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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. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Information needed for short report
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Attractive and Readable Format

2. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Selecting the proper medium
Things to think through when planning a website

3. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Procedures
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

4. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Business Writing Style
Active Voice

5. 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
Strategy and Humanness
Affectation
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

6. What is Indirect Order?
Sentence Length
Active Voice
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

7. How do you present information in message?
Characteristics of job-related writing
Emphasis
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

8. Casual
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Business Writing Style
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Coherent writing

9. E.g. 'most important'
Key draft questions
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Direct Statements
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

10. Steps to Successful Writing
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Abstract words
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

11. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Short report
'You Viewpoint'
Characteristics of job-related writing
Information the reader will want - put it first.

12. 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
Characteristics of job-related writing
Buzz Words
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

13. What is a Memorandum?
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Get Feedback From Others!
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

14. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Telegraphic Style
Buzz Words
Emphasis
Tone

15. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Strategy and Humanness
Information needed for short report
Mechanical Devices
Wordiness

16. Understand and agree on the important goals - organization - and deadlines for the report - Establish group rules early on and stick to them - Put the good of the group ahead of individual egos - Agree on the group's organization - Identify each mem
Guidelines for successful group writing
Coherent writing
Direct Statements
Emphasis

17. Goal and audience
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Things to think through when planning a website
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

18. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Characteristics of job-related writing
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Key draft questions

19. What are Pros of Email?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Buzz Words
Wordiness
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

20. What is format of most Memos?
Procedures
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

21. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Concrete Words
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Figures of Speech
Characteristics of job-related writing

22. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Intensifiers
Climatic Order
Position

23. What are three levels of Revision?
Guidelines for successful group writing
Business Writing Style
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

24. General considerations with Email Messages
Goal of a letter of application
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Concrete Words
Strategy and Humanness

25. Formal
Affectation
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Coherent writing
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

26. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Mechanical Devices
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

27. What are Cons of Email?

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28. What is important in the Revising stage?
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Sentence Length
Get Feedback From Others!
Mechanical Devices

29. Less formal than in the past - Varies from conversational style - The use of personal pronouns is important - In emails etc. something between conversational & business writing should be used - Only use we when it is company policy
Active Voice
Business Writing Style
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Instructions

30. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Characteristics of job-related writing
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

31. How is formatting important?
Figures of Speech
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Idioms
similar

32. 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
Characteristics of job-related writing
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Wordiness
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting

33. Etiquette
Sentence Variety
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
'You Viewpoint'

34. Informal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Telegraphic Style
Ethics in Business Writing

35. Clairty
Tone
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Goal of a letter of application
Sentence Length

36. Make sure your e-mail is confidential and ethical - observe all of the proprietary requirements when using e-mail - use an acceptable format- follow all of the rules of 'netiqette' when answering e-mail - adopt a professional style - ensure that yo
Strategy and Humanness
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

37. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Sentence Variety
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Biased Language

38. Plan what you are going to say - polish what you wrote before you sent it - proofread everything

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39. Conciseness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Connotation
Garbled Sentences

40. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Repetition
Guidelines for successful group writing

41. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Tone
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Mechanical Devices

42. 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)
Main parts of internal proposals
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Four keys to effective writing

43. What is critical to a message's success?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Attractive and Readable Format

44. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Guidelines for successful group writing
Biased Language
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Affectation

45. What are Individual Contexts
Coherent writing
Telegraphic Style
Guidelines for successful group writing
Organizational - Professional - Personal

46. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Garbled Sentences
Connotation
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Sentence Type

47. Correctness
Tone
One-third
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Sentence Length

48. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Wordiness
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Main parts of internal proposals
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

49. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Goal of a letter of application
Sentence Variety
Figures of Speech

50. Tell and show how to do something
'You Viewpoint'
Instructions
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Purpose - Format - Composition