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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
Biased Language
Denotaion
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Information needed for short report

2. How do you Plan the message?
Position
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

3. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Buzz Words
Main parts of a set of instructions
Rules for writing instructions
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

4. Goal and audience
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Things to think through when planning a website
Sentence Length
Denotaion

5. What is format of most Memos?
Conciseness
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

6. Stages can also be summarized as...
Wordiness
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Biased Language
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

7. 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
Main parts of instructions
Key draft questions
Buzz Words
Wordiness

8. How to end an email
Main parts of instructions
Sentence Type
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Position

9. How do you present information in message?
Short report
Garbled Sentences
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

10. How do you begin the message?

11. 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
One-third
Guidelines for successful group writing
Three P's for success in writing a memo
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

12. How do you present information in long messages?
Sentence Variety
'You Viewpoint'
Main parts of instructions
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

13. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Sentence Type
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

14. What are three levels of Editing?
Outlining
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Emphasis

15. What are Cons of Email?

16. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Intensifiers
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.
Purpose - Format - Composition

17. 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
Guidelines for successful group writing
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Rules for writing instructions

18. What are Pros of Email?
Goal of a letter of application
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Climatic Order
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

19. General considerations with Email Messages
Intensifiers
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Selecting the proper medium
Purpose - Format - Composition

20. What is important in the Revising stage?
Get Feedback From Others!
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Four keys to effective writing
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

21. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Main parts of internal proposals
Position
Connotation

22. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Position
Sentence Length
Tone
Idioms

23. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Active Voice
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Characteristics of job-related writing

24. Steps to Successful Writing
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

25. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Wordiness
Procedures
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Denotaion

26. Formality Considerations
Guidelines for successful group writing
Active Voice
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Ethics in Business Writing

27. What is Direct Order?
Attractive and Readable Format
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
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Outlining

28. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Tone
similar
Attractive and Readable Format

29. Conciseness
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Four keys to effective writing
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Idioms

30. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Information needed for short report
Denotaion
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

31. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Mechanical Devices
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Abstract words
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

32. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Figures of Speech
Main parts of a set of instructions
Strategy and Humanness

33. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Rules for writing instructions
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Conciseness

34. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Main parts of a set of instructions
Characteristics of job-related writing
Sentence Variety
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

35. How is formatting important?
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Four keys to effective writing
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

36. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Mechanical Devices
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Position

37. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Rules for writing instructions
Characteristics of job-related writing
Business Writing Style
Purpose - Format - Composition

38. What should you know about a Letter?
Direct Statements
Purpose - Format - Composition
Denotaion
Information the reader will want - put it first.

39. 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
Figures of Speech
Emphasis
Garbled Sentences
Cliches

40. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Main parts of internal proposals
Characteristics of job-related writing
Key draft questions
Ethics in Business Writing

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

42. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Conciseness
Outlining
Repetition
One-third

43. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Instructions
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Examples of medium s of business communication
Cliches

44. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Conciseness
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
Denotaion

45. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Strategy and Humanness
Concrete Words

46. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Sentence Type
Subordination
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting

47. What is Indirect Order?
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

48. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Repetition
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Ethics in Business Writing
Abstract words

49. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Telegraphic Style
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Euphemismss

50. 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
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Ethics in Business Writing
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility