Question 1

Which of the following involves adjusting your initial perceptions by making more objective and fact-based evaluations and fewer personal judgments?

Accepted Answer

Reinterpretation involves adjusting initial perceptions by analyzing facts and evidence objectively rather than making judgments based on personal biases or preconceptions. Planning, coordination, defusing, and incivility do not involve adjusting initial perceptions in this manner.

Question 2

Which of the following can help keep email-induced distractions at bay?

Accepted Answer

Checking your messages just two to four times a day is the best option to minimize email-induced distractions. This way, you are not constantly interrupted by incoming messages and can focus on important tasks without getting sidetracked. Checking once an hour or at the end of the day may still be too frequent, while checking once a week is not practical for most people in today's fast-paced work environment. Checking constantly is a guaranteed way to invite distractions and reduce productivity.

Question 3

Just before Ellen goes to bed at 11:00 p.m., she realizes that she forgot to confirm a meeting that she is supposed to attend the following day. She texts her colleague the following message: "Hi, it's Ellen. Are we still on tomorrow at 3:00?" What should she have done differently?

Accepted Answer

It would have been better for Ellen to wait until the next morning to confirm the meeting in person or via email, rather than sending a text message late at night. This shows more consideration for her colleague's time and personal life outside of work.

Question 4

When Samantha was asked to inform a colleague she dislikes about a meeting, she waited until an hour before the meeting to email the information to the woman. What is this an example of?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of passive incivility, where Samantha indirectly shows disrespect or disregard by delaying the communication of important information.

Question 5

Which of the following is a reason why greetings and names are omitted from emails?

Accepted Answer

Some professionals view emails as the equivalent of memos, which traditionally omit names and greetings.

Question 6

What should you do when you cannot respond to a request made in an email?

Accepted Answer

It is important to acknowledge receipt of the email and inform the sender of when they can expect a response. Ignoring the email may lead to misunderstandings or frustration on the part of the sender. Setting up an automated response may be appropriate if you will be out of town, but otherwise it is better to send a personal message. Logging off or saying you are busy without giving a time frame does not provide the sender with enough information. Option D makes it clear that you are aware of the request and intend to respond, but need more time to do so.

Question 7

Hannah is in the middle of writing a report, and she does not want to disrupt the flow of her work by walking over to the department bookcase to double check the name of their main competitor's product. She decides to text Joe, who sits next to the bookcase, to ask him to do it. Because of repeated incidents like this, Hannah is likely to be seen as

Accepted Answer

By constantly delegating tasks to others and not taking the time to do them herself, Hannah is likely to be seen as a "taker" who does not contribute equally to the team.

Question 8

One possible negative effect of texting is that

Accepted Answer

The limited character count and lack of tone in texting can sometimes lead to a message coming across as impolite or commanding, which may not be the intention of the sender.

Question 9

Dave sends an email to his colleague, Stan, asking for important details about an ongoing project. Stan is on a business trip and finds no time to reply to all of Dave's queries. Dave wrongly perceives that Stan is ignoring him. Which of the following should Dave do?

Accepted Answer

Dave should try to communicate with Stan in a polite and respectful manner. Calling or sending a polite message would be a better approach than assuming Stan is intentionally ignoring him. It's important to remember that everyone has their own responsibilities and schedules, and being on a business trip may make it difficult for Stan to respond promptly. It's also important to maintain open communication to ensure the project stays on track. Ignoring Stan's emails when he finally replies would be unprofessional and could create more problems in the future.

Question 10

What is cyber silence?

Accepted Answer

Cyber silence refers to the act of not responding to emails or other digital communications.

Question 11

Chris and Susan are employees of Finvest Corp. During a recent performance review, Susan's manager tells her that her productivity has declined this year and she needs to improve. When Susan confides this to Chris, he mentions objectively that he has noticed she is spending more time texting on the job. Susan responds by saying, "I don't need you to criticize me too!" Susan's behavior is an example of

Accepted Answer

Susan's behavior is an example of the negativity effect, where she interprets Chris's objective observation as criticism and responds defensively.

Question 12

Frequent incoming messages can

Accepted Answer

Interruptions from digital messages,or e-interruptions,are extremely costly to your performance.These disruptions have been shown to reduce attention spans,increase stress,and even reduce creativity.

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of the neutrality effect?

Accepted Answer

The neutrality effect means that recipients are more likely to perceive messages with an intended positive emotion as neutral.

Question 14

Pongtorn receives an email in which a colleague accuses him of not caring about the success of the team. Pongtorn responds by with an email that apologizes for giving that impression and reports his progress on the tasks the team assigned him. What action has Pongtorn just taken?

Accepted Answer

Pongtorn has just taken the action of defusing the situation by acknowledging the accusation made by his colleague and addressing it with a positive tone in his response.

Question 15

Ayele sends the following message to the people he supervises in the factory: "Plant inspection Wed. 9:00. Some fun, huh? Ayele." What is the best way to make this text more professional?

Accepted Answer

Trying to use sarcasm and jokes in texts is often misinterpreted.Ayele should delete the sarcastic phrase "Some fun,huh?"

Question 16

Clement, a customer service representative at Sarah's Supermart, has a tough time handling customers during his first week on the job. Carlo, Clement's colleague, guides him through this difficult period. Afterward, Clement writes Carlo an email to thank him warmly for his help. Carlo neither reacts nor replies. Carlo's behavior is an example of

Accepted Answer

Carlo's behavior is an example of neutrality effect, where he didn't react or reply to Clement's email. This behavior is characterized by a lack of positive or negative affect in response to a situation, which can sometimes be perceived as indifference.

Question 17

Jasper has to send out a number of communications. Which of the following is appropriate to send as a text?

Accepted Answer

A quick compliment, such as "Great job on the presentation!" is appropriate to send in a text message. It is brief and does not require a lengthy exchange.

Question 18

James usually wants other people to think well of him, but when he is online, he feels anonymous enough to say profanely negative things. What is the term for such comments?

Accepted Answer

The term for negative comments made online while feeling anonymous is commonly referred to as "flames."

Question 19

Savita sends the following message to a colleague she has texted only once before: "Do you want to meet for coffee to discuss combining our efficiency reports?" What would make this text more professional?

Accepted Answer

Identifying oneself at the beginning of a message is always professional and courteous, especially when contacting someone for the second or third time. It helps the recipient put the message in context and know who it is coming from.

Question 20

Paul always hits "reply to all" whenever he answers a team email, even if the email was a question posed by one other person and directed only to Paul. When he initiates an email about his project, he sends it to everyone in his department. Judging only from this information, what impact does Paul have on his department's communications?

Accepted Answer

By always hitting "reply to all" and sending project emails to everyone in his department, Paul is likely contributing to email overload in his department. This can lead to important messages being missed and decreased productivity as people have to sift through unnecessary emails.

Quiz 7: E-Mail and Other Traditional Tools for Business Communication