Exam 17: Business Communication: Creating and Delivering Messages That Matter

Almost everyone has experienced a conversation where someone has pleaded, "That's not what I meant!" What does this indicate?

The workers at the Axme Corporation have divided into several cliques. Employees in each clique tend to stick together, sharing lunch and coffee breaks. The employees in one clique very seldom interact with workers in another clique. Which type of barriers will this kind of situation create?

One highly effective way to improve a presentation and ensure audience involvement is to include a couple of jokes that poke good-natured fun at some of the audience members.

In business communications, when should someone use conciseness?

When listening, you should NOT get overly comfortable because if your body is too relaxed, your mind may wander more easily.

Manager Dorian Watson believes his product development teams have gotten a bit stale. He is writing a memo to explain a plan for reorganizing the teams in order to stimulate new ideas. However, Dorian is concerned that several developers who like their current assignments will resent his plan. He should describe his proposed changes very early in the message in order to quickly deal with the issues that may cause concern.

Videoconferencing is a good channel for communicating complex information to many people in geographically distant locations.

Anne Michaels is planning to take a course in business communications. Her studies are likely to involve two-way exercises that encompass the ability to be a good listener as well as a good speaker and writer.

Which of the following is a way to make PowerPoint presentations more effective?

In the business world, spending more than a few minutes working on the wording of a message is usually a waste of time because the way a message is worded has little impact on how the message is received.

Cheryl is presenting the new payroll system to the managers. She was unable to reserve the large conference room, so she scheduled the presentation for the cafeteria, which is not designed for giving presentations and has poor acoustics. What is her challenge?

Otto Pierson, the vice president of finance for Pallisades Produce Company, is likely to spend much more of his time listening than his company's hourly employees routinely do.

What are communication channels, and what determines which one you select to carry your message?

You should always select a communication channel that you are comfortable using. If it works for you, it's good for the audience.

Visual aids include the use of graphics or pictures.

Jackson needs to communicate a detailed but uncontroversial message to a large number of employees. What is the best channel for this type of message?

What is the term for the transfer of relevant meaning from the sender to the receiver?

Jasmyn is a high-end fashion designer and often speaks to up-and-coming fashion designers from the local art school. She smiles a lot, nods her head, and frequently uses hand gestures. These are examples of nonverbal communication.

Contemporary firms encourage employees to use e-mail to communicate with fellow employees, suppliers, and customers. What is the key to delivering effective messages?

What tends to occur when someone has good listening skills?