Reference no: EM13850909

1. In the case of an email that is a routine message, where should you place the primary message to capture attention?

a) in an attachment

b) in the body of the email

c) in the signature block

d) in a post script at the end of the email

e) in the subject line

2. Which of the following is the most effective technique to use when making a claim?

a) Threaten to take your business elsewhere.

b) Question the intent of the company you are writing.

c) Dwell on your frustration and dissatisfaction.

d) Lay out a logical explanation of the claim.

e) Let the recipient decide what action should be taken.

3. In the case of routine messages, you should aim to create a helpful, professional tone during the ______ stage.

a. proofreading

b. planning

c. drafting

d. brainstorming

e. reviewing

4. Routine messages should be direct and

a. subject-loaded.

b. middle-loaded.

c. back-loaded.

d. front-loaded.

e. detail-loaded.

5. Which of the following is true of messages showing appreciation?

a. They are only sent by lower-level employees and are always sent to superiors.

b. It is not important to state goodwill in such messages.

c. A sincere expression of thanks strengthens work relationships.

d. Gaining attention is the primary focus of messages showing appreciation.

e. Messages showing appreciation are always informal.

6. Which of the following is an effective strategy for responding to inquiries?

a. Restrict the number of inquiries to one per email.

b. Divide the inquiries into segments and reply to them at different times.

c. Avoid using bullets or numbered lists.

d. Set off each question by using special formatting.

e. Use bullets when the order of the inquiries is important.

7. Which of the following are you most likely to include in a routine request?

a. a description of responsibilities

b. an expression of sympathy

c. a claim about the request

d. an expression of gratitude

e. the rationale for the request

8. Routine messages that include details about deadlines are most likely to be messages that

a. express gratitude.

b. make announcements.

c. make claims.

d. convey apologies.

e. set expectations.
9. Appreciation messages should begin with a(n)

a. duplicate subject line.

b. statement of goodwill.

c. expression of thanks.

d. rationale for the appreciation.
e. call to action.

10. Which of the following statements is most true of a routine request?

a. You can expect a lot of resistance to routine requests.

b. Your tone should be direct but not bossy or domineering.

c. Avoid including subject lines in routine requests.

d. One primary goal for routine requests is to acknowledge a mistake.

e. You need to be particularly persuasive when writing routine requests.

11. Which of the following is an accurate statement about messages that provide directions?

a. While writing highly technical and complicated procedures, you should review your own work.

b. Messages that provide directions are distinctly different from those that set expectations.

c. For routine matters, several people need to test the written procedures.

d. Since describing step-by-step procedures is so specific, insufficient detail can frustrate readers.

e. Your ability to foster interpersonal trust is gauged from your ability to provide directions.

12. Which of the following messages generally takes the least time to complete?

a. public relations messages

b. bad-news messages

c. persuasive messages

d. crisis communications messages

e. routine messages

13. Which of the following is an important element of an apology?

a. providing responses

b. offering support

c. making requests

d. offering commitments

e. expressing sympathy

14. Apologies are most effective when they

a. focus on oneself.

b. are timely.

c. use clichés.

d. are vague.

e. deny responsibility.

15. Which of the following actions is most likely to be part of the reviewing stage?

a. proofreading the message

b. creating a reader-centered tone

c. developing the primary message

d. analyzing the audience

e. gathering relevant, accurate, and up-to-date information

16. What are announcements?

a. detailed timelines by which the work should be accomplished satisfactorily

b. lists of tasks with deadlines assigned to different employees within an organization

c. written step-by-step procedures for how employees should complete a particular task

d. updates, notices, and other correspondences that apply to a group of employees and/or customers

e. requests for other companies to provide compensation for or correct the mistakes they have made

17. During the drafting stage, the process of designing the message focuses on

a. analyzing the audience of the message.

b. giving the message a writer-centered tone.

c. ensuring that the message contains all needed information.

d. correcting typos in the message.

e. making the message easy to read.

18. Which of the following statements about announcements is true?

a. Formatting announcements for ease of reading can be good but is not necessarily important.

b. Employees gloss over announcements because they contain few facts.

c. Event announcements should allow readers to gather all relevant information in 10 to 15 seconds.

d. Employees and customers devote a great deal of attention to all the announcements they receive.

e. Announcements are usually sent to a very small group of employees or customers.

19. Which of the following is most likely to damage your credibility with the people who receive your emails?

a. breaking your message into bulleted points

b. leaving out some of the necessary information

c. using a salutation in the email form

d. adopting a reader-centered tone

e. repeating the primary message at the end of the email

20. Which of the following is true of apologies?

a. Apologies are effective when they employ clichés to express sentiment.

b. Defensive behavior during an apology validates the apologizer's sincerity.

c. For the apology to be effective, others must sense that the apologizer has an agenda.

d. If you are dealing with customers or clients, an apology may imply legal responsibility.

e. Effective apologies must focus on you, not on the injured party or parties.

21. The part of a claim that makes a specific request of the recipient is known as a

a. subject line.

b. call to action.

c. statement of goodwill.

d. primary message

e. rationale.

22. Betsy learns that the wife of one of her main clients has just died. What should Betsy do?

a. Order the biggest bouquet of flowers possible to be sent to the funeral.

b. Send a brief but genuine handwritten note of sympathy.

c. Ignore the situation because their relationship is professional, not personal.

d. Send a condolence email as soon as possible.

e. Say, "I'm sorry for your loss," the next time she sees him.

23. Which type of routine message should you ask a colleague to review before you send it?

a. when you are expressing congratulations

b. when you are speaking on behalf of a team

c. when you are thanking someone for help

d. when you are setting up a lunch date

e. when you are offering sympathy

24. In the case of a routine request, one of the primary goals of the message is to

a. display your gratitude toward the reader.

b. improve the workplace relationships.

c. retain the goodwill of the recipient.

d. accept responsibility for a harm caused.

e. acknowledge a mistake.

25. Which of the following is most likely to be caused by a failure to set worker expectations in routine messages?

a. noncompliance with requests

b. inadvertent legal responsibility

c. the spread of garbled information

d. feeling underappreciated

e. breakdowns in working relationships

PART 2

1. Which of the following components is likely to be included in the structure of a mass sales message?

a. an apology

b. an expression of gratitude

c. an announcement

d. an expression of sympathy

e. an attempt to generate interest

2. Which of the following statements accurately describes the post-trust era (PTE)?

a. Credibility is less important in the PTE than it was before.

b. Persuasion does not work in the PTE.

c. The PTE has not affected the use of persuasion in a significant way.

d. The PTE has changed some persuasive strategies but not others.

e. Persuasion is more effective in the PTE.

3. In the context of mass sales messages, what is the last step in the AIDA approach?

a. build desire

b. gain attention

c. call to action

d. generate interest

e. analyze audience

4. Internal persuasive messages are typically used to promote

a. products.

b. ideas.

c. locations.

d. brands.

e. services.

5. The term ______ refers to the reasons why your product, service, or idea really benefits your readers.

a. counterpoint

b. appreciation

c. social proof

d. rationale

e. validation

6. The principle of influence known as social proof refers to the idea that people

a. tend to follow through once they have made a commitment.

b. follow authority figures.

c. are more likely to be persuaded by people they like.

d. determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeing what others do.

e. tend to feel obligated to return favors.

7. In the AIDA approach, after gaining attention, the next step is to

a. choose influential arguments.

b. analyze the audience.

c. gather information about competitors' products.

d. build interest and curiosity.

e. conclude with a specific call to action.

8. When writing to customers, which of the following voices will force you to consider their needs and wants?

a. I-voice

b. you-voice

c. impersonal voice

d. they-voice

e. we-voice

9. External persuasive messages tend to

a. be slightly more direct than internal persuasive messages.

b. use the we-voice more than the I-voice.

c. be based on logical appeals.

d. be based on emotional appeals.

e. be slightly more explicit than internal persuasive messages.

10. In a case study, psychologists found that horse racing fans become more confident that their horses would win after placing a

bet. Which principle of influence does this example illustrate?

a. social proof

b. scarcity

c. liking

d. authority

e. consistency

11. The principle of influence known as reciprocation refers to the idea that people

a. tend to feel obligated to return favors.

b. determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeing what others do.

c. are more likely to be persuaded by people they like.

d. think there is limited availability of something they want or need.

e. follow authority figures.

12. Haresh writes a persuasive message that employs the I-voice most of the time. As a result, the audience is likely to infer that

Haresh

a. is impersonal and unconcerned.

b. is self-centered and concerned mainly about his own interests.

c. has their best interests at heart.

d. is presumptuous in assuming that they share common ideas.

e. has exaggerated the claims in his message.

13. In an effective external persuasive message, the appreciation statement

a. states what the author wants the readers to do.

b. states something complimentary about the readers.

c. manipulates the emotions of the readers.

d. anticipates the thoughts of skeptical readers.

e. states the problem in strongly negative terms.

14. When statements in a business message contain full and unambiguous meaning, the business message is said to be

a. direct.

b. implicit.

c. explicit.

d. indirect.

e. persuasive.

15. Which of the following is true of the call to action in persuasive messages?

a. The call to action is more likely to be explicit for controversial change ideas.

b. In the post-trust era, the call to action should involve a hard sell.

c. In internal persuasive messages, the call to action is always implicit.

d. In external persuasive messages, the call to action is specific and implicit.

e. The call to action is the concluding step in persuasive messages.

16. Harry is brand-conscious and has been very loyal to Revy Jeans. Leroi is a famous Hollywood star who is Harry's idol. Leroi signs

an endorsement deal with Ace, a company that sells jeans, and starts appearing in the company's advertising. After seeing these

ads, Harry shifts his loyalty from Revy Jeans to Ace. Which principle of influence has affected Harry?

a. reciprocation

b. authority

c. consistency

d. scarcity

e. liking

17. You can help readers feel that your message impacts them on a personal level by combining specificity with

a. impersonal voice.

b. I-voice.

c. we-voice.

d. you-voice.

e. they-voice.

18. In a persuasive message, what is the next task after you finish stating the need?

a. showing appreciation

b. giving a call to action

c. gaining attention

d. providing a rationale

e. offering a solution

19. When a business message provides the rationale for a request before making the specific request, the message is said to be

a. indirect.

b. implicit.

c. deductive.

 

d. direct.

e. explicit.

20. To be able to craft messages that persuade people to modify their ideas or actions, you need to spend a significant amount of

time

a. gaining attention.

b. proofreading the text.

c. analyzing the audience.

d. providing a rationale.

e. perfecting the hard sell.

21. Which of the following is the first task of most persuasive messages?

a. providing a rationale

b. overcoming objections

c. offering a solution

d. validating readers

e. gaining attention

22. Most persuasive messages are said to be implicit because they

a. use a we-voice instead of an I-voice.

b. require readers to read between lines to understand the entire meaning.

c. provide the rationale for a request before actually stating the request.
d. contain full and unambiguous meaning.

e. state a request and then provide a rationale for the request.

23. In the AIDA approach, "I" stands for

a. influence.

b. interest.

c. intensity.

d. intention.

e. inconsistency.

24. What is the main problem with using manipulation to persuade?

a. It is emotional.

b. It is ineffective.

c. It is deductive.

d. It is indirect.

e. It is deceptive.

25. Which principle of influence operates on the idea that people think there is limited availability of something they want or need,

so they must act quickly?

a. reciprocation

b. authority

c. consistency

d. liking

e. scarcity

PART 3

1. Which of the following is an example of reframing thoughts in order to respond to negative feedback constructively?

a. I am too busy to respond to feedback.

b. My boss does not pay enough attention to my work to evaluate it.

c. My boss is not perfect and has no right to criticize me.

d. Getting an honest assessment of my work will help me succeed.

e. I am doing fine, so I do not need anyone else's feedback.

2. In delivering negative performance reviews, a focus on the ______ of an employee is least likely to provoke defensiveness or a

counterproductive response.

a. beliefs

b. personality

c. attitude

d. intentions

e. actions

3. Which of the following is the best example of a buffer in a message to turn down a job applicant?

a. Thank you for your interest in the market research position at Bookworm Inc.

b. Bookworm Inc. will not be able to hire you because you have insufficient experience.

c. Your lack of experience in this field means that you are not the best person for our position.

d. Bookworm Inc. is looking for a candidate with better expertise than yours.

e. We are sorry that you do not suit the requirements for the market research position.

4. While delivering bad news in writing to customers, use

a. you-voice.

b. a complex message style.

c. passive verbs.

d. specific examples of their mistakes.

e. a lot of industry-specific jargon.

5. Which of the following is an example of an external partner?

a. a competitor

b. a shareholder

c. an employee

d. a supplier

e. a customer

6. Which of the following helps organizations maintain credibility when delivering bad news?

a. focusing on the impact to the message sender

b. avoiding talk of long-term solutions or benefits

c. using a specific, negative subject line

d. giving generalized feedback

e. providing a clear rationale

7. Which of the following would damage the effectiveness of a written message designed to convey bad news to colleagues or

employees?

a. using a teaser message that signals bad news but does not reveal specific information

b. using a neutral subject line that is simple and indirect

c. starting the message with a buffer statement

d. avoiding discussion of the immediate impact of the bad news on recipients

e. ending the message with an expression of goodwill

8. Lane has to deliver his first negative performance review. He should make sure to

a. avoid sounding too firm about the problem.

b. start by stating appreciation for the employee.

c. interpret the employee's attitudes and intentions.

d. focus on the unacceptable actions and their results.

e. avoid laying out consequences for the employee.

9. Arnold was angry because he believed that his boss did not pay enough attention to his work. As a result, Arnold convinced

himself that he was fine without feedback. This means that Arnold

a. is reframing his thoughts to ensure that he responds constructively.

b. has high emotional intelligence and applies it at work.

c. lacks defensiveness in his approach to negative feedback.

d. has a high ability to recognize and name negative emotions.

e. is displaying a counterproductive response to a negative emotion.

10. Which of the following is an example of a bad-news message characterized by low severity and high controllability?

a. a manager giving a poor performance rating to an employee

b. a manager laying off an employee

c. one colleague rejecting another colleague's idea

d. a business person rejecting a customer claim

e. a vendor choosing another supplier

11. Which of the following statements is true of reviewing bad-news messages before delivering them?

a. Asking colleagues to review your bad-news message and give feedback is not a wise practice.

b. Strong emotions may affect the tone of the message, therefore bad-news messages need intense reviewing.

c. It is appropriate to ask other colleagues to read messages that include confidential matters.

d. Reviewing bad-news messages consumes time and should be avoided unless the messages are for external recipients.

e. When you deliver a bad-news message in person, you have more control, so it does not require reviewing.

12. Which of the following communication channels should ideally be used for a bad-news message that is characterized by high

severity and high controllability?

a. a phone call

b. a personal meeting

c. a memo

d. an email

e. a video call

13. In the context of bad news, a teaser message is a message that

a. hides the bad news by sugarcoating it.

b. prepares recipients emotionally yet does not reveal specific information.

c. shows excessive display of concern for the recipients.

d. conveys bad news in a more direct manner than a buffer.

e. blames the recipient for the bad news.

14. To avoid counterproductive responses to negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, and anger, a person should

a. find a way to sugarcoat all bad news.

b. possess an above average intelligence quotient.

c. avoid admitting that these emotions exist.

d. learn to recognize and name these emotions.

e. display defensive behavior during negative communication.

15. Mark, the production manager at Flying Horses Inc., has decided to lay off a few employees due to decreasing demand for the

firm's products. Which of the following will be the best way for Mark to convey his decision?

a. delivering the bad news to the employees over a video call

b. breaking the bad news to the employees over the phone

c. putting up a notice on the company's bulletin board

d. sending an email to the employees

e. organizing a meeting with the employees and sending a follow-up memo

16. In terms of maintaining credibility, the most important quality to convey when delivering bad news is

 

a. appreciation.

b. sympathy.

c. self-interest.

d. honesty.

e. tact.

17. Which of the following is the best example of a company experiencing the mum effect?

a. A transparent work culture at Sylphs Inc. allows employees to transfer bad-news messages to top executives in an accurate

state.

b. Elixir Machine Corp. provides an honest, caring environment for employees and encourages them to openly discuss their

problems.

c. Employees of the Gray Kingdom Inc. freely exchange both good and bad news, as they are not blamed for it later.

d. Managers at Coral Motor Company believe in delivering bad-news messages to subordinates personally.

e. In Sandman Corp., as messages move up the chain of bureaucracy, they get filtered at each level to soften bad news.

18. Which of the following questions will help you review bad-news message to evaluate the "access" aspect of the FAIR test?

a. Is my perspective of the facts influenced by defensiveness, favoritism, or some other bias?

b. Have I gathered all the relevant facts?

c. What have I done to lessen the negative impacts on recipients?

d. Are my motives clear, or will others perceive that I have a hidden agenda?

e. Would recipients consider my communication respectful?

19. Negative performance reviews that lack measurable and realistic goals are most likely to

a. provide a clear path for employees to gain positive ratings.

b. help employees maintain good terms with their supervisors.

c. increase the employees' accountability.

d. demoralize employees.

e. be highly effective and fair.

20. Which of the following is a likely consequence of a person waiting a long time to deliver bad news?

a. The bad-news recipients will speculate and gossip.

b. The bad-news recipients will feel less hurt.

c. The recipients of the bad news will react in a constructive manner.

d. The person's credibility will be enhanced.

e. The person will be perceived as kind and sympathetic.

21. Which of the following is the richest communication channel for delivering bad-news messages?

a. an email

b. a personal meeting

c. a video call

d. a phone call

e. a memo

22. To keep an organization free of the mum effect, it is necessary to

a. foster a transparent and open work culture.

b. share bad news as impersonally as possible.

c. prevent employees from sharing bad news.

d. increase the layers of bureaucracy.
e. convey negative messages with an accusatory tone.

23. The sandwich approach to delivering bad news

a. is the best way to deal with poor performers.

b. focuses more on attitudes and intentions than on actions and results.

c. makes the message open, clear, and specific.

d. makes the feedback and expectations specific and direct.

e. softens the bad news but encourages bad performance.

24. Ideally, which of the following should a manager avoid when delivering negative performance reviews?

a. sugarcoating the bad news

b. adopting a team-centered orientation

c. asking employees for their perspectives on their poor performance

d. emphasizing problem solving rather than blaming

e. linking an individual's poor performance to organizational performance

25. Serena, a bank manager at the United Front Bank, heads the business loan department. She wants to communicate to all of the

bank's long-term customers that interest rates on business loans are increasing by a full percentage point. Which of the following

guidelines should Serena follow while communicating this bad news?

a. She should avoid the use of a teaser message.

b. She should use specific and simple language.

c. She should display intense concern and sympathy.

d. She should avoid the use of buffer statements.

e. She should sugarcoat the bad news.