Q&A Hero

Q: Some experts recommend spending about half of the total writing time on the editing, proofreading, and evaluating phase. a. True b. False

Q: Select any one of the guidelines for "Listening to Understand" described in your text. Describe this skill, explain why it is important, identify potential mistakes we might make when we are attempting to practice this skill, and illustrate the skill with an example.

Q: The following sentence is an example of effective business writing because the message requires formality: This e-mail message is to inform you that we have received your employment application. a. True b. False

Q: Which of the listening style preferences described in the book do you fit most closely? Identify the major characteristics of this style. In what types of situations is this style most useful? In what types of situations might this style be a drawback?

Q: Encouraging the receiver to respond to your message is an effective way to judge the success of your communication. a. True b. False

Q: Describe four concrete ways that culture and/or gender differences influence how and to whom we listen. What are three specific actions listeners can take to minimize the detrimental effects of these differences?

Q: Headings are appropriate only in messages that will be submitted as hard copies, such as reports or letters. They should not be used in electronic messages. a. True b. False

Q: It is best to proofread complex documents immediately after finishing them while the content is still fresh in your mind. a. True b. False

Q: Create a table with three columns and six rows. In the top row, label the three columns as "Listening Barriers"; "Description and Examples"; and "Listening Strategies." For the first column, in each of the five remaining rows, write the label (using terminology from the text) of a listening barrier that you have personally experienced. In the second column, describe and give a specific example of each barrier. In each row of the third column, suggest one strategy you could use to help overcome the barrier.

Q: Congratulating yourself when you find an error in your writing before sending the message can help you proofread more effectively. a. True b. False

Q: Identify three listening barriers that present the greatest challenge in preventing you from listening effectively. Suggest a possible remedy for each. Support your remedies with information from the text. Depict specific examples of how you could enact these in your own life.

Q: Identify and explain four myths (faulty assumptions) about listening. For each, write a statement that counters the myth and reflects the truth about listening.

Q: If proofreading on a computer screen, it is best to focus on one line at a time by using the down arrow. a. True b. False

Q: Identify a career area you might be interested in pursuing. Explain at least three specific ways that effective listening could help you succeed in that career. Drawing on material from this text, describe a plan for improving those three aspects of your listening.

Q: Since e-mailing, tweeting, and other forms of digital messaging allow for speedier communication, editing short workplace messages is unnecessary and even counterproductive. a. True b. False

Q: A strong emotional appeal is always valid.

Q: Common expressions known as clichs are effective in business writing because they are universally understood and conversational. a. True b. False

Q: When we listen critically, we consider whether speakers provide enough valid evidence to support their claims.

Q: Routine documents and complex documents can be effectively proofread using the same method. a. True b. False

Q: It's important to evaluate the messages we hear on two levels: logic and emotion.

Q: In view of the fact that is considered a vague expression. a. True b. False

Q: We should be sure we understand a speaker's message before we evaluate its quality.

Q: Add end punctuation to a numbered or bulleted list only if the items in the list are complete sentences. a. True b. False

Q: One benefit of note-taking is that it signals to the sender that you are paying attention.

Q: Zombie nouns often end in -ion, -ment, and -ance and are useful tools for making messages clear and powerful. a. True b. False

Q: A telephone log can note things that were not said or done, as well as matters that were attended to.

Q: There are, there is, and it is are examples of unnecessary opening fillers. a. True b. False

Q: Nonverbal cues can help us tune in to a speaker's feelings and attitude.

Q: If you send tweets, you are a microblogger. a. True b. False

Q: Listening can involve listening for feelings as well as for facts.

Q: Slang and buzzwords in business writing can make you sound unprofessional. a. True b. False

Q: A listener can paraphrase the content, the intent, and/or the feelings of a speaker's message.

Q: Underlining, bolding, or italicizing are effective ways to call attention to important points and terms. a. True b. False

Q: After you paraphrase a speaker's meaning, you should invite the speaker to verify that you've interpreted their meaning.

Q: This is to inform you that is an effective way to begin a message because it speaks directly to the reader. a. True b. False

Q: "Questioning" and "paraphrasing" are synonymous.

Q: One way of controlling your enthusiasm in business writing is to avoid overusing intensifiers such as very, definitely, and actually. a. True b. False

Q: Questioning usually isn't a good technique for helping a speaker who comes to you with a problem, since questions tend to increase confusion.

Q: It is safer to proofread on your computer screen than to proofread from a printed copy because you will catch more errors. a. True b. False

Q: According to the 20/80 rule, sales personnel should spend the first 20 percent of a sales appointment listening to the customer and the last 80 percent of the time explaining the benefits of the product.

Q: Indicate whether the statement is true or false.Ragged right margins (without alignment or justification) provide more white space and improve readability.a. Trueb. False

Q: According to Steven Covey, if you are a highly effective person, you will place more emphasis on understanding others than on making sure you are understood.

Q: Sentences are _________ when an idea at the end of one connects with an idea at the beginning of the next. a. transitioned b. fused c. dovetailed d. fragmented

Q: Mindful listeners are clear about their listening goals, and apply the best style of listening for that goal.

Q: Marcia tends to avoid traditional brainstorming with her six-person team because it usually results in one or two people monopolizing the conversation. An alternative technique she might try to generate creative ideas among the team is called ________. a. round robin b. crowdstorming c. brainwriting d. Web conferencing

Q: Of the four listening styles described in your text, the "task-oriented" style is the best to use in any business setting.

Q: For what purpose should the active voice be used? a. To strengthen most business writing b. To emphasize an action rather than a person c. To de-emphasize negative news d. To conceal the doer of the action

Q: A critical listener can be a valuable team player because they can point out possible errors that need to be corrected.

Q: Which sentence best emphasizes the attorney? a. The closing arguments were delivered by the attorney. b. Because the attorney is ready, she will give her closing arguments today. c. Before the trial resumed, the attorney practiced for her closing arguments. d. The attorney delivered the closing arguments.

Q: An analytical listener is likely to help a group view a topic from a wide range of perspectives.

Q: An organizational pattern that presents the main idea followed by details, explanation, and evidence is the ________. a. indirect organizational pattern b. direct organizational pattern c. geographical organizational pattern d. chronological organizational pattern

Q: Task-oriented listeners focus primarily on speakers' emotional needs in order to help them.

Q: Shauna is writing a document that will compare and contrast different retirement plans. She will most likely use the ________ paragraph plan. a. indirect b. pivoting c. transitional d. direct

Q: Relational listeners tend to judge people based on how well organized and concise their remarks are.

Q: Which of the following is done during Phase 2 of the writing process? a. Adapting b. Proofreading c. Analyzing d. Organizing

Q: Francois doesn't ask his supervisor for clarification, even when he doesn't clearly understand instructions. That's because Francois doesn't want to appear ignorant. Francois' habit of not asking questions is likely to help him rise quickly to the top of the career ladder.

Q: Chuck is part of a team identifying ideas to cut expenses. The team has decided to hold a brainstorming session. Which of the following strategies would likely produce the best results? a. Discourage wild thinking; all ideas generated should be rational and feasible. b. Critique and evaluate each idea as it is presented during the brainstorming session. c. Focus on the quantity of the ideas rather than the quality. d. To encourage the maximum number of ideas, avoid defining the problem at the beginning of a brainstorming session.

Q: Listeners sometimes assume that people who speak with an accent different than their own are less intelligent than people who speak without a noticeable accent.

Q: _______ is a way to generate and sort ideas emphasizing visual concepts. a. Brainstorming b. Writing c. Mind mapping d. Crowdsourcing

Q: Male listeners tend to focus on the content of a message, while female listeners tend to focus on the relational meaning of a message.

Q: One factor that contributes to ineffective listening is our tendency to think that our ideas are more valuable than the ideas of others.

Q: Which of the following sentences contains a comma splice? a. Miguel will write the document, but Alicia will proofread it. b. Miguel will write the document, Alicia will proofread it. c. Miguel will write the document; however, Alicia will proofread it. d. Miguel will write the document. Alicia will proofread it.

Q: Multicommunicating reduces your ability to listen well.

Q: Monica wants to make sure that her sentences are easily understood. How long should she make them? a. An average of 20 words b. At least 30 words c. No more than 8 words d. An average of 28 words

Q: Speakers typically talk at around 125 words per minute, yet our brains can process information at about 500 words per minute. This mental spare time allows our minds to wander.

Q: Alex is working on a report and has reached Phase 2 of the 3-x-3 writing process. While collecting information, he should focus on questions that center around _______. a. himself as the sender b. the receiver(s) of the report c. his supervisor's communication preferences d. the company's financial status

Q: Most listeners can process information at approximately 500 words per minute, four times faster than the average rate of speaking.

Q: Which of the following is a sentence fragment? a. Although we expect sales to increase next quarter. b. We expect sales to increase next quarter. c. Although we expect sales to increase next quarter, we cant afford to hire any additional employees right now. d. We cant afford to hire any additional employees right now.

Q: Which of the following sentences demonstrates parallelism? a. In my current position, I interact with customers, input orders, and am responsible for updating the company's Facebook page. b. Our new CEO's objectives are to improve employee morale, to boost revenues, and to enhance community relations. c. Collecting, organizing, and documentationthese are important steps in researching a problem. d. The person we hire for this position should be flexible, reliable, and have good organizational skills.

Q: Impaired memory is an example of a physiological barrier to listening.

Q: What type of sentence fault results when a writer punctuates a broken-off part of a complex sentence as if it were a complete sentence? a. Run-on sentence b. Comma splice c. Fragment d. Simple

Q: Conversational partners typically achieve 90 to 95 percent accuracy in interpreting each other's remarks.

Q: Which of the following scenarios would most likely require a scientific experiment? a. A research firm wants to find out how many parents plan to send their children to private schools. b. A company wants to measure reactions to the price of a new flavored vitamin water product to learn how much consumers would be willing to pay. c. A student wants to find out how a business leader got his start in the industry. d. A development team has to decide which of four possible locations would be best for a new fast-food restaurant.

Q: Most people don't need formal training in listening because listening is a natural ability.

Q: Which of the following is an informal research method? a. Searching the Web. b. Looking in the company files for information. c. Conducting a scientific experiment to gather information under controlled circumstances. d. Searching for information in peer-reviewed journals.

Q: We are born with the ability to listen, so there is no need to take a class in listening.

Q: Which of the following statements about formal and informal research is most accurate? a. Long reports and complex business problems generally require some use of formal research. b. Because most of its information is not credible, the Web should not be used for research for business reports. c. Interviewing your target audience is an example of formal research. d. Scientific experiments are not applicable to business writing.

Q: It has been estimated that a salesperson can prevent about four minutes of dealing with objections for every minute he or she spends listening.

Q: One of the most important tasks in preparing well-organized messages is ________. a. using a direct organizational pattern b. providing clear recommendations c. including ample tables and charts d. grouping similar ideas together

Q: According to communication expert Susan Peterson, good listening is 80-90% of what makes a leader effective.