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Test your basic knowledge |
The Business Writing Process
Start Test
Study First
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. What are the activities in the planning stage?
'You Viewpoint'
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Garbled Sentences
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
2. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Rules for writing instructions
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Sentence Variety
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
3. Formality Considerations
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Repetition
4. What is a Memorandum?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Position
Intensifiers
5. 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
Repetition
One-third
Purpose - Format - Composition
Connotation
6. 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
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Buzz Words
Affectation
Telegraphic Style
7. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Instructions
Position
Biased Language
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
8. Formal
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Position
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
9. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Procedures
Short report
Examples of medium s of business communication
Climatic Order
10. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Rules for writing instructions
Information needed for short report
Coherent writing
Get Feedback From Others!
11. How do you present information in message?
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Long Dashes
Intensifiers
Main parts of internal proposals
12. 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)
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Four keys to effective writing
13. E.g. 'most important'
Direct Statements
Guidelines for successful group writing
Affectation
'You Viewpoint'
14. 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
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Connotation
'You Viewpoint'
Wordiness
15. What types of research is done in gathering information?
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
16. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
One-third
Examples of medium s of business communication
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
17. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Information needed for short report
Purpose - Format - Composition
Sentence Type
18. Plan what you are going to say - polish what you wrote before you sent it - proofread everything
19. 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
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Goal of a letter of application
20. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Main parts of instructions
Intensifiers
21. How to end an email
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
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
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Key draft questions
22. What are Pros of Email?
Goal of a letter of application
Sentence Length
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Climatic Order
23. General considerations with Email Messages
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Get Feedback From Others!
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
24. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Instructions
Characteristics of job-related writing
Goal of a letter of application
Procedures
25. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Procedures
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Idioms
Buzz Words
26. How is formatting important?
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Rules for writing instructions
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
27. Use Initialisms
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Conciseness
Repetition
28. Steps to Successful Writing
One-third
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Coherent writing
29. Correctness
Emphasis
Instructions
Tone
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
30. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Short report
Recursive
Characteristics of job-related writing
Casual - Informal - or Formal
31. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Coherent writing
Four keys to effective writing
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
32. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Ethics in Business Writing
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Main parts of internal proposals
33. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Connotation
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Affectation
34. How do you Plan the message?
Mechanical Devices
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Idioms
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
35. 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
Mechanical Devices
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Active Voice
36. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Recursive
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Abstract words
Main parts of internal proposals
37. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Outlining
Connotation
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Long Dashes
38. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Outlining
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Selecting the proper medium
39. How do you begin the message?
40. What is Direct Order?
Sentence Variety
Rules for writing instructions
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Sentence Length
41. 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
42. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Garbled Sentences
Goal of a letter of application
Mechanical Devices
43. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Position
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Characteristics of job-related writing
Rules for writing instructions
44. Clairty
Denotaion
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Business Writing Style
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
45. Informal
Characteristics of job-related writing
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Four keys to effective writing
Affectation
46. 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
Key draft questions
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Examples of medium s of business communication
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
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Rules for writing instructions
Telegraphic Style
Three P's for success in writing a memo
48. How do you present information in long messages?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Outlining
Mechanical Devices
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
49. 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.
Position
Main parts of a set of instructions
Garbled Sentences
Tone
50. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Intensifiers
Garbled Sentences
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Main parts of a set of instructions