Business Communications Final Exam

determine the information your audience needs in order to grasp your main idea

No matter what the message is or the audience you want to reach, you should always...

a way of writing and arranging content to make it more readily understandable

Plain English is...

is critical because it helps ensure that technology doesn't hinder human interaction

Reconnecting frequently with colleagues and customers in person...

reduces the chance of interpersonal blunders that might negatively affect communication

Sensitivity to business etiquette...

indirect

Starting with the evidence first and then building toward your main idea is known as the ______ approach

direct

Starting with the main idea and then offering supporting evidence is known as the _______ approach

brand community

A ________ is a group of people united by their interest in and ownership or use of a particular product

functional

A ________ resume focuses on a person's particular skills and competencies, without itemizing his or her job history

plain text

A ________ version of your resume has the same content as a traditional resume but has had all the formatting removed so that it can be easily emailed or copied into online forms

podcast channel

A _________ is an ongoing series of podcasts on the same general topic

chronological

A _________ resume highlights employment experience, listing jobs in reverse order from most recent to earliest

combination

A _________ resume uses elements of both chronological and functional formats

use a conventional style that is not intimate or chatty

A good way to achieve a businesslike tone in your messages is to...

balances the space devoted to text, artwork, and white space

A well-designed document...

improves the effectiveness of communication by focusing on the information needs of the audience

An audience-centered approach to communication...

dilema lapse

An ethical ______ exists when a person is faced with two conflicting but ethical choices or alternatives that are neither entirely right nor entirely wrong; an ethical _______ occurs when a person makes an unethical choice

white space

Any blank areas in a document are referred to as ___________

conversational

Communication style using the social communication model is best described as...

information people

Communication technology has value only if it helps deliver the right _______ to the right _______ at the right time

The audience's perception of your believability

Credibility is a measure of...

practical, objective, concise, clear, and persuasive

Effective business messages are....

sense select perceive

For audience members to successfully receive messages, they must first _______ the presence of the message, then _______ it from other sensory input, and then _______ it as a message

Do all of the above (- remember the message - be able to respond the message - have the motivation to respond to the message)

For the receiver of a message to respond in the manner desired by the sender, the receiver needs to...

A qualifications summary offers a brief view of your most important skills and attributes, whereas a career summary is a recap of your career progress

How does a qualifications summary differ from a career summary?

it helps you think about where you want to go and how to present yourself to target employees

How does writing "the story of you" help you plan your job search and craft your resume?

they frequently "snack" on the large numbers of small pieces of information and bypass the larger documents that would take more time to read

How has content sharing through social media changed the information gathering habits of many consumers and professionals?

All of the above could occur (- they will ignore the message - if they read the message, they will be less inclined to respond in a positive way - they will assume the writer doesn't respect them enough to adapt the message)

How is your audience likely to respond to a message that doesn't seem to be about their concerns or that is written in language they don't understand?

You should not list any personal data on your resume

How much personal data should you put on a resume aimed at US employers?

gear your coverage to your primary audience to provide the information most relevant to them

If audience members will vary in terms of the amount of information they already know about your topic, your best approach is to...

All of the above are reasons to plan podcasts

If one of the attractions of podcasting is its spontaneous, conversational feel, why should podcasters take the time to plan their recordings?

research recent trends in the business world in order to have interesting and useful information at your fingertips whenever you encounter people in your network

If you don't yet have significant work experience but still want to become a valued network member, which of the following tactics should you consider?

After analyzing past projects, I now realize that a failure to clarify project objectives up front created significant delays down the line. In order to meet the April 1 deadline, I will make sure to clarify the objective as soon as the team assembles

If you have developed a reputation for missing deadlines on projects you manage, which of the following statements would do the best job of helping rebuild your credibility? (you have previously committed to a project completion date of April 1)

contact the audience immediately and correct the error

If you realize you have given your audience incorrect information, the most ethical action would be to...

passive active

If you want to avoid attributing blame or otherwise calling attention to a specific person, the ________ voice is a more diplomatic approach. The ______ voice usually makes sentences shorter, more direct, and livelier.

to persuade

If you were to write a letter to a manufacturer complaining about a defective product and asking for a refund, your general purpose would be...

a medium's ability to use more than one informational cue, facilitate feedback, and establish personal focus

Media richness is a measure of...

keyword searches

Most resumes are now subjected to ________ in an applicant tracking system or other database, in which recruiter looks for a resumes most likely to match the requirements of a particular job

includes all relevant information, is true in every sense, and is not deceptive in any way

ethical communication...

general purpose

the ____________ of a message indicates whether you intend to use the message to inform, to persuade, or to collaborate

all of the above (- accurate - ethical - pertinent to the audience's needs)

To determine whether the information you've gathered is good enough, verify that it is...

printed letter

To express sympathy to the family of one of your employees who recently died in a traffic accident, which of these media would you choose and why?

verify whether your message answers the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how

To make sure you have provided all the necessary information, use the journalistic approach, which is to...

flush on both the left and the right

Type that is justified is...

To ask the reader for an interview (or other appropriate action) and to make it easy for the reader to comply

What are the two vital functions of the final paragraph of an application letter?

they look inside the company for likely candidates

What is the first step that employers usually take when they need to find candidates to interview for a job opening?

to encourage the reader to look at your resume

What is the primary reason for sending an application letter?

deal with only one topic per question

What should you do when asking questions in a routine request?

stories help readers and listeners imagine themselves living through the experience of the person in the story

Which of the following is one of the reasons storytelling can be effective in business communication?

to reduce the number of low-value messages employees have to contend with

Which of the following is one reason why many companies are trying to reduce email usage?

No matter what other skills, connections, and attributes you have, your prospects will be limited if you don't have good communication skills

Which of the following is the most accurate description of the role that communication will play in your career?

Wiring errors in production: let's analyze the problem and explore solutions

Which of the following is the most effective email subject line?

they can make the difference between a message being read right away, skipped over for later attention, or ignored entirely

Which of the following is true of email subject lines?

interactive and conversational

Which of the following pairs of attributes best describes the social communication model?

IM is faster thane mail and mimics human conversation better than email, so many people find it a more natural way to communicate

Which of the following reasons helps explain why IM usage is overtaking email in some companies?

contact information, education, and work experience

Which of the following sections should be included in any resume, regardless of the format you've chosen?

Define your purpose

Which of the following tasks should you do when you're planning a writing project?

brief conversational messages

Which of the following types of messages are most appropriate for IM?

Retweeting selectively, sharing only messages that meet two strict criteria: providing information that followers can use in their work and portraying the consultant as an expert who is up on the latest developments in her field

Which of the following would be a good use of retweeting for an independent consulting engineer who uses Twitter to build relationships with potential clients?

a company-owned web property that serves as the anchor of its online presence

Which of these best describes the role of a hub in a company's social media strategy?

conversational, supportive, and engaged

Which of these descriptions best captures the preferred style of writing for social media in business?

guaranteeing ethical treatment of message recipients

Which of these is NOT one of the advantages of mobile communication discussed in the chapter?

blurring the lines between personal and professional time

Which of these is a potential disadvantage of the constant connectivity enabled by mobile communication devices?

You can expand on the information contained in your basic resume with links to projects, publications, screencasts, online videos, course lists, social networking profiles, and other elements

Which of these is a significant advantage of an online resume?

the respective approaches of employers and employees are essentially opposite, with employers starting inside the firm and gradually moving toward help wanted as a last resort and employees starting with help wanted ads and moving in the other direction

Which of these most accurately characterizes the respective approaches that employers use to find new employees and and employees use to find new opportunities?

IM exchanges should be planned the same way conversations are planned to minimize confusion and the number of messages required. And instant messages don't have to be great works of literature, but they do need to be efficient and effective, so some degree of care in writing and revision is important

Which of these statements best describes how the three step writing process applies to IM?

It depends on which is more meaningful to an employer, given where you are in your career at this moment

Which should come first on your resume, your education or your work experience?

it allows applicants to hide or downplay lengthy periods of unemployment or a lack of career progress

Why are many employers suspicious of the functional resume?

With an unsolicited letter, you have to do the research to identify the qualities the company would likely be looking for and convince someone to consider you for a job that might not even be open yet

Why are unsolicited application letters more challenging to write than solicited application letters?

It can limit your possibilities as a candidate, particularly if you want to be considered for a variety of positions

Why do some experts recommend against using a career objective as the introductory statement on your resume?

mobile users consume information one screen at a time

Why is it a good idea to think in small chunks when writing for mobile audience?

to eliminate confusion by letting each affected person know his or her specific responsibilities

Why is it important for a business message to clearly state expectations regarding who is responsible for doing what in response to the message?

people are more inclined to read and respond to messages that they believe apply to them and their concerns

Why should you take the time to adapt your messages to your audience?

explaining to the local community why we've decided not to expand employment at the Nampa family

Which of the following is not a good general purpose for a blog?

planning your message

The first step of the three-step writing process is...

communication tools can sometimes waste more time than they save

The information technology paradox means that...

digital non-digital

The media choices of oral, written, and visual can be delivered through ______ and ________ channels

make sure that your message stays focused on the main idea and any necessary supporting details

The purpose of limiting your scope when planning a writing project is to...

planning, writing, and completing

The three major steps in the three-step writing process are...

Redacting

Which of the following is not listed in the chapter as one of the compositional modes for digital media?

keep the planning stage brief

When it comes to routine messages, you can...

content curation

When someone with expertise or interest in a particular field collects and republishes material on a particular topic, the practice is known as...

by politely stating your request

When writing a routine request, the best approach is to begin...

can assume that your readers will be interested or neutral

When writing routine messages, you...

the indirect approach

When your audience is likely to have a skeptical or even hostile reaction to your main idea, your should generally use...

the voice of a real, living, breathing human being, communicating to other human beings on a personal level

Which of the following best describes the idea of "authentic voice" in blogging?

Your resume needs to be perfect

Which of the following best describes the level of quality you should achieve when producing your resume?

An audience large enough to justify the time required to maintain the blog but narrow enough to ensure a clear focus

Which of the following best describes the optimum audience of a blog?

making informal connections with a broad sphere of mutually beneficial business contacts

Which of the following best describes the process of networking as it applies to your career?

A posting on an internal website with an email message alerting employees to the change and directing them to the website for more information

Which of the following choices would be best for communicating a complex policy change to employees in a company with offices all over the world?

commanding employees to follow orders

Which of the following is NOT a skill employers will expect you to have?

being loyal to the company no matter what

Which of the following is NOT one of the six traits of professionalism identified in the chapter?

it tends to be longer than other formats and can be repetitious

Which of the following is a disadvantage of the combination resume?

writing in a style that is personal and conversational; minimize direct promotion of your products and services. Focus instead on topics your customers and potential customers find helpful and interesting

Which of the following is a good strategy for using blogs to promote products and services?

Explain how you have some immediate potential to meet the company's needs

Which of the following is a good technique to gain attention in the opening paragraph of any application letter?

it performs all of these communication functions (- it helps employers easily locate necessary information - it highlights your professional growth and career progress - it emphasizes continuity and stability in your employment background)

Which of the following is an advantage of the chronological resume?

You save time and conserve creative energy because the writing process is quicker

Which of the following is an important benefit of taking time to organize your business messages?

forward the message to your immediate supervisor and suggest that the company might want to reconsider its warranty policies

You work in customer service department, answering emails from customers. This morning you received an angry message from a customer who has a legitimate complaint about your company's warranty policies. After responding to the message as best you can, which of the following steps should you take?

user-generated content sites

YouTube, Flickr, and Yelp are examples of...

quality of hire

____________ is a measure of how closely new employees meet a company's need

brand socialization

____________ is a measure of how effectively a company engages with its various online stakeholders in a mutually beneficial exchange of information