Deck 4: Planning Business Messages

Question 1

Which of the following is not a general category common to business communication?

A)To inform
B)To persuade
C)To negotiate
D)To collaborate

Answer 1

C
Explanation:C)All business messages fit into one of three categories: they aim to inform, persuade, or to collaborate with the audience. Negotiation is not a major category of business communication so it might fit under the heading of any of the other three major categories.

Question 2

If you devote sufficient time to planning a business message before you begin writing it, you can expect all of the following outcomes except

A)expediting the writing process.
B)avoiding embarrassing blunders.
C)experiencing extra work and stress in the writing and completing stages.
D)delivering concise, compelling information that your audience wants and needs to know.

Answer 2

C
Explanation:C)Thoughtful planning will help you deliver information in a concise and compelling way, speed the writing process, and save you from making mistakes that could hurt your company or your career.

Question 3

In general, for internal communication, the higher up your message goes, the

A)more details people want to see.
B)fewer details people want to see.
C)less likely you are to run into ethical problems.
D)more likely you are to run into ethical problems.

Answer 3

B
Explanation:B)In general, the higher up a person is in an organization, the more he or she deals with big picture issues of strategy and planning. Therefore, when drafting messages for higher level audiences stick to the big picture and include only critical details.

Question 4

In order to optimize your writing time, reserve about ________ of that time for revising, producing, proofreading, and distributing your message.

A)10 percent
B)20 percent
C)25 percent
D)15 percent

Question 5

You're writing a proposal to give permission to some employees at your company to telecommute. You know management will be skeptical, so you should

A)be as straightforward as possible about stating your conclusions and recommendations.
B)avoid stating your conclusions and recommendations.
C)use less evidence in support of your points.
D)build your case carefully, stating clear reasons for each conclusion you draw and recommendation you make.

Question 6

Planning is essential when writing business messages because

A)it helps you provide the right information to the right people in the right format.
B)it makes the writing process faster and less stressful.
C)it can save you from embarrassing blunders that could hurt your company or your career.
D)all of the above.

Question 7

Messages should contain supporting detail and background information when

A)you expect a favorable response.
B)you and your audience do not share the same general background.
C)you and your audience share the same general background.
D)all of the above are the case.

Question 8

Informal techniques for gathering insights and focusing your research efforts do not include

A)listening to the community.
B)asking the audience for input.
C)distributing questionnaires and surveys.
D)reviewing reports and other company documents.

Question 9

The primary audience for your message should always include

A)all who receive it.
B)the key decision makers in the audience.
C)those people with the highest status.
D)those people who represent the opinions and attitudes of the majority.

Question 10

Which one of the following is an element of the completing phase of the three-step writing process?

A)Organizing the information
B)Interpreting the research
C)Proofreading the message
D)Selecting the right medium

Question 11

A good way to test the thoroughness of your business message is to check it for

A)a main idea.
B)a purpose.
C)the who, what, when, where, why, and how.
D)accuracy.

Question 12

The best reason to defer or cancel a message is if

A)your news is bad.
B)someone else wants to deliver it.
C)your audience is highly receptive.
D)the time is wrong.

Question 13

When meeting your audience's informational needs, you should emphasize ideas

A)of greatest interest to the audience.
B)that are uncontroversial.
C)that will have the least impact on the audience.
D)that don't need supporting evidence.

Question 14

The three primary steps involved in preparing a business message are

A)planning, writing, and completing.
B)informing, persuading, and collaborating.
C)defining the purpose, the main idea, and the topic.
D)satisfying the audience's informational, motivational, and practical needs.

Question 15

A knowledge-management system

A)helps companies limit the amount of information employees store on the network.
B)enables organizations to test employees periodically to ensure they are doing adequate research.
C)is a centralized database of experiences and insights of employees throughout an organization.
D)is a tool for creating a bibliography when writing long reports.

Question 16

All of the following except ________ are elements in the planning phase of the three-step writing process.

A)gathering information
B)adapting to the audience
C)selecting the right medium
D)organizing the information

Question 17

An example of a specific purpose for a business message would be

A)to impart information to the audience.
B)to inform employees about the new vacation policy.
C)to persuade readers to take action.
D)to obtain audience participation and collaboration.

Question 18

Forecasting your audience's reaction to your message is

A)impossible-there's no way to know what it will be.
B)vital, because potential audience reaction affects message organization.
C)helpful only for internal communication.
D)helpful only for external communication.

Question 19

Most messages should not be sent unless they will

A)bring about a change.
B)increase your chances of being promoted.
C)please your boss.
D)do all of the above.

Question 20

When gathering information for a business message, keep in mind that audiences respond best to information that

A)they could have found by doing their own research.
B)has not been categorized or grouped in any way.
C)has been filtered and prioritized according to their needs.
D)pertains to a broad cross-section of possible scenarios.

Question 21

Use the ________ to organize a message if you believe your audience will be receptive to what you have to say.

A)direct approach
B)didactic approach
C)dialectical structure
D)diametric pattern

Question 22

The ________ of a message is its overall subject, while the ________ is a specific statement about that overall subject.

A)medium, theme
B)topic, main idea
C)scope, purpose
D)focal point, rationale

Question 23

A ________ is the richest communication medium.

A)telephone conversation
B)retweet with a comment
C)video podcast
D)face-to-face conversation

Question 24

Which media would be best for keeping in touch with a sales team whose members live in several different states?

A)Written media
B)Oral media
C)Electronic media
D)Presentations

Question 25

VoIP is a

A)widely used format for sending documents electronically.
B)technology for making telephone calls via the Internet.
C)highly technical videoconferencing program.
D)type of voice-to-text translation software.

Question 26

Of the following media, which is the richest?

A)An electronic slide presentation that includes a series of images that are arranged to persuade the audience to take a specific position
B)An interactive website enabling audiences to participate in the communication process
C)A presentation on DVD
D)A formal business letter

Question 27

In high-context cultures, ________ media are often more effective than ________ ones.

A)leaner, richer
B)oral, written
C)foreign, domestic
D)none of the above

Question 28

Which of the following media would be best for sending a brief message (requiring no response from your audience)about an upcoming software update?

A)Podcast
B)Email
C)Blog
D)Videoconference

Question 29

According to the concept of media richness, the richness of a medium does not depend on its ability to

A)facilitate feedback.
B)establish a personal focus.
C)handle multiple information cues simultaneously.
D)convey a sense of affluence and exclusivity.

Question 30

The scope of a business message pertains to

A)a specific statement about the overall subject of the message.
B)the range of information you present to support your main idea.
C)the efforts you expend when you proofread the message.
D)the act of conveying the message through more than one informational cue.

Question 31

Telephone calls are

A)completely incapable of conveying nonverbal signals.
B)now acceptable only for external communication.
C)capable of conveying quite a few nonverbal signals.
D)no longer practical when compared to email.

Question 32

As a new supervisor, you need to introduce yourself to your team of ten employees. The best medium for this type of non-routine message would be

A)a face-to-face meeting.
B)an email message.
C)a conference call.
D)a text message.

Question 33

After sending project cost estimates to a longtime client, you realize you failed to include information on some discount options. The best thing to do is

A)take no action.
B)blame someone else.
C)contact the primary audience immediately and correct the error.
D)start looking for a new job.

Question 34

Which one of the following is the "leanest" communication medium?

A)Podcasts
B)Posters and signs
C)Telephone conversations
D)Multimedia presentations

Question 35

When you want to confirm, illuminate, or expand on the supporting points in a business message, use ________ if you believe that dramatic tension will stimulate your audience's interest.

A)facts and figures
B)narration or storytelling
C)references to authority figures
D)examples and quotations

Question 36

A potential downside to the use of electronic media in business communication involves

A)delivering messages quickly.
B)maintaining employee productivity.
C)promoting audience interaction.
D)reaching geographically dispersed audiences.

Question 37

Choosing the right medium for your message

A)is not important as long as the content of your message is accurate.
B)is important only when communicating with managers and supervisors.
C)is vital for external communication, but not important for internal communication.
D)can make an important difference in how your message is perceived.

Question 38

In general, audiences are likely to

A)ignore poor organization if the message is important.
B)draw inaccurate conclusions from poorly organized messages.
C)fully understand most messages, even those that are poorly organized.
D)none of the above.

Question 39

Which of the following is not listed among factors to consider when choosing a medium for your message?

A)Urgency
B)Cost
C)Sender preferences
D)Audience preferences

Question 40

A key advantage of oral communication is

A)the ability to plan and control the message.
B)the opportunity to meet an audience's information needs.
C)the ability to transmit highly complex messages.
D)the opportunity to get immediate feedback.

Question 41

When you get a vague request for information, the best way to handle it is to provide all the information you can and allow the audience to pick and choose what is useful to them.

Question 42

If your audience will be skeptical of or resistant to your message

A)state your main idea and then present your evidence.
B)start with the evidence and build your case before presenting your main idea.
C)start by asking rhetorical questions to arouse the audience's interest in your message.
D)open your message with a humorous anecdote to establish rapport with the audience.

Question 43

Whatever the length of your message, you should limit the number of major support points to roughly

A)two.
B)three.
C)six.
D)ten.

Question 44

When allocating your time among the three stages of the writing process, you should use about a fourth of the time for planning, half the time for writing, and a quarter of the time for completing.

Question 45

All business messages have both a general purpose and a specific purpose.

Question 46

Messages can be unethical simply because certain details have not been included.

Question 47

The three general purposes of business messages are to inform, to persuade, and to collaborate.

Question 48

When analyzing your audience, you should ignore everyone except the key decision makers.

Question 49

Storytelling is

A)inappropriate for professional communication.
B)acceptable in business, but only for messages organized in the direct approach.
C)an effective way to organize messages in a surprising number of business communication scenarios.
D)none of the above.

Question 50

Once you have established your purpose, it's best to consider whether it is worth pursuing at this time.

Question 51

Accuracy of information is less important in business communication than in other types of communication-everyone is busy, and mistakes are simply unavoidable.

Question 52

When it comes to business research, online sources generally require more careful evaluation than other types.

Question 53

One effective informal method for learning more about your audience's information needs is to ask them directly for input.

Question 54

Even if nothing will change as a result of your message, you should send it if you believe it is important.

Question 55

Skilled communicators include only the information that their audience has specifically requested.

Question 56

No matter how you feel personally about a situation, your communication should reflect your organization's objectives.

Question 57

As long as your message is clear, the size of your audience should not influence the approach you choose to take.

Question 58

As it applies to business communication, presenting information in a well-organized manner

A)helps your readers understand the message.
B)encourages your readers to accept the message.
C)allows your readers to save time.
D)all of the above.

Question 59

Which of the following is an example of a message topic?

A)"To get the board of directors to increase the research and development budget"
B)"Competitors spend more than our company does on research and development"
C)"Funding for research and development"
D)"The research and development budget is inadequate in our competitive marketplace"

Question 60

If you provide inaccurate information in a business message, the best course of action is to say nothing and hope that no one notices.

Question 61

Poorly organized messages are unlikely to be effective, regardless of their content.

Question 62

The three general purposes of business messages are to inform, to persuade, or to ________ with the audience.

Question 63

The final step in the writing process is ________ your message, which involves revising, producing and distributing it.

Question 64

In today's fast-paced environment, traditional business messages rely primarily on graphical elements, with occasional support from text.

Question 65

Infographics refers to messages that combine powerful visuals with supporting text.

Question 66

________ refers to the use of two or more media to craft a single message, typically some combination of audio, video, text, and visual graphics.

Question 67

Face-to-face communication is the richest medium.

Question 68

Step one of the writing process is ________, in which you analyze the situation, gather information, select the right medium for the message, and organize the information.

Question 69

A good way to test the thoroughness of your message is to use the ________ approach and ask whether the message answers who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Question 70

During the planning step you need to analyze your ________, including its size and composition, existing knowledge about the subject, and probable reaction to your message.

Question 71

In addition to having a general purpose, each business message has a (an)________ purpose.

Question 72

As business communication models evolve, the lines separating oral, electronic, and written media have become more distinct and easier to define.

Question 73

Media ________ is the ability of a medium to convey a message using more than one informational cue, facilitate feedback, and establish personal focus.

Question 74

The indirect approach is best when your audience is likely to be skeptical.

Question 75

Speeches, presentations, and meetings are all examples of ________ media.

Question 76

As long as your message is clear and interesting, the medium you choose doesn't really matter.

Question 77

"Latest Investment Performance" is an example of a message topic, whereas "Poor Investment Performance Continues" is an example of a main idea.

Question 78

In deciding which ________ to use for a message to a manager in another department, you should consider factors such as formality, confidentiality, feedback, time, and cost.

Question 79

A real drawback of most visual media is that it requires skill to create effective images.

Question 80

Despite the advantages of electronic media, the growth of electronic communication options has caused great frustration for many audiences.