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The Business Writing Process

Subjects : writing-skills, business-skills

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. How do you present information in message?
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Repetition
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Garbled Sentences

2. Tell and show how to do something
Outlining
Information needed for short report
Instructions
Get Feedback From Others!

3. Identifying your audience - Establishing your purpose - Formulating your message - and Selecting your style (how something is written rather than what is written) and tone (expresses your attitude toward your topic and audience)
'You Viewpoint'
Four keys to effective writing
Key draft questions
Sentence Length

4. Modifiers that repeat an idea implicit or present in the word being modified contribute to wordiness by being redundant (basic essentials - final outcome) - Coordinated synonyms (each and every - first and foremost.) - Expletives - relative pronouns
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Four keys to effective writing
Wordiness

5. Steps to Successful Writing
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Intensifiers
Sentence Length

6. What are Pros of Email?
Cliches
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Sentence Type
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

7. What are Individual Contexts
One-third
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
'You Viewpoint'
Organizational - Professional - Personal

8. Clairty
Garbled Sentences
Goal of a letter of application
Characteristics of job-related writing
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

9. When should email NOT be used?
Long - Complicated - Requires Negotiation - Questions/Info need clarification/discussion - Info Confidential/Sensitive - Requires Security - Could be Misinterpreted - Emotionally Charged - Requires Tone of Voice - Sent to Avoid - Contains Sensitive I
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Goal of a letter of application

10. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Goal of a letter of application
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Business Writing Style
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

11. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Selecting the proper medium
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Examples of medium s of business communication
Sentence Length

12. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Subordination
Garbled Sentences
Outlining
Conciseness

13. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Guidelines for successful group writing
Climatic Order
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Information needed for short report

14. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Abstract words
Position
Long Dashes

15. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Attractive and Readable Format
Recursive
Information needed for short report

16. Words or phrases that suddenly become popular and - because of an intense period of overuse - lose their freshness and precisness - E.g. interface (as a verb) - impact (as a verb) - skill sets - deliverables - slam dunk - bleeding edge - cash cow - 2
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Main parts of internal proposals
Buzz Words
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

17. What is Direct Order?
Figures of Speech
Intensifiers
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Information the reader will want - put it first.

18. The principle of of stressing the most important ieas in writing. You can achieve this with the careful use of: Position - Climatic Order - Sentence Type - Sentence Length - Sentence Length - Active Voice - Repetition - Intensifiers - Direct Stateme
Emphasis
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Subordination
similar

19. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Main parts of a set of instructions
Main parts of instructions
Information the reader will want - put it first.

20. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Figures of Speech
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Denotaion
Long Dashes

21. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Long - Complicated - Requires Negotiation - Questions/Info need clarification/discussion - Info Confidential/Sensitive - Requires Security - Could be Misinterpreted - Emotionally Charged - Requires Tone of Voice - Sent to Avoid - Contains Sensitive I
Concrete Words
Intensifiers
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

22. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Guidelines for successful group writing
Characteristics of job-related writing
Rules for writing instructions
One-third

23. How is formatting important?
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Purpose - Format - Composition
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

24. What are three levels of Editing?
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Long Dashes
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

25. A sentence that is so tangled with structural and grammatical problems that it cannot be repaired - often result from trying to include too many ideas in one sentence.
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Garbled Sentences

26. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Tone
Denotaion
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Main parts of internal proposals

27. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Short report
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

28. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Wordiness
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Characteristics of job-related writing
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

29. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Recursive
Selecting the proper medium
Emphasis

30. Stages can also be summarized as...
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Purpose - Format - Composition
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Business Writing Style

31. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Position
Intensifiers
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Get Feedback From Others!

32. How do you Plan the message?
Short report
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Sentence Variety

33. How do you know what to include in your message?
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Strategy and Humanness
Things to think through when planning a website
Garbled Sentences

34. What are Cons of Email?

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35. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Conciseness
Business Writing Style
Recursive

36. The skeleton of the document you are going to write--structures your writing by ensuring that it has a beginning - middle - and end.Types: topic outlines - sentence outlines etc.
Sentence Variety
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Outlining
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

37. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Goal of a letter of application
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

38. Am I giving the reader too much or too little info? - does this point belong here? - is this point relevant? - am I repeating or contradicting myself? - have I ended appropriately?
Key draft questions
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Short report
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

39. How to end an email
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Affectation
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

40. Formal
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Cliches
Short report

41. Correctness
Long Dashes
Main parts of internal proposals
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Wordiness

42. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Idioms
Euphemismss
Biased Language

43. Conciseness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Strategy and Humanness
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Coherent writing

44. Using short and long sentences strategically
Position
Cliches
Active Voice
Sentence Length

45. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Tone
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Casual - Informal - or Formal

46. Informal
One-third
Things to think through when planning a website
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

47. Put instructions is correct order - right amount of information only - group closely related items into 1 step - give reader hints on how to best accomplish task - state when 1 step affects another - insert graphics where needed
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Concrete Words
Rules for writing instructions
Main parts of a set of instructions

48. Formality Considerations
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Coherent writing
Climatic Order
Casual - Informal - or Formal

49. How do you present information in long messages?
Main parts of a set of instructions
Denotaion
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

50. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Repetition
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Euphemismss
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews