Harvard Business Publishing REPORTING FOR ACCOUNTANTS Management Communication: Complete Online Course William Ellet

Planning Communication Exam

Please highlight the correct asnwer for each question.

1. Which of the following questions is not used for organizing thinking about a communication?

What?

When?

How?

Who?

2. What does informative communication do?

Describes or explains something particularly important

Tells a story

Describes something

Describes or explains some aspect of reality

Explains how to do something

3. What is persuasive communication?

Using language to motivate an audience to do what the communicator wants them to do

Using language to motivate an audience to think, feel, or act in the way the communicator intends

Any communication that seeks to change an audience's opinion of an issue

Using methods such as money and peer pressure to motivate an audience to think, feel, or act in the way the communicator intends

A communication that uses words to produce an effect in the audience

4. Why is persuasion important in business?

It primarily helps people advance in their careers.

It's a skill that is good to have for the occasional times when managers need to convince people.

It is a catalyst for getting work done.

It lets people know what you think.

It is a fast way to produce the results you want.

5. You need to understand the purpose and audience before you start work on the message.

True

False

6. Understanding your audience will help you achieve the purpose of your communication.

True

False

7. Select the question that best helps a communicator understand an audience:

What does the audience know about the topic and how do they perceive the speaker/writer?

How recently has the speaker/writer communicated with the audience and what were the results?

How many people are in the audience and what impact does that have on communication?

8. How can cognitive bias be harmful to communication?

It makes the audience impossible to convince.

It can distort people's views of a situation.

It allows feelings to overwhelm reason.

It causes people to dislike others.

It gives the audience a reason to ignore the writer or speaker.

9. Select the item that is not a bias affecting communication:

Anchoring Bias

Availability Bias

Quantitative Bias

False Generalization Bias

Representativeness Bias

10. In business what is the most important tool for creating a persuasive message?

Numbers

Graphics

Experience in persuasion

Experience in communicating

Reasoning

11. Select the evidence statement that does not help prove the conclusion:

The balance sheet and cash flow metrics remain positive.

The company has over $400 million in cash.

The company has little debt and thus its interest payments are minimal.

The share price has outperformed analysts' predictions.

Operating cash flow has been growing in line with revenues, which should bring net cash per share to $2.25.

The average number of days to collect cash after a sale is the best in the industry: below 30 days.

12. Which of the following is the function of an assumption?

It shows why the audience should believe the message.

It proves that the speaker or writer's conclusion is true.

It provides a logical link between different pieces of evidence.

It explains the meaning of the evidence.

It provides a logical connection between evidence and conclusion.

13. An assumption must be acceptable to the audience.

True

False

14. Is this statement an accurate assumption for the argument below:

Players who could lose a year of their careers and suffer large financial losses should be allow to play in the upcoming season.

Evidence

The players in the soccer league will lose a year of their careers.

The players will suffer large financial losses.

Conclusion

The players should be allowed to play in the upcoming season.

True

False

15. Select the statement that most accurately describes the role of emotion in communication:

Emotions are present in everyone.

Emotions can strongly influence how an audience reacts to a message.

Emotions pose risks for communication and messages should avoid them.

Emotions are critical to communication because they are more powerful than thoughts.

Emotions usually are not a significant factor in business communication.

16. Select the statement that best states what a writer or speaker should know about using emotion in a message:

How to elicit feelings in the audience that are favorable to his or her purpose

Knowing the audience feelings that might help achieve the purpose

Knowing the audience's feelings about the purpose

All of the above

17. Character is the audience's perception of a speaker or writer.

True

False

18. Select the statement below that best explains how communicators can use character in a message:

Understanding how to move the audience to the desired perception of the speaker or writer

Understanding how to change their character so speakers and writers are perceived the way they want to be

Understanding how superiors perceive the writer or speaker

19. Select the organizer most appropriate for the following informative message:

An intern is preparing a report about the types of customer complaints received over the previous five years, for example, product malfunctions. The intern asks her manager for guidance on the organization of the information that would be most useful for the marketing department. What would the manager say?

Process

Chronology

Hierarchy

Frequency

Level of difficulty

20. Select the scenario in which a decision argument could be most helpful:

A commercial real estate executive is writing a memo about the strengths and weaknesses of the firm's marketing program.

The U.S. postal service faces an uncertain future. A postal official addresses an in-house meeting about adapting the organization for the 21st century.

A manager is presenting to a group of other senior technicians and product specialists. Her topic is the repeated failure of a part in one of the machines the company manufactures.

21. The outline below is the most logical order of elements of a decision argument:

I. Statement of Decision to be Made

II. Statement of Criteria

III. Statement of Recommendation

IV. Statement of Decision Options

V. Proof of Decision

VI. Rebuttal of Other Options

True.

False

22. What is the most important element of an evaluation argument?

Quantitative evidence

Balance

Terms of the evaluation

Number of pros and cons

Criteria

23. Select the scenario in which an evaluation argument could be most helpful:

A bank officer is preparing a list of the bank's 100 largest loans.

The vice mayor for a large city is considering new approaches for convincing businesses to offer summer jobs to young people.

An assistant general manager is planning a memo that compares the success of strategies competitors have been using.

None of the above.

24. When a situation or outcome needs a causal explanation, a diagnostic argument is needed.

True

False

25. Select the scenario in which a diagnostic argument could be most helpful:

A product manager is revising an outdated marketing plan.

An accounting manager must report on why Selling, General, and Administrative expenses have jumped recently.

An accounting manager needs to write a report about the updated costs of three information technology systems.

None of the above.