In order to craft effective business messages, beginning writers should follow the writing process closely. The first step in this process is to analyze the purpose and audience of the message.

As you first begin the composition process, which of the following questions should you ask yourself? Check all that apply.

Should this be an e$-$mail or a memo?

Will the audience listen to me$?$

Why am I sending this message?

What do I hope to achieve by sending this message?

Do I really want to write this message?

Read the following scenario, and answer the questions.

The Freebird Turbocharger is being recalled. All customers who submitted warranty cards can have their installed turbochargers serviced free by authorized mechanics. If you do not have a warranty with Freebird, bring your original receipt to your local Freebird dealership and they will complete the repairs at cost$.$

What is the primary purpose of this message?

To sell a turbocharger

To refuse a refund

To give a price quote

To inform a customer about a recall

What is the secondary purpose of this message?

To sell more turbochargers

To retain the customer$$s goodwill

To provide a refund

After identifying the purpose of your message, you should select the most appropriate communication channel. When determining the most effective channel for your message, which of the following should you consider? Check all that apply.

Degree of formality desired

Importance of the font choice

How long it will take to write the message

Receiver$$s preference and level of technical expertise

Necessity of a permanent record

Importance of the message

Amount of effort involved

Consider the following situation and choose the most appropriate communication channel.

You have been working on a new cell phone product for the last year. It hits store shelves next month. There$$s not much time left to inform the sales team about the phone$$s new features. What is the best way to educate them so they can come up with a coordinated sales approach?

You should use:

Technology and competition continue to accelerate the pace of business; thus, business writers switch to increasingly faster means of communication. Consider the following scenario, and determine if a faster communication channel would be more appropriate.

Marco is on the phone with a client. He needs to get his boss$$s approval for an immediate change in the client$$s contract. Marco writes his boss an e$-$mail.

Marco should send an instant message.

Marco should put his request for approval in a memo.

Marco has chosen the correct channel.

A good writer anticipates the audience of a message. Although you can$$t always know exactly who the audience is$,$ you can imagine the general characteristics of the receiver. Profiling your audience allows you to adopt the appropriate tone, language, and channel.

Which of the following are appropriate questions to ask when profiling your audience? Check all that apply.

What is my relationship with the audience?

Can I get someone else to transmit this message?

Do I care about my audience$$s response?

How must I reshape my message to make it understandable and acceptable to others to whom it might be forwarded?

Should I expect a neutral, positive, or negative response to my message?

Read the following scenario, and answer the questions.

You work in the customer care division at Flannery Electronics. Mr$.$ Gallegos, a longtime customer, is experiencing a problem with his home theater system and has submitted a letter requesting that Flannery Electronics either fix or replace his system at no cost$.$ Unfortunately, Mr$.$ Gallegos$$s customer service and factory warranties expired three months ago. You must write to Mr$.$ Gallegos and inform him that Flannery will be unable to honor his request.

Should the tone for this message be formal or informal?

Formal

Informal

Which communication channel would be most appropriate?

Phone call

Letter

Face$-$to$-$face meeting

Instant message

Mr$.$ Gallegos will most likely have a response to the message you send him.

Who might be the secondary audience for your message to Mr$.$ Gallegos? Check all that apply.

Mr$.$ Gallegos$$s friends and family who might also be customers

The police

Your boss

Assume you just wrote the following e$-$mail message to your supervisor about industrial espionage.

Dear Mr$.$ Helmsley:

We have a problem. The other day I saw one of my coworkers loading boxes into the trunk of her car. I offered to help because I thought she was taking work home.

The lid slipped off one of the boxes, and I realized it was full of photocopied plans from our latest prototype. She$$s not on the development team, so there$$s no reason she should have these documents. I$$m not sure what, if anything, I should do about this.

Before sending the message, it occurs to you that your e$-$mail will probably be forwarded to the legal team.

What will you need to change to make the messag