Deck 9: Routine Business Messages

Question 1

The tone for external persuasive messages should be pushy and exaggerated.

Answer 1

False
Explanation: The tone for persuasive messages should be confident and positive, yet at the same time avoid exaggeration or hype.

Question 2

Compared to other business messages, persuasive messages are somewhat more indirect and implicit.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: Compared to other business messages, persuasive messages are somewhat more indirect and implicit.

Question 3

Positivity in persuasive messages helps your audience focus on the benefits rather than the drawbacks of what you are trying to promote.

Answer 3

True
Explanation: Positivity in persuasive messages helps your audience focus on the benefits rather than the drawbacks of what you are trying to promote.

Question 4

Strong nouns and verbs make persuasive messages sound dull.

Question 5

Mass sales messages in the form of emails have high success rates.

Question 6

Most people justify their business decisions based on the soundness of ideas, not feelings.

Question 7

Persuasion implies that you are communicating with someone who thinks the same way as you do.

Question 8

Mass sales messages can raise a company's brand awareness.

Question 9

Understanding the needs and values of others requires a strong listening orientation.

Question 10

Price is one of the least common sales themes.

Question 11

Internal and external persuasive messages contain many common elements.

Question 12

When the statements in a message contain full and unambiguous meaning, the message is said to be indirect.

Question 13

Compared to you-voice, we-voice is more effective in external persuasive messages to customers and clients.

Question 14

Reciprocation is a principle of influence whereby people determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeing what others do.

Question 15

Internal persuasive messages tend to be less direct and explicit than external persuasive messages.

Question 16

The model used most successfully for mass sales messages is the AIDA approach: attention, information, action, and description.

Question 17

Authority is a principle of influence whereby people are more likely to be persuaded by people who they like.

Question 18

Your colleagues and customers will be more easily persuaded when you show interest in them personally.

Question 19

In internal persuasive messages, expressing confidence in key players, who can make the change occur, is crucial.

Question 20

Scarcity is a principle of influence whereby people think there is limited availability of something they want or need, so they must act quickly.

Question 21

_____ is a principle of influence whereby people determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeing what others do.

A)Reciprocation
B)Liking
C)Social proof
D)Consistency
E)Transparency

Question 22

Persuasive messages are directed to others who resist your ideas, products, or services.

Question 23

Which of the following is true of persuasive messages?

A)The vast majority of business messages are persuasive messages.
B)Persuasive messages do not need any prior planning.
C)Persuasive messages are very similar to messages that express appreciation.
D)Persuasive messages require a message structure that reduces resistance.
E)The success of persuasive messages seldom depends on your credibility.

Question 24

In the context of methods of influence, liking is _____.

A)a principle of influence based on returning favors
B)a principle of influence whereby people determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeing what others do
C)a principle of influence whereby people think there is limited availability of something they want, so they must act quickly
D)a principle of influence whereby people are more easily persuaded by people who they admire
E)a principle of influence which states that people who think similarly can easily persuade one another

Question 25

Which of the following is true about understanding your audience?

A)It is necessary to understand the values of your audience but not their needs.
B)To understand your audience, ask as few questions as possible to avoid annoying them.
C)The process of understanding your audience should be started after developing the persuasive message.
D)It is important to consider the psychological principles that impact people's decisions.
E)The process of understanding your audience is conducted as a part of the FAIR test.

Question 26

Which of the following is the first step in the planning process for writing persuasive messages?

A)Conducting the FAIR test for the message
B)Analyzing the audience
C)Setting up the message structure
D)Developing ideas
E)Understanding the benefits of ideas

Question 27

Sautéed, a restaurant in California, specializes in sautéed food.The restaurant conducts a month-end bash, featuring well-known DJs, on the last Saturday night of every month, and it is a crowd puller.The restaurant offers event-passes to regular customers (customers who've been billed at least $3,000 during the current month) for free.A limited number of passes are available to other customers, at a very high price, one day prior to the event.Which of the following principles of influence is being used by the restaurant?

A)Liking
B)Authority
C)Scarcity
D)Consistency
E)Transparency

Question 28

What is the aim of persuasion?

A)To develop a plan of action to deal with a crisis
B)To increase your credibility in the eyes of your audience
C)To help your audience identify with and find merit in your positions
D)To express sympathy for a loss suffered by your audience
E)To express gratitude toward your audience

Question 29

By applying the FAIR test, you can avoid sending persuasive messages that manipulate others.

Question 30

_____ is a principle of influence based on returning favors.

A)Reciprocation
B)Liking
C)Retaliation
D)Consistency
E)Transparency

Question 31

Celebrity endorsements in advertising are based on the "_____" principle of influence.

A)reciprocation
B)authority
C)social proof
D)consistency
E)transparency

Question 32

In the context of methods of influence, scarcity is _____.

A)a principle of influence whereby people try to repay what others have provided them at times of adversity
B)a principle of influence whereby people determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeing what others do
C)a principle of influence whereby people think there is limited availability of something they want, so they must act quickly
D)a principle of influence whereby people are more easily persuaded by people who they admire
E)a principle of influence whereby different people have different needs which have to be constantly fulfilled

Question 33

In order to encourage participation in a walkathon, the organization arranging the walkathon offers free items, such as a T-shirt or a water bottle, to all the participants.Which of the following principles of influence is being used in this case?

A)Liking
B)Authority
C)Scarcity
D)Reciprocation
E)Transparency

Question 34

What does persuasion imply?

A)Threatening your audience to make them follow your line of thinking
B)Dealing with someone who is open to different ideas
C)Communicating with someone who does not think the same way as you do
D)Stopping short of a fist-fight in trying to get your point across
E)Forcing someone to think like you do

Question 35

In the context of developing persuasive messages, which of the following is true of understanding others' needs?

A)It is simple.
B)It requires a strong listening orientation.
C)It is typically done as a part of the FAIR test.
D)It is typically done after you have developed your message.
E)It cannot be used to convince others to modify their own ideas.

Question 36

In the context of persuasive messages, which of the following is the right way to convince others to adopt your ideas?

A)Use the power of authority and force employees to follow your ideas.
B)Manipulate people's emotions to force them to adopt your ideas.
C)Show others that you care about them and that your ideas fit into their interests.
D)Implement your ideas and others will have no choice but to adopt your ideas.
E)Promise incentives to those who agree to adopt your ideas.

Question 37

Which of the following is most likely true of the post-trust era?

A)The post-trust era is characterized by very low levels of skepticism.
B)In the post-trust era, persuading your audience successfully requires less time due to the use of social media.
C)In the post-trust era, persuasion involves threatening others to comply with your thoughts and ideas.
D)Some of the persuasion strategies that once worked are less effective in the post-trust era.
E)In the post-trust era, the importance of credibility during a persuasive communication has diminished significantly.

Question 38

Which of the following is most likely to be true of persuasion in the post-trust era?

A)In the post-trust era, persuasion is rarely employed as a means to make others understand your views.
B)In the post-trust era, persuasion involves threatening others to comply with your ideas.
C)In the post-trust era, the importance of credibility during a persuasive communication has diminished significantly.
D)In the post-trust era, persuasion is becoming increasingly difficult.
E)In the post-trust era, persuading your audience successfully requires less time due to the use of social media.

Question 39

Which of the following statements best describes consistency?

A)Consistency is based on the idea that once people make an explicit commitment, they tend to follow through or honor that commitment.
B)Consistency is a principle of influence whereby people determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeing what others do.
C)Consistency is a principle of influence whereby people think there is limited availability of something they want or need, so they must act quickly.
D)Consistency is based on the idea that people like returning favors.
E)Consistency is based on the idea that different people have different needs that have to be constantly fulfilled.

Question 40

_____ is based on the idea that once people make an explicit commitment, they tend to follow through or honor that commitment.

A)Reciprocation
B)Liking
C)Authority
D)Consistency
E)Transparency

Question 41

Which of the following is true of choosing attention-getters for persuasive messages?

A)For external persuasive messages, the primary means of gaining attention is demonstrating a business need.
B)Compared to external persuasive messages, there is more flexibility in choosing attention-getters for internal messages.
C)Issuing a challenge is a poor attention-getter, and its use should be avoided in persuasive messages.
D)Posting a testimonial is a good attention-getter, which can be used for external messages.
E)The primary purpose of an attention-getter is to express gratitude toward the reader.

Question 42

Which of the following is a good practice if your audience is emotionally resistant to your solution?

A)Provide the rationale for a request before making the request.
B)Use the direct approach to make them warm up to your ideas.
C)Use statements that contain incomplete and ambiguous meaning.
D)Use statements that require reading between the lines to grasp the entire meaning.
E)Make a request but avoid providing any rationale for it.

Question 43

In the context of development for persuasive messages, which of the following is most likely to help you demonstrate a voice of competence?

A)Using only emotional appeals in your persuasive messages
B)Developing strong ideas in the interest of your audience
C)Adopting the tone of mass advertising such as over-the-top appeals
D)Focusing only on logical appeals in developing persuasive messages
E)Using the I-voice in developing external persuasive messages

Question 44

Which of the following is a persuasive message with an indirect statement?

A)You should go through the manual of your new refrigerator before you start using it.
B)Find more information about the various models of tablet PCs before you make your purchase decision.
C)"Sinking Domes" is an inappropriate book for kids, so don't buy it for Ryan.
D)Investing in a Sandy Bar franchise is a good option because it's a well-known restaurant.
E)You should consider buying from some other manufacturer because these hard drives crash a lot.

Question 45

Ralph and Shane have been best friends for over twenty years and they influence each other's shopping choices.When they are shopping for perfumes, however, Ralph picks a perfume endorsed by his basketball idol and Shane opts for a perfume endorsed by his favorite pop singer.In this case, which of the following principles of influence has affected the purchases made by Ralph and Shane?

A)Reciprocation
B)Liking
C)Scarcity
D)Consistency
E)Transparency

Question 46

Persuasive messages are said to be indirect because:

A)they provide the rationale for a request before making the request.
B)they express gratitude toward the readers.
C)the statements in the message contain full and unambiguous meaning.
D)the statements in the message require reading between lines to gauge the entire meaning.
E)they politely ask people to do or think differently.

Question 47

The first task of most persuasive messages is to _____.

A)express gratitude toward the readers
B)gain the attention of the readers
C)provide a strong rationale
D)express sympathy toward the readers
E)appreciate the readers

Question 48

External persuasive messages, with the exception of those that emphasize price, are generally based on _____.

A)strong logical appeals
B)the scarcity principle of influence
C)strong emotional appeals
D)the authority principle of influence
E)the liking principle of influence

Question 49

Which of the following is an appropriate tone for persuasive messages?

A)Positive
B)Exaggerated
C)Hyped
D)Apathetic
E)Empathetic

Question 50

The writing style of your persuasive messages should be _____.

A)action-oriented and lively
B)unbelievable or overly enthusiastic
C)dull or unexceptional
D)pushy and exaggerated
E)direct and explicit

Question 51

Which of the following is true of using the you-voice in persuasive messages?

A)Writing in the you-voice to customers is just a stylistic choice.
B)It focuses too much attention on your company and deemphasizes customer benefits.
C)The you-voice forces you to personalize the message for your readers.
D)An extensive use of the you-voice implies self-centeredness.
E)Use the you-voice in persuasive messages to emphasize objectivity and neutrality.

Question 52

Which of the following is a result of making your statements tangible in persuasive messages?

A)It allows your readers to sense the impact on a personal level.
B)It lets the I-voice take center stage over the you-voice.
C)It focuses on your company and deemphasizes benefits to your customer.
D)It is just a stylistic choice and has no outcomes of its own.
E)It adds to the excitement of the message.

Question 53

Which of the following characterizes the writing style of persuasive messages?

A)Direct and explicit
B)Direct and implicit
C)Indirect and implicit
D)Indirect and explicit
E)Exaggerating and explicit

Question 54

Which of the following is most likely to help you reduce skepticism once you've described your solution?

A)Restating the need for the solution
B)Providing a strong rationale
C)Showing appreciation for your readers' views
D)Discussing positive points about your competitor's products
E)Agreeing with your readers' objections

Question 55

What does validation imply in the context of persuasive messages?

A)Providing solid reasons for why your product, service, or idea really benefits readers
B)Demonstrating a business need-a gap between what is and what could be
C)Recognizing and appreciating others' needs and preferences as legitimate
D)Overcoming objections by providing counterpoints
E)Making a request and then providing a rationale for the request

Question 56

In which of the following cases the use of "you-voice" is most likely to be appropriate?

A)To emphasize shared work goals in internal persuasive messages
B)To emphasize reader benefits in external persuasive messages
C)To deemphasize self-centeredness in internal persuasive messages
D)To emphasize objectivity in persuasive messages
E)To emphasize neutrality in persuasive messages

Question 57

What is the consequence of reducing confidence and positivity in your message?

A)You will come across as incompetent.
B)People who read your message will start doubting your credibility.
C)Your audience will consider your message as defensive and self-serving.
D)People will perceive your idea as weak or unexciting.
E)Your message will appear to be focusing only on the logical aspects but not on the emotional aspects.

Question 58

In which of the following cases the use of an impersonal voice is most likely to be appropriate?

A)In internal persuasive messages to emphasize shared work goals
B)In external persuasive messages to emphasize reader benefits
C)In internal persuasive messages to deemphasize self-centeredness
D)In persuasive messages to emphasize objectivity
E)In external persuasive messages to depersonalize the message

Question 59

Which of the following is true of persuasion through reason and emotion?

A)Most people justify business decisions based on emotions.
B)To be effective, business communicators should avoid injecting emotions into their persuasive messages.
C)Persuading customers does not need to involve any emotional element because customers do not possess any emotional attachments to products and services.
D)Business communicators understand that resistance to ideas, products, and services is often emotional.
E)To be effective, sales-related communications should avoid appealing to the core emotional benefits of products, services, and ideas.

Question 60

Typically, internal persuasive messages focus mostly on _____.

A)negative emotions
B)the reciprocation principle of influence
C)the scarcity principle of influence
D)logical appeals
E)positive emotions

Question 61

In business communication, by applying the FAIR test, you can avoid _____.

A)validation
B)depersonalization
C)manipulation
D)decentralization
E)reciprocation

Question 62

Which of the following media is the most expensive for sending mass sales messages?

A)Online banner ads
B)Mass emails
C)Online pop-up ads
D)Hard copy letters
E)Company website ads

Question 63

Despite their common elements, how do internal and external persuasive messages differ?

Question 64

What are the benefits and drawbacks of mass sales messages?

Question 65

What are the various principles of influence as identified by Dr.Robert Cialdini? Describe any two of these principles.

Question 66

In the context of mass sales messages, which of the following is the first step in the AIDA approach?

A)Gaining attention
B)Generating interest
C)Calling to action
D)Building desire
E)Gathering information about competitors' products

Question 67

Which of the following is true of internal persuasive messages?

A)They tend to be slightly more indirect than external persuasive messages.
B)They tend to be slightly more implicit than external persuasive messages.
C)They tend to be based on emotional appeals.
D)They tend to be based on logical appeals.
E)They tend to use the you-voice more than the we-voice.

Question 68

Explain the importance of the FAIR test in reviewing persuasive messages.

Question 69

Which of the following is most likely to be true of the differences between internal and external persuasive messages?

A)Internal persuasive messages emphasize self-centeredness, whereas external persuasive messages deemphasize self-centeredness.
B)While internal persuasive messages raise a need, external persuasive messages provide rationale.
C)Internal persuasive messages focus on promoting ideas, whereas external persuasive messages focus on promoting products.
D)Internal persuasive messages tend to be slightly more indirect and implicit than external persuasive messages.
E)Internal persuasive messages use the you-voice unlike external persuasive messages that use the I-voice.

Question 70

Which of the following is true of external persuasive messages?

A)They focus more on promoting ideas.
B)They are more direct than internal persuasive messages.
C)They are more explicit than internal persuasive messages.
D)They focus more on promoting services.
E)They focus more on the use of the we-voice.

Question 71

What is the right tone for persuasive messages?

Question 72

Discuss the importance of reason and emotion in persuasive messages.

Question 73

Describe a strategy which can be used to personalize persuasive messages.

Question 74

Explain the AIDA approach to developing mass sales messages.

Question 75

Describe the AIM planning process for persuasive messages.

Question 76

Which of the following is a component of the AIDA model?

A)Gaining attention
B)Discussing ideas
C)Providing deadlines
D)Making announcements
E)Answering queries

Question 77

Which of the following is most likely to be true of persuasive messages?

A)Persuasive messages are directed to others who accept your ideas, products, or services.
B)Persuasive messages tend to close off future opportunities and diminish your credibility.
C)Persuasive messages decrease customer loyalty, revenues, and brand value.
D)Persuasive messages are best reviewed by getting feedback from others and rereading.
E)Persuasive messages are independent of credibility but dependent on your sense of caring.

Question 78

In which of the following cases is the use of the we-voice most likely to be appropriate in persuasive messages?

A)To emphasize shared work goals in internal persuasive messages
B)To emphasize reader benefits in external persuasive messages
C)To deemphasize self-centeredness in internal persuasive messages
D)To emphasize objectivity in persuasive messages
E)To depersonalize the message in external persuasive messages

Question 79

Discuss the importance of credibility for persuasive messages in the post-trust era.

Question 80

In the model for mass sales messages called AIDA, "D" stands for _____.

A)destination
B)difference
C)development
D)desire
E)drive