Excellence in Business Communication 12th edition Chapter 5 Exam – Flashcards
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Which of the following statements that would appear in a business message best reflects the "you" attitude?
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A) You failed to enclose a check for $25. B) We need a check from you for $25 so that we can send the merchandise by May 15. C) We will send you the merchandise as soon as we receive your check for $25. D) You will have your merchandise by July 15 if you send us your check for $25 today. E) Your merchandise will be held until you send us a check for $25.
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The best way to convey the "you" attitude is to express your message in terms of
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A) the needs and interests of your organization. B) your own personal needs and interests. C) a universal set of needs and interests. D) the needs and interests of your audience. E) the most direct method possible.
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Use ________ to avoid categorizing or stigmatizing people based on their gender, race, ethnicity, age, level of ability, or other personal characteristics.
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a. abstract language b. descriptive language c. bias-free language d.denotative language e. positive language
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Select the sentence with the best "you" attitude.
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A) Because your report was poorly written, we cannot accept it. B) Your report failed to meet company requirements. C) When we receive a report that is professional, we can act on your recommendations. D) Once your application is complete, you should receive a response within two weeks. E) You need to resubmit your report based on your lack of data.
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It is best to limit your use of the word "you" in business messages if a. you know your audience well. b. your organization prefers an informal, personal style. c. you are filling your audience's informational needs. d. it will make your message sound overly authoritative or accusing. e. it is being relayed digitally.
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d. it will make your message sound overly authoritative or accusing.
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Written and most forms of digital communication require ________ than oral communication. A) less care B) fewer nouns C) more tact D) more informality E) a stronger tone
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c. more tact
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Select the sentence with the most positive emphasis. A) We failed to complete the process audit on time. B) We hope to complete the process audit by Friday. C) We haven't completed the process audit. D) Because of Joan's inaccurate figures on the project, we are not finished with the process audit. E) We wish we could finish this interminable audit.
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b. We hope to complete the process audit by Friday.
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When you are criticizing or correcting, it is best to a. focus on what the audience members can do to improve. b. emphasize the audience's mistakes so that they will not make the same ones again. c. be honest and call attention to the audience's failures or shortcomings. d. single out the guilty audience members as an example for everyone else to learn from. e. enlist a partner to echo and affirm your negative comments.
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A. focus on what the audience members can do to improve.
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A euphemism is a word or phrase that is a. possibly offensive. b. general or abstract in meaning. c. highly technical. d. a milder term for one with negative connotations. e. difficult to understand
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d. a milder term for one with negative connotations.
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To improve your audience sensitivity, a. limit the use of the "you" attitude. b. use language that is biased towards the audience. c. tell the audience what type of response you need from them. d. liberally use terms such as I, me, mine, we, us and ours. e. maintain good standards of etiquette.
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e. maintain good standards of etiquette.
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Bob N. Zing, the Director of Human Resources at CAP Co, Inc., has to write an internal message to announce impending layoffs across the company. Rather than addressing the layoffs directly, Bob decides to refer to them as restructuring operations and eliminating redundancies. In this case, these euphemisms a. reflect the standards of ethical information. b. convey the "you attitude" for delivering bad news. c. help employees understand the gravity of the situation. d. fail to meet the "you" attitude test and ethical information standards. e. place an emotional burden on the reader.
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d. fail to meet the "you" attitude test and ethical information standards.
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Replacing harsh, unpleasant terms with ________ can help you state your message without using words that may hurt or offend your audience. a. abstractions b. euphemisms c. redundancies d. idiomatic expressions e. nouns
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b. euphemisms
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Whether consciously or not, most readers in the workplace greet incoming messages by a. anticipating the new knowledge they will gain. b. setting aside enough time to read every one of them. c. tossing them all into the trash without opening them. d. asking the question, "What's in this for me?" e. looking for bias from the writer
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d. asking the question, "What's in this for me?"
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Using good standards of etiquette, emphasizing the positive, and using bias-free language are examples of incorporating ________ into a message. a. audience awareness b. the "you" attitude c. connotative language d. an indirect e. euphemisms
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b. the "you" attitude
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To help foster a more successful environment for communication, use ________ to incorporate high standards of etiquette. a. biased words b. the word "you" liberally c. careful planning when writing for a mobile device d. redundancies e. words that trigger negative emotional reactions
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e. words that trigger negative emotional reactions
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Regarding the use of the "you" attitude in business communication, a. cultural differences are not a concern, since it is universally acceptable. b. it is important to recognize and accommodate cultural differences. c. you should assume that members of high-context cultures would find it offensive. d. you should avoid it completely in intercultural communication. e. it's no more complicated than using the word "you" as much as possible
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b. it is important to recognize and accommodate cultural differences.
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To establish credibility with your audience, you should a. impress them with a long list of your accomplishments. b. be modest and deferential. c. show that you are confident and that you believe in yourself and in your message. d. use hedging words ("maybe," "perhaps") to demonstrate you're willing to tell your audience what they want to hear. e. directly state that you know more about your topic than they do.
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c. show that you are confident and that you believe in yourself and in your message.
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In business messages, using terms such as "if," "hope," and "trust" is a. usually a bad idea since it takes away from the writer's credibility. b. a good way to show your modesty. c. common courtesy. d. acceptable for very formal contexts. e. a way to display a "you" attitude.
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a. usually a bad idea since it takes away from the writer's credibility.
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To build, maintain, or repair your credibility, emphasize a. why the audience should agree with and welcome your message. b. become emotionally invested in your message. c. explain to the audience why the message is important to them. d. impressive communication skills. e. sincerity by pointing out specific qualities that warrant praise.
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e. sincerity by pointing out specific qualities that warrant praise.
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Audience responses to your messages depend heavily on your ________, a measure of your believability based on how reliable you are and how much trust you evoke in others. a. persona b. savoir-faire c. credibility d. audience awareness e. performance
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c. credibility
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The acronyms and shortcuts used in texting and IM are a. incompatible with professional business writing. b. your ticket to the inside track in today's multinational corporations. c. a great way to show coworkers and managers that you're tech-savvy. d. commonly used to communicate with top management. e. best used with customers and suppliers.
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a. incompatible with professional business writing.
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Why should writers avoid phrases such as, "attached please find" and "we are in receipt of"? a. They are rude. b. They are too intimate. c. They are stale and pompous. d. They involve preaching and bragging. e. They are too conversational.
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c. they are stale and pompous.
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Most business communication should aim for a __________ tone. a. formal b. colloquial c. conversational d. confrontational e. passive
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c. conversational
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Plain language is a style of writing a. used only for casual correspondence b. designed to make complex materials more understandable to the audience. c. aimed primarily at readers for whom English is a second language. d. inappropriate for business communication. e. used in dindustry to describe prodducts and technical issues, but never in professional settings.
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b. designed to make complex materials more understandable to the audience.
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Identify the voice in the following sentence: "Based on negative client feedback, the marketing department abandoned the campaign." a. active b. passive c. vocative d. state of being e. conversational
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a. active
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Using the passive voice makes sense when a. you want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error. b. you want your sentence to be easier to understand. c. you need to make your sentences shorter. d. you want to emphasize the subject. e. you are unsure what action the subject of the sentence will take.
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a. you want to be diplomatic in out a problem or error.
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Using the active voice is helpful when you a. want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error. b. want to point out what's being done, without giving credit or assigning blame. c. want to make your writing more direct, livelier, and easier to read. d. need to avoid personal pronouns in order to create an objective tone. e. are unsure what action the subject of your sentence will take.
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c. want to make writing more direct, livelier, and easier to read.
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The term ________ refers to the overall impression of your messages. a. tone b. climate c. style d. dialect e. medium
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a. tone
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A sentence is in the active voice when a. the subject receives the action performed by the object. b. both the subject and the object receive the action. c. the subject performs the action and the object receives it. d. neither the subject nor the object receives the action. e. the object performs the action and the subject receives it.
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c. the subject performs the action and the object receives it.
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In workplace writing, doing all of the following except ________ will help you achieve a tone that is conversational yet still businesslike. a. using text messaging acronyms throughout the message b. being careful about the use of humor in the message c. being careful about the level of intimacy in the message d. avoiding stale and pompous language in the message e. avoiding preaching and bragging
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a. using text messaging acronyms throughout the message
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If your workplace writing contains grammar errors and word choice mistakes, your readers will a. be understanding if they are an internal audience member. b. question your professionalism. c. expect some grammatical errors since everyone is busy. d. probably not notice thanks to spelling and grammar checking features of word processing software. e. be surprised that autocorrect features of word processing software did not catch them.
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b. question your professionalism.
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The connotative meaning of a word is a. it's dictionary meaning. b. it's literal meaning. c. all the associations and feelings the word evokes. d. it's objective meaning. e. lacking in the ability to be interpreted based on circumstance.
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c. all the associations and feelings the word evokes.
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When choosing words to convey a message, successful writers pay attention to a convenience and mannerisms. b. correctness and effectiveness. c. metaphors and euphemisms. d. connotation and vocalization. e. using words that don't convey too much power.
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b. correctness and effectiveness.
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The ________ of a word is its literal or dictionary meaning. a. figurative meaning b. denotative meaning c. connotative meaning d. contextual meaning e. euphemistic meaning
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b. denotative meaning
