Deck 7: Email and Other Traditional Tools for Business Communication

Question 1

Good subject lines are generally twenty words long.

Answer 1

False
Explanation: Good subject lines are generally five to ten words long. By contrast, poor subjects are either too short (1 or 2 words) and thus nondescriptive or too long (12 words or longer) and thus difficult to process.

Question 2

Email communication is the primary form of written business communication.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: Email communication is the primary form of written business communication.

Question 3

Avoiding emotion entirely, even for task-based messages, is nearly impossible.

Answer 3

True
Explanation: Avoiding emotion entirely, even for task-based messages, is nearly impossible.

Question 4

Social media offer an ideal means of continuously learning about your company, your industry, and your discipline.

Question 5

Focusing on task-related facts and issues in your reply is a good way to defuse situations involving cyber incivility.

Question 6

Flames are emails or other digital communications with "hostile intentions characterized by words of profanity, obscenity, and insults that inflict harm to a person or an organization."

Question 7

Email communication is typically considered fairly casual.

Question 8

Web 2.0 communication tools are primarily passive and static.

Question 9

In order to manage e-interruptions effectively, reply immediately to all the messages.

Question 10

Intel estimates that large companies lose about $1 million per year because of email overload.

Question 11

Ensuring ease of reading is more critical in print than in emails.

Question 12

The Industrial Age is an era in which people engage in networked communication, collaborate across boundaries, and solve problems communally.

Question 13

Humor and sarcasm, too, can be misinterpreted in digital communications, even among close colleagues.

Question 14

Distractions impact performance for much longer than the few moments taken to acknowledge and respond to incoming messages.

Question 15

The neutrality effect means that recipients are more likely to perceive messages that are intended as neutral as negative.

Question 16

A drawback of wikis is that they cannot be used for meetings.

Question 17

A Microsoft study found that it takes 15 minutes on average to refocus after an interruption.

Question 18

Your professional profile should reflect the same information as your social networking profile.

Question 19

Turn off message alerts as these alerts can distract you and reduce your focus.

Question 20

If you use email to coordinate tasks with deadlines, provide detailed information about time frames and your availabilities.

Question 21

Younger people are often expert at developing an online professional presence but they are less skilled at developing an online social persona.

Question 22

Email communication:

A)is characterized by low control.
B)is characterized by little coordination.
C)is a rich communication medium.
D)incurs high cost.
E)is best suited for emotional communication tasks.

Question 23

What should you do when you cannot respond to a request made in an email?

A)Log off the system and let others presume that you are not online.
B)Set up an automated response to say that you are out of town.
C)Inform the sender that you are busy and cannot reply straightaway.
D)Reply immediately and explain how soon you can respond in full.
E)Ignore the email for now and reply when you can.

Question 24

Craig is the sales manager at Blaize Supersports and has a 20-member-strong sales team that reports to him.On an average, Craig receives about 115 emails and sends out 75 emails a day.James, a salesperson at the store, leaves the subject line blank while typing out a leave request mail to Craig.James wants to take the week off and spend time with his family.As James is about to send it, he realizes that the subject line is blank.Which of the following should James do before sending the email to Craig?

A)Send it anyway since the subject line shouldn't matter to Craig.
B)Include only the number of days and dates in the subject line.
C)Type his name, department details, and employee id in the email and then send it to Craig.
D)Use a descriptive subject line such as "Leave of absence request."
E)Send the email as it is and then call Craig to inform him about the email.

Question 25

The line between what you believe is private use of social media and your role as an employee can be murky.

Question 26

It is important for an employee to become familiar with his company's acceptable-use policies for social networking websites.

Question 27

Which of the following is true of email communication?

A)It creates temporary records.
B)It is a rich form of communication.
C)It is not suited for delivering fact-based messages.
D)It lacks immediate feedback.
E)It is best suited for emotional communication tasks.

Question 28

Considering the ease of reading, which of the following is most likely to be the correct length of a paragraph in an email?

A)10 words
B)20 words
C)40 words
D)60 words
E)70 words

Question 29

Which of the following is most likely to be placed in the subject line?

A)Expected action
B)Signature block
C)List of attachments
D)Professional tagline
E)Recipient's name

Question 30

Which of the following guidelines best ensures that your email is easy to read?

A)Your subject line should be at least 20 words long.
B)Each paragraph in your message should be at least 80 words long.
C)Avoid including attachments.
D)Provide a descriptive signature block.
E)Your subject line should consist of only one or two words.

Question 31

Which of the following is most likely to be included in a good signature block?

A)List of attachments
B)Expected action
C)Statistical data
D)Contact details
E)Names of all the recipients

Question 32

By providing deadlines and schedules in an email:

A)you can show your colleagues how important you are in the organizational setup.
B)you remind people of how busy you are.
C)you show respect to your colleagues' time.
D)you ensure that the tone of your message is other-oriented.
E)you can stamp your authority over your teammates.

Question 33

Younger people are often expert at developing an online professional presence.

Question 34

The use of social media, even for private use, complicates your relationship with your employer.

Question 35

Message recipients make immediate judgments about the importance of a message based on the _____.

A)subject line
B)names of the people included in the "To" feature
C)signature block in the message
D)salutation in the message
E)first paragraph of the message

Question 36

Which of the following is a good subject line based only on its length?

A)Why?
B)Last month
C)The reason why we should consider implementing this marketing plan is because it provides many benefits.
D)Team meeting (Circ conference room, in five minutes)
E)So, here it goes?

Question 37

Due to the many communication tools available in the emerging Social Age, the division between professional and private lives is becoming increasingly clear.

Question 38

_____ in the emails serve the same role that headlines do in newspapers and magazines.

A)Subject lines
B)Signature blocks
C)Attachments
D)Salutations
E)First paragraphs

Question 39

Considering the ease of reading, which of the following is most likely to be the correct length of subject line?

A)Eight words
B)Two words
C)One word
D)twelve words
E)fifteen words

Question 40

An employee congratulating his employer's son on his engagement is an example of social media complicating relationships between employees and employers.

Question 41

Dave sent an email to his colleague, Stan, asking him for a few important details regarding an ongoing project.Stan is on a business tour and finds no time to reply to all of Dave's queries.Dave wrongly perceives that Stan is ignoring him.Which of the following should Dave do?

A)Since Stan is indulging in cyber silence, Dave should retort with flames.
B)He should bring this to the notice of the CEO and voice his complaints against Stan.
C)Dave should understand that Stan is on a business tour and not bother him even if the project is getting affected negatively.
D)He should try calling Stan or sending a polite message saying that an early reply will be appreciated.
E)Dave should ignore Stan's mails when Stan replies.

Question 42

_____ involves adjusting your initial perceptions by making more objective, more fact-based, and less personal judgments and evaluations.

A)Reinterpretation
B)Relaxation
C)Emotional hijacking
D)Defusing
E)Repetition

Question 43

Which of the following can help keep email-induced distractions at bay?

A)Checking your messages at regular intervals of fifteen minutes.
B)Checking your messages at the end of the day.
C)Checking your messages once a week and use an automated message to indicate the same.
D)Checking your messages just two to four times a day.
E)Checking your messages constantly to keep yourself updated on the latest information.

Question 44

Which of the following statements best describe e-interruptions?

A)E-interruptions are caused by face to face conversations. .E-interruptions are caused by emails and texts.
C)E-interruptions increase attention spans and reduced stress.
D)E-interruptions cost companies a very small amount of money.
E)E-interruptions make workers lose 4 hours a day.

Question 45

A recent study found that the average worker loses _____ per day due to interruptions.

A)4 hours
B)1.1 hours .2.1 hours
D)1 hour
E)3 hours

Question 46

Which of the following is a reason why greetings and names are omitted from emails?

A)People do not like being greeted or having their names called out very often.
B)Omitting names and greetings saves space as two lines can consume a significant amount of space.
C)Some professionals view emails as the equivalent of memos, which traditionally omit names and greetings.
D)Most people are feelers and are not inclined toward greeting others.
E)Since emails are typically forwarded to several other people by the first recipient, it is inappropriate to mention the name of only one recipient in the email.

Question 47

Chris and Susan are employees of Finvest Corp.During a recent appraisal, David, Susan's manager, arrived at a conclusion that her performance this year was not as good as the previous year.When Chris came to know about this, he sent an email to Susan explaining to her that she was probably distracted at work because of her texting and social networking habits, which in turn hampered her productivity.He advised her to improve her productivity and do well in the next appraisal.On reading this, Susan lashed back at Chris and asked him not to interfere into her matters.Susan's behavior is an example of the _____.

A)negativity effect
B)neutrality effect
C)positivity effect
D)generality effect
E)cordiality effect

Question 48

Which of the following is most likely to be caused by people when they feel comfortable writing things online that they would not say in person?

A)Flames
B)Noise
C)Emotional hijacking
D)Empathy
E)Pessimism

Question 49

Which of the following is most likely to contribute to email chains?

A)Including a subject line in the message
B)Including attachments in the email
C)Providing contact details in the subject line of the message
D)Using the "reply to all" feature
E)Using a signature block in the message

Question 50

In the context of electronic communication, _____ involves indirect form of disrespect.

A)Emotional hijacking
B)Passive incivility
C)Negativity effect
D)Neutrality effect
E)Active incivility

Question 51

The Information Overload Research Group is devoted to:

A)responding to texts and e-mails on behalf of individuals.
B)responding to texts and e-mails on behalf of companies.
C)finding solutions to telephone related problems. .finding solutions to e-interruption related problems.
E)reducing the attention span of workers.

Question 52

Which of the following should be avoided?

A)Sending an email to more than one person
B)Including attachments in the mail
C)Contributing to confusing and repetitive email chains
D)Letting others know that you cannot respond immediately
E)Apologizing to someone via an email

Question 53

Frequent incoming messages can:

A)increase productivity.
B)increase attention spans.
C)reduce creativity.
D)reduce stress.
E)increase incivility.

Question 54

Which of the following is true of email communication?

A)Most emails are intended to provide information.
B)Email communication cannot be used when the message framework is based on inductive approach.
C)An email should be either completely formal or completely friendly; achieving a balance between formality and friendliness is not preferable.
D)It is better to err on the side of extra formality than on extra casualness.
E)Email communication is better suited for business rather than personal communication.

Question 55

_____ involves avoiding escalation and removing tension to focus on work objectives.

A)Reinterpretation
B)Relaxation
C)Emotional hijacking
D)Defusing
E)Repetition

Question 56

Which of the following can be used to constructively address uncivil emails?

A)Engaging in cyber silence
B)Sending out flames
C)Composing the reply using the deductive approach
D)Using the technique of defusing
E)Composing the reply using the inductive approach

Question 57

What is cyber silence?

A)It is the tendency to perceive messages with an intended positive emotion as neutral.
B)It is the tendency to perceive messages that are intended as neutral as negative.
C)It is the act of sending emails or other digital communications characterized by words of profanity and obscenity.
D)It is the act of not responding to emails or other digital communications.
E)It is the tendency to perceive messages that are intended as neutral as positive.

Question 58

In the context of electronic communication, which of the following is considered to be an act of incivility?

A)Using a message framework that is based on deductive approach
B)Emotional hijacking
C)Cyber silence
D)Using a message framework that is based on inductive approach
E)Formal politeness

Question 59

Clement, a customer service representative at Sarah's Supermart, has a tough time handling customers during his first week at Sarah's Supermart.Charlie, Clement's colleague at the supermart, guides him through this tough period.To show his appreciation for Charlie, Clement writes him an email thanking him for his help.Charlie neither reacts nor replies to this mail.Charlie's behavior is an example of _____.

A)negativity effect
B)neutrality effect
C)positivity effect
D)generality effect
E)cordiality effect

Question 60

_____ effect means that recipients are more likely to perceive messages with an intended positive emotion as unbiased.

A)Negativity
B)Neutrality
C)Positivity
D)Generality
E)Cordiality

Question 61

State the guidelines that can be followed to stay responsive to others but allow you to focus enough to achieve peak performance?

Question 62

Which of the following statements is most likely to be true of microblogs?

A)They are the means through which one can configure the dashboard on his or her social software system.
B)They consist of a collection of knowledge sharing pages that anyone can edit.
C)They cannot be used for broadcasting announcements.
D)They contain just a few sentences.
E)They are smaller parts of bigger blogs.

Question 63

Which of the following should be practiced for professional social media use?

A)Do not comment on others' work.
B)Limit your network to your formal work teams.
C)Join teams built around common interests.
D)Do not make your content accessible to others.
E)Use social media at work and not at home.

Question 64

Twitter is an example of a _____.

A)wiki
B)team blog
C)microblog
D)podcast
E)project blog

Question 65

Workplace culture is now moving from the:

A)machine age to industrial age.
B)industrial age to information age.
C)information age to industrial age.
D)information age to social age.
E)social age to industrial age.

Question 66

Which of the following is most likely to be true of User 1.0?

A)Actively creates and shares content online
B)Expresses opinions and even changes the content presented
C)Uses email as the main communication tool
D)Customizes web pages and content
E)Stays connected online all the time

Question 67

_____ have stronger collaborative potential than any of the other social media tools.

A)Dashboards
B)Blogs
C)Microblogs
D)Wikis
E)Instant messages

Question 68

The _____ Age is characterized by mass two-way communication and respect for expertise and position.

A)Social
B)Industrial
C)Technological
D)Information
E)Machine

Question 69

Which of the following is most likely to be true of User 2.0?

A)Passively reads and searches for content
B)Depends on content creator; does not express own opinion
C)Gets the web as is
D)Stays connected online all the time
E)Uses email as the main communication tool

Question 70

The evolution of the Internet during the past 15 years from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 platforms is the primary driver of the _____.

A)Machine Age
B)Automation Age
C)Information Age
D)Social Age
E)Industrial Age

Question 71

Web 1.0 communication tools are primarily _____.

A)passive and static
B)interactive and customizable
C)interactive and social
D)passive and customizable
E)customizable and social

Question 72

Explain how e-interruptions affect productivity.

Question 73

Which of the following is a drawback of using social media?

A)Increases the time taken to market new products
B)Causes distraction from work and too much socializing
C)Results in intensive business travel resource
D)Makes it difficult to develop innovative and creative approaches to solving business problems
E)Makes it difficult for individuals to build professional networks internally

Question 74

_____ are collections of pages that anyone with approved access can edit, thus lending themselves to collaborative writing.

A)Microblogs
B)Podcasts
C)RSS feeds
D)Wikis
E)Mashups

Question 75

A University of Michigan study found that _____ when people try to do two or more things at once.

A)productivity increases by up to 80 percent
B)productivity increases by up to 40 percent
C)productivity remains the same
D)productivity drops by up to 85 percent

Question 76

Which of the following is most likely to be used to place all of the work group's communications in a single place, such as updates and progress reports?

A)Podcast
B)Team blog
C)Mashup
D)Social bookmark
E)RSS feed

Question 77

Which of the following accurately depicts a dashboard in a social software system?

A)Your front page when you log into the system, which acts as a communication hub
B)Shorter blogs that contain just a few sentences, which are part of most enterprise social software systems
C)Collections of pages that anyone with approved access can edit
D)A collection of posts that are arranged chronologically, similar to a journal format
E)The front panel of a computer that lets you interact with it via buttons

Question 78

Which of the following would help counter e-interruptions?

A)Checking digital messages six to eight times a day at random.
B)Turning on message alerts.
C)Replying immediately to all messages. .Using rich channels of communication.
E)Lengthening an e-mail chain.

Question 79

Which of the following is an advantage of social media?

A)Leads to a clear demarcation between professional and private lives
B)Discourages self-promotion and opportunism
C)Avoids broadcasting of mistakes to large audiences
D)Ensures quicker access to business expertise and knowledge
E)Improves productivity when used constantly

Question 80

In the original Internet, referred to as _____, most web pages were read-only and static.

A)Web 0.5
B)Web 0.9
C)Web 1.0
D)Web 2.0
E)Web 3.0