Chapter 3-Building Goodwill, ENC

Which of the following is an example of a non-sexist job title? A. Poetess B. Stewardess C. Mailman D. Flight attendant E. Sculptress

Flight attendant

How to create audience benefits

■ Identify the feelings, fears, and needs that may motivate your audience. ■ features of your product or policy that could meet the needs ■ Show how the audience can meet their needs with the features of the policy or product.

How to characterize good audience benefits.

■intrinsic vs extrinsic motivators ■supported by clear logic ■explained in adequate detail ■phrased in you-attitude.

Which of the following should you do while organizing information that builds goodwill? A. Arrange the information to meet all of your needs. B. Use headings and lists so readers can find key points quickly. C. Present information that interests the audience in the middle of a paragraph. D. Avoid showing why information your audience didn't ask for is important. E. Avoid anticipating an audience's questions because it is distracting.

Use headings and lists so readers can find key points quickly.

Which of the following is true of passive voice in a sentence?

Use passive voice to avoid assigning blame.

How to communicate with multiple audiences.

Use the primary audience to determine the level of detail, organization, level of formality, and use of technical terms and theory.

Which of the following is most effective when trying to eliminate sexist generic pronouns? A. Avoiding the use of pronoun pairs B. Using third person "he" or "she" C. Using plural nouns D. Mixing singular nouns and plural pronouns E. Avoiding the use of "you"

Using plural nouns

Which of the following is NOT a neutral job title? A. Nurse B. Pilot C. Inspector D. Secretary E. Waitress

Waitress

Which of the following examples contains a hidden negative? A. We delivered the products you had ordered as per the schedule. B. The products you had ordered will reach you ahead of time as you requested. C. The courier service has confirmed that the delivery of the products was timely. D. The e-mail contains the details of the delivery time and products delivered to you. E. We hope the products you ordered have been delivered to you.

We hope the products you ordered have been delivered to you.

When a person writing a message knows neither the name nor the gender of the reader, the person should: A. assume that the reader is female. B. send an informal message to the reader. C. find out the reader's name and assume the reader's gender. D. use a general group to which the reader belongs. E. omit the salutation and subject, and proceed with the body of the message.

use a general group to which the reader belongs.

In official communication, when addressing a woman you don't know well, it is better to: A. use "Mrs." as the courtesy title. B. use "Ms." as the courtesy title. C. avoid a courtesy title. D. use her last name only. E. use her first name only.

use "Ms." as the courtesy title.

Communication Problems in business (EX)

wasted time, wasted effort, lost goodwill, and legal problems.(Katrina , Boeing , Gulf of Mexico Oil spill)

Which of the following is true? A. "You" works best in negative situations. B. "We" works well when it does not include the audience. C. "I" works well when it includes an audience or a reader. D. "I" suggests that you are concerned about personal issues. E. "I" suggests that you are concerned about the organization's needs.

"I" suggests that you are concerned about personal issues.

Analyzing Your Audience (6 Steps)

1. How will the audience initially react to the message? 2. How much information does the audience need? 3. What obstacles must you overcome? 4. What positive aspects can you emphasize? 5. What are the audience's expectations about the appropriate language, content, and organization of messages? 6. How will the audience use the document?

five questions for analysis

1. Who is (are) your audience(s)? 2. What are your purposes in communicating? 3. What information must your message include? 4. How can you build support for your position? What reasons or benefits will your audience find convincing? 5. What aspects of the total situation may be relevant?

Jason, an HR manager, is required to make an announcement in his organization. The announcement is that employees who have visual, hearing, mobility, or cognitive impairments will be getting additional incentives going forward. Which of the following announcements made by Jason is bias-free? A. All handicapped employees will be getting additional incentives. B. All disabled employees will be getting additional incentives. C. All employees with disabilities will be getting additional incentives. D. I am happy to announce that all individuals suffering from physical disabilities will be getting additional incentives. E. You'll be happy to hear that all employees afflicted with physical disabilities will be getting additional incentives.

All employees with disabilities will be getting additional incentives.

Which of the following questions asked by a writer when revising a document reflects an interest in organization and layout?

Are the first and last paragraphs effective?

Basic Criteria for Effective Messages

Clear , Complete , Correct , Saves time and builds goodwill

Which of the following is a desirable tone for business writing? A. Submissive B. Begging C. Confident D. Stiff E. Arrogant

Confident

Chang is the new manager of Good Eats Inc. He is required to send an e-mail to Alex Wales whom he has never met. He is not sure whether Alex is male or female. Which of the following is the most non-sexist way to address Alex in the e-mail? A. Dear Mr. Alex B. Mr. Alex C. Dear Mr./Mrs. Wales D. Dear Ms. Alex E. Dear Alex Wales

Dear Alex Wales

Nina is required to write an e-mail to the dean of a college explaining why she would like to pursue a double major in engineering and music. Nina does not know the name or the gender of the dean. Which of the following salutations of polite communication is most appropriate for Nina to use in her letter? A. Hello B. Dear Sir C. Hello Sir D. Dear Ma'am E. Dear Dean

Dear Dean

Sarah is the customer relationship manager at a designer clothing store. She is drafting a letter to Loretta Franklin, a client, with whom she has established a good personal relationship over the years. Sarah wants to inform Loretta that because of her excellent credit relationship with their store, Loretta will receive a 25 percent discount on all of her purchases going forward. Which of the following salutations should Sarah use to address Loretta Franklin? A. Dear Ma'am B. Dear Mrs. Franklin C. Dear Loretta D. Dear Loretta Franklin E. Dear Mrs. Loretta Franklin

Dear Loretta

Adele is the customer service manager at Knots Inc., an electronic gadget store. She is writing a letter in response to a complaint she received from a new customer, Rita Hades. As Adele does not know Rita on a personal basis, which of the following salutations should she use to address Rita Hades? A. Dear Rita Hades B. Dear Mrs. Rita Hades C. Dear Rita D. Dear Ms. Hades E. Dear Mrs. Hades

Dear Ms. Hades

Which of the following is a negative word with a negative connotation? A. Eliminate B. Understand C. Questions D. Always E. Possible

Eliminate

The __________ dichotomy in Myers-Briggs typology measures how individuals prefer to focus their attention and derive energy.

Extraversion-Introversion

Good business and administrative writing is a more formal style of writing and is very different from conversation.

F -good writers also have several styles.

(True/False) A disability refers exclusively to a physical impairment that interferes with the major tasks of daily living.

False

(True/False) A sentence reads: "Please be patient while we fix the technical difficulties in the system." This sentence demonstrates the use of double negatives.

False

(True/False) Impersonal expressions don't focus on things and instead talk only about people.

False

(True/False) In most business situations, you should talk about the audience's feelings, because it reduces the distance between the audience and the writer.

False

(True/False) Revisions for you-attitude often change the basic meaning of a sentence.

False

(True/False) To create you-attitude at a sentence level use active verbs to avoid assigning blame in a negative situation.

False

(True/False) To make language nonracist and nonageist, give someone's race or age only when you know it.

False

(True/False) When you produce a business document with photographs, the photographs as a whole should show exactly 50 percent men and 50 percent women.

False

(True/False) When you write to people you do not know well outside your organization, it is good to address them by first name to attempt to build a professional relationship.

False

(True/False) While conveying bad news messages, straightforward negatives always damage credibility.

False

Poor writers are more likely to use writing rules flexibly.

False

audience

Gatekeeper(Can with hold communication) , Audiences, (Primary, Secondary) Auxiliary ("read-only" people) watchdog(has political, social, or economic power.)

Which of the following is a characteristic of good business writing?

Good business writing style uses short sentences and paragraphs.

Which of the following is true of goodwill in business communication? A. Goodwill is less important, now that the majority of jobs are in service. B. Goodwill increases the challenges of business and administration. C. Goodwill is important internally, not externally. D. Goodwill helps to create less staff turnover. E. Goodwill is built exclusively by you-attitude.

Goodwill helps to create less staff turnover.

Which of the following best describes wordiness in a sentence? A. Adding you-attitude in a sentence B. Removing all emotional words from a sentence C. Reducing words in a sentence to make it concise D. Having more words in a sentence than the meaning requires E. Adding words to a sentence, which are essential to its meaning

Having more words in a sentence than the meaning requires

Thinking-Feeling dichotomy

How people make decisions.

Alana is a campaign leader at an environmental organization. She was asked to write a progress report on her most recent campaign. Although Alana did not complete this task on time, she was able to communicate this to her boss using positive emphasis. Which of the following did Alana most likely say to her boss? A. I worked very hard but failed to complete the report on time. B. It is unfortunate that I did not complete the report when you asked for it. C. My inability to complete the report on time may create backlogs in the campaign. D. I have completed more than half of the report, and will complete the rest by the end of the week. E. I apologize for not creating the report on time; I will hopefully be able to send it in by the end of the day.

I have completed more than half of the report, and will complete the rest by the end of the week.

Regarding nonsexist language, which of the following is true of courtesy titles for women? A. Irrespective of whether a woman is married or single, address her as "Miss." B. When you happen to know that a woman is married, always address her as "Mrs." C. If a woman types her name in a certain way, use the title she designates to herself to address her. D. No matter how a woman introduces herself on the phone, always respond by addressing her as "Miss." E. If a woman has a professional title, use a different title than you would use for a man in the same profession.

If a woman types her name in a certain way, use the title she designates to herself to address her.

Which of the following is true of bias-free language? A. It can help avoid lawsuits. B. It is unethical but legal. C. It does not comply with the law. D. It does not help to sustain goodwill. E. It can be unfair and unfriendly.

It can help avoid lawsuits.

A customer walks into a restaurant, sits at a table, and calls out "Can a waitress please take our orders?" What makes his statement biased? A. It is feministic. B. It is gender-neutral. C. It is sexist. D. It is racist. E. It is ageist.

It is sexist.

Which of the following is true of positive psychology? A. It promotes a workplace where praise and goodwill are part of daily communications. B. It is closely connected with positive emphasis but not with you-attitude. C. It is implemented by providing less challenging work with a smaller variety of tasks. D. It claims that the intensity, not frequency, of positive experiences is a better predictor of happiness. E. It negates the role of social support because attaining social support is time consuming.

It promotes a workplace where praise and goodwill are part of daily communications.

Which of the following statements about a goodwill ending in positive and informative messages is true?

It should show you see the reader as an individual.

Which of the following is a technique for creating positive emphasis in a message? A. Placing the negative information at the beginning of the message B. Justifying the negative information in the message by giving a reason C. Using hidden negatives in the message in place of negative connotations D. Focusing on the limitations of the audience so that they can be overcome E. Avoiding linking the negative information in the message to an audience benefit in any way

Justifying the negative information in the message by giving a reason

Which of the following statements is true of creating positive emphasis in a message? A. Linking a negative element to a benefit is good only when the audience acknowledges it as a benefit. B. Replacing negative words with words that are exact opposites increases accuracy. C. Removing negative words means being arrogant and pushy. D. Using straightforward negativity in a message damages credibility. E. Putting the negative information at the end of a message is better than putting it in the middle of a message.

Linking a negative element to a benefit is good only when the audience acknowledges it as a benefit.

Which of the following examples uses double negatives? A. Work doubly hard to reach your targets. B. It is important to reach your sales targets. C. Never fail to reach your sales targets. D. Always ensure you reach your sales targets. E. Make sure you work hard to reach your targets.

Never fail to reach your sales targets.

In which of the following situations should passive voice be used?

Passive voice is desirable when you want to emphasize the object receiving the action, instead of the agent.

Which of the following examples best illustrates a sentence with a hidden negative? A. Please be patient; the issue will be resolved as soon as possible. B. The issue will be resolved within a week. C. Our new brand of cereal is healthier. D. This itinerary contains all the details of your trip, along with the fares. E. If you have questions about the registration process, please call the technical helpline.

Please be patient; the issue will be resolved as soon as possible.

Esteban is a sales manager. He is in charge of welcoming a new batch of sales executives to his organization and introducing them to the sales team. He is meeting the new batch for the first time. When he introduces the batch to the sales team, they think he is being sexist. Which of the following did Esteban most likely say? A. Please welcome Joe Boston, Brian Ellis, and Melissa West. B. Please welcome Mr. Boston, Mr. Ellis, and Ms. West. C. Please welcome Mr. Boston, Mr. Ellis, and Mrs. West. D. Please welcome Joe, Brian, and Melissa. E. Please welcome our new sales executives to the team.

Please welcome Mr. Boston, Mr. Ellis, and Mrs. West.

Which of the following is true of positive emphasis? A. Positive emphasis always seems sincere. B. Positive emphasis is always appropriate. C. Positive emphasis cannot be overdone. D. Positive emphasis cannot cloud the reality of any situation. E. Positive emphasis can be made more effective through restraint.

Positive emphasis can be made more effective through restraint.

Which of the following is a way for you to check positive emphasis? A. Recognize that it should not be so overdone that it has become insincere. B. Remember that it is appropriate in all circumstances. C. Remember that it is always realistic. D. Recognize that it should not demonstrate any kind of restraint. E. Remember that it should contain hidden negatives instead of negative words.

Recognize that it should not be so overdone that it has become insincere.

Which of the following does you-attitude primarily focus on? A. Differentiating between audience members B. Emphasizing the needs of the writer or speaker C. Not protecting the audience's ego D. Giving more preference to important audience members E. Stressing on the audience's point of view

Stressing on the audience's point of view

Which of the following examples illustrates the lowest level of politeness in a message? A. Please submit your campaign report by Friday. B. Submit your campaign report latest by Friday. C. Your campaign reports should be submitted by Friday. D. Would you be able to submit your campaign report by Friday? E. I request you to submit your campaign report by Friday.

Submit your campaign report latest by Friday.

Which of the following examples best illustrates the correct use of passive verbs to avoid assigning blame? A. The customer order was not processed on time. B. They were not able to submit the proposal on time. C. He was perfectly capable of completing this project on time, but didn't. D. You made it impossible for me to add my point of view. E. You should not have taken leave without getting approval first.

The customer order was not processed on time.

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

Which of the following sentences best exemplifies the use of impersonal expressions? A. You have not performed well this month. B. Your department's performance is very low. C. I am happy to inform you about your promotion. D. The incentives of all the employees have been cancelled. E. I have granted you two days of leave as you requested.

The incentives of all the employees have been cancelled.

communication channel

The medium—print, broadcast, the Internet—that carries the message.

Benito is a manager at a software firm. Benito's newest team member, Jack, is facing technical issues with the software system. Due to these issues, Jack is unable to meet his deadline. When Jack reports the issue to Benito, Benito responds with an impersonal statement. For the purpose of avoiding blame, which of the following statements used by Benito best illustrates you-attitude? A. You should really know how to operate this system by now. B. This is not really my problem. You should talk to the technical team. C. You must attend a training seminar on the new software system next week. D. This new software system has been acting up for a while now. E. Sam Todd has worked on this system before and will be able to resolve the problem.

This new software system has been acting up for a while now.

(True/False) "Inadequate," "trivial," and "objection" are negative words to avoid in business communication.

True

(True/False) "Workman," "chairman," and "airhostess" are examples of sexist job titles.

True

(True/False) Good messages apply you-attitude beyond the sentence level by using content and organization as well as style to build goodwill.

True

(True/False) Positive emphasis can be created by putting the negative information in the middle of the message and presenting it concisely.

True

(True/False) Replacing the word "manning" with the word "staffing" changes a sexist term to a nonsexist term.

True

(True/False) The goal of positive psychology connects closely with goodwill, you-attitude, and positive tone, all of which help increase employee happiness.

True

(True/False) To create you-attitude talk about your own emotions in a message of congratulations or condolence.

True

(True/False) When talking about people with disabilities, use people-first language to focus on the person, not the condition.

True

(True/False) While organizing information to build goodwill, you should arrange information to meet your audience's needs instead of your own.

True

(True/False) While using positive emphasis, it is important to check if the content is appropriate, sincere, and realistic.

True

An organization has been unable to raise sufficient funds from a charity event that took place the previous week. To maintain positive emphasis, which of the following is the least negative way to communicate this information? A. We failed to raise funds from the charity event last week. B. We have been unsuccessful in collecting funds from the event. C. The weak funding plan resulted in insufficient funds from the charity event. D. We have not finished gathering funds from the charity event last week. E. We will be able to raise sufficient funds in our next charity event.

We will be able to raise sufficient funds in our next charity event.

Yui Hongo works as a guest-relations executive at Stargaze Hotel. She writes a letter to a guest who has recently become a member of the premier club at the hotel. Which of the following introductory statements written by Yui best illustrates you-attitude? A. You are now a premier club member of Stargaze Hotel. B. You will be delighted to know that you have become a premier club member of the hotel. C. We, at Stargaze Hotel, are glad to inform you that you are now a premier club member. D. I am sure you will be happy to know that you are now a part of our premier club family. E. It gives me pleasure to inform you that you are now in our premium club.

You are now a premier club member of Stargaze Hotel.

Sweeney's Ice-cream advertised its new sundaes on fliers which were distributed in malls. This initiative was successful and customers felt that the advertisement was created especially for them. Keeping in mind you-attitude in messages, which of the following did Sweeney's Ice-cream most likely say in its fliers? A. We, at Sweeney's, are now offering fresh fruit sundaes at $5! B. There are brand new flavors available at our store on St. Marks Street! C. We are now serving the best fresh fruit sundaes in the city! D. You will be delighted to taste our latest ice creams! E. You can now try our new fresh fruit sundaes for only $5!

You can now try our new fresh fruit sundaes for only $5!

Alberto is the owner of a shoe store. He interviews 10 people for the post of store manager and eventually selects Maya. Alberto e-mails Maya to let her know that she has been selected for the post. Which of the following statements made by Alberto best conveys this information through you-attitude? A. You'll be happy to hear that you have been selected for the store manager's post. B. You have been selected for the post of store manager. C. I'm glad to inform you that I have appointed you as the store manager. D. I have decided to appoint you as the store manager. E. I have selected you for the store manager's post.

You have been selected for the post of store manager.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

a personality test that taps four characteristics and classifies people into 1 of 16 personality types

Which of the following accurately describes the connotation of a word?

connotations, that is, their emotional associations or colorings, convey the attitude a reader wants.

Revise

create a friendly, businesslike, positive style.

modifier

gives more information about the subject, verb, or object in a clause

Case

grammatical role a noun or pronoun plays in a sentence.

sentence fragment

group of words that is not a complete sentence is punctuated

main or independent clause

has a subject and a verb and can stand by itself as a complete sentence

Conventions

help people recognize, produce, and interpret different kinds of communications

Maria is a salesperson at a clothing store. She receives an e-mail from her boss stating: "All salespeople must send their sales report by the end of the day." Maria is not happy about how this statement is phrased. The most likely reason for her unhappiness is that the way the statement is phrased is _____. A. discriminatory B. impolite C. ageist D. sexist E. racist

impolite

Revisions for you-attitude often _____ because the revision is more specific and has more information. A. change the basic meaning of sentences B. result in crisper sentences C. result in more ambiguous sentences D. increase the wordiness of sentences E. increase the length of sentences

increase the length of sentences

costs of communication

mailing expense and email storage expanses + administering and maintaining

While adding positive emphasis to a message, negatives should be placed in the _____ to de-emphasize the negative. A. first line of the message B. middle of the message C. last sentence of a paragraph D. first sentence of a paragraph E. first paragraph of the message

middle of the message

When talking about people with disabilities, use language that: A. detracts from the person. B. focuses on the condition. C. names the person first. D. defines the person in terms of the condition. E. demonstrates positive emphasis but not you-attitude.

names the person first.

comma splice or comma fault

occurs when two main clauses are joined only by a comma.

Which of the following is an example of a positive message?

offering details to employees about the insurance benefits that a company offers

reflexive pronoun

pronoun that ends in -self or -selves

When offering a benefit to an audience only if the audience meets certain criteria, the sentence is usually more positive if you: A. put the benefit first. B. put the requirement first. C. avoid mentioning the benefit. D. avoid mentioning the requirement. E. replace a negative word with a hidden negative.

put the benefit first.

To make language nonracist and nonageist, _____. A. refer only to some groups when mentioning race or age B. give someone's race or age only when you know it C. refer to a group by the term it prefers D. avoid changing your usage of words to define groups E. use words that suggest that competent people are unusual

refer to a group by the term it prefers

While applying you-attitude, passive verbs should ideally be used while _____. A. discussing job roles in a project B. reporting bad news or limitations C. explaining the perks of a new position D. explaining audience benefits for a product E. listing out the incentives for selling a product

reporting bad news or limitations

possessive case pronouns

show ownership or relationship

Creating goodwill with content involves: A. placing all the details of a message in the main body. B. not anticipating the questions your audience is likely to have. C. arranging the information to meet your needs, not the audience's. D. showing why information your audience didn't ask for is important. E. not showing your audience how the subject of your message affects them.

showing why information your audience didn't ask for is important.

Edit

standard spelling, punctuation, and grammar; doublecheck names and numbers.

Communication Purpose

to inform, to request or persuade, and to build goodwill.