involves

a. thinking of the right words and tone to use in your message.

ANSWER:

d

1. Communication is defined as "the transmission of information and meaning from one individual or group to another." The crucial element of this definition is

: c meaning

97. ____________________ is the process of creating a message that suits your audience.

Adaptation

27. Human Resources Manager Claire Siu must inform Anthony that company job changes will require him to seek retraining or lose his position. The best channel for Ms. Siu to deliver this message is

b. a face-to-face conversation.

42. Which of the following represents the best business writing?

d. You can return all resalable merchandise for a store credit.

30. You are selecting a channel for sending your message. Which of the following is not a factor to consider when making this decision?

d. Your competitors' channel use

91. _______________ is the transmission of information and meaning from a sender to a receiver.

Communication

95. ____________________ an audience can help a writer determine appropriate language use and tone, along with the need for background information.

Profiling

53. The medium over which the message travels is called the channel.

a. True

54. A weak Internet signal is an example of channel noise.

a. True

57. Paraphrasing a sender's message is an effective tool to promote understanding.

a. True

58. Many of your business messages will be sent digitally.

a. True

39. Which of the following sentences demonstrates effective business writing?

b. Enclosed is our latest catalog.

51. The communication process begins when the receiver provides feedback to the sender.

b. False

52. Words have universal meaning among all cultures.

b. False

55. Translating a message from its symbol form into meaning involves encoding.

b. False

5. Which of the following is not an element of the communication process?

c. Displaying empathy

23. Lindsay is writing a property description for a new real estate brochure. To make her brochure more effective, Lindsay should anticipate her audience. This means she

d. considers what the readers are like and how they will react to the message.

100. ____________________ describes technical or specialized terms within a field.

Jargon

80. The active voice is generally preferred in business writing.

a. True

56. Senders should avoid asking their receivers questions such as, "Am I making myself clear?" or "Is there anything you don't understand?"

b. False

6. The process of translating a message from its symbol form into meaning is called

b. decoding.

43. Courteous business messages

d. All answer choices are correct.

49. Which of the following sentences about jargon is most accurate?

d. Jargon should be used only when the audience will understand it.

11. Business writing should be all of the following except

d. concentrate on looking at the problem from the receiver's perspective.

9. Communication is successful only when

d. the receiver understands an idea as the sender intended it.

92. The verbal and nonverbal responses from a receiver are called __________.

feedback

62. Following a systematic plan when preparing any document or presentation will make your job easier.

a. True

63. An important aspect of the first phase of writing a business message is anticipating the audience's reaction to the message.

a. True

65. The final task in the third phase of the writing process is evaluating your message to decide whether it accomplishes your goal.

a. True

68. One of the most important questions you can ask yourself as you begin to compose a message is What do I hope to achieve?

a. True

70. You are more likely to achieve your communication goals if you profile your audience and shape the message to that profile.

a. True

71. Profiling your audience helps you tailor your words to your readers or listeners.

a. True

73. Face-to-face conversation is a richer medium than a written report.

a. True

74. One factor affecting channel choice is the importance of the message.

a. True

76. Empathy, which increases the likelihood of a successful message, occurs when writers put themselves in the audience's shoes when creating the message.

a. True

78. Whether your goal is to inform, persuade, or promote goodwill, the catchiest words you can use in your business writing are "you" and "your."

a. True

82. Business messages are most effective if they convey an informal, conversational tone.

a. True

83. Positive language generally conveys more information than negative language does.

a. True

89. As a business communicator, you should use strong verbs and concrete nouns in your writing.

a. True

31. Adaptation is the process of

a. creating a message that suits the audience.

18. In the final phase of the writing process, check the message for clarity and readability, proofread for errors, and

a. evaluate for effectiveness.

24. Profiling the audience for a business message helps the writer

a. identify the appropriate tone, language, and channel.

14. Business writing should be economical. In this context economical can best be defined as

a. presenting ideas clearly and concisely.

22. The primary purpose of business writing is typically to inform or persuade; a common secondary purpose is to

a. promote goodwill.

28. Michael usually holds team meetings on Tuesday mornings, but he needs to reschedule next week's meeting to Wednesday morning. To tell team members of the date change for the next meeting, Michael should

a. send an e-mail.

29. When selecting a communication channel, you should follow two tips: use richer media for persuasive or personal communications, and

a. use the richest media available.

59. A business message should be long because quantity enhances quality.

b. False

60. When writing a business message, you should always write it from your perspective.

b. False

61. The ability to prepare concise, audience-centered, persuasive, and purposeful messages comes naturally.

b. False

64. Shannon is writing a proposal to the board of directors to upgrade the company's computer equipment. After completing the prewriting phase, Shannon should immediately start composing the proposal.

b. False

66. In order to be an effective writer, you must follow the three phases of the writing process in sequence, moving from Phase 1 to Phase 2 to Phase 3 in order.

b. False

67. You should plan to spend equal amounts of time on each phase of the writing process.

b. False

69. The primary purposes of most business documents are to inform and to persuade. A common secondary purpose is sales growth.

b. False

72. Although messages may have a primary and a secondary audience, the writer needs to profile only the primary audience to determine the best presentation of the message.

b. False

75. Ben Franklin stated this opinion about business messages: To be good, it ought to have a tendency to benefit the reader. His opinion reflects the importance of analyzing the purpose of the message.

b. False

77. The following sentence represents an audience focus: Our product guarantee becomes effective after we receive full payment.

b. False

79. To emphasize the "you" view in e-mail messages, you must avoid any phrases that include the "I/we" view such as I'm happy or We're delighted.

b. False

81. Monica is writing her first safety-inspection report. To sound businesslike and professional, Monica should include expressions such as the affected party, the undersigned, and the writer.

b. False

84. The sentence You must submit your application by Friday is a more effective business message than Please submit your application by Friday.

b. False

85. Every mechanic has ten minutes for his morning break is an effectively written sentence.

b. False

86. Never specify the age of a person in business messages.

b. False

87. Whenever possible in business writing, substitute longer, less familiar words for shorter, simpler words.

b. False

88. Jargon should never be used in business writing.

b. False

90. The sentence Our company experienced an increase in profits during the last fiscal year uses precise, vigorous wording.

b. False

38. Which of the following sentences demonstrates conversational business writing?

b. I am upset about your return policy.

21. Before Melissa organizes and composes her message, she should ask two questions: (1) Why am I sending this message? and (2)

b. What do I hope to achieve with this message?

44. Which of the following demonstrates effective business writing?

b. Will you please credit my account for $125 due to the computer error on May 1.

37. Which of the following sentences demonstrates effective business writing?

b. Your proposal demonstrates how our call center can better meet the needs of our customers.

2. The communication process begins when the sender

b. has an idea.

32. One technique that improves business writing is the use of empathy. Empathy refers to

b. putting yourself in the receiver's shoes to adapt the message to the receiver's needs.

33. Empathic writers

b. try to give something to the receiver.

19. According to writing experts, approximately what percentage of time should you spend on the prewriting phase of a business message?

c. 25 percent

47. Which of the following demonstrates effective business writing?

c. A record number of Japanese investors are purchasing real estate in the United States.

46. Which of the following is most acceptable for business writing?

c. All physicians must carry their own malpractice insurance.

36. Jorge must inform Samantha that she is not eligible to have an August vacation for which she recently applied. Which of the following sentences best demonstrates the "you" view Jorge should use in denying Samantha's application?

c. Although the August vacation schedule is full, you may qualify for a vacation in September if you apply now.

26. Which of the following communication channels is considered the richest medium?

c. Face-to-face conversation

34. Which of the following sentences best focuses on the audience?

c. Register now to lock in your preferred travel dates.

40. Marketing Director Schultz must inform the board of directors that customers are not responding positively to the company's new advertising campaign. Which of the following sentences would be the most appropriate wording for the marketing director to use in her message to the board of directors?

c. We have received reports from customers about our new ads.

15. The first phase of the writing process involves analyzing the audience and your purpose for writing, anticipating your audience's reaction to your message, and

c. adapting your message to the audience.

35. One of the best ways to develop audience benefits is to use the "you" view, which

c. emphasizes second-person pronouns instead of first-person pronouns.

3. Converting ideas into words or gestures to convey meaning is called

c. encoding

7. Communication noise

c. is anything that interrupts the transmission of a message.

25. Travis must determine the appropriate channel for an important business message. In this context channel refers to the

c. medium through which the message is sent.

17. During the second phase of the writing process, you conduct research,

c. organize ideas, and compose the message.

20. Experts say that writers should spend the most time in the ____ stage of the writing process.

c. revising

13. Business writing should be purposeful. In this context purposeful can best be defined as

c. solving problems and conveying information.

10. Which statement about the communication process is most accurate?

d. Feedback helps the sender know that the message was received and understood.

50. Which of the following is most acceptable for business writing?

d. Sheila will examine the job proposal carefully.

45. Which of the following demonstrates effective business writing?

d. The office personnel will assist you with your forms.

12. When preparing a business message, you should make your writing audience oriented. Audience oriented means you should

d. concentrate on looking at the problem from the receiver's perspective.

8. Feedback

d. includes both the verbal and nonverbal responses from the receiver.

4. A communication channel

d. is the medium over which the message travels.

41. Business messages should use positive language rather than negative language. Positive language

d. tells what is and what can be done.

48. Business writers who use words such as interrogate, remuneration, and terminate are using language many readers would consider

d. unfamiliar.

94. Sam is collecting and organizing information for a marketing report he is writing. Sam is involved in the second phase of the writing process, which is the ____________________ phase.

drafting

98. Putting yourself in the receiver's shoes to better adapt your message to that person's needs is called ____________________.

empathy

99. One of the best ways to improve the tone of a message is through the use of ____________________ language.

positive

93. During the ____________________ phase of the writing process, the writer analyzes the audience and the purpose for writing.

prewriting

96. The ____________________ of a communication channel describes the extent to which a channel or medium recreates or represents all the information available in the original message.

richness