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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. Formal
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Instructions
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

2. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Examples of medium s of business communication
Biased Language

3. 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
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Guidelines for successful group writing
One-third
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

4. How do you present information in long messages?
Connotation
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Short report

5. What is critical to a message's success?
Abstract words
Attractive and Readable Format
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Information the reader will want - put it first.

6. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Business Writing Style
Mechanical Devices
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Connotation

7. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Concrete Words
Repetition
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Rules for writing instructions

8. What is Indirect Order?
Euphemismss
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Climatic Order
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

9. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Subordination
Euphemismss
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

10. Use Initialisms
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Information the reader will want - put it first.

11. What is format of most Memos?
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Goal of a letter of application
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
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

12. How do you present information in message?
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Main parts of internal proposals

13. Using short and long sentences strategically
similar
Sentence Length
Long Dashes
Active Voice

14. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Buzz Words
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Short report
Information the reader will want - put it first.

15. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Outlining
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Rules for writing instructions

16. Tell and show how to do something
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Instructions
Connotation
Characteristics of job-related writing

17. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Coherent writing
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Procedures

18. 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
Guidelines for successful group writing
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Business Writing Style
Euphemismss

19. 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
Strategy and Humanness
Main parts of a set of instructions
Organizational - Professional - Personal

20. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Affectation
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Telegraphic Style
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

21. 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
Recursive
Buzz Words
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Examples of medium s of business communication

22. Goal and audience
Buzz Words
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Things to think through when planning a website
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

23. How do you know what to include in your message?
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Active Voice
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Climatic Order

24. What are Cons of Email?

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25. Etiquette
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Characteristics of job-related writing
Attractive and Readable Format
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

26. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Tone
Emphasis
Purpose - Format - Composition
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

27. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Garbled Sentences
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Euphemismss

28. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Figures of Speech
Selecting the proper medium

29. Conciseness
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

30. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Position
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Information needed for short report

31. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Sentence Length

32. 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)
Four keys to effective writing
Position
Strategy and Humanness
Cliches

33. How do you Plan the message?
Subordination
Guidelines for successful group writing
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

34. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Climatic Order
Sentence Type
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Get Feedback From Others!

35. Stages can also be summarized as...
Outlining
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Recursive
Buzz Words

36. What is Direct Order?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Sentence Variety

37. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Recursive
Characteristics of job-related writing
Affectation

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

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39. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
'You Viewpoint'
Main parts of instructions
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Organizational - Professional - Personal

40. 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
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Biased Language
Coherent writing
Wordiness

41. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Cliches
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Idioms
Attractive and Readable Format

42. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Position
Affectation
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

43. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Conciseness
Rules for writing instructions
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Procedures

44. Places the reader's interest and perspective foremost. It is based on the principle that most readers are naturally more concerned about their own needs than they are about those of a writer or a writer's organization - often means using the words y

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45. Informal
Cliches
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Wordiness
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

46. 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
Strategy and Humanness
Idioms
Sentence Variety
Rules for writing instructions

47. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Position
Outlining
Sentence Variety
Organizational - Professional - Personal

48. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Procedures
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Information needed for short report

49. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Telegraphic Style
Mechanical Devices
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

50. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Strategy and Humanness
Mechanical Devices
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