Question 1

How quickly a document can be read is determined by the difficulty of the subject matter and by the document's organization and writing style.

Accepted Answer

Bad writing takes longer to read as we struggle to understand what we are reading. How quickly we can do this is determined by the difficulty of the subject matter and by the document's organization and writing style.

Question 2

Conventions are constant and remain unchanged over time.

Accepted Answer

Conventions change over time. The key to using conventions effectively, in spite of their changing nature, is to remember that they always need to be adjusted for a particular audience, context, and purpose.

Question 3

Interpersonal nonverbal communication consists of e-mail messages,memos,and letters.

Accepted Answer

Interpersonal nonverbal signals include how people sit at meetings, how large offices are, and how long someone keeps a visitor waiting.

Question 4

It is best to use a legalistic style of writing which helps create a good document.

Accepted Answer

It is best to avoid a stiff and legalistic style of writing such as "Please be advised" and "herein." One should also avoid using a tone that is selfish or a request which is vague.

Question 5

Conventions in business communication help people recognize,produce,and interpret different kinds of communications.

Accepted Answer

Common business communications have conventions. These conventions help people recognize, produce, and interpret different kinds of communications.

Question 6

While preparing a document,it is recommended that the main point be placed in the middle of a long first paragraph which prevents a reader from skipping information.

Accepted Answer

While preparing a document, one should avoid placing the main point in the middle of the long first paragraph because the middle is the least emphatic part of a paragraph.

Question 7

A message meets the five criteria of a good business communication irrespective of the audience,the purpose of the message,and the situation.

Accepted Answer

Whether a message meets these five criteria depends on the interactions among the communicator, the audience, the purposes of the message, and the situation. No single set of words work in all possible situations.

Question 8

Individual communications are not liable to any legal hassles like communication by organizations.

Accepted Answer

Poor communication choices can lead to legal problems for individuals and organizations. Careful writers and speakers think about the larger social context in which their words may appear.

Question 9

Oral communication is always for internal audiences in an organization whereas written communication is strictly created for external audiences.

Accepted Answer

All three forms of communication, i.e., oral, nonverbal, and written are for both internal and external audiences.

Question 10

A message will be more successful if the writer focuses on his own needs instead of the larger context of shareholders,customers,and regulators.

Accepted Answer

While writing a message, it is vital not to think only about one's own needs but also about the concerns of one's manager and those which an audience may have. A message will be more successful if the writer focuses on the larger context of shareholders, customers, and regulators.

Question 11

Poor writing may need to be rewritten and frequently cycled to other people for help.

Accepted Answer

Bad writing may need to be rewritten and such poorly written documents are frequently cycled to other people for help.

Question 12

Good communication helps in making efforts more effective.

Accepted Answer

Good communication helps in making efforts more effective. It contributes to increasing the number of requests that are answered positively and promptly on the first request.

Question 13

Oral channels are better for group decision making,and allow misunderstandings to be cleared up more quickly.

Accepted Answer

Oral channels are better for group decision making and allow misunderstandings to be cleared up more quickly. They also make the communication seem more personal. On the other hand, paper documents and presentations are formal and give one considerable control over a message.

Question 14

Good communication treats the receiver of a document as a person,instead of as a number.

Accepted Answer

Good communication treats the receiver as a person, not a number. It cements a good relationship between the communicator and the receiver.

Question 15

It is mandatory to follow the same,standard conventions in all organizations across the world.

Accepted Answer

Every organization is unique in the conventions they follow and the best way to learn conventions in a particular workplace is to see what other workers are doing.

Question 16

Electronic mail systems are a more formal mode of communication than presentations.

Accepted Answer

Paper documents and presentations are formal and gives one considerable control over a message. E-mails, texting, tweeting, phone calls, and stopping by someone's office are comparatively less formal.

Question 17

Entry-level jobs in contrast with senior-level jobs do not require skills in reasoning,mathematics,and communicating.

Accepted Answer

Entry-level jobs require high-level skills in reasoning, mathematics, and communication. Thus, communication ability often ranks first among the qualities that employers look for in college graduates.

Question 18

The cost of hardware in e-mail storage is much higher compared to the cost in administering and maintaining archives.

Accepted Answer

A significant cost of communication is e-mail storage. In addition to the exponential increase in frequency, e-mails are also growing in size. Businesses are storing much of this huge load on their servers but the cost of hardware is only a part of its storage cost. A larger cost involves administering and maintaining the archives.

Question 19

Good business and administrative communication are created as quickly as possible which helps save a writer's time.

Accepted Answer

Good communication is created by taking the time to write correctly. The style, organization, and visual or aural impact of the message helps the audience read or hear, understand, and act on the information as quickly as possible.

Question 20

Poor messages make an audience guess what a writer wants to convey.

Accepted Answer

Ineffective messages do not get results. A receiver who has to guess what the sender means, may guess wrong. In addition, a reader who finds a letter or memo unconvincing or insulting, may not do what the message asks.

Quiz 1: Succeeding in Business Communication