Deck 16: Document Format Guide

Question 1

Jenna is trying to convince her boss that an on-site employee exercise room would benefit the company and employees. When presenting her persuasive message, Jenna should provide monetary evidence proving that an on-site employee exercise room would improve employee absenteeism, reduce employer-paid insurance premiums, and increase employee health.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Customer Relations Specialist Kendra must deny a customer's refund. In her message to the customer, Kendra should include a statement such as If you had read the return policy printed on your receipt, you should know that cash refunds will not be granted.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Businesses now use social media sites to recruit employees.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

One advantage of podcasts is that they can broadcast repetitive information that does not require interaction.

Question 5

Rational appeals are associated with reason and intellect; whereas, emotional appeals relate to status, ego, and sensual feelings.

Question 6

A negative-news message that is organized indirectly should begin with a buffer.

Question 7

When delivering bad news, you should always use the indirect strategy to soften the impact.

Question 8

You will sound professional and courteous if you include a sentence such as Thank you for your cooperation in the closing paragraph of a request message.

Question 9

A wiki is a website with journal entries on any imaginable topic usually written by one person.

Question 10

When expressing thanks or offering congratulations, a purchased card is more impressive than a handwritten note.

Question 11

The bad feelings associated with disappointing news can generally be reduced if the receiver knows the reasons for the rejection, feels that the news was revealed sensitively, and believes that the matter was treated seriously and fairly.

Question 12

If you expect your reader to readily agree with your straightforward claim, use the direct organizational strategy.

Question 13

Most businesses make adjustments promptly.

Question 14

The need for persuasive skills has diminished in today's corporate world.

Question 15

Business letters are the preferred channel of communication for delivering messages outside of an organization.

Question 16

Most e-mail messages should be organized using the direct strategy.

Question 17

When you write a claim or complaint letter, an effective persuasive technique is using words and phrases that clearly display how angry you are about the situation.

Question 18

When a company is dealing with an internal crisis, the best way for the company to handle this crisis is to let employees and stakeholders find out about the problem through the office grapevine.

Question 19

Use the opening of a persuasive request to gain your reader's attention and interest.

Question 20

Although instant messaging and text messaging are popular among today's youth, they have not yet emerged as practical communication tools in the workplace.

Question 21

Which of the following statements about persuasive messages within an organization is most accurate?

A) It is acceptable for managers to be dishonest when trying to persuade others because of their authoritative position in the company.
B) Persuasive messages flowing both downward or upward require attention to tone.
C) When employees send persuasive messages to their managers, they should include words such as you must or we should to make their messages sound more convincing.
D) Instructions or directives from managers to employees should be organized indirectly.

Question 22

All of the following are goals for a business writer who must communicate bad news except to

A) project a professional image.
B) convey empathy and sensitivity.
C) be fair.
D) prove that the customer is wrong.

Question 23

What is the best advice to follow when using texting or instant messaging (IM) in the workplace?

A) Keep a single contact list of personal and professional contacts for efficiency.
B) Even if you are completing a project or trying to meet a deadline, answer all texts or instant messages immediately.
C) Feel free to send sensitive or confidential messages to people you know.
D) Check with your supervisor to learn about your organization's messaging policies.

Question 24

Persuasive requests should be organized

A) quickly.
B) indirectly.
C) directly.
D) chronologically.

Question 25

Which of the following openings is most appropriate for a straightforward claim letter?

A) You have sold me jewelry for three years, and you have never failed to deliver nice merchandise in the past.
B) On April 2 I opened your delivery containing the chain (Item No. 544558-15454) I ordered on March 1.
C) Please replace this damaged 18-inch sterling silver herringbone chain received as part of Order No. 248-21.
D) I am very upset with the broken 18-inch sterling silver herringbone chain in your recent shipment because I had no necklace to wear to my son's wedding!

Question 26

Sales messages are most effective if they follow the AIDA strategy. What are the four parts of the AIDA strategy?

A) Audience, investigate, develop, analysis
B) Aggressive, indirect, direct, assertive
C) Analyze, interpret, define, adapt
D) Attention, interest, desire, action

Question 27

Which of the following subject lines for an e-mail or memo would be most effective?

A) Hello!
B) task force meeting
C) Task Force Meeting March 18
D) Meeting

Question 28

Businesses use wikis to

A) facilitate feedback from employees before and after meetings.
B) share information between corporate headquarters and satellite offices.
C) collect and disseminate information to large audiences.
D) Businesses use wikis for all these reasons.

Question 29

When you use the indirect strategy to deliver bad news, the recommended order of ideas is

A) buffer, reasons, bad news, and closing.
B) buffer, bad news, reasons, and closing.
C) reasons, buffer, bad news, and closing.
D) bad news, reasons, buffer, and closing.

Question 30

Although many companies try to deal with disappointed customers by calling them immediately, written messages are also used to

A) promote good relations.
B) formally confirm follow-up procedures.
C) establish a record of the incident.
D) All answer choices are reasons for written messages.

Question 31

All of the following are goals of an adjustment message except to

A) rectify the wrong, if one exists.
B) regain the confidence of the customer.
C) demonstrate why your company is superior.
D) promote future business.

Question 32

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a goodwill message?

A) Sincerity
B) Spontaneity
C) Showmanship
D) Selflessness

Question 33

A business letter is

A) the best communication channel when sending urgent messages.
B) an outdated form of communication in the business world.
C) necessary when the situation is formal and sensitive.
D) less confidential than other forms of communication.

Question 34

As a manager, Kelly must communicate to her employees some bad news that will likely upset them. What is the best advice for her to follow when communicating this bad news?

A) Let her employees learn of the bad news through the media.
B) Ask her employees their feelings about the bad news immediately after she has presented it.
C) Practice what she is going to say.
D) Wait to deliver the bad news until a Friday afternoon so that employees have an opportunity to process the bad news.

Question 35

Ellen wants to create a blog for her business. What is the best advice for her to follow?

A) Craft a catchy but concise title such as Five Ways to Ace an Interview.
B) Provide details in the opening where they will not be missed by her readers.
C) Avoid including visuals because they will distract her reader.
D) Don't worry about her wording, especially her grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.

Question 36

What is the best advice for you to follow when writing a persuasive claim message?

A) Suggest that you have been intentionally deceived by the company.
B) Provide a comprehensive chronology of all details of the claim.
C) Close the message with a clear statement of what you want done.
D) Include original documentation of invoices, shipping orders, warranties, or payments.

Question 37

Thomas Schatz has five questions to ask his reader in a routine information-request message. What is the best way to present these questions?

A) As a separate enclosure
B) In a bulleted or numbered list in the body of his message
C) In paragraph form in the body of his message
D) In a follow-up e-mail

Question 38

Which of the following is the most important part of a bad-news message?

A) A positive, forward-looking closing
B) A neutral buffer
C) An explanation of the reasons for the bad news
D) The bad news itself

Question 39

Which of the following situations would most likely require persuasion within an organization?

A) Asking employees to attend training sessions on a new software for entering timesheets
B) Telling employees about the new health insurance prescription drug compensation plan
C) Asking employees to participate in an exercise program to improve wellness and to reduce health insurance costs
D) Informing employees about a change in shuttle services

Question 40

Which of the following statements about social networking in the workplace is most accurate?

A) Businesses use social networking sites only to connect with customers.
B) Social networking presents no risks for businesses.
C) Business professionals should always think twice before posting anything on social networking sites.
D) All answer choices are accurate statements about the use social networking on the job.

Question 41

Revise the following poorly written opening of a claim letter requesting an exchange of a smartphone still under warranty. Write the opening sentence only.
My TravelerXtra smartphone was purchased from your online store on September 15, 2014, for your attractive price of $228.88 plus $24.48 shipping and handling with no service contract required. I have used my TravelerXtra for business texting, e-mailing, and phoning ever since, which was exactly what I needed it to do. Yesterday my TravelerXtra shut itself down out of the blue, and I can't use it for anything. Now I'm without a business tool and over $250, which makes me feel ripped off because I received only one month of service from this phone. When I tried to exchange it at one of your land-based stores, the clerk told me, "No way, dude. You buy online, you fly online." Now what?

Question 42

Identify one difference and one similarity between e-mails and memos.

Question 43

Rewrite the following poorly written opening to an adjustment letter responding to a claim. Write the opening sentence only.
We are extremely saddened to learn of the unfortunate failure of your TravelerXtra smartphone, and we apologize for any inconvenience it has caused you. Although company policy typically prevents us from offering a total replacement at no cost to you for defective products, we'll make an exception in your case. Therefore, we have enclosed a voucher for a new TravelerXtra smartphone that you can take to our store nearest you.

Question 44

Bad-news messages can be organized using the direct or indirect strategy. Identify one situation when each strategy would be appropriate and identify the organizational pattern for each strategy.

Question 45

Identify two ways to use electronic media professionally in the workplace.