Business Comm Chapter 3

Human Resources Manager Kris Royka is researching case studies as she prepares a diversity training workshop for her employees. An effective method of formal research is to search print and online journal articles.

True; Because she needs to conduct formal research on diversity case studies, Kris should search print and online journals for relevant information. See pages 65-66.

Controlling sentence length will help the __________ of your message.

readability; Controlling sentence length improves the readability and clarity of your message. As sentences become longer, comprehension rates drop off; therefore, you should limit your sentences to 20 words or fewer.

Which of the following is not an advantage of frontloading?

Eliminates the need for researching; Frontloading saves the reader's time, sets a proper frame of mind, and reduces frustration. See page 67.

Paragraphs with __________ or fewer lines look inviting and readable.

Paragraphs with eight or fewer printed lines look inviting and readable. Long, solid chunks of print appear formidable. If a topic can't be covered in eight or fewer printed lines (not sentences), consider breaking it into smaller segments. See page 76.

Well-organized messages group similar ideas together, allowing readers to see relationships and follow arguments. You can use two primary techniques for organizing your information: a scratch list and an outline. Scratch lists and outlines give you a chance to __________.

Preparing a scratch list or an outline before you begin writing helps you arrange your thoughts before you get bogged down in word choice and sentence structure. In the end, this will help make your message more organized and easy to follow.

Does the following sentence use the active or passive voice? The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Christina Balian.

In active voice the subject is the doer of the action. In passive voice the subject is acted upon. The subject of this sentence is Lifetime Achievement Award.

To emphasize a main idea through style, you should underline it, italicize it, or set it in boldface.

false; Underlining, italicizing, and bolding are mechanical, not stylistic, techniques to emphasize a main idea. Other mechanical devices are font changes, all caps, dashes, and tabulation. To achieve emphasis through style, use vivid words, label the main idea, or place the important idea first, last, or in an independent clause. See pages 71-72.

Collecting information before composing a message is important primarily because doing so __________.

helps shape the message; Collecting information before writing helps the writer shape the message effectively and prevents the frustration of having to start over when new information is discovered. See page 64.

Well-organized messages group similar items together.

True; Well-organized messages group similar items together and follow a sequence that helps the reader understand relationships and accept the writer's views. Unorganized messages proceed free-form, jumping from one thought to another. Such messages fail to emphasize important points, leaving readers puzzled, frustrated, and irritated. See page 66.

Which of the following is a compound sentence?

We know you'll want to vote in the next election; therefore, please register by October 20. This is a compound sentence because it contains two independent clauses. See page 69.

Parallel sentences are balanced and easy for readers to understand. Choose which sentence has the best parallel structure.

If you write well, speak well, and are using good interpersonal skills, you will do well in this corporation. If you write well, speak well, and use good interpersonal skills, you will do well in this corporation.

You should strive to make your paragraphs coherent in all business writing. Paragraph coherence occurs when __________.

In a coherent paragraph, ideas are linked. See pages 75-76.

Business Manager Megan Caldwell expects her employees to be displeased or even hostile when she announces a new work schedule that will become effective next month. An effective organizational strategy for Megan is to __________.

explain all background information first; When you expect a reader to be uninterested, unwilling, displeased, or hostile, the indirect strategy is appropriate. Megan should not reveal the main idea until after she has offered an explanation and evidence. See page 67.

The most compelling and effective messages contain a variety of sentence patterns and avoid common sentence faults. You can create successful messages with sentence variety by understanding the four sentence types, controlling the length of your sentences, and avoiding fragments, run-ons, and comma splices. Identify the correct pattern of a compound-complex sentence.

At least two independent clauses and one dependent clause. A simple sentence is one independent thought containing a subject and a predicate verb. A compound sentence is a sentence that contains two independent clauses (complete sentences) joined by a conjunction, a semicolon, or a conjunctive adverb. A complex sentence contains an independent clause and a dependent clause. A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and a dependent clause.

Effective messages include balanced, or parallel, sentences.

Balanced, or parallel, sentences are easy to read and understand. To achieve parallel construction, use similar structures to express similar ideas. Try to match nouns with nouns, verbs with verbs, and clauses with clauses. Avoid mixing active-voice verbs with passive-voice verbs. See pages 73-74.

Before beginning to compose a successful business message, you need to collect necessary information by conducting informal or formal research. Often the information you collect during the research process helps shape your message. Which question should you not ask yourself in order to avoid frustration and inaccurate messages?

Before composing your message you should consider what the receiver of the message needs to know, what action the receiver should take after receiving your message, how the receiver should take action and when, and what will happen if the receiver does not take action. By asking yourself these questions, you will be able to anticipate the research necessary for the successful composition of your message.

Melissa is preparing a market analysis for her business plan and knows she will have to conduct formal research to gather the information she needs. To conduct formal research, she should __________.

Formal research involves searching printed and electronic sources, conducting interviews and surveys, putting together questionnaires, organizing focus groups, or conducting scientific experiments. Looking in company files is a form of informal research. See pages 65-66.

Which of the following would most likely require informal research?

Many routine tasks, such as drafting e-mails, memos, letters, informational reports, and oral presentations, require information that you can collect informally. However, long reports and complex business problems generally require formal research methods. See page 64.

Choose the best revision to the following sentence. When beginning the meeting, the fire alarm went off.

When we were beginning the meeting, the fire alarm went off. The sentence contains a dangling modifier that might confuse a reader. Because fire alarms can't begin meetings, the correct choice is When we were beginning the meeting, the fire alarm went off. Modifiers should be close to the words they describe or limit. To detect and remedy dangling modifiers, try this trick: Ask the question Who? or What? after the introductory phrase. The words immediately following should tell the reader who or what is performing the action.

Business writers prefer the active voice for most business writing because in active-voice sentences __________.

the subject is the doer of the action; Active-voice sentences are preferred for most business writing because the subject, not the recipient, is the doer of the action. The active voice clearly tells what the action is and who is performing that action. See page 73.

Effective business writers use various techniques to improve their messages. How could the following selection be improved? Because of the snowstorm, the roads are closed and the trains aren't running, so the office will be closed today. The problem in this ineffective selection is:

Not emphasizing important ideas; The fact that the office is closing should be emphasized and placed at the beginning of the sentence. This sentence is not passive, and it is not more than 20 words.

Business messages typically follow either a direct strategy or an indirect strategy. The direct strategy, or frontloading, places the main idea at the beginning of a message. Using a direct opening strategy __________.

The direct opening has at least three advantages: it saves the reader time by starting with the main idea, it sets a proper frame of mind by providing the main idea first, and it reduces frustration by eliminating extra verbiage.

An indirect strategy places the main idea after an explanation or reason. Which of the following is not a situation that might call for an indirect strategy?

The indirect strategy works best with audiences who are uninterested, unwilling, displeased, or perhaps hostile. An indirect opening works well with bad news, sensitive news, and certain types of persuasive messages.

Which of the following is a situation that might call for an indirect strategy?

There are three major benefits of using an indirect opening with messages of a sensitive nature or unwilling recipients: it respects the feelings of the audience by softening the impact of the message, it facilitates a fair hearing by delaying the main point, and it minimizes a negative reaction by delivering the news gently.

As a library board member, you are asked to write an e-mail to people who have donated books to the library. The message will inform them of an upcoming banquet honoring all supporters of the library. Which is the best research approach?

When you are asked to compose a simple and straightforward message like this one, an informal research approach will suffice. If the message requires extensive information or knowledge, then a formal research approach is necessary. Going to the library to research outside sources is a formal research method. The information that needs to be conveyed in the message is simple and easily accessible.

Long reports and complex business problems often require formal research methods. Consider the following scenario and identify which formal research method would be appropriate. Your division has been asked to compile a recommendation for the price point for an innovative software application. You need to know how much customers will be willing to pay and under what circumstances.

Conduct a scientific experiment. The best way to determine how much customers would be willing to pay and under what circumstances would be to conduct a scientific experiment.

Which one of the following techniques will help you control the length of your paragraphs?

Limit the length of your paragraph to approximately eight or fewer lines.; Readers recognize the value of shorter paragraphs. Limit your paragraphs to eight or fewer printed lines and break large topics into several smaller paragraphs.

Identify which informal research technique would be most appropriate for each situation. You receive a voice mail from your supervisor asking you to compile a list of talking points for an upcoming interview on the Morning News Show. The best informal information gathering technique to find out the details of what your boss expects would be to:

Talk with your boss; The best informal information gathering technique for this situation would be to ask your boss about his or her expectations and needs.

Phase 2 of the 3-x-3 writing process involves analyzing your purpose, anticipating your audience, and adapting your message to the audience.

False; Phase 2 of the 3-x-3 writing process involves researching your topic, organizing your ideas, and composing your first draft. Phase 1 includes analyzing your purpose, anticipating your audience, and adapting your message to the audience. See page 63.

The direct organizational strategy works well with three kinds of messages: bad news, ideas that require persuasion, and sensitive news.

False; The indirect, not direct, organizational strategy works well with bad-news, persuasive, and sensitive messages. See page 67.

Selecting a large, small, or contrasting __________ draws the reader's interest.

You can add emphasis to an idea in your message by using mechanical devices such as underlining, italicizing, boldface type, and font changes.

Effective paragraphs __________.

A paragraph is a group of sentences about one idea. Paragraphs are most effective when they (a) contain a topic sentence, (b) include support sentences that expand and explain only the main idea, and (c) are coherent. See pages 75-76.

Business writers should strive to keep sentences to 20 words or fewer.

True; Business writers should strive for sentences of 20 or fewer words because they have the most impact. However, some sentences may be longer or shorter. See page 71.

You should strive to use a variety of sentence types in your writing.

True; You should use a variety of sentence types in your writing. Messages that repeat the same sentence pattern become boring. To avoid monotony and to add spark to your writing, use a variety of sentence types, including simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. See page 69.

Antonio is writing an e-mail message to his employees, and he expects them to be pleased with the message. Antonio should __________.

Use the direct strategy when you expect your reader to be pleased, mildly interested, or neutral. This means putting the main point in the first or second sentence. See page 66.