Q&A Hero

Q: In requesting a sales report from a co-worker, you should A) use the indirect approach. B) get straight to the point. C) maintain a formal style and tone. D) do all of the above.

Q: When closing a direct request, you should be sure to include A) an apology for taking up the reader's time. B) a mention of your own qualifications or status. C) the time limits involved in your request. D) an indication of the consequences of a failure to reply.

Q: When asking questions in a request message A) begin with the least important question and work your way up to the most important. B) avoid any open-ended questions. C) begin with the most important question. D) weave your questions into the rest of the content of your message.

Q: In the body of a routine request, you should A) beg the reader to grant your request. B) explain and justify your request. C) give your sales pitch. D) explain what will happen if the audience does not do what you are asking.

Q: Which of the following would be the best opening for a routine request? A) Please send me a summary of last month's east region sales data. B) As soon as you get this, send me last month's sales data. C) I know you may not want to, but send me last month's sales data. D) I am very sorry to ask you to do this.

Q: When making a routine request, you should A) use the inductive plan. B) assume that the audience is willing to comply. C) demand immediate action. D) explain the consequences of failing to comply.

Q: When making a routine request, you should begin with A) an indication of the importance of your request. B) a statement of who you are. C) a clear statement of the main idea or request. D) a question.

Q: Why are appreciation messages important? What should they include?

Q: Explain why goodwill messages are important, then describe at least two characteristics of effective goodwill messages.

Q: Explain what you should include in an effective recommendation letter.

Q: Explain what you should do when replying to a claim when the customer is at fault.

Q: Many routine requests have several parts. What guidelines should you keep in mind when your request contains a series of questions?

Q: List at least three guidelines to follow when writing condolence messages.

Q: What potential legal problem can result from writing a critical recommendation letter?

Q: Briefly explain how the Internet and social media have changed the nature of the news release.

Q: In responding favorably to a claim even though the customer was at fault, what should you try to accomplish in the body of your message?

Q: What three goals should you have when answering routine requests and a potential sale is involved?

Q: You're preparing an internal blog posting providing information on this year's annual company picnic. The message is generally positive, but you need to say that--unlike past picnics--the event will not be catered. What approach is best for conveying mildly disappointing information such as this in the context of a positive message?

Q: Describe the three-step strategy for requesting information and action.

Q: List the three major categories of common routine requests.

Q: In emailing a vendor for an update on the ship date of your order, what elements should you include in the closing of your request?

Q: List four guidelines to follow in preparing the opening of a routine request in the direct format.

Q: Messages of ________ need not be poetic to express sympathy.

Q: Messages of ________ recognize the contributions of employees or business associates.

Q: Friendly notes with no direct business purpose, such as those conveying congratulations or thanks, are called ________ messages.

Q: Thanks to the Internet and social media, many companies now rely on ________ news releases, in which they communicate directly with customers and other audiences instead of going through the media.

Q: Unlike a traditional press release, a(n) ________ ________ release emphasizes bullet-point content over narrative paragraphs so that bloggers and others can assemble their own stories.

Q: A(n) ________ ________ is a specialized document used to share relevant information with the local or national news media.

Q: Writing letters of recommendation can lead to serious legal problems, including charges of ________ against employers who share negative information about candidates.

Q: Businesses often receive requests for claims and adjustments when a ________ ________ is at fault, and neither the company nor the customer is to blame.

Q: The body of a positive message is a good place to use ________, assuring the customer of the wisdom of his or her purchase selection.

Q: If your routine message must convey some mildly disappointing information, put the negative portion into as ________ a context as possible.

Q: Dissatisfied customers can request a(n) ________, or claim settlement.

Q: Customers who are dissatisfied with a company's product or service make a(n) ________, or formal complaint.

Q: You may need to obtain a letter of recommendation for a new job, a promotion, a scholarship, or ________ from a bank.

Q: Most routine requests in business should be organized using the ________ approach, with the main idea at the beginning of the message.

Q: In a routine request, the ________ of the message should contain an explanation of what you are asking the audience to do.

Q: When writing a condolence message about a loss, you should always use comforting poetic expressions such as "life is for the living."

Q: A message of appreciation can become an important part of someone's personnel file.

Q: A new co-worker recently won a prestigious award for her work on green technologies. Since you do not know her well, you should not send a note to congratulate her on the achievement.

Q: Goodwill messages were once common in business, but are now mostly regarded as a waste of time.

Q: Because informative messages such as meeting announcements and reminder notices are generally neutral, it is not necessary to worry too much about the reader's attitude toward the information.

Q: Employers cannot sue you for omitting negative information from a recommendation letter, even if they can prove that you were aware of that information.

Q: When asked to write a letter of recommendation for a poorly performing employee, you should never refuse to do so.

Q: In positive recommendation letters, it's important to back up your general points with specific examples of the candidate's fitness for the job.

Q: Recommendation letters have created so many legal problems that many companies no longer allow employees to write them.

Q: When a third party is at fault in a claim, the best approach is always to refer the customer to that party to resolve the problem.

Q: In a letter agreeing to make an adjustment even though the buyer technically was at fault, a courteous tone is less important.

Q: When replying to a customer's complaint when your company is at fault, be sure to list the names of all employees who were involved in the error.

Q: Even when you grant a dissatisfied customer's request for adjustment, he or she will most likely not return to your business.

Q: To preserve your company's reputation, messages granting customer requests for adjustment should always imply that the customer was at fault.

Q: When sending a positive message to a customer, it is a good idea to reassure the customer that he or she has made a wise purchase.

Q: A routine positive message should never include negative information.

Q: The best opening for a positive message includes the single most important information you need to give the audience.

Q: It's best to back up all claims and requests for adjustments with invoices, sales receipts, and so on and to send copies to the company and keep the originals.

Q: When responding to claim letters, companies usually accept the customer's explanation of the problem.

Q: When writing a claim letter, you should assume that you will receive a fair adjustment.

Q: When making a claim or requesting an adjustment from a company, you should document your initial complaint and every correspondence after that.

Q: If you are writing to someone to request a recommendation letter for a job or scholarship, you should include a stamped, preaddressed envelope for mailing.

Q: Because requests for recommendations are persuasive messages, you should use the indirect approach.

Q: Due to potential legal problems, many companies have a policy that prevents employees from providing recommendation letters.

Q: It is not necessary to ask someone's permission before listing his or her name as a job reference.

Q: When making complex routine requests to company outsiders, you rarely need to explain how responding to the request will benefit the reader.

Q: Requests sent to individuals outside your organization should be more formal than those sent internally.

Q: There is no reason to state how complying to a request will benefit the target of the request.

Q: In the final section of a request message, you should omit stating specific deadlines to avoid putting too much pressure on your reader.

Q: If the middle section of your request letter contains a series of questions, the most important question should be saved for last.

Q: As you explain and justify your request, you should try to point out how complying with the request could benefit the reader.

Q: When making direct requests, you should avoid such polite words and phrases as "please" and "I would appreciate."

Q: Because routine messages are so common in business, it is not necessary to pay attention to your tone when writing them.

Q: When making a direct request, you should state what you want in the first sentence or two and then follow with an explanation.

Q: In most cases, when making routine requests you should assume that the audience will not comply.

Q: Condolence messages should A) be as long as possible. B) make as little reference to the deceased as possible. C) avoid "poetic" passages and stilted or formal phrases. D) include comments on how you felt in a similar situation.

Q: When offering compliments in a goodwill message, you should A) feel free to exaggerate. B) always use the strongest words you can think of. C) be sure to back them up with specific points. D) temper them with comments on areas for improvement.

Q: If you are sending an informative memo to employees about policy statements or procedural changes, you should A) assume that employees will have a neutral response. B) use the indirect approach. C) use the body of the message to provide all the necessary details. D) do all of the above.

Q: Excluding important negative information about a candidate in a recommendation letter A) is expected--otherwise no one would be able to get a good job. B) has led some employers to sue after hiring the candidate and discovering problems. C) is the only way to prevent the candidate from suing you. D) is okay, as long as you explain to the candidate that you are doing it.

Q: Your comments about a job candidate could be considered defamatory if A) in a phone conversation you tell the applicant's potential employer that the applicant is an alcoholic. B) you omit important negative information about the candidate in a recommendation letter. C) you decline to provide a recommendation because of "company policy." D) you cannot prove that those comments are true.

Q: If you have serious concerns about the qualifications of a job candidate who has asked you for a recommendation, it is best to A) keep them to yourself. B) include others' criticisms to support your statements. C) refuse to write the recommendation. D) state your opinion strongly, since it is protected by the First Amendment.

Q: When writing a letter of recommendation, you should A) provide facts and evidence to support your opinions. B) show it to the job candidate before sending it to the person who requested it. C) overstate the candidate's abilities if he or she is a good friend and really wants the job. D) make sure to include any negative stories you've heard about the candidate.

Q: When responding to a request for adjustment when a third party is at fault, the best approach is to A) refuse the claim and suggest that the customer sue the third party. B) refuse the claim but forward the paperwork to the third party. C) respond promptly, explaining how the problem will be solved. D) honor the claim but explain that your company was not at fault.