2024 – 1 Vanessa has been assigned the task of creating an effective business

1. Vanessa has been assigned the task of creating an effective business message aimed at improving the productivity of the employees in her company. In the process of creating the business message, she studies the background of the employees, their needs, and priorities. To which step of the planning process for developing influential messages does Vanessa’s action typically belong?

Idea development

Message review

Message structuring

Audience analysis

2. Gregor who works at a textbook company has put together a presentation proposing that the company save money by getting its images from less expensive stock photo sites. Gregor needs to present his idea to the executive committee. Considering the content of his presentation, which of the following people on the committee should he most try to influence?

The design director

The marketing director

The production editor

The editorial director

 3. Which of the following facilitates a one-stop work space containing project and meeting information, shared files, and communication platforms?

texting

written messages

social networking

Webinar
4. Rick is trying to schedule a video teleconference with colleagues at several locations. To do so, he needs to coordinate their schedules and also check to see if the company needs to invest in any additional resources to make it happen. By addressing coordination and resource issues, he is dealing with:

constraint

immediacy

richness

Control

 

5. The career summary section of a résumé should provide the candidate’s

major accomplishments, abilities, and attributes

objective for the job search

memberships, awards, certifications and licensure, and activities

list of personal references

 6. Your coworker LaRita has asked you to review her slide presentation You notice that it is difficult to recognize and process the most important ideas and information. To help her fix this, what will you recommend that she change?

She should choose dark backgrounds and text colors.

She should include a compelling image every few slides.

She should limit her text to five words per line and three to four lines per slide.

She should use bold or italics to highlight key ideas.

 7. Which of the following is a trait of individualists?

They tend to follow the perceived dreams and goals of the group as a matter of duty.

They communicate directly to efficiently deal with work tasks and outcomes.

They stay in relationships even when they are no longer mutually satisfying.

They tend to stay in contact with and work through extended networks.

 8. Lori is using secondary research to develop a business report How can she write her report in a way that demonstrates originality in thought?

Use the most current documentation guidelines

Cite all her research sources

Generate her own conclusions and recommendations

Adopt a methodical approach to decision making

 9. A mistake that many job applicants make while creating résumés is:

neglecting to include areas they need to improve on

highlighting only a few of their abilities and attributes

forgetting to include their hobbies and other interests

trying to display everything they do well

10. In order to design your slides to facilitate ease of processing  you should:

use complex charts for complex information

use at least one compelling image on every slide

limit your text to ten words per line

provide as much information as possible on every slide

11. _____ is the process of converting meaning into messages composed of words and nonverbal signals.

Encoding

Translating

Filtering

Decoding
12. In the context of developing persuasive messages, which of the following is most likely to help you demonstrate a voice of competence?

focusing only on logical appeals

developing strong ideas in the interest of your audience

using only emotional appeals in your persuasive messages

adopting the tone of mass advertising such as over-the-top appeals

 13. A colleague asks you for advice on how to understand the audience of his persuasive message. Which of the following pieces of advice will you offer?

Ask as few questions as possible to avoid annoying them.

Consider the psychological principles that impact people’s decisions.

Focus on their values and not their needs.

Wait until the message is perfected before choosing the right audience.

 14. Performing at the highest standards, not just for oneself, but for the team, for the supervisor, for the consumer, and for the company’s shareholders, indicates a sense of _________.

individuality

future-orientation

opportunity

Accountability

15. Your résumé should tell a story of:

everything you have learned and done in your previous job

the value can provide to a company

how you plan to improve your areas of weakness

your educational accomplishments

 16. Which of the following is true of documenting secondary research sources?

Ideas that are summarized do not require documentation.

Statements that are paraphrased do not require documentation.

Writers can use a variety of documentation systems, including MLA and APA styles.

The only thing that has to be documented is a direct quotation.
17. In the context of persuasive messages, validating your readers means that you are:

demonstrating a business need—a gap between what is and what could be

providing solid reasons why your product, service, or idea benefits readers

recognizing and appreciating others’ needs and preferences as legitimate

overcoming objections by providing counterpoints

 18. By doing audience analysis, Radika discovers that the people she will be giving her sales presentation to know very little about her product. Because of this, she is likely to decide to:

use only emotional appeals in her presentation

spend more presentation time informing the audience

involve them in her presentation

eliminate bulleted and numbered lists from her slides

19. Which of the following is typically included in the drafting stage of writing an effective business message?

ensuring that the communication is fair

identifying the primary message and key points

finding the needs of the audience

setting a positive and other-oriented tone

 20. One of the first tasks to accomplish when developing a presentation is to:

gather content for an effective review

understand the needs of your audience

develop effective slides

use headings to create a storyboard

 21. Which of the following is useful advice on conducting business across cultures with those who have limited English ability?

Determine a person’s level of communication proficiency within the first few moments of your interactions with them.

Allow those with limited English ability enough time to process their thoughts into English.

Use slang and jargon instead of literal language as much as possible.

Speak at your normal, regular pace instead of speaking slowly as this may be viewed as disrespectful.

 

22. Javier is an editorial manager at a publishing company. He wants to give one of his supervisors an “Employee of the Year” award. Which of the following supervisors should he choose if he is looking for an employee with a strong sense of caring?

Paul, who is the best copy editor and proofreader in the department

Jenny, who helps her employees develop the skills that will allow them to advance

Ayesha, who always takes on extra work to help the department meet its deadlines

Jon, who sets short- and long-term deadlines for every project and meets them promptly

23. In order to focus your presentation on people, you should:

use a lot of “I” statements

avoid using presentation software or other technology

make individuals and groups the subject of your sentences

include as many photographs as possible in your slides

 24. Which of the following is an example of projected cognitive similarity?

Rico assumes that all cultures are inferior to his culture.

Elana assumes that no two cultures are alike in terms of values and norms.

Bill assumes that the cultural stereotypes shown in the popular media are true.

Deirdre assumes that other cultural groups have the same values as her

 25. Which of the following is an example of psychological noise?

Jenna’s boss does not take her complaint seriously because construction noise prevented him from hearing it.

Jenna’s boss does not understand what she tells him because his hearing aid battery dies.

Jenna’s boss does not take her complaint seriously because he thinks teenagers always exaggerate.

Jenna’s boss does not understand that when she says a product is “bad,” she means she likes it.

 26. Which of the following is typically included in the reviewing stage of writing an effective business message? 

ensuring the communication is fair

identifying the primary message and key points

finding the needs of the audience

setting a positive and other-oriented tone

 27. Which of the following should contain all your research sources and should be provided at the end of your report?

table of contents

citations

the reference list

the executive summary

 28. _____ noise occurs when communicators apply different meanings to the same words or phrases.

Semantic

Physical

Cognitive

Psychological

 29. Which of the following is true of competence?

It has grown less important in the post-trust era.

It is innate and cannot be gained through experience.

It increases when individuals focus on connecting with others.

It is often evaluated by one’s track record of achievements.

 30. Bao is conducting a study that compares the cost of keeping print messages on file versus storing digital messages in the cloud. What aspect of communications relates to the storage of messages?

planning

coordination

constraint

permanence