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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. 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
Instructions
Repetition
Intensifiers

2. 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
Rules for writing instructions
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Sentence Variety

3. What techniques can be used for gathering information?
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Rules for writing instructions
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

4. 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
Connotation
Telegraphic Style
Euphemismss
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

5. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Information the reader will want - put it first.
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Climatic Order
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

6. 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
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Idioms
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Things to think through when planning a website

7. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Recursive
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Examples of medium s of business communication

8. Clairty
Things to think through when planning a website
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
Conciseness
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

9. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Climatic Order
Repetition
Euphemismss
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

10. Use Initialisms
Telegraphic Style
Sentence Variety
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
'You Viewpoint'

11. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Euphemismss
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

12. How do you begin the message?

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13. 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.
Long Dashes
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Outlining
Rules for writing instructions

14. What are Cons of Email?

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15. Informal
Concrete Words
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Characteristics of job-related writing
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

16. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Information needed for short report
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Examples of medium s of business communication
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

17. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Characteristics of job-related writing
One-third
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

18. 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
Mechanical Devices
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Characteristics of job-related writing

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
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Selecting the proper medium
Long Dashes

20. 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
Wordiness
Goal of a letter of application
Selecting the proper medium
Telegraphic Style

21. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Denotaion
Buzz Words
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

22. Avoid language that attempts to evade responsibility - Avoid deceptive language - Do not deemphasize or suppress important information - Do not emphasize misleading or incorrect information - Avoid using language that is biased - racist - or sexist o
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Attractive and Readable Format
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Ethics in Business Writing

23. How do you present information in message?
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
'You Viewpoint'
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Connotation

24. What is a Memorandum?
Active Voice
Repetition
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Short report

25. What is format of most Memos?
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Biased Language

26. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Ethics in Business Writing
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Active Voice
Three P's for success in writing a memo

27. 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
Biased Language
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Affectation

28. Tell and show how to do something
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Instructions
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Sentence Variety

29. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Idioms
'You Viewpoint'
Things to think through when planning a website
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

30. Goal and audience
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Position
Main parts of instructions
Things to think through when planning a website

31. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Outlining
Strategy and Humanness
Characteristics of job-related writing
Tone

32. How do you know what to include in your message?
Ethics in Business Writing
Rules for writing instructions
Intensifiers
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

33. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Subordination
Intensifiers
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

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

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35. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Position
Coherent writing
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Three P's for success in writing a memo

36. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Procedures
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Business Writing Style

37. What is Direct Order?
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Get Feedback From Others!
Things to think through when planning a website
Abstract words

38. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Position
Purpose - Format - Composition
Garbled Sentences
Short report

39. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Sentence Length
Repetition
Coherent writing
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

40. What should you know about a Letter?
Purpose - Format - Composition
Sentence Type
Wordiness
Tone

41. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Main parts of instructions
Affectation
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

42. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Examples of medium s of business communication
Sentence Type
Euphemismss

43. Steps to Successful Writing
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Sentence Type

44. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
similar
Position
Euphemismss
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

45. General considerations with Email Messages
Tone
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Strategy and Humanness
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

46. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Climatic Order
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
Get Feedback From Others!

47. Stages can also be summarized as...
Selecting the proper medium
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
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Connotation

48. Conciseness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Figures of Speech
Biased Language
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

49. What are Pros of Email?
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Buzz Words
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status

50. 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
Coherent writing
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Outlining