Exam 3: Planning Business Messages

Your organization decides to switch its top-down decision-making structure with a participatory approach, in which all employees have a say in decision-making. Draft the message using first the direct and then the indirect approach. Describe the type of audience for each approach and explain why that particular approach is necessary.

Include only enough information to accomplish your objective, focussing on the primary decision makers.

In business messages, you need to state your specific purpose as precisely as possible, even identifying which audience members should respond, how they should respond, and when.

Stella is working on a tourism brochure for the Bahamas. She needs to find new and interesting ways of presenting information that has been covered many times before. She begins to write as many ideas, questions, and possibilities she can think of without considering order or importance. She looks for connections among the various ideas to help her find the best way to present the information. Which of the following methods is Stella using?

List four questions that can help you test the purpose of your message.

Using an example, explain the advantages of the storytelling method in business communications.

One advantage of email is its high level of privacy.

Identify three attributes of quality information.

In which of the following cases will a direct approach be the appropriate message strategy?

The richest form of feedback is ________.

Clarifying the purpose of your message, gathering necessary information, and tailoring your message to the needs and expectations of your audience takes place in the "writing" stage of the writing process.

If you are unsure what an audience wants, the best solution is to include more information to be more complete.

The planning stage should take about ________.

Which of the following forms of communication is the richest?

The ________ medium includes media that range from notes to formal reports, letters, memos, and email.

When your message has an emotional component, which of these channels is the most effective?

The ________ approach asks who, what, when, where, why, and how questions to distill major thoughts from unorganized information.

The written medium includes which of the following?

Storytelling is an effective way to organize messages in a surprising number of business communication scenarios, from recruiting and training employees to enticing investors and customers.

To help you define the ________ purpose of your message, ask yourself what you hope to accomplish with your message and what your audience should do or think after receiving your message.