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

What occurs when the listener's full attention is on the speaker?

The passive voice tends to be more effective in business communications than the active voice because it is more rational and has less emotional impact.

Suppose you are writing a letter applying for a job with a company, and you don't know the name or gender of the vice president of human resources to whom you are writing. The best way to deal with this problem is to address the recipient as which of the following?

In business communication, it is improper to use graphs and charts on PowerPoint presentations.

Barriers to communication can't be eliminated, so the best approach is to ignore them and repeat your message several times in order to "break through" these barriers.

Jerome De Jong is the keynote speaker at his company's annual sales conference. One part of his speech will include 10 keys to success. Since all of these points deal with the same topic, Jerome should present them on the same PowerPoint slide.

Juanita is planning to speak to some new employees in her department. She wants to convey a sense of accountability and establish a tone of trust. Given these goals, Juanita should make extensive use of the active voice in her speech.

Which of the following best describes effective business writing?

The first step in choosing the correct wording for a message is to consider the characteristics of the audience to whom the message will be directed.

What interferes with the sender's message being transmitted as the sender intended?

Smiley faces, abbreviations, and other emoticons help recipients of your e-mail messages view you as personable and fun.

Which of the following suggestions will improve the effectiveness of your communications?

The needs of the audience are a priority in business writing, regardless of the tool used to deliver the message.

What does the proper choice of a communication channel mainly depend on?

Which of the following uses state-of-the-art equipment to provide people in a variety of locations the opportunity to participate interactively in a presentation while providing a high degree of channel richness?

Elvira is almost 30 years old but looks quite a bit younger. When she participates in discussions with businesspeople who don't know her well, she often finds they don't pay much attention to her ideas, because they assume she is immature and inexperienced. What type of barrier is Elvira facing?

This statement is an example of bias: "A nurse must ensure that all of her patients are well provided for and are in minimal pain."

What is nonverbal communication? List and define the four types of nonverbal communication.

When listening, you should use verbal feedback and questions to indicate understanding and empathy.

According to the International Listening Association, 85 percent of what people learn is derived from listening.