question

When it comes to communication skills, employers express particular frustration with

answer

recent college graduates who haven't learned how to adapt to a professional environment

question

Which of the following is not a characteristic of effective business messages?

answer

They present the writer's opinions as facts

question

A flatter organizational structure

answer

helps make communication flow more efficiently

question

The term corporate culture refers to

answer

the mixture of values, traditions, and habits that give a company its atmosphere and personality

question

An example of horizontal communication is

answer

an email message about sick leave sent from one department secretary to a secretary in a different department

question

In most organizations, the rumor mill tends to be particularly active when

answer

the formal communication network is not providing the information employees want

question

Generally speaking, limitations of the formal communication network

answer

have helped to spur the growth of social media in the business environment

question

In the first step of the communication process, the sender

answer

has an idea

question

Uncomfortable meeting rooms, multitasking, and computer screens filled with popup messages are all examples of

answer

distractions

question

During a long meeting, you notice that you're automatically questioning the motives of anyone whose viewpoint does not match your own . You are engaging in

answer

selective perception

question

"Business Communication 2.0" refers to

answer

a new approach to business communication, emphasizing interaction and conversation rather than one-way publication

question

Most companies that embrace Business Communication 2.0

answer

adopt a hybrid approach to communication, in which some messages follow the traditional model and others follow the 2.0 approach

question

Which of the following is an example of Business Communication 2.0 in action?

answer

An electronics store invites customers to submit YouTube videos showing how to install home theater systems

question

The "information technology paradox" refers to

answer

the idea that information tools (such as email) can waste as much time as they save

question

The accepted principles of conduct that govern behavior within a society are known as

answer

ethics

question

Which of the following is not a way teams help organizations to succeed?

answer

Increase groupthink among members

question

A hidden agenda refers to

answer

individuals' private, counterproductive motives

question

________ are informal standards of conduct that team members share.

answer

Group norms

question

One member of a task force on which you serve is particularly good at helping other members get along and work through their differences. This individual plays a(n) ________ role.

answer

team-maintenance

question

Only one sales representative can go to the conference in Hawaii, but both Susan and Sean want to go. After much discussion and arguing, they draw straws and Susan gets the trip. This is an example of

answer

a win-lose situation.

question

When composing collaborative messages, the best strategy is to

answer

avoid composing as a group

question

Social networking technologies are designed to

answer

do none of the above.

question

The key to a productive meeting is careful planning that addresses

answer

all of the above

question

Use of parliamentary procedure

answer

helps meetings run more smoothly.

question

When conducting a meeting

answer

do none of the above.

question

If you are listening mainly to understand the speaker's message, you are engaging in ________ listening.

answer

content

question

A reliable employee you supervise has come to speak with you about a leave of absence related to personal issues. To understand her feelings and needs, you should engage in ________ listening.

answer

empathic

question

The first step in the basic listening process is ________ the message.

answer

receiving

question

In part, poor listening occurs because listeners

answer

can this faster than speakers can speak

question

Which of the following is not an important consideration related to etiquette in the workplace?

answer

your height and weight

question

Diversity in the workplace can be based on differences in

answer

all of the above

question

Culture influences a person's understanding of

answer

all of the above

question

When you react ethnocentrically, you

answer

assume that your culture is superior to others

question

The practice of accepting multiple cultures on their own terms is known as

answer

cultural pluralism

question

Cultural differences appear in a number of important areas, including

answer

all of the above

question

To convey meaning in a low-context culture such as the one existing in Germany, people rely more on

answer

explicit verbal communication

question

Compared to low-context cultures, high-context cultures tend to take a(n) ________ approach regarding the meaning of business contracts.

answer

more flexible

question

Women executives who travel abroad

answer

may not be taken seriously as businesspeople, depending on the culture.

question

Meeting a deadline is generally less important than building a relationship for businesspeople in

answer

high-context cultures.

question

Associating youth with strength and age with declining powers is

answer

common in the U.S., but not in many Asian societies.

question

Learning about an unfamiliar culture

answer

is a worthy undertaking even if you learn only a small amount.

question

Letters from Japanese businesspeople tend to be ________ than those written in the United States

answer

less direct

question

When writing for multicultural audiences, it is often helpful to

answer

use simple sentences and short paragraphs.

question

When preparing a message to someone from another culture, you should

answer

be careful to express numbers and dates in the format used in that person's culture.

question

Which of the following sentences contains an idiomatic expression?

answer

Making our monthly sales quota will be a piece of cake.

question

In developing business messages, the step during which you evaluate whether you have expressed your ideas clearly is

answer

completing

question

Inexperienced communicators tend to

answer

dive directly into writing the message without taking sufficient time to plan.

question

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

answer

to inform employees about the new vacation policy.

question

In most cases, a message should be deferred or canceled if

answer

the time is wrong

question

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

answer

fewer details people want to see.

question

Forecasting your audience's probable reaction to your message is

answer

vital, because potential audience reaction affects message organization.

question

A knowledge-management system

answer

is a centralized database of experiences and insights of employees throughout an organization.

question

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

answer

of greatest interest to the audience.

question

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

answer

the who, what, when, where, why, and how.

question

Choosing the right medium for your message

answer

is an important communication skill.

question

In today's high-tech business environment, the need for managers to engage in frequent "walk-arounds" (chatting with employees to get input and answer questions)

answer

still exists, according to many experts.

question

Form letters in business

answer

can be helpful when communicating about routine matters.

question

In general, traditional business messages rely

answer

primarily on text, with occasional support from graphical elements. (such as charts and diagrams).

question

Telephone calls are

answer

capable of conveying quite a few nonverbal signals.

question

VoIP is a

answer

technology for making telephone calls via the Internet.

question

Select the sentence with the best "you" attitude:

answer

Once your application is complete, you should receive a response within two weeks.

question

When it comes to using the "you" attitude,

answer

it is important to recognize and accommodate cultural differences.

question

In part because of limited opportunities for feedback, written communication and most forms of electronic communication require ________ than oral communication.

answer

more tact

question

Select the sentence with the most positive emphasis:

answer

We will complete the process audit by Friday.

question

A euphemism is a word or phrase that is

answer

a milder term for one with negative connotations.

question

The title chairman

answer

is sometimes used to refer to a woman who heads a board of directors.

question

If you must refer to someone's disability, the best wording would be

answer

an employee with physical handicaps.

question

To help establish credibility with your audience, you should

answer

show that you are confident and that you believe in yourself and in your message.

question

Using hyperbole when offering praise to fellow employees

answer

is less effective than pointing out specific qualities that warrant praise.

question

Your communication ________ involves the choices you make to express yourself, the words you select, the manner in which you use those words in sentences, and the way you build paragraphs from individual sentences.

answer

style

question

The best tone for most business messages is

answer

conversational

question

Which of the following is not an example of pompous language?

answer

Please let us know

question

Plain language is a style of writing

answer

designed to make information more understandable to the audience.

question

Identify the voice in the following sentence: "Based on negative client feedback, the marketing department abandoned the campaign."

answer

active

question

Using the passive voice makes sense when you

answer

want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error.

question

Messages sent via IM, text messaging, email and blogging

answer

should be revised, even if it involves nothing more than a quick review before sending

question

Putting your first draft aside for a day or two before you begin the revision process

answer

is often helpful, especially with more complex messages.

question

When evaluating the work of others, you should

answer

make sure you understand the writer's intent before you begin suggesting or making changes.

question

As a general rule, if a document you have written scores well on a readability index,

answer

you should not assume that it is well-written.

question

Skilled business writers

answer

vary the length of their sentences to maintain reader interest and convey information effectively

question

When it comes to paragraph length, you should

answer

use one-sentence paragraphs only occasionally, for emphasis.

question

Informative headings and subheadings

answer

guide readers to think a certain way about the topics covered.

question

"If the figures are in by the end of the month we will hopefully be able to begin planning for the upcoming year's budget, but if they are not then the planning process will most definitely have to wait until later" is an example of

answer

an overly long sentence.

question

What is wrong with the following sentence? "To waste time and missing deadlines are bad habits."

answer

Similar ideas are not parallel.

question

"Environmental impact consultant study results" is an example of

answer

a long noun sequence.

question

"The above-mentioned book" is potentially an example of

answer

an awkward reference.

question

Which of the following sentences is the most concisely worded?

answer

Before the project begins, the engineers need the revised specifications from the project manager.

question

Starting a sentence with "It is" or "There are" is

answer

usually a sign that the sentence could be shorter and more active.

question

A spell checker

answer

highlights words it doesn't recognize.

question

When using a computer thesaurus, you

answer

should be careful to use only those words that convey your intended meaning.

question

Email is to be used for external communication

answer

regularly, although it has been replaced in many cases by other tools.

question

Which of the following is not true of instant messaging?

answer

It costs more than phone calls or email.

question

In terms of the three-step writing process, podcasts differ mostly from written messages in the ________ step.

answer

completing

question

When it comes to writing messages in today's business environment,

answer

printed letters are still used for external communication.

question

Which of the following compositional modes for electronic media involves helping people find their way through an unfamiliar system or new subject?

answer

orientations

question

When selecting the appropriate compositional mode for a communication task using electronic media, the central factor to consider is

answer

what kind of information audience members are likely to need.

question

Social media postings on sites such as Twitter and Facebook

answer

have caused some employees to be fired.

question

One of your sales representatives has begun using social networks to aggressively promote a new product line. The best response would likely be to

answer

discourage him from using blatant "salespeak" since it is likely to alienate the audience.

question

You have decided to post a video on YouTube explaining how to use one of your company's new products. To be most effective, the video should be no more than ________ minute(s) long.

answer

5

question

Compared to social media sites, email

answer

still has compelling advantages that make it useful in many companies

question

Email hygiene refers to

answer

all the efforts companies make to keep email clean and safe.

question

One important element of basic email etiquette is to

answer

respect the chain of command.

question

Email messages

answer

should be written with the assumption that they will be stored forever.

question

Which of the following is the best example of an effective email subject line?

answer

Website redesign is on schedule

question

Email

answer

should follow the convention of other business writing in formal situations.

Business Comm Mid-Term (Ch 1-7) – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards