Question 1

Describe the deductive approach of setting up business messages.

Accepted Answer

Most business arguments employ a direct or deductive approach. In other words, they begin by stating the primary message, which is typically a position or recommendation. Then they lay out the supporting reasons. Most business messages conclude with a call to action. The call to action in many cases is a more detailed and elaborate version of the initial position or recommendation.

Question 2

Weak analogies serve to bolster one's arguments.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

In the context of business messages, discuss the consequences of sending mixed signals.

Accepted Answer

Mixed signals occur when the content of a message conflicts with the tone, nonverbal communication, or other signals. Sending mixed signals is not only confusing, but it also frequently results in negative meta messages. Even if a business message is well reasoned and justified, if readers perceive a selfish or manipulative tone, they may decode meta messages such as "I'm not being straight with you" or "I'm opportunistic." In a job interview, an applicant may say the right things but because of unprofessional dress send meta messages such as "I'm not serious about this job" or "I don't understand the culture of this company."

Question 4

Which of the following approaches to writing a business argument allows one to provide the supporting reasons first before the primary message?

Accepted Answer

A) Concurrent approach 
B) Direct approach 
C) Deductive approach 
D) Matter-of-fact approach 
E) Inductive approach 
A) Concurrent approach 
B) Direct approach 
C) Deductive approach 
D) Matter-of-fact approach 
E) Inductive approach

Question 5

Stanley is the marketing manager at PLM.In his market survey, he finds that customers are not happy with their product because of their inefficient customer care service.While preparing his report, he places the supporting reasons before the primary message.The message framework used in this case is based on the _____ approach.

Accepted Answer

A) direct 
B) deductive 
C) inductive 
D) matter-of-fact 
E) concurrent 
A) direct 
B) deductive 
C) inductive 
D) matter-of-fact 
E) concurrent

Question 6

Which of the following is most likely to be a characteristic of excellent business thinkers?

Accepted Answer

A) They avoid using the other-oriented tone. 
B) They encourage one-way linear thinking and are rigid in their approach to business problems. 
C) They avoid wasting time in planning and begin drafting business ideas right away. 
D) They avoid wasting time in reviewing the business messages they create. 
E) They gather information from a variety of sources. 
A) They avoid using the other-oriented tone. 
B) They encourage one-way linear thinking and are rigid in their approach to business problems. 
C) They avoid wasting time in planning and begin drafting business ideas right away. 
D) They avoid wasting time in reviewing the business messages they create. 
E) They gather information from a variety of sources.

Question 7

Which of the following terms best represents the overall evaluation a reader of a message perceives the writer to have toward the reader and the message content?

Accepted Answer

A) Tone 
B) Framework 
C) Structure 
D) Layout 
E) Outline 
A) Tone 
B) Framework 
C) Structure 
D) Layout 
E) Outline

Question 8

When delivering bad news, one must adopt a deductive approach.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Jason, a manager at GBN, has to prepare a report about the advantages of introducing a counseling program for employees in his company.In his report, he states that introducing a counseling program would reduce the voluntary turnover of employees as the employees would be happier with their pay packages.This report failed to effectively deliver the message that Jason had intended.Which of the following is most likely to be the reason behind this failure?

Accepted Answer

A) Lack of slanting 
B) Lack of exaggeration 
C) Use of unsupported generalizations 
D) Use of strong analogies 
E) Use of other-oriented voice 
A) Lack of slanting 
B) Lack of exaggeration 
C) Use of unsupported generalizations 
D) Use of strong analogies 
E) Use of other-oriented voice

Question 10

Expert business writers not only produce more effective written communications, but they also do so more quickly than average writers.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The difference between the deductive approach and the inductive approach is that:

Accepted Answer

A) the importance of arranging supporting ideas to accentuate the main idea is lesser in the case of the inductive approach. 
B) in the inductive approach the supporting reasons are placed before the primary message. 
C) the deductive approach is more indirect. 
D) the deductive approach is not based on facts but on assumptions. 
E) in the deductive approach the business argument concludes with the primary message. 
A) the importance of arranging supporting ideas to accentuate the main idea is lesser in the case of the inductive approach. 
B) in the inductive approach the supporting reasons are placed before the primary message. 
C) the deductive approach is more indirect. 
D) the deductive approach is not based on facts but on assumptions. 
E) in the deductive approach the business argument concludes with the primary message.

Question 12

Which of the following should ideally be one of the goals of a business communicator?

Accepted Answer

A) To make exaggerated claims in the message 
B) To express the message in ways that inspires others 
C) To slant facts to gain as much benefit as possible 
D) To focus on the negative aspects of the message 
E) To avoid the use of other-oriented approach 
A) To make exaggerated claims in the message 
B) To express the message in ways that inspires others 
C) To slant facts to gain as much benefit as possible 
D) To focus on the negative aspects of the message 
E) To avoid the use of other-oriented approach

Question 13

In the context of the planning process for effective business messages, priorities of the targeted audience typically:

Accepted Answer

A) should not be considered as they tend to fluctuate. 
B) tend to shift less often than values. 
C) involve assigning importance to things, such as projects, goals, and tasks. 
D) refer to enduring beliefs and ideals that individuals hold. 
E) remain constant for each individual. 
A) should not be considered as they tend to fluctuate. 
B) tend to shift less often than values. 
C) involve assigning importance to things, such as projects, goals, and tasks. 
D) refer to enduring beliefs and ideals that individuals hold. 
E) remain constant for each individual.

Question 14

In all business messages, communicators should ideally aim at:

Accepted Answer

A) effectively using either/or arguments. 
B) slanting facts to their benefit. 
C) projecting positivity. 
D) appropriately exaggerating facts. 
E) avoiding the other-oriented approach. 
A) effectively using either/or arguments. 
B) slanting facts to their benefit. 
C) projecting positivity. 
D) appropriately exaggerating facts. 
E) avoiding the other-oriented approach.

Question 15

Which of the following is typically included in the planning stage of writing an effective business message?

Accepted Answer

A) Setting a positive and other-oriented tone 
B) Making the message easy to read 
C) Making the message easy to navigate 
D) Ensuring that the communication is fair 
E) Identifying the primary message and key points 
A) Setting a positive and other-oriented tone 
B) Making the message easy to read 
C) Making the message easy to navigate 
D) Ensuring that the communication is fair 
E) Identifying the primary message and key points

Question 16

Suggest three ways that would help entry-level professionals to strengthen their credibility.

Accepted Answer

To break out of a reputation as an inexp

Question 17

In the context of writing business messages, which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Displaying a can-do attitude reduces the credibility of business messages. 
B) Emphasizing what products and services are rather than what they are not contributes toward increasing positivity of business messages. 
C) Avoiding diplomatic terms related to your relationships and interactions contribute toward increasing positivity of business messages. 
D) The practice of slanting increases the credibility of a business message. 
E) Avoiding constructive terms related to your relationships and interactions contribute toward increasing positivity of business messages. 
A) Displaying a can-do attitude reduces the credibility of business messages. 
B) Emphasizing what products and services are rather than what they are not contributes toward increasing positivity of business messages. 
C) Avoiding diplomatic terms related to your relationships and interactions contribute toward increasing positivity of business messages. 
D) The practice of slanting increases the credibility of a business message. 
E) Avoiding constructive terms related to your relationships and interactions contribute toward increasing positivity of business messages.

Question 18

Which of the following is typically included in the reviewing stage of writing an effective business message?

Accepted Answer

A) Setting a positive and other-oriented tone 
B) Ensuring that the communication is fair 
C) Finding the needs of the audience 
D) Identifying the primary message and key points 
E) Making the message easy to navigate 
A) Setting a positive and other-oriented tone 
B) Ensuring that the communication is fair 
C) Finding the needs of the audience 
D) Identifying the primary message and key points 
E) Making the message easy to navigate

Question 19

Values of readers are likely to shift more often than their priorities.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Carlton finds that geography based structuring of his organization would have a positive effect on his insurance company and would increase its efficiency.He draws up a report for the board of directors in which he mentions that separate departments should be set up for each of the company's 10 sales territories.Which of the following statements is most likely to increase the positivity of his proposition?

Accepted Answer

A) Let me know if you want to work on changing the structure of the company. 
B) Using a geography based structure is not likely to ensure that the productivity of the company increases. 
C) The geographic structure is not likely to reduce the costs incurred by the company. 
D) I look forward to putting together a detailed plan to change the structure of the company to the one based on geography. 
E) A geographic structure might have a positive effect on the company. 
A) Let me know if you want to work on changing the structure of the company. 
B) Using a geography based structure is not likely to ensure that the productivity of the company increases. 
C) The geographic structure is not likely to reduce the costs incurred by the company. 
D) I look forward to putting together a detailed plan to change the structure of the company to the one based on geography. 
E) A geographic structure might have a positive effect on the company.

Describe the deductive approach of setting up business messages.

Weak analogies serve to bolster one's arguments.

In the context of business messages, discuss the consequences of sending mixed signals.

Which of the following approaches to writing a business argument allows one to provide the supporting reasons first before the primary message?

Which of the following is most likely to be a characteristic of excellent business thinkers?

Which of the following terms best represents the overall evaluation a reader of a message perceives the writer to have toward the reader and the message content?

When delivering bad news, one must adopt a deductive approach.

Expert business writers not only produce more effective written communications, but they also do so more quickly than average writers.

The difference between the deductive approach and the inductive approach is that:

Which of the following should ideally be one of the goals of a business communicator?

In the context of the planning process for effective business messages, priorities of the targeted audience typically:

In all business messages, communicators should ideally aim at:

Which of the following is typically included in the planning stage of writing an effective business message?

Suggest three ways that would help entry-level professionals to strengthen their credibility.

In the context of writing business messages, which of the following is true?

Which of the following is typically included in the reviewing stage of writing an effective business message?

Values of readers are likely to shift more often than their priorities.

Establishing Credibility

Interpersonal Communication and Emotional Intelligence

Team Communication and Difficult Conversations

Global Communication and Diversity

Improving Readability With Style and Design

Email and Other Traditional Tools for Business Communication

Social Media for Business Communication

Routine Business Messages

Persuasive Messages

Bad-News Messages

Research and Business Proposals and Planning for Business Reports

Completing Business Proposals and Business Reports

Planning Presentations

Delivering Presentations

Employment Communications

Filters

Exam 5: Creating Effective Business Messages

Describe the deductive approach of setting up business messages.

Weak analogies serve to bolster one's arguments.

In the context of business messages, discuss the consequences of sending mixed signals.

Which of the following approaches to writing a business argument allows one to provide the supporting reasons first before the primary message?

Which of the following is most likely to be a characteristic of excellent business thinkers?

Which of the following terms best represents the overall evaluation a reader of a message perceives the writer to have toward the reader and the message content?

When delivering bad news, one must adopt a deductive approach.

Expert business writers not only produce more effective written communications, but they also do so more quickly than average writers.

The difference between the deductive approach and the inductive approach is that:

Which of the following should ideally be one of the goals of a business communicator?

In the context of the planning process for effective business messages, priorities of the targeted audience typically:

In all business messages, communicators should ideally aim at:

Which of the following is typically included in the planning stage of writing an effective business message?

Suggest three ways that would help entry-level professionals to strengthen their credibility.

In the context of writing business messages, which of the following is true?

Which of the following is typically included in the reviewing stage of writing an effective business message?

Values of readers are likely to shift more often than their priorities.

Establishing Credibility

Interpersonal Communication and Emotional Intelligence

Team Communication and Difficult Conversations

Global Communication and Diversity

Improving Readability With Style and Design

Email and Other Traditional Tools for Business Communication

Social Media for Business Communication

Routine Business Messages

Persuasive Messages

Bad-News Messages

Research and Business Proposals and Planning for Business Reports

Completing Business Proposals and Business Reports

Planning Presentations

Delivering Presentations

Employment Communications

Filters