Routine Business Messages

Which of the following is not a component of a claim?

providing responses

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

reviewing

By a large margin, most business messages are

routine messages

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

subject lines

When you justify a routine request, you should provide

the rationale for the request in your message.

What is the biggest challenge in a routine business message?

to get your readers to pay attention

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

When making a claim to a company, the explanation that you lay out should be which of the following?

- reasonable - logical - professional

Routine messages that include directions are much like those that

set expectations

An appreciation message should be which of the following?

- personal - simple - genuine

Factors that lead to personal offenses include

- Different communication styles - Careless comments - Personality clashes

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

AIM

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

no more than 10 words

The main text of a routine message should consist of

brief paragraphs with pertinent details.

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

number

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

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

True or false: In general, you should avoid making apologies for routine mistakes and offenses because they are likely to damage your personal credibility.

false

You can help maintain the ______ of the recipient of a routine request by showing respect for the recipient's time.

goodwill

Which is part of the coordination component of setting expectations for the people you manage?

guidelines for communications

What kind of tone is most effective when providing directions in a message?

helpful

In a business message expressing gratitude, which of the following is the least likely to seem exaggerated or excessive?

"great job"

Your appreciation message will be less effective if it

- contains excessive phrases of gratitude. - places too much focus on yourself.

Routine business messages should be constructed like other good writing, through the use of which of the following?

- drafting - reviewing - planning

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

- boost repeat business - maintain strong working relationships

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

- bullets - special formatting - numbered lists

Messages that include directions usually

offer guidelines for specific tasks.

An announcement is what type of communication?

one to many

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

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

Which of the following are elements of an effective announcement?

- complete information - positive wording - careful organization

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

- the primary message in the subject line - the primary message within the first two sentences - details

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

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

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

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

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. - Specify what the claim is.

Which of the following are effective elements in a routine message for making a claim?

- a polite request - a compliment - a focus on the merits of the claim

Which components should be included in an effective message of appreciation?

- a statement of goodwill. - an expression of thanks. - a brief rationale.

Which of the following would be considered a business announcement?

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

Which two of the following types of routine business messages tend to be relatively infrequent?

- apologies - expressions of sympathy

An effective announcement generally contains which of the following items?

- attention getter - complete details

Which of the following reduce the effectiveness of routine messages?

- being difficult to read - failing to include a central message at the beginning

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

- helpful - professional - reader oriented

When explaining your expectations to employees that you manage, what are the three main elements to include?

- how the work will be coordinated among all the people who are involved - deadlines for the project - each person's responsibilities

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

- improves your credibility - cultivates interpersonal trust

Which of the following are good techniques for an effective response to inquiries?

- including links to web pages with additional information - giving each question its own section - using bold to highlight each question

An ineffective announcement might include such flaws as

- incomplete information - jumbling too much information together

An announcement should include which of the following components?

- organized information - concise wording

To maintain goodwill when making a routine request, you should compose your message with a tone that has which two characteristics?

- other-oriented - positive

An effective routine message will allow the recipient to

- understand the main idea within seconds. - quickly process the information. - understand the responsibilities involved.

When drafting a business message that includes instructions, when should you have other people read your directions to make sure they are clear enough?

- when the directions describe a technical procedure - when the directions describe a complicated procedure

If too little information is provided in your routine message, which of the following are likely to happen?

-Your credibility will be diminished. -The receiver will be less apt to do what you are requesting.

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

10 or fewer

Polls have shown that ______ of employees say that supervisors thank them daily.

10%

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

5 to 15 minutes

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.

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

Will the recipient understand what I want done?

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

When providing directions, lack of ______ is most likely to frustrate your readers.

detail

When making a claim, your message will be more effective if it balances ______ with ______.

directness; politeness

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

in 10-15 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

Routine business messages generally focus on

maintaining camaraderie at work. things to be done at work.

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

An effective direction-giving message will include the ______ of "I want to help you out as much as possible."

meta message

Which of the following techniques should not be used when responding to an inquiry?

mixing responses in a single paragraph

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

resistance

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

In routine business correspondence, the primary message should appear in

the first sentence or two

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