Professional Communications
What do you say when you answer your supervisors phone and do not recognize the callers voice?
"May I ask who's calling please?"
Your boss is extremely busy in a meeting and has asked to not be disturbed. What should you say or ask of callers?
"Mrs. Johnson is in conference, may I help you"
Suppose you're on the phone with a client and you must leave the phone for more than 30 seconds. What should you do?
Get back to the caller and explain the delay, or take down the callers info and return the call when you have the info they requested.
Identify three potential questions you need to answer before placing an outgoing call for your supervisor.
If the person being called isn't in, will they speak to someone else or whoever is there? Do I have the alternate person's name and extension? Am I to leave a message and, if so what am I to say?
What should you do if you know you'll need to leave the telephone for more than 30 seconds to find info for a caller?
Offer to call them back in a few minutes.
When more than one person is to receive a copy of the letter, this can be indicated by sending it as
cc: Jim Cosen, Bob Granger, and Bill Hart
The date you type at the beginning of a letter or report should be the date that the document is
dictated.
Email is short for
electronic mail.
The attention line should be placed on the
first line of the mailing address.
A heading in prominent capital letters at the top of a page is
first-level
Using smileys frequently in business emails is a good practice.
False
am email message should begin with the purpose, followed by details, and ending with a request for action if appropriate.
True
Identify the five rules to follow when taking detailed messages.
Write down every instruction clearly, ask immediately when you don't understand a word, phrase or idea, repeat back, word for word, the entire message after it's given, establish clearly whether the message must be processed by a certain time, ask what-if questions when you aren't sure the message can be acted upon within the allotted time frame.
List three benefits of email.
You can forego written communication, you can use it at home and the office, it eliminates phone tag.
If an attention line is required on a business letter envelope, the USPS recommends placing it
above the recipient's name.
The attention line of a letter is usually placed
above the salutation.
Call waiting is a service that informs you
another call has come in that needs to be answered.
When asked to arrange a conference call, be sure to have the
area code and number of each person on the call before the conference call operator is called.
When taking messages for another person, a good rule to follow is to
ask the caller if you've spelled his or her name correctly.
It's best not to use a memo if you have to deliver
bad news.
When transferring a call to another person in the company, the best way is to
tell the caller the name, department, and extension of the person to whom the call is being transferred.
To have the most impact when using email, you should structure your message so that
the most important information comes first.
The body of the letter begins
two lines below the salutation.
If your company has letterhead paper, you should
type the date below the letterhead.
One strategy that can be used to give your full attention to a call is to
write down key facts for future reference.
Using all capitals in a email message is viewed favorably because it conveys the seriousness of your work ethic.
False
If your manager asks you to place a call for him or her, what's the best course of action?
Ask your manager beforehand what to do if the person being called is unavailable.
A password should be easily remembered, such as your birthday or pet's name.
False
Which of the following is a typical purpose of a memo?
To reach many people when they can't be reached in person.
The four headings at the top of a memo are
To:, From:, Date:, Subject
A memo is a good tool for sending a message to a person when you can't reach him or her by phone.
True
A memo is useful for reaching many people with the same information.
True
It's critical that your email messages be well organized and that you consider your readers' needs
True
System administrators in your company aren't restricted from monitoring email activities of employees and can disclose this information to others.
True
The most critical part of the email message is a well-written, descriptive subject line.
True
A subheading in bold, capital letters, and/or italics followed directly by text is probably a
fourth-level.
When you initial a memo, you're
giving it your approval.
The purpose of headings is to
guide the reader.
A long memo may be more readable if you use descriptive
headings.
The correct way to answer an incoming call is to
identify the company name and your name. If applicable, you may also identify the department or division in which you work.
The author of a memo typically signals his or her approval of the memo by
initialing his or her name in the heading.
When addressing mail to other countries, the name of the country appears by itself on the
last line.
More than one message in a memo
may confuse the reader.
The highness or lowness of the sound of your voice is referred to as
pitch.
When you're directing your letter to one particular person within a company, it's best to
put the person's name in the address.
If people constantly ask you to repeat a statement, your
rate of speaking may be too fast.
When leaving a voicemail message, it's important to
repeat your name and contact info, and to provide a good time to return your call.
The inside address of a letter
should be the same address as on the envelope.
The fourth line of the main heading of a memo is the
subject line.
Subheadings in a memo generally introduce
subtopics of the main subject of the memo.
