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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. Informal
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Three P's for success in writing a memo
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
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

2. How do you Plan the message?
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Denotaion
Recursive
Strategy and Humanness

3. What are Cons of Email?

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4. Steps to Successful Writing
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Four keys to effective writing
Garbled Sentences
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

5. Formal
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Attractive and Readable Format
Ethics in Business Writing
Goal of a letter of application

6. What are Pros of Email?
Repetition
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Denotaion
Coherent writing

7. How is formatting important?
Strategy and Humanness
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Information needed for short report
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

8. What are three levels of Revision?
Instructions
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Idioms
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting

9. Stages can also be summarized as...
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Buzz Words
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

10. Etiquette
Figures of Speech
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Guidelines for successful group writing
One-third

11. What are Individual Contexts
Guidelines for successful group writing
Telegraphic Style
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Organizational - Professional - Personal

12. The ___________ of a word are its meanings and associations beyond its literal definitions - words often have particular connotations for audiences within professional groups and organizations
Attractive and Readable Format
Connotation
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Denotaion

13. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Get Feedback From Others!
One-third
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

14. 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)
Attractive and Readable Format
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
'You Viewpoint'
Four keys to effective writing

15. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
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
Emphasis
Main parts of a set of instructions

16. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Examples of medium s of business communication
Long Dashes
Attractive and Readable Format
Organizational - Professional - Personal

17. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Denotaion
Characteristics of job-related writing
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

18. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Ethics in Business Writing
Sentence Type
Intensifiers

19. 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
Business Writing Style
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Guidelines for successful group writing

20. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Sentence Variety
Concrete Words
Examples of medium s of business communication
Idioms

21. 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
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Emphasis
Main parts of instructions

22. How do you know what to include in your message?
Examples of medium s of business communication
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

23. Clairty
Main parts of a set of instructions
Coherent writing
Sentence Variety
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

24. Goal and audience
Things to think through when planning a website
Examples of medium s of business communication
Emphasis
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

25. How to end an email
Characteristics of job-related writing
Main parts of a set of instructions
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Direct Statements

26. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Characteristics of job-related writing
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Guidelines for successful group writing

27. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Subordination
Climatic Order
Three P's for success in writing a memo

28. Casual
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Conciseness
Subordination

29. Expressions that have been used fro so long that they are no longer fresh but come to mind easily bc they are so familiar. Often wordy as well as vague and cab be confusing - especially to non-native English speakers - E.g. all over the map - run it
Cliches
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Tone

30. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Tone
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed

31. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Sentence Variety
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

32. 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
Buzz Words
Abstract words
Key draft questions
Connotation

33. Conciseness
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Rules for writing instructions
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

34. Tell and show how to do something
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Instructions
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting

35. What is important in the Revising stage?
Get Feedback From Others!
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Purpose - Format - Composition

36. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Active Voice
Recursive
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

37. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Repetition
Strategy and Humanness
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

38. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Tone
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

39. What are three levels of Editing?
Garbled Sentences
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

40. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
One-third
Abstract words
Guidelines for successful group writing

41. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Information needed for short report
Rules for writing instructions
Attractive and Readable Format
Procedures

42. Using short and long sentences strategically
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Strategy and Humanness
Sentence Length
Active Voice

43. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Main parts of internal proposals
Things to think through when planning a website
Affectation

44. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Biased Language
Procedures
Conciseness
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

45. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Selecting the proper medium
Goal of a letter of application
Idioms
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

46. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Strategy and Humanness
Abstract words
Concrete Words
Coherent writing

47. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
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
Active Voice
Examples of medium s of business communication
Purpose - Format - Composition

48. Use Initialisms
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Goal of a letter of application
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

49. General considerations with Email Messages
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Outlining
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

50. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Active Voice
Climatic Order
Business Writing Style