COM 295T: Business Communications – Entire Course Solution

COM 295T Entire Course

COM 295T Week 1 Discussion – Cultural Intelligence

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students.

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Due Thursday

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Choose any one or more of the following to discuss:

After reviewing chapter 4, explain the need to demonstrate cultural intelligence and share an example of how this is accomplished.

After reviewing chapter 1, discuss the importance of establishing credibility.

How can you ensure appropriate etiquette is used in a diverse workforce?

Due Monday

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

COM 295T Week 2 Discussion – Positive Writing Style

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students.

Due Thursday

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Explain how we can apply a positive writing style at work while identifying logical inconsistencies.

Provide a concrete example of an appropriate way in which we can use communication skills to accomplish this.

Due Monday

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

COM 295T Week 3 Discussion – Visual Display using Charts and Graphs

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students.

Due Thursday

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Choose any one or more of the following to discuss:

After reviewing chapter 6,in what ways can you improve ease of reading when constructing business messages?

After reviewing chapter 12, determine what you think is the most effective way to present information within charts and graphs.

After reviewing chapter 9,what should you consider when reviewing routine business messages?

Due Monday

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

COM 295T Week 4 Discussion – Presentations

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students.

Due Thursday

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Think about giving a presentation.

Explain the benefit of emphasizing the background and needs of your audience during a presentation.

Determine how to strike the most appropriate balance between documentation and visuals within a presentation.

Due Monday

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

COM 295T Week 5 Discussion – Credible Persona

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to other students.

Due Thursday

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Identify a way in which an individual develops a credible persona, both in person and online.

Due Monday

Reply to at least 2 of your classmates. Be constructive and professional in your responses.

COM 295 Discussion Version – 2

COM 295T Week 1 Discussion – Cultural Intelligence

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member.

Due Day 3

Organizations who do business globally depend on employees’ ability to work and communicate well with colleagues and other business professionals from various cultures. This requires employees at all levels in the organization to have a high cultural intelligence and a keen understanding of cultural dimensions.

Select a country that your company is currently doing business with or plans to do business with in the future, or a country that interests you. The Apply assignment this week involves a case analysis of a business trip to China, so you may wish to choose China to gain more insight for the assignment. I do recommend you chose another country to broaden your knowledge of global business.

Review the Globe ranking in Ch. 4, “Communicating Across Cultures,” of Business Communication: Developing Leaders for a Networked World for the 8 cultural dimensions for the country you selected.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Describe the cultural dimensions for the country you selected.
What is the main difference between that culture and your own?
What are the characteristics of cultural intelligence?
How can cultural intelligence impact your success communicating with colleagues and professionals in other countries.

Due Day 7

Post 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member. Be constructive and professional.

COM 295T Week 2 Discussion – Planning Business Messages

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member.

Due Day 3

Positive thinking is an attitude that is solution-oriented and focuses on favorable results. This attitude is important in creating effective business messages. Your ability to be positive and exude optimism in your communications can strongly influence others and ultimately lead to greater success.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Reflect on your own expressions of positiveness.
How can you identify logical inconsistencies and how can you avoid them
Explain how you can apply a positive writing style at work in a situation where you also must identify logical inconsistencies.
Provide a concrete example of a positive communication.

Due Day 7

Post 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member. Be constructive and professional.

View the answer to CIS 207T full course.

COM 295T Week 3 Discussion – Credibility in Business Messages

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member.

Due Day 3

Successful communication relies on a positive relationship between the sender of a message and the receiver. The response to your message depends on your credibility, which is based on how reliable you are and how much trust you evoke in others. Establishing credibility is a critical step in building business relationships.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Reflect on how you develop and maintain credibility in your workplace.
What can damage your credibility and how would you repair that damage?
Explain the importance of establishing credibility for business professionals. How does a poorly written message impact a leader’s credibility?

Due Day 7

Post 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member. Be constructive and professional.

COM 295T Week 4 Discussion – Presentation

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member.

Due Day 3

Locate and watch a business presentation that interests you. Websites where you might find business presentation videos include YouTube™, CNBC, Forbes, Fortune, and TED.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Describe the presentation and why it was effective or ineffective. Be specific.
What are some ways a presenter can connect with the audience during a presentation? Did the presenter in this presentation connect? If so how did they do that?
NOTE: Do not just describe the content of the presentation. Be sure to talk about the presenter’s skills.

Due Day 7

Post 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member. Be constructive and professional.

COM 295T Week 5 Discussion – Social Media Ethics

Post a total of 3 substantive responses over 2 separate days for full participation. This includes your initial post and 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member.

Due Day 3

Internet communication has been gradually replacing traditional phone-based and face-to-face communication for several years. While the internet and social media have made global communication easier, it has raised ethical questions for many users.

Watch Social Media Ethics from PBS.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Identify a way in which an individual develops a credible persona, both in person and online.
What ethical issues have you observed on the internet? How did you identify them?
What kinds of ethical issues are you concerned about regarding the internet?

Due Day 7

Post 2 replies to classmates or your faculty member. Be constructive and professional.

COM 295T Week 1 – Apply: Signature Assignment: Credibility and Empathy

Using Emotional Intelligence to Show You Care

Managers need to be prepared to handle employee situations with empathy and emotional intelligence (EQ). The goal of this activity is to demonstrate sincere interest in others and show your emotional intelligence in challenging situations.

Wang-Li, an engineer at Cog Engineering, just learned that he must fly back home to China for a family emergency. How do his managers react to his telling them about the situation? How would you?

COM 295T Week 1 – Practice: Demonstrating Cultural Intelligence

Manager’s Hot Seat: Demonstrating Cultural Intelligence

Business professionals who are high in cultural intelligence possess skills and attributes to work effectively with members of other cultures. They respect, recognize, and appreciate cultural differences; possess curiosity and interest in other cultures; avoid inappropriate stereotypes; adjust conceptions of time and show patience; manage language differences to achieve shared meaning; understand cultural dimensions; establish trust and show empathy across cultures; approach cross-cultural work relationships with a learner mind-set; and build co-cultures of cooperation and innovation.

Individuals high in cultural intelligence have a good understanding of cultural dimensions. In the book you are introduced to eight cultural dimensions. In this exercise you will pay attention to six of these dimensions: individualism and collectivism, egalitarianism and hierarchy, future orientation, assertiveness, humane orientation, and performance orientation.

Indians are generally considered fairly high in collectivism, whereas Americans are generally considered fairly high in individualism.

Indians are generally considered fairly high in hierarchy, whereas Americans focus more on egalitarianism.

Indians and Americans both tend to be medium to fairly high in future orientation.

Indians are generally considered fairly low in assertiveness, whereas Americans are generally considered relatively high in assertiveness.

Indians are considered slighter higher in humane orientation than Americans; however, Americans are considered quite high in this area.

Indians and Americans are both considered fairly high in performance orientation.

Understanding the communication patterns in other cultures requires an understanding of underlying norms and values. By understanding cultural dimensions, business leaders can better recognize appropriate approaches to communication in other cultures.

In this exercise, you will identify behaviors that are associated with six cultural dimensions: individualism (and its opposite, collectivism), egalitarianism (and its opposite, hierarchy), future orientation, assertiveness, uncertainty avoidance, and performance orientation. You will see a nine-minute videoconference of team members who work for a furniture company. In the meeting, you will see three professionals:

Janet (director of communications, wearing blue shirt), who is leading a videoconference to resolve differences between Jake and Sangeeta
Jake (freelance photographer, wearing a green shirt)
Sangeeta (programmer, wearing a red shirt)

These professionals are working across continents on a project to develop a new website. They are up against a deadline, and Jake and Sangeeta each believe that progress is being hindered by the other. Janet is stepping in to help resolve differences.

COM 295 Week 1 Communication Process Worksheet

Review the steps of the communication model in Ch. 1 of Business Communication Essentials (See Figure 1.3).

Identify one personal or business communication scenario to describe each step of the communication process.

Complete the Communications Process worksheet.

Compose a 700-word response detailing the paragraphs in the boxes provided.

Discuss how mobile technology is changing the practice of business communication.
Define ethical communication.
Explain how the widespread use of social media has increased the attention given to the issue of transparency.
Give an example of how mobile communication can be used to in a business setting.

Format your assignment consistent with APA guidelines.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

Communication Process

Complete the following table.

Review the steps of the communication model on in Ch. 1 of Business Communication. (See Figure 1.3).
Identify one personal or business communication scenario.
Describe each step of that communication using your personal or business scenario. Use detailed paragraphs in the boxes provided.

Steps of communication model	Personal or business scenario
1. Sender has an idea.
2. Sender encodes the idea in a message.
3. Sender produces the message in a medium.
4. Sender transmits message through a channel.
5. Audience receives the message.
6. Audience decodes the message.
7. Audience responds to the message.
8. Audience provides feedback to the sender.

Additional Insight

Discuss how mobile technology is changing the practice of business communication.
Define ethical communication. In the digital age, explain how the widespread use of social media has increased the attention given to the issue of transparency.

COM 295T Week 1 – Apply: Signature Assignment: Case: Going on a Business Trip to China

Going on a Business Trip to China

In this exercise, you evaluate the experiences of an operations manager going to China to examine factories and potentially take bids for some of your company’s operations. You will notice differences in communication across cultures and analyze the interactions in terms of cultural intelligence and the following cultural dimensions: individualism and collectivism, egalitarianism and hierarchy, future orientation, assertiveness, and humane orientation.

Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.

Recently, senior managers at Judith Carey’s company concluded that some of the company’s operations needed to be produced in lower-wage locations for the company to stay profitable. They placed Judith in charge of learning about options in China, a country she had never visited.

After several months of making contacts via phone and email, Judith traveled to China to meet some potential manufacturers. She brought two of her staff members along with her on the trip. She also asked Mei, one of the company’s sales representatives in China, to join the group and act as an interpreter. Mei had joined the company’s sales department in China two years ago. Because she gained a marketing degree in a Canadian university, Mei’s English was excellent.

The first stop on the trip would be with representatives of the Shunde Manufacturing (SDM) Company, a potential manufacturer for the company’s line of dolls. After a long plane trip and a sleepless night at a hotel in Shanghai, Judith started the first day of work in China tired and slightly disoriented. Her team first met the company’s president, Bo Chen, and seven other men from SDM for lunch. Judith was seated next to the company’s president for the duration of the two-hour lunch, which included course after course of foods Judith had never seen or eaten before. Judith sampled most of the dishes but was clearly uncomfortable.

During the meal, the company president asked Judith, “Ms. Carey, what are your impressions of China?” Judith replied, “Well, Bo, I don’t really know too much. I’m not quite used to the air here, with all of the pollution. Of course, I’ve always known about the one-child policy, but not much else. Do you think the policy is fair?” Bo stated, “China and America must solve their problems in their own ways.” Then, he talked about the final dish for the meal—a fish. He explained that ending the meal with the fish had special symbolism in China and signaled a prosperous future for their relationship.

Near the end of lunch, Bo told Judith, “We’ll meet for dinner and a reception later at 6 p.m. I’ve arranged a tour for you this afternoon. Several of our staff members will take you for a walk along the river, to some beautiful Chinese gardens, and to the Shanghai Museum.” Judith was a bit dismayed. She wasn’t really in the mood for touring. Rather, she wanted to get down to business, but she obliged for the afternoon tour. During the tour, Judith asked Mei, her interpreter, “What should I do this evening to make sure we can talk about business?” Mei replied, “Tonight, you should make friends with President Chen. Give him a nice toast in front of his employees. Enjoy the wonderful food. Tomorrow you can talk about business.”

That evening, Judith and her team were taken to a large private room at a restaurant. The SDM Company was now represented by more than 20 employees. Judith and Bo spent most of the dinner discussing family and professional experiences. Judith enjoyed the food, gave a toast mentioning “future cooperation” and thanking “President Chen for his hospitality,” and even sang karaoke when invited.

The next day, Judith arrived at the company’s headquarters. She and her team discussed options for a partnership with SDM representatives for the duration of the day. At the end of the day, both parties agreed to continue their conversations in approximately one month.

COM 295 Week 2 Definition Assignment

Develop a 150- to 200-word individual response to the following:

Consider the multiple definitions of collaboration.
Define collaboration and how you will apply it in this course based upon the discussion with your Learning Team. Be sure to reference and cite your sources.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment. Be sure to attach a copy of your Learning Team Charter for Collaborative Learning Activities.

COM 295 Week 2 Empathetic Listening Scenario

Think back over conversations you have had with friends, family members, co-workers, or classmates.

Select a conversation in which the other person wanted to talk about something that was troubling him or her. As you replay this conversation in your mind, think about how well you did in terms of empathic listening.

Develop a 1,050-word analysis including:

Explain whether you found yourself being critical when the person really just needed someone to listen.
Identify whether you let the person know, by your words or actions, you cared about his or her dilemma, even if you were not able to help in any other way.
Analyze your listening performance.

Note: Be sure not to disclose any private information; you can change the names of the people involved or the circumstances as needed to maintain privacy.

Format the assignment consistent with APA guidelines.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

COM 295T Week 2 – Practice: Planning a Persuasive Message

Planning a Persuasive Message

Gaining attention. The first task of most persuasive messages is to gain the attention of your readers. You can do this in a variety of ways, including asking a rhetorical question, providing a compelling or interesting fact, providing a compelling statistic, issuing a challenge, or posting a testimonial. For internal persuasive messages, the primary means of gaining attention is demonstrating a business need—a gap between what is and what could be.

Describing a need, giving a solution, and providing a rationale. Once you’ve stated the need, you may describe your solution, which is a recommended product, service, or idea. Many readers will remain skeptical unless you provide convincing support. So, you will need to provide a strong rationale, meaning solid reasons why your product, service, or idea really benefits them.

Show appreciation for other views. At some point in the body of the message, you should validate your readers by showing appreciation for their views and preferences. Validation implies that you recognize and appreciate others’ needs, wants, ideas, and preferences as legitimate and reasonable.

Give counterpoints. Traditionally, communicators overcame the objections of their audiences by providing counterpoints to any of the audience members’ objections. Overcoming objections with counterpoints, however, is risky in the post-trust era. This approach may unnecessarily carry a me-versus-you tone and delegitimize the readers’ concerns. Consider whether providing counterpoints provides more benefits than costs.

Provide a call to action. You conclude persuasive messages with a call to action, which asks your readers to take a specific step toward the purchase of a product or service or acceptance of an idea. However, a call to action should not be a hard sell; pressuring others is increasingly ineffective in the post-trust era.

Tone is particularly important for persuasive messages. Since your audience holds resistance to you or your message, any indication that your message is self-serving or manipulative will increase that resistance. You should aim for a positive, confident, and other-oriented tone. To do this, you can apply the following strategies: apply the personal touch, use action-oriented and lively language, write with confidence, offer choice, and be positive.

Apply the personal touch. You can apply a personal touch in several ways by personalizing the message and using you-voice. You can also do so by making statements tangible. By definition, tangible means that something can be touched; it is material or substantial. In a business communications context, making the statement tangible implies that the readers can discern something in terms that are meaningful to them. This allows the reader to sense the impact on a personal level. Often, you can achieve a tangible feel by combining you-voice with specificity.

Use action-oriented and lively language. In persuasive messages, you have somewhat more license to write creatively. Focus on using action-oriented and lively words to achieve a sense of excitement, optimism, or other positive emotions. Use strong nouns and verbs to add to the excitement of the message. Some sales messages sound dull because of overuse and reliance on words such as “provide” and “offer.” Across the entire message or thought, the action-oriented and lively language should emphasize a central theme.

Write with confidence. As you display more confidence in your idea, your product, or your service, you can more effectively influence your audience. Effective persuaders provide compelling and simple reasons for action.

Offer choice. In the post-trust era (PTE), customers and clients consider choice an indicator of credibility. They view simple language (not implying lack of sophisticated knowledge) as a display of transparency and respect. In contrast, they view overly complex language as potentially deceptive. Similarly, effective persuasive messages avoid statements that may be perceived as pressure tactics. Hard sells are increasingly ineffective in a PTE, especially in written format.

Be positive. Positivity in persuasive messages helps your audience focus on the benefits rather than the drawbacks of what you are trying to promote.

Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.

Assume that you work in a human resources department. Recently, a small earthquake struck near the headquarters of your company. Although there were no injuries and little damage, your company president thinks that all employees should be more prepared for a major earthquake. In her words, “you never know when we’ll get the big one.” She has asked you to promote some earthquake preparedness workshops.

So far, you’ve drafted the following message:

SUBJECT: Prepare Now!

Dear employees:

As you know, this area is prone to earthquakes. We often get complacent. But, that’s the wrong attitude because being unprepared can actually get people killed. In the last big earthquake 20 years ago, at least 15 deaths were due to poor preparation.

In order to better prepare for the “big one,” I invite you to attend one of the two-hour workshops we’ve set up. Our company president has generously scheduled these workshops to include meals (breakfast or lunch). In addition, she has decided that she will donate $100 to the Red Cross for each employee who attends the workshops. So, do you want to hold the company back from donating $100 for a good cause?

The two-hour workshops will include a lot of helpful information. These workshops will be fun and engaging.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

COM 295T Week 2 – Apply: Case: Getting the Tone Right

Getting the Tone Right for Persuasive Messages

Offer choice. In the post-trust era (PTE), customers and clients consider choice an indicator of credibility. They view simple language—which does not imply a lack of sophisticated knowledge—as a display of transparency and respect. In contrast, they view overly complex language as potentially deceptive. Similarly, effective persuasive messages avoid statements that may be perceived as pressure tactics. Hard sells are increasingly ineffective in a PTE, especially in written format.

Be positive. Positivity in persuasive messages helps your audience focus on the benefits rather than the drawbacks of what you are trying to promote.

Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.

You are attempting to achieve a positive and helpful tone to invite employees to the benefits fair. Your goal is to get as many employees to attend as possible.

In this exercise, you will assume the role of a human resources (HR) specialist for your company. Each year, your company holds an open enrollment period during October. During this period, employees can make changes to various benefits, such as health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, and retirement packages.

As part of the open enrollment period, you hold a benefits fair. At this event, representatives for each of your approved insurance and retirement plan vendors are available. Also, representatives from your own office are there to answer questions. To attract employees to the event, you also invite several high-profile speakers to discuss health care and retirement planning.

You are writing several messages to employees to invite them to the event. You will send these messages via email and as announcements on the corporate intranet. You expect that you can be particularly influential by posting to the benefits blog, which is one of the most widely accessed blogs on your corporate intranet.

COM 295T Week 3 – Practice: Evaluating a Routine Announcement

Evaluating a Routine Announcement

This activity is important because managers and other professionals frequently give announcements to help coordinate the efforts of employees and keep them in the loop.

The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate your understanding of routine announcements.

Read the announcement below. Then, answer the questions that follow.

(1) SUBJECT: New Policy

Dear fellow employees,

(2) We will soon implement a flextime policy, involving flexible hours and work-from-home options.

(3) I hope you will try to learn as much as possible about the new policy.

(4) If you have questions, please contact a member of our HR team.

(5) Jessica Tang, Senior Vice President.

COM 295 Week 3 Constructing Effective Business Messages Part I

Select a product or service for this assignment in which you believe your organization should invest capital resources to develop for sale in a global environment.

Review Ch. 4 of Business Communication Essentials.

Create a Microsoft® Word analysis of no more than 1,400 words that includes the following:

Describe the product or service, including its main characteristics.
Why do you believe this product is worthwhile?
A profile of your audience/s. Why are these audience/s important? How different would you approach each audience?
Explain how you would establish credibility.

Explain why you selected the channel.

Select the appropriate channel for delivering your message based on context, audience, and purpose.

Format your assignment consistent with APA guidelines.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

COM 295 Week 3 Practice: Case Analysis: Evaluating a Routine Email

Complete the “Case Analysis: Evaluating a Routine Email” in Connect.

Evaluating a Routine Email

Email continues to be the most common type of written communication in most businesses. You can follow a variety of principles to use it effectively: (1) use it for the right purposes, (2) ensure ease of reading, (3) show respect for others’ time, (4) protect the privacy and confidentiality of others, (5) respond promptly, (6) maintain professionalism and appropriate formality, (7) manage emotion effectively, and (8) avoid distractions.

Typically, as you write an email message, you should do the following: (1) provide a short, descriptive subject line, (2) use greetings and closings effectively, (3) keep your message brief yet complete, (4) clearly identify expected actions, (5) provide a descriptive and professional signature block, and (6) use attachments wisely.

Routine messages should be direct and front-loaded. The primary message should have ten words or fewer, and you should typically place it in the subject line of your email to immediately capture attention. Furthermore, the primary message should appear in the first sentence or two of the message and again in the closing if your message is several paragraphs long.

In the body of the routine message, you should provide short paragraphs with related details. To make sure your message receiver will comply, include all needed information. As you draft the message, aim for a helpful, professional, and reader-centered tone. Focus on making the message easy to read. Readers expect to understand your primary message in less than 10 to 15 seconds, so use short sentences and paragraphs. Paragraphs should generally be between 20 and 80 words. Design your message so that readers can find information in just moments. Use bullets, numbering, special formatting, and external links to relevant information to highlight key ideas.

Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.

SUBJECT: Proper Submissions

Hey,

[Sentence 1] Thank you for traveling to our recent event “Marketing to Senior Citizens.” [Sentence 2] All of the following expenses will be reimbursed: air travel (up to $500 for coach-class airfare), meals (for up to $25 per meal), travel to and from the airport (for up to $75 per taxi ride), and some incidentals (up to $20 per day).

[Sentence 3] Reimbursement will be sent to you after the following steps are completed. [Sentence 4]An itemized spreadsheet of expenses must be received by October 15. [Sentence 5] A date, an explanation, and an expense amount should be included on the spreadsheet of expenses. [Sentence 6] Additionally, a single file with copies of all receipts (in .pdf form is best) must be attached in order for your reimbursement to be processed. [Sentence 7] The spreadsheet and copy of expenses should be sent to the following email address: teri@slpconsulting.com. [Sentence 8] The phrase “Reimbursement for Sept 15 Marketing Event” should be written in the subject line.

1. Which of the following subject lines would be best for this email?

Multiple Choice

Please Submit Your Expenses before October 15

In Order to be Reimbursed Promptly, Please Remember to Submit Your Expenses within Four Weeks

Thank You for Attending the “Marketing to Senior Citizens” Event

Reimbursement

2. Which of the following greetings would be best for this email?

Multiple Choice

Hello Katie,

Dear Valued Client,

Hello!

To whom it may concern:

3. What statement best describes sentence 1?

Multiple Choice

It is a warm and an appropriate opening to the message.

It is irrelevant to this message.

It sets the wrong tone.

It is too long.

4. What is true of sentences 3 through 8?

Multiple Choice

Each sentence is a passive sentence.

Each sentence is an active sentence.

Each sentence is not specific.

Each sentence is not helpful.

5. Assume that you begin the second paragraph (sentences 3 through 8) with the following sentence: “Please email Teri Stephens (teri@slpconsulting.com) by October 15 with the following pieces of information:” Which items should you include in a bulleted list?

Multiple Choice

an itemized spreadsheet and a file with copies of all receipts

an itemized spreadsheet, a file with copies of all receipts, and the subject line

an itemized spreadsheet and the subject line

an itemized spreadsheet and bank account information

6. This email lacks a focus on the future. Which of the following calls to action would be the best focus on the future?

Multiple Choice

Feel free to contact me any time about developing campaigns to attract senior citizens.

Hurry and get your receipts in so you can get your reimbursement right away!

Good luck reaching your marketing goals!

7. Overall, which statement about the address block is most accurate?

Multiple Choice

It is professional and complete.

It is unprofessional and complete.

It is professional and incomplete.

It is unprofessional and incomplete.

COM 295 Week 3 Apply: Selecting Sources of Research

Refer to the “Determining Data Quality” practice activity you completed in Connect®.

Complete the “Selecting Sources of Research” in Connect®.

Note: You have only 1 attempt available to complete assignments. Grades must be transferred manually to eCampus by your instructor. Don’t worry, this might happen after your due date.

Refer to the “Evaluating Data Quality” practice activity.

Imagine that you are a marketing specialist at a media company. Over the past few years, you have been researching how TV viewers use mobile phones and other devices while watching TV. You want to find out as much as you can about what other researchers, experts, and commentators say about trends in this area as you prepare a strategy brief for your executive team. Specifically, you want to know how TV viewers use mobile phones, tablets, and other mobile devices while watching sports events.

True/False: The first step you should take in developing your research-based report is identifying what decision makers want to accomplish.

True/False: The information you can access through business databases and other sources at your library is generally most reliable.

True/False: As you collect, analyze, and present data to others, you should provide all the relevant facts, even if they do not fit into convenient conclusions.

Who will your primary audience be for this business report?

decision makers within the company
low-level workers within the company
suppliers of the company
customers of the company

When you’re evaluating secondary research and how well it can be revised to address your specific business problem, you are considering its

relevance
adaptability
biases
reliability

If you were to use a report or guide that generally describes research about solving a particular issue, particularly one similar to the one you are encountering, you would be using ____________.

scholarly journals
white papers
industry publications
business books

If you were looking for a research source that provides concise, easy to understand research, which of the following research sources would you be LEAST likely to use?

white papers
scholarly journals
external blogs
business periodicals

If, during your research, you were only interested in expert opinions on the topic, which of the following types of secondary sources would be LEAST helpful for you?

an industry report
a white paper
a wiki
a scholarly journal article

You can usually better assess the usefulness of ____________ than other secondary sources because of the many online reviews available.

external blogs
scholarly journals
industry publications
business books

A drawback of using online databases is that they

are not found in university libraries
take time to navigate
are more expensive than primary research
provide outdated information

To ensure the completeness of a business message once you’ve compiled your research and are preparing to deliver your message, you should be sure to

be specific
control paragraph length
avoid empty phrases
use action verbs

Which of the following is most likely to negatively influence readers’ perceptions of your credibility?

inaccurate statements
passive voice
generous white space
long paragraphs

COM 295T Week 4 – Practice: Evaluating the Needs of an Audience

Evaluating the Needs of an Audience

Understanding the needs of your audience is one of your first tasks as you develop your presentations. As you do your homework about the audience, answer the following questions to the degree possible:

How will audience members benefit from the product, service, or ideas I am proposing? This is the single most important question you can use to guide you as you design your presentation. In particular, focus on benefits that fulfill an unmet need.

What communication styles will your audience respond to based on their motivational values? Identify the motivational value systems (MVSs) of your audience and how you might appeal to the following MVSs: blue MVS, red MVS, green MVS, and hubs.

What is the learning style of your audience? Most people fall into one of three major learning styles: visual, auditory, or kinesthetic.

Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.

Assume that you work in a human resources department. Recently, a small earthquake struck near the headquarters of your company. Although there were no injuries and little damage, your company president thinks that all employees should be more prepared for a major earthquake. In her words, “You never know when we’ll get the big one.” She has asked you to promote some earthquake preparedness workshops.

The company president is holding an employee town hall meeting for approximately 100 employees this week. She has given you ten minutes to describe and promote the upcoming earthquake preparedness workshops. The workshops will run for two hours and involve expert training. Attending the workshops is entirely voluntary. You have scheduled five workshops to allow as many employees as possible to fit a workshop into their schedules.

Now, you need to think about how best to use your ten minutes to promote the workshops.

COM 295T Week 4 – Apply: Signature Assignment: Case: Establishing Credibility

Establishing Credibility as a Presenter

One of your first presentation strategies should be to establish credibility. Without appearing self-serving, find ways to increase your perceived credibility. Use the presentation to show your thorough understanding of a business issue. Frame your ideas in ways that show clear benefits to your company, its employees, and its stakeholders. In every way, display honesty and openness.

During the presentation, you establish your competence by showing that you know the content well. You show your caring by connecting emotionally with audience members and adapting to their needs. You show your character by being open and honest. After your presentation, following up as appropriate with audience members shows your caring and character as well. Some audience members may raise issues for you to look into or ask for additional information. Comply with these requests promptly and you will establish a reputation for responsiveness.

In this exercise, you will evaluate how your actions and statements build your credibility in terms of competence, caring, and character.

Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.

You are a marketing specialist at a media company. Over the past few years, you have been researching how TV viewers use mobile phones and other devices while watching TV. You have found that viewers increasingly expect to engage via mobile devices with TV shows and their audiences while watching TV.

About one month ago, you and your colleagues gave a presentation to executives at your company regarding some of your survey results. The executive team members were generally impressed with the information, but they also seemed skeptical that your company needed to make any major changes. These executives made various statements referring to using mobile devices while watching TV as “largely a fad” or simply “nonmonetizing.” They also expressed concern about making major changes to cater to the youngest viewers (under 25 years old), who they feel are not their most important demographic. However, they were impressed with your presentation enough that they wanted you to dig deeper into the data and come up with some recommendations.

After a month of deeper analysis of your data, you have found even stronger evidence that viewers under 40 use their mobile devices frequently while watching TV. You thought these data helped bolster your argument that younger TV viewers expect an interactive experience while watching TV programs—using mobile devices to interact with TV hosts, actors, and other viewers; to participate in contests and games; and to interact in other creative ways with the programming.

With more and more TV viewers recording shows and watching commercial-free later, you thought that adopting an interactive approach to many programs could counteract this trend and get viewers excited about watching programs live. In fact, you think there is currently a great opportunity to develop a new business model that embraces interactive programming.

Now, you’ve returned to make a presentation to this same group of senior vice presidents (SVPs): Katie O’Harrah, SVP of marketing; Jake Ecksberg, SVP of programming; Sam Clawson, SVP of interactive; Marco Feinstein, SVP of communications; and Peter Orwell, SVP of business development. You know most of these executives are skeptical of major changes to the current business model, but you also expect them to listen objectively to your views. You will recommend that the company aggressively pursues programming with an interactive component. In particular, you will suggest pilot-testing interactive features for three shows that are most popular with your 31- to 40-year-old demographic.

COM 295T Week 5 – Practice: Comparing Communication Channels

Comparing Communication Channels

Strategically selecting a communication channel means that you choose the communication channel that is best able to meet your work objectives. This process involves evaluating three qualities of communication channels: richness, control, and constraints.

As a new district sales manager, you have been given a variety of tasks by the director of marketing. In this case analysis, you will evaluate your communication channels for each task in terms of richness, control, and constraints.

Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.

You work for Performance Now Sports (PNS), a chain of retail sports stores. You sell high-end sports clothing and gear. After two successful years as a PNS store manager, you were recently promoted to a district sales manager. In this role, you are responsible for the performance of 15 stores. You work closely with each store manager to carry out the organization’s overall sales strategy.

Last week, you met with the company’s marketing director. She stated that you are responsible for achieving a 15 percent growth in revenue for your district during the next year. She wants you to implement a new incentive system in which sales representatives receive lower base wages but higher commission rates. She also wants you to provide recommendations for at least five locations within your district for new stores. Finally, she wants you to lead local marketing campaigns that draw attention to stores in your district.

COM 295T Week 5 – Apply: Avoiding Disclosure of Confidential Information on Social Media

Avoiding Disclosure of Confidential Information on Social Media

Social media can be a far-reaching and impactful tool in the workplace for spreading messages to your audience, building your brand, or even communicating with employees. However, it can also be a source for leaking proprietary information, posting negative comments about a company, and other harmful communication about employees or the company.

This activity is important because practices regarding social media in the workplace can be a gray area as social media usage continues to grow. It is increasingly important for managers to know and implement your company’s social media rules and to make decisions regarding your employees’ social media usage. The goal of this activity is to provide you with techniques for making decisions about social media in the workplace.

It is brought to the attention of the Horizon Technologies project manager that one of his employees has told someone outside the company information about a proprietary product, information that was then leaked on social media. How does he handle the situation? How would you?

Click the ► button to watch the video. Then, answer the questions that follow.

COM 295T Business Communications – Version – 2

COM 295T Week 1 Assignment Apply: Signature Assignment: Case: Business Trip to China Quiz

When Bo Chen referred to Judith Carey as “Ms. Carey,” Judith responded by referring to him as “Bo”. Which of the following cultural dimensions can best explain this situation?
The first day of the visit is largely spent with lavish banquets and events. Which of the following cultural dimensions can best explain this situation?
When Judith Carey asked Bo Chen about his views of the one-child policy, he stated, “China and America must solve their problems in their own ways.” Which of the following cultural dimensions can best explain this situation?
Judith’s interpreter, Mei, encouraged her to give a toast to Bo Chen. Which of the following cultural dimensions can best explain this situation?
Overall, what statement is most true of Judith?
Which of the following elements of cultural intelligence should Judith work on the most?
Overall, this case confirms that Chinese business culture is generally considered what combination of individualism and egalitarianism?

COM 295T Practice: Demonstrating Cultural Intelligence Quiz

Janet starts the conversation by stating, “Let’s cut to the chase here. I’ve hired each of you for your professionalism and expertise, and this project is way behind.” What cultural dimension is most at play here?

Jake complains that the “primary problem is communication” because Sangita has not responded to his many emails over months. Jake’s complaint shows that he most lacks what element of cultural intelligence?

Jake complains about Sangita, saying, “She’s not getting the vision. I don’t like the attitude.” Which of the following phrases best characterizes how this statement will be interpreted?

Janet is a supervisor to both Sangita and Jake. In this situation, Janet is also acting as an intermediary to bridge differences between Sangita and Jake. This approach may be particularly effective in Indian culture due to what cultural dimension?

It is evident that Janet, Sangita, and Jake are each interested in doing good work. They’ve discussed achieving good results, and they want to get things done in a timely manner. What cultural dimension most likely explains this?

Sangita mentions that she has to attend a weeklong wedding for a fourth cousin. Janet and Jake react with laughter, suggesting Sangita can’t possibly go to the wedding for that long given the hard deadline. The actions of all three individuals is best explained by which cultural dimension?

COM 295T Practice: SmartBook: Ch. 1 – Establishing Credibility Quiz

The many major business scandals in the early twenty-first century have impacted the American public in which of the following ways?
According to anonymous surveys, a majority of graduate students in education, medicine, law, and business did which of the following to gain admittance to their programs?
The statement “You must identify a goal with a measurable outcome, and you must hit that goal-every month, every day, every year” best describes which of the following?
Which of the following questions should you consider when preparing to communicate with customers or colleagues?
Which of the following statements about the cheating culture is true?
The majority of employees view their leaders and colleagues___________ in the post-trust era.
Most business leaders believe that their primary responsibilities to their employees include which of the following?
Effective communicators gain trust by seeking to understand others’
Which of the following factors impact a business executive’s credibility? (Select all that apply.)
A perception that someone does not care about others will lead people to____________ them.
Which of the following is a characteristic of givers in business?
Which of the following are traits that are based on good character?
Which of the following happens in a team when team members use the phrase “our needs” is used instead of “my needs”?
In recent years transparency has been the most important
The trait that ranked the highest in determining trust among individual in the workplace was
Which of the following are positive ways a transparent workplace can be created by a leader in business?
Having good character implies that one has ______ values.
Which of the following is a characteristic of takers in business?
True or false: In corporate communications, the principal business ethic today is brevity.
Why might business professionals fail to speak up after observing unethical behavior in their company?
Publicly traded companies must have an ethics code available to all employees because of the
A feeling of _________ indicates an obligation to meet the needs and desires of others.
True or false. Minor acts of dishonesty and slight deviations from the truth are harmless and should be encouraged in business.
Assuming that a corporation has good values, which of the following statements about the alignment of personal values and corporate values are true?
In business, dishonesty on financial performance is likely to lead to
When composing important or controversial communications, you should spend time evaluating the best way
The “R” in the FAIR test stands for
Which of the following statements about company confidentiality are correct?
The listening-centered approach to communication is critical to
Which of the following are core principles in business communication?
You can improve your professional skills by becoming a(n) _______ communicator.
By thinking about how your communication will affect recipients, you are using the _________ component of the FAIR test.
Demonstrating accountability in business implies which of the following?
The moral principles that steer the behavior of a group or an individual are known as
Having good credibility implies which of the following qualities?
Credibility and trust can improve which of the following?
Which of the following best describes trust in the workplace?
The __________ test is an excellent way for you to evaluate whether your communications meets ethical standards.
True or false: When you are known for failing to live up to tour promises to stakeholders, you have a reputation for good character.
What are reasons a company might ask for confidentiality agreements from its employees?
A person who demonstrates accountability is someone who will take a __________ perspective of the groups affected by his or her business.
Perceptions of a person’s adherence to personal and corporate values are mostly determined by the person’s
Which of the following are abuses of honesty?
If employees do not honestly communicate about business issues, it can lead to
Recent research has found that when workplaces develop a climate of betrayal, it is most often through which of the following kinds of actions?
Conducting business with __________ helps forge character and maximize competencies.
Which of the following are examples of good business ethics?
When acting with transparency, a company executive provides stakeholders with which of the following?
True or false: In recent years, a majority of employees of American companies trust that top management would keep its promises and commitments.
In terms of communication in the near future, transparency is expected to remain the most important
To build trust within an organization, decision making must be
You have observed what you think may be unethical behavior in the workplace. Which of the following are ways to speak up constructively?
Corporate values are the backbone of business
An organization’s code of conduct is a(n)
Sydney just started working in the marketing department for a major tobacco company. In her spare time she participates on anti-smoking campaigns. Which of the following statements about her personal values is true?
When civil servants take predictable actions and share related information with stakeholders, it is an example of
A good business communications textbook is designed to give readers which of the following things?
Which of the following are core principles in business communication?
Which of the following are gained by business leaders by when they recognize and show concern for others’ needs?
Today’s effective business leaders have generally gained their positions because they
You can create a sense of trust in others by adopting which of the following orientations?
Which of the following are benefits of having many givers in a business?
Which of the following is a principal element in allowing you to communicate more easily and more influentially?
Simon worked in management at a large technology company that became embroiled in a scandal which many managers were implicated. Simon was cleared of any wrongdoing, but the company was shut down and all employees were laid off. Simon was hired at a rival company, but his new colleagues did not give him a warm welcome. Which of the following must Simon do to create a good working environment?
Generosity towards others is an example of __________ in the business world.
Employee engagement is a measure of which of the following?
In business, a focus on action implies that a person will
People can develop competence by finding discipline-related
What are methods by which people can develop competence?
Writer Stephen Covey stated that “if there is little or no __________, there is no foundation for permanent success.”
In business, it is important to establish your __________ from your first day on the job.
Which of the following statements about trust in businesses and business executives in the early twenty-first century is true?
True or false: Over 70% of business employees trust their senior management and believe that their company leaders act with honesty and integrity.
Global cheating culture refers to
When given a set of hypothetical ethical dilemmas, MBA students scored high on unethical behavior as
How does the public view businesses in the post-trust era?
According to David Pottruck, which of the following developments are transforming twenty-first-century leadership?
Which of the following traits is the least valuable for determining trust in individuals in the workplace?
Meg Whitman, former CEO of HP, stated that early in her career she gained credibility and displayed competence by her focus on
According to anonymous surveys, a majority of graduate students in education, medicine, law, and business did which of the following to gain admittance to their programs?
The statement “You must identify a goal with a measurable outcome, and you must hit that goal-every month, every day, every year” best describes which of the following?
Which of the following questions should you consider when preparing to communicate with customers or colleagues?
Which of the following statements about the cheating culture is true?
The majority of employees view their leaders and colleagues___________ in the post-trust era.
Most business leaders believe that their primary responsibilities to their employees include which of the following?
Effective communicators gain trust by seeking to understand others’
Which of the following factors impact a business executive’s credibility? (Select all that apply.)
A perception that someone does not care about others will lead people to____________ them.
Which of the following is a characteristic of givers in business?
Which of the following are traits that are based on good character?
Which of the following happens in a team when team members use the phrase “our needs” is used instead of “my needs”?
In recent years transparency has been the most important
The trait that ranked the highest in determining trust among individual in the workplace was
Which of the following are positive ways a transparent workplace can be created by a leader in business?
Having good character implies that one has ______ values.
Which of the following is a characteristic of takers in business?
True or false: In corporate communications, the principal business ethic today is brevity.
Why might business professionals fail to speak up after observing unethical behavior in their company?
Publicly traded companies must have an ethics code available to all employees because of the
A feeling of _________ indicates an obligation to meet the needs and desires of others.
True or false. Minor acts of dishonesty and slight deviations from the truth are harmless and should be encouraged in business.
Assuming that a corporation has good values, which of the following statements about the alignment of personal values and corporate values are true?
In business, dishonesty on financial performance is likely to lead to
When composing important or controversial communications, you should spend time evaluating the best way
The “R” in the FAIR test stands for
Which of the following statements about company confidentiality are correct?
The listening-centered approach to communication is critical to
Which of the following are core principles in business communication?
By thinking about how your communication will affect recipients, you are using the _________ component of the FAIR test.
Demonstrating accountability in business implies which of the following?
The moral principles that steer the behavior of a group or an individual are known as

COM 295T Practice: SmartBook: Ch. 4 – Communicating Across Cultures Quiz

Cultural dimensions are long-standing sets of
Individualism and collectivism is a dimension that generally focuses on which of the following cultural characteristics?
Within individualist and collectivist cultures, there is __________ in values and behaviors.
True or false: Future orientation can be defined as a readiness to forego current desires in order to achieve future goals and desires.
Qualities measured by humane orientation include which of the following?
Which of the following is true about displaying cultural intelligence?
Generally speaking, which of the following are qualities women often show in their thinking and communication?
Which groups are the most sensitive to diversity issues in the workplace?
Which of the following would likely be the most effective way of communicating with a Gen Yer?
Gen Xers are generally said to display which characteristics
The majority of professionals view Gen Yers as being
Which of the following statements accurately describe Millennials?
Many Gen Y professionals view Gen Zers as being
In the workplace, traditionalists are generally viewed as being which of the following?
Which of the following describes a major reason why professionals work across generations now more than in the past?
What is a major challenge related to working across generations?
The manner in which members of a generational group were socialized directly affects which of the following?
Which of the following statements about visiting persons in another culture are accurate?
Of the following cultural traits, nearly all cultures value ______ the least.
To develop a co-culture successfully in a cross-cultural business relationship _______ mind-set is important.
Practicing another culture’s rules of etiquette has which of the following effects?
In cross-cultural working relationships, ethnocentrism is also known as the ______ mind-set.
Which of the following countries have low-trust cultures?
When establishing trust and credibility in cross-cultural business relationships, which of the following guidelines are key to success?
In cultures with high gender egalitarianism, professional jobs and leadership roles are available
True or false: Future orientation can be defined as a readiness to forego current desires in order to achieve goals and desires
Of the following cultural traits, nearly all cultures value ________ the least
Uncertainty avoidance describes the way people handle
Which of the following are qualities that can be expressed to establish credibility in cross-cultural work relationships?
Qualities measured by humane orientation include which of the following?
Which of the following are characteristics of high future-oriented cultures?
Which two of the following countries have cultures that are considered to be highly assertive?
Which of the following are general characteristics of hierarchical cultures?
Which of the following general characteristics of egalitarian cultures?
Collectivist values that are generally encourages in companies in individualist countries include
Which one of the following is the highest in performance orientation?
Companies and organizations that emphasize ______ often also have a culture that is family-centered.
Which of the following statements are true about the use of English in international business?
The identities of collectivists are typically based on which of the following?
Understanding the eight cultural dimensions allow a person to get a good sense of
Which of the following statements about individualism are true?
One consideration when moving to a new country for work is the time needed to
According to scholars who study intercultural communication, __________is the cultural dimension with the greatest impact
Viewing people from other cultures through the ________ of their country, as defined by the news media coverage, regularly leads to unfair negative stereotyping.
True or false: When moving to or working with a new culture, time should be set aside for making an adjustment.
An in-depth understanding of other cultures attitudes comes from seeking
One type of stereotype that can emerge when interacting with members of other cultures, projected cognitive similarity, is defined as the tendency to
What are three highly useful methods for learning about another culture?
When working with people from different cultures it’s often necessary to adjust your conceptions of ______ in order to minimize frustrations and conflict.
Florence is planning to celebrate finishing her second year of college by taking an extended trip to Brazil over the summer. What method of preparing for her trip before she goes offers the most direct experience of Brazilian culture?
Stereotypes can be productive for those working across cultures when they are which of the following?
Which of the following are benefits of living in another culture?
What are characteristics on which cultural intelligence is built?
Which of the following statements are true about cultural intelligence?
Which of the following common cultural traits is the most highly valued by the majority of businesses around the world?
Collectivism includes which of the following characteristics?
The most family-focused organizational cultures are often found in
Which of the following are general characteristics of hierarchical cultures?
Performance orientation emphasizes the importance of which of the following?
In terms of culture, assertiveness focuses on the level of appropriate
Which of the following describe qualities of a culture that is high in uncertainty avoidance?
True or false: The cultural dimension of gender egalitarianism refers to how a society views the division of male and female roles.
Individualists will exit friendships and relationships for which of the following reasons?
Which of the following are characteristics of members of a collectivist society?
Individualist culture predominates in which of the following countries?
Companies and organizations worldwide place value on
Hierarchical organizations emphasize the authority of their
Which of the following are valued in communication within cultures considered to be low performance?
Which of the following describes how organizations act in future-oriented societies?
When people from less assertive cultures answer a “yes” or “no” question, their answer is
True or false: Women generally play powerful roles in professional decision making in low gender-egalitarianism cultures.
High-humane orientation cultures value
Which of the following countries has the most collectivist culture?
Which of the following statements are true about business tasks when working with persons from other cultures?
Because cultures perceive time differently, there are different
True or false: When moving to or working with a new culture, time should be set aside for making an adjustment.
Which of the following is generally regarded as the global business language?
Although members of other cultures may have limited proficiency in the global business language, their ability to communicate in it usually improves
Which of the following are characteristics of ethnocentrism?
A co-culture is formed when people working across cultures develop which of the following?
Successfully forming a co-culture in a cross-cultural business environment involves ability to
To form a co-culture means that each culture will have to shed __________ cultural values.
Practicing another culture’s rules of etiquette has which of the following effects?
When working abroad, international business travelers should be aware of which of the following areas of etiquette?
Working across generations has many benefits, including
Which of the following describes a perspective of a traditional in the workplace?
In the workplace, Baby Boomers possess a
In general, what are workplace characteristics that Gen Xers seek?
At work, members of Gen Y are looking for which of the following?
Which of the following are general perceptions of Gen Y professionals by older generations?
According to Gen Y professionals, which of the following qualities are possessed by Gen Zers in the workplace?
Which of the following are effective strategies for overcoming generational differences in the workplace?
Which of the following is true about women and societies?
Which of the following are group characteristics that can help form and define a professional’s identity and attitude?
In business, workplaces often feature up to five distinct generations because
Which of the following are group characteristics that can help form and define a professional’s identity and attitude?
Rightly or wrongly, people rely on __________ to better understand the unfamiliar.
Comprehension of the differences and similarities of various cultures is a sign of __________ intelligence.
Which of the following are characteristics of business people with high cultural intelligence who are working with members of other cultures?
True or false: Business professionals who are culturally intelligent believe other cultures can possess different yet valid approaches to business-management practices.
Which of the following statements are true about cultural diversity in business?
The best way to gain knowledge about another culture is through
For business recruiters, which three of the following countries are generally considered the most valuable for a study-abroad experience?
Which of the following are advantages of knowing a second language while working in business?
Which of the following are typical outcomes of becoming friends with an international student?
Which of the following traits is the most helpful in learning about a new culture?
One way to gain insight into another culture’s visual and auditory cues is by
Projected cognitive similarity can occur when people project their own cultural norms and values to explain behaviors they observe in others. Which of the following statements about projected cognitive similarity are true?
The outgroup homogeneity effect results in people making little effort to __________ of other cultural groups.
Negative stereotypes about people from other cultures often come from
In general, people in other countries have a __________ view of Americans.
Outgroup homogeneity effect is defined as the belief that all members of other groups are
Which of the following are qualities that can be expressed to establish credibility in cross-cultural work relationships?
Which of the following countries have high-trust cultures?
In a cross-cultural business environment, developing empathy includes seeing members of other cultures as
Which of the following is an aspect of the learner mind-set?
Which of the following impacts how people are socialized?
In low-humane-oriented cultures, financial and material assistance is offered primarily to which of the following?
Which of the eight culture dimensions evolves the most quickly?

COM 295T Discussion Question: Cultural Intelligence

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Describe the cultural dimensions for the country you selected.
What are the characteristics of cultural intelligence?
How can cultural intelligence impact your success communicating with colleagues and professionals in other countries.

COM 295T Apply: Signature Week 2 Assignment: Case: Getting the Tone Right Quiz

Practice: Planning a Persuasive Message Quiz

You know that the subject line is the first thing that the 3,500 employees at your company will see when you send this message. You’re worried the current subject line won’t garner much attention from the employees. As a result, you’ve written down the following options. Which of these options employs the principle of appreciation for others views?
You also redrafted the second paragraph in the following way, “You may attend any one of the five workshops (M, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., T, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., W, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., W, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Th, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.). Please come with an emplty stomach – a breakfast buffet or a lunch box will be provided. The company wuill donate $100 to Red Cross for your attendance at any one of the workshops. You will receive a disaster training certificate for your participation in the workshop, which allows you to step forward and volunteer at a local community center in the event of an emergency.” In this re-drafted passage, you have applied all of the following prinicples except what?
You opened the third paragraph in the following way: “The two-hour workshops will include a lot of helpful information.” Which of the following examples makes this statement more tangible?
Which of the following statements is the most appropriate call to action?

COM 295T BONUS QUESTIONS FOR PLANNING A PERSUASIVE MESSAGE QUIZ

You know that the subject line is the first thing that the 3,500 employees at your company will see when you send this message. You’re worried the current subject line won’t garner much attention from the employees. As a result, you’ve written down the following options. Which of these options employs the principle of appreciation for others’ views?
The more you look at your first paragraph, the more you think you need to reframe it. You’ve re-drafted it in the following way: “With a few easy steps, you can prepare to help others in the event of an earthquake. In just two hours, find out how you can protect your family members, your colleagues, and your loved ones if a disaster strikes.” Which principle have you most applied in making these changes?
You also re-drafted the second paragraph in the following way: “You may attend any one of five workshops (M, 8 a.m to 10 a.m.; T, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; W, 8 a.m to 10 a.m., W, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Th, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.). Please come with an empty stomach—a breakfast buffet or a lunch box will be provided. The company will donate $100 to Red Cross for your attendance at any one of the workshops. You will receive a disaster training certificate for your participation in the workshop, which allows you to step forward and volunteer at a local community center in the event of an emergency.” In this re-drafted passage, you have applied all of the following principles EXCEPT what?
You opened the third paragraph in the following way: “The two-hour workshops will include a lot of helpful information.” Which of the following examples makes this statement more tangible?
In the third paragraph, you mentioned the following: “These workshops will be fun and engaging.” Which of the following examples most makes this statement more lively and action-oriented?
Which of the following statements is the most appropriate call to action?
All of the following strategies are examples of personalizing the message EXCEPT what?

COM 295T Practice: SmartBook: Ch. 5 Creating Effective Business Msg Quiz

Over the course of many communications, the lasting meta messages you send become the basis for
When writing an effective business message, being flexible can involve which of the following?
To demonstrate a can-do attitude in a business message, the writer should use
When writing an effective business message, being flexible can involve which of the following?
When writing a business message, a key component of credibility comes from demonstrating
In business communications, which of the following generally enhances the writer’s beneficial influence over others?
Which of the following are typical perceptions that readers have of a business message that includes exaggeration?
Readers will usually interpret a business message containing the repeated use of the we-voice as
True or false. If sentences in a business statement are composed in a nonassertive tone, they will always be read as nonassertive by readers.
Over the course of many communications, the lasting meta messages you send become the basis for
Which of the following are benefits of recognizing the contributions of others in business messages?
Which of the following statements about goals and stages of writing effective business messages are true?
When excellent business writers craft a message, they focus on the __________ stage first.
A listener-centered approach to business writing includes a focus on
Average and poor business writers are more likely than excellent writers to focus on the __________ stage first.
Order from first to last, with the first step at the top, the following steps as they typically occur in developing sound business ideas.
Which of the following are characteristics held by outstanding business thinkers?
Which of the following are means that business professionals employ to draw out superior ideas?
For someone in business, what does it mean to make a recommendation?
Setting up the logic of the message consists of
Framing the primary message involves presenting the message
The frame of a primary business message should be which of the following?
Most business messages are crafted using a(n) __________ approach.
In a deductive business argument, the essence of the message can be gleaned from which three of the following?
An indirect approach is often used for which of the following types of business messages?
True or false: The use of templates is required for creating business messages.
Which of the following are helpful ways of organizing the logic of a business message?
Crystal believes that outsourcing the bookkeeping needs of her firm would save money. She researches various companies and runs the numbers for various scenarios to gather evidence of the potential savings that would result from using outside bookkeepers. Which of the following best defines Crystal’s message structure?
Strong analogies are important to the writing of business messages because they
Using exaggeration in a business message can affect the credibility of which of the following?
The underlying, overall message that people get from a business communication is called the __________ message of the communication.
The AIM process includes which of the following steps?
An audience’s assessment of a business communication message is largely based on the author’s
True or false: A business message may contain content that, despite sound logic and well-argued points, will displease some of its audience.
Knowing which secondary audience might view a business communication allows the author to
Which of the following are parts of the process of crafting effective business messages?
In terms of tone, which of the following do readers respond to positively?
Which of the following are the effects of a positive workplace attitude?
The writer of a business message gives the impression that she conducted an analysis but does not mention another team member completed the analysis. The writer is
As a rule of thumb, what is the minimum time needed to change a professional reputation?
In business messages, a can-do attitude has which of the following qualities?
During the message development process, business professionals should identify the __________ their ideas clearly.
When framing the primary message, authors of a business message should complete which of the following?
Which statements are most effective business messages?
When a business professional sends mixed signals in a message, it typically leads to
In business messages, a can-do attitude has which of the following qualities?
For many business messages, the most important step in the planning stage of business communication writing is identifying
In the context of business messages, workplace __________ are the core beliefs about suitable ways of handling issues and problems.
The professional reputation of entry-level business people can be improved relatively quickly through which of the following?
When solving business problems the first step is to
Your goal in framing a business message is to
When structuring a business message, its ideas should have a basis in
An effective, logical business message includes which of the following characteristics?
Business-message readers generally have a better reaction to an author who is seen as
In a business message, slanting the facts means to
When crafting a business message with strong reasoning, it is important to back claims with
Which of the following should be avoided in business writing?
When the tone of a business message is __________, there is an implied interest in the opinions and needs of the audience.
In a business message that involves information mainly focused on the reader of the message, which of the following voices is favored?
Which of the following qualities are likely to be attached to a business message that continually uses the I-voice?
Which of the following actions will contribute to receiving a timely, desired response to a business message?
True or false: Meta messages in your business communication can impact how others perceive your character.
In a business message, mixed signals come about when there is a conflict between signals such as tone and
Which of the following are the effects of a positive workplace attitude?
The success of expert business writers lies in their placing greater focus on which two of the following stages?
Business writers who effectively craft their messages do which of the following?
A listener-centered approach to business messages focuses on the input of which of the following?
AIM is a process for ___________ the writing of useful business messages.
Business messages usually conclude with a
During the planning stage of business message formation, anticipating a reader’s reaction is tied to
Entry-level business professionals have low credibility primarily because they are
For an effective frame, the primary business message should be approximately ______ words in length.
In writing business messages, the planning stage focuses on ensuring excellent
In general, which of the following are results an author can expect from a carefully crafted business message with strong logic?
In effective business messages, any analogies should be rooted in
Statements that are deduced based on fact are _____________.
Readers interpret the tone of a business message primarily as a reflection of the writer’s attitude toward which two of the following?
True or false. Business messages can be strengthened to counteract issues concerning low credibility.
The framing of the primary business message is important for which of the following reasons?
To form a business message with confident claims and predictions, which of the following should be included?
Templates are used to create a business message for which of the following reasons?
The description of products and services in a business message is more effective when it emphasizes their traits
Understanding the constraints of the audience of a business message means that the message should be crafted to
Using an outline or diagram to form the logic of a business message typically leads to which two results?
Writing effective messages in business helps
Which of the following statements about the goals and stages of writing effective business messages are true?
Which of the following statements about workplace priorities is not true?
Which of the following are identified to help create solid business ideas?
Which of the following are ways an inexperienced newcomer can improve a professional reputation?
When business thinkers are mentally flexible, they possess the ability to
When focusing on complex business problems, ___________ is generally an essential part of the idea-development process.
Which of the following are aspects of the analysis step of business idea development?
Which of the following are accurate descriptions of the meta message of a business communication?
Which of the following are characteristics of effective and compelling business message frames?
When writing a business message with an indirect approach, which of the following are presented first?
Which of the following are part of planning the basic message structure?
Which of the following are aspects of setting up the logic of a business message?
Which of the following statements about the framework of a deductive business message are accurate?
Which of the following are likely effects of slanting the facts in business messages?

COM 295T Practice: SmartBook: Ch. 10 Persuasive Messages Quiz

Which of the following are examples of persuasion?
Communication specialist Liz Simpson argues that to succeed at persuasion, you must strive to __________ the other person’s point of view.
Because his six principles of influence are powerful and can do harm, Cialdini refers to them as
Which of the following are elements of persuasive message that are included in the body of the message?
When the audience shows emotional resistance to your solution, you might have success with
Through __________ you acknowledge that the reader’s point of view is legitimate and reasonable.
In the past, business communicators most often used __________ to show that their own products were better than those of their competition.
A call to action should not
Jenica needs to persuade her colleagues to volunteer to help with a company fund-raiser. Which of the following statements would likely achieve the most positive results?
The principle of persuasion based on the idea that people typically stay with something once they have committed to it is known as __________.
When people follow the lead of experts or prominent figures, they are conforming to the principle of influence is known as __________.
The use of limited-time offer to persuade people to make a purchase is an example of the principle of __________.
Communicators often need to know how to __________ to help people overcome core attachments to embrace new ideas, products, and services.
Exaggeration, sardonic remarks, and over-the-top persuasive messages are most appropriate for
Because people tend to balk at embracing persuasive messages, one of your most important endeavors is to establish
Most business writing (other than persuasive messages) is
Compared to other business messages, __________ are more indirect and implicit.
Mass sales messages will typically take the form of which of the following?
Sometimes __________ help improve a company’s brand awareness, even if few consumers respond by purchasing the product being advertised.
The __________ format is usually the most successful way to compose mass sales messages.
In a mass sales message, a clear, focused theme that consumers grasp quickly is known as a
An external mass sales message should include words that will attract the reader’s attention immediately. Where should those words be placed?
People will be more easily persuaded when you
Which is the most effective for external persuasive messages?
One effective way of personalizing a persuasive message is
Sales messages risk sounding dull if they rely to heavily on which of the following?
Effective persuaders provide __________ reasons for action.
What qualities in a persuasive message are most likely to elicit a positive response?
Customers and clients often think that persuasive messages with very complex language are
The second stage of the AIM planning process involves
Which of the following best explains why it is important to understand your target audience’s needs and values?
Which of the following is typically the most important factor in gaining your colleagues’ support when you appeal to shared purpose and shared values?
Which of the following are among Robert Cialdini’s six methods of influence?
Which of the following is not one of Robert Cialdini’s six methods of influence?
Nancy sends out New Year’s cards to a number of people she doesn’t know, and several of them respond by sending her a New Year’s card. This is an example of
Sometimes people base their sense of what is right, correct, or desirable on what they see others do. This principle of influence in known as
A charismatic and well-known community member passionately embraces a cause, inspiring others to join. This is an example of the principle of
Sam, an employee at a financial services firm, investigates the financial services offered by competing companies and compares them with those of his firm as he prepares a presentation to promote his firm’s offerings. This is an example of
Which of the following phrases that might be spoken to a consumer contain positive wording?
Phrases such as “best product on the market” and “state-of-the-art technology” are examples of
Which of the following are components of a persuasive message?
If a persuasive message is extremely confident and positive, it is more likely to be perceived as which of the following?
Which of the following types of words help invoke a sense of excitement and optimism in persuasive messages?
Which of the following phrases that might be spoken to a consumer contain positive wording?
Persuasion involves __________ a person whose opinion or understanding about something is different from yours.
Michael Maslansky describes the current business culture with the following: “In a word, trust is out, __________ is in.”
Persuasion communication strategies that worked well in the past are not as successful in
Internal persuasive messages typically promote ideas, while external messages promote __________.
In business, __________ involves using deception to influence others so that you can achieve your own interests.
Because persuasive messages are sent to people who may resist your ideas, merchandise, or services, it is important to
An effective flyer promoting financial services firm might contain which of the following elements?
“Prevention,” “treatment,” and “survival” are all examples of __________ words and phrases.
True or false: Using extremely negative statements is typically an effective way to shock your audience into action.
Which of the following qualities are characteristic of an effective external persuasive message?
Which of the following is the least likely to be used in an external persuasive message?
You should reread and evaluate all of your persuasive messages, since they can potentially
Which of the following is an example of a logical appeal from a credit union for choosing it over a local bank?
A study showed that after people bet on race horses, they felt more sure that those horses would win. This is an example of the principle of persuasion known as
A ___________ provides compelling reasons why a product, service, or idea will be useful to the audience.
A persuasive message should have a _______________ tone but avoid _____________.
A writer’s _______ prompts the reader to ____________ the message.
According to Robert Miller, what factor was important to consider when attempting to persuade executives?
By making customers believe that what you are selling is exactly what they want or need, your message will speak ___________ to them.
Developing strong ideas that could benefit your audience will make you seem more
Effective persuaders provide _______ reasons for action.
Influencing others in a fair, honest way to see the merit of your ideas and act on your requests is called ___________
If you employ _______ wording in your persuasive message, audiences will tend to notice the benefits instead of the drawbacks of your
In addition to being more direct and explicit, internal persuasive messages typically rely on
In terms of the voice used, which of the following messages would be the most effective statement for attracting customers to a financial services firm?
Most readers will respond to persuasive writing that emphasized _______ instead of ________.
People are more apt to be persuaded by someone they find appealing. This principle of influence is called ___________.
People will be more easily persuaded when you
The AIM planning process for persuasive messages involves analyzing your __________ and creating a __________ that will reduce a person’s tendency to resist what you are saying.
The cohesion among thousands of people who march together for a common cause embodies the principle of
The prevalence of celebrity endorsements in advertising indicates that _________ tends to persuade people.
To ensure that persuasive messages do not harm others, you should employ the _______.
True or False. Emotional appeals are typically unhelpful and counterproductive because audiences generally rely on reason to make their decisions.
The first task of most persuasive messages is to
The part of a persuasive message that asks the recipients to make a first move toward purchasing a product or showing agreement with an idea is known as the
True or False. Persuasive messages that you generate as a representative of a business or other organization are generally considered to be high stakes communications.
Understanding what other people need and value requires strong _________ skills.
Using counterpoints in persuasive messages is risky primarily because you might
When a person writes a persuasive business message, __________ is particularly important.
When trying to persuade others, your most effective approach is the one that meets
Which of the following statements about persuading through shared purpose and shared values are true?
Which of the following should you do when trying to persuade colleagues and partners?
Which type of writing is characterized by statements that provide full and unambiguous meaning?
Which type of statement requires reading “between the lines” to grasp the entire meaning, since the underlying meaning is not stated?
What is a major method of gaining reader attention in internal persuasive messages?
Which elements are most likely to make a message more persuasive to supervisors?
What should you include in a message to make it more persuasive to employees?
What may be accomplished by presenting an effective persuasive message to superiors?
What elements are likely to make employees reject a persuasive message?
Which of the following is an example of a positive emotional appeal for joining a local walkathon to raise funds to fight breast cancer?
What percentage of attempts to persuade did Robert Miller conclude were mismatched with executive decision-making styles?
Which of the following is a common sales themes that is almost always present, either figuring prominently or de-emphasized in a brief mention near the end of the message?
What are components of the FAIR test?

COM 295T Discussion Question: Planning Business Messages

Positive thinking is an attitude that is solution-oriented and focuses on favorable results.

This attitude is important in creating effective business messages. Your ability to be positive and exude optimism in your communications can strongly influence others and ultimately lead to greater success.

Reflect on your own expressions of positiveness.
Explain how you can apply a positive writing style at work in a situation where you also must identify logical inconsistencies.

COM 295T Week 3 Signature Assignment: Case: Evaluating a Routine Email

Which of the following subject lines would be best for this email?
This email lacks a focus on the future. Which of the following calls to action would be the best focus on the future?
Overall, which statement about the address block is most accurate?
Which of the following greetings would be best for this email?
What statement best describes sentence 1?
What is true of sentences 3 through 8?
Assume that you begin the second paragraph (sentences 3 through 8) with the following sentence: “Please email Teri Stephens (teri@slpconsulting.com) by October 15 with the following pieces of information:” Which items should you include in a bulleted list?
This email lacks a focus on the future. Which of the following calls to action would be the best focus on the future?
Overall, which statement about the address block is most accurate?

COM 295 Practice: Evaluating a Routing Announcement

Which of the following passages would be the best replacement for section 1 of the announcement?
This activity is important because managers and other professionals frequently give announcements to help coordinate the efforts of employees and keep them in the loop. The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate your understanding of routine announcements. Read the announcement below. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Which of the following passages would be the best replacement for section 2 of the announcement?
Which of the following passages would be the best replacement for section 3 of the announcement?
Which of the following passages would be the best replacement for section 4 of the announcement?

COM 295 Practice: SmartBook: Ch. 6 Improving Readability with Style and Design

Why is accuracy an essential element of business communication?
The use of specific facts in your business communication will typically help convince the reader about which of the following?
When designing a document,
When readers receive a business message that consists of long paragraphs, they typically will
Redundant words and phrases
Which of the following sentences contain empty phrases?
When your writing style is similar to the way your readers think and talk,
A sentence written in active voice specifies the doer of the action. This is important because
Passive voice is sometimes the best choice when the writer wants to
When a writer chooses big words that are not common, the reader will most likely
Which of the following sentences should be rephrased to use partial language?
Workplace terms that are used to much are called
Partial language is important when
What question should the writer ask when deciding whether to reword a sentence that begins with “it is”?
To be complete, a business communication should
When highlighting words or phrases, it is best to
Which two of the following kinds of lists would benefit most from being formatted with bullets or numbering?
When deciding how much white space to leave in a page, it is important to consider that
Which of the following statements are true?
When deciding how much white space to leave on a page, it is important to consider that
Business writing should be concise in order to
Headings and subheadings within a document should
Which of the following would best serve as a heading?
The purpose of the FAIR test is to ensure that
In business communication, how many ideas or topics should a paragraph usually address?
In general, for complex or analytical business communications, the average written sentence length should be __________ or fewer words.
Feedback is helpful because readers who provide feedback can
Which of the following are recommended steps in proofreading?
Compared to average business writers, expert business writers spend more time doing which three of the following?
Reviewing a business communication before sending it is important because the review topics
Which of the following are basic components of the review process in business communication?
True or False: Depending on the message, the duration of the review process of business messages ranges from only a few minutes to more than a month.
during the review process, a business writer checks to see if a document conforms to standards for impacts, access, respect, and facts. This is called
Which two of the following can often be changed into action verbs in an effort to make your writing more dynamic?
A sentence written in active voice does which of the following?
Which of the following words should be avoided in business communication in favor of more familiar expressions?
Which of the following sentences should be rephrased to eliminate buzzwords?
Business writers should avoid using buzzwords because
To keep writing precise, business writers should avoid using
In the following paragraph, which sentences should be reworded because they fail to provide a specific subject? There are many people who want to purchase our merchandise. There are several reasons for this, including having a large budget for advertising. Advertising is very effective in bringing in shoppers looking for bargains. Consequently, it is our plan to increase sales volume by 10% this year.
Which of the following sentences have buzzwords?
A sentence that begins with “there are” can often be improved by
In general, business communication should
Which of the following would be the most specific wording for a restaurant coupon offering customers a discount?
What is the key to ensuring that a message will include the right amount of information?
The best thing to do with wordy prepositional phrases is usually to
What is the main purpose of navigational design?
Which of the following are effective guidelines for achieving a natural writing style that is easy to read?
Which of the following statements about the advantages of action verbs in business writing are true?
To ensure conciseness, a business writer should
How many words should be in the typical paragraph of a business communication?
Short sentences are best for business communications because
Readers have a difficult time navigating through paragraphs that are
When composing a document, expert business writers spend most of their time
When applying the FAIR test to a document, the writer should make sure that
Headings in navigational design should
When a document is complex or full of information, headings help readers do which of the following?
Navigational design can be improved using
When sentences begin with “it is” or “there are,” they usually
Parallel language is important when
Which of the following are generally considered to be overused workplace terms?
What are some of the benefits of using the active voice?
In business communication it is best to use words that are
Which of the following sentences should be rephrased to use parallel language?
Certain figures of speech, such as idioms and metaphors, are generally not used in business writing because
In business communication it is best to use words that are
Which sentence is written in active voice?
Which sentences contain wordy prepositional phrases?
Which of the following sentences contain redundant words or phrases?
The important principle in business writing is
Paragraphs that discuss only one idea or topic tend to be
In response to a business communication that is vague people tend to
Which of the following are good principles for determining the amount of information to include in a business communication?
A brochure that is vague will give the impression that the writer lacks
In business communication, long paragraphs are generally associated with
For which of these situations would the use of the passive voice be preferable.
Which of the following are common sources of inaccurate information in business communication?
Empty phrases in business communication
The top two writing skills that employer’s value are
Which sentence demonstrates the most effective use of action verbs?
Headings and subheadings withing a document should
During the review process the writer should test the message to ensure that it conforms to standards for
What is the most important reason business communication should be complete?
Parallel language is important when
When reviewing a business communication, it is best to seek feedback from
The review process in business communication helps ensure that
For routine business communications, the average written sentence should be no more than
What are two reasons that “The dog bit the mailman” is easier to understand than “The mailman was bitten by the dog”.
Which of the following sentences should be rephrased to eliminate buzzwords?
The primary focus of a business message should be to impress the reader with
Which of the following statements are the most specific?
In general, business communications should
To keep writing natural and engaging, business writers should avoid using
Business writers should avoid using buzzwords because
Bullets and numbering
Action verbs help business writers prompt their readers to
Writers sometimes finalize their work without proofreading because
Which of the following sentences have buzzwords, figures of speech, or slang?
For the purpose of business communication, which of the following sentences should be rewritten to replace overblown or stuffy words?
When a sentence begins with “it is” or “there are” it can often be improved by
Usually the length of a paragraph in business communications should be

COM 295 Discussion: Credibility in Business Messages

Reflect on how you develop and maintain credibility in your workplace.
Explain the importance of establishing credibility for business professionals. How does a poorly written message impact a leader’s credibility?

COM 295T Week 4 Assignments Apply: Signature Assignment: Case: Establishing Credibility

COM 295T Practice: Evaluating the Needs of an Audience

COM 295T Practice: SmartBook: Ch. 14 Planning Presentations

COM 295T Practice: SmartBook: Ch. 15 Delivering Presentations

COM 295T Discussion: Planning Presentations

Locate and watch a business presentation that interests you. Websites where you might find business presentation videos include YouTube™, CNBC, Forbes, Fortune, and TED.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Describe the presentation and why it was effective or ineffective.
What are some ways a presenter can connect with the audience during a presentation?

COM 295T Week 5 Apply: Signature Assignment: Case: Avoiding Disclosure of confidential Information on Social Media

COM 295T Practice: Comparing Communication Channels

COM 295T Practice: SmartBook: Ch. 7 Email and Other Tools for Business

COM 295T Practice: SmartBook: Ch. 8 Social Media for Business Communications

COM 295T Discussion: Social Media Ethics

Watch Social Media Ethics from PBS.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Identify a way in which an individual develops a credible persona, both in person and online.

COM 295T Business Communications – Version – 3

COM 295 Week 1 Assignments Individual: Communication Process Worksheet

Review the steps of the communication model in Ch. 1 of Business Communication Essentials (See Figure 1.3).
Identify one personal or business communication scenario to describe each step of the communication process.
Complete the Communications Process worksheet.
INCLUDE as part of a single file posted to the assignment tab – a 700-word analysis based on responses to the following bullet points –
• Discuss how mobile technology is changing the practice of business communication.
• Define ethical communication.
• Explain how the widespread use of social media has increased the attention given

to the issue of transparency.
• Give an example of how mobile communication can be used to in a business setting.
Format your assignment consistent with APA guidelines. Include a title page, cite any references used as both in-text citations and on a reference page

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment. Please submit ONE file (Worksheet and analysis).

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Ethical Communication

Watch “Ethical Communication.”

What are key tools when communicating? What happens when you lose these tools?
When considering communicating unethically, what are the potential consequences or risks?

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Business Communication generally

Why is communication important to your business? How do these communications differ internally and externally?

COM 295 Supporting Activity: What do Employers want?

What communications skills are employers seeking? How have these skills changed with the advent of social media and technology?

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Muddiest Point

Based on the readings and activities you have completed this week describe one or two points which are least clear to you. What questions do you have that would enable you to understand these points better?

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Credibility – Peter Cardon’s Pinterest Page

Review the textbook author’s Pinterest page and locate the topic of Credibility.
Select a video or article from the list of resources.
Click the New Message icon and post a 150- to 350-word summary of the video or article you selected.

COM 295 Week 2 Assignments Individual: Definition Assignment

Develop a 150- to 200-word individual response to the following:

Consider the multiple definitions of collaboration.
Define collaboration and how you will apply it in this course based upon the discussion with your Learning Team. Be sure to reference and cite your sources.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment. Be sure to attach a copy of your Learning Team Charter for Collaborative Learning Activities.

COM 295 Week 2 Individual: Empathetic Listening Scenario

Think back over conversations you have had with friends, family members, co-workers, or classmates.
Select a conversation in which the other person wanted to talk about something that was troubling him or her. As you replay this conversation in your mind, think about how well you did in terms of empathic listening.
Develop a 1,050-word analysis including:

Explain whether you found yourself being critical when the person really just needed someone to listen.
Identify whether you let the person know, by your words or actions, you cared about his or her dilemma, even if you were not able to help in any other way.
Analyze your listening performance.

Note: Be sure not to disclose any private information; you can change the names of the people involved or the circumstances as needed to maintain privacy.
Format the assignment consistent with APA guidelines.
Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

COM 295 Learning Team: Collaborative Writing Activity

Collaborate with your team to plan a meeting agenda for the monthly staff meeting of one team member’s organization. The agenda should include routine agenda items and should also include a workplace issue that will be addressed at the staff meeting.
Discuss with your team in the Discussion area.

What typical agenda items do you cover in your current and/or past staff meetings?
If you have not attended a staff meeting before, what do you think should be covered in a regular staff meeting?
Explain what agenda items you would like to cover in your current and/or past staff meetings and why?
What are some action items that may arise from a typical staff meeting? Are you assigned or have you been assigned action items after attending staff meetings?
What role do you play in your staff meetings? Do you assist in the planning process? Do you take minutes?

Post one original post to address the above bullet points.
Reply to at least one team member’s post and contribute potential agenda items and the rationale for the agenda items.
Examine the agenda illustrated in Figure 2.2.
Examine guidelines for collaborative writing.

COM 295T Week 2 Supporting Activity Questions

NOTE: Discussion Questions change with each Instructor, so these may not match your weekly questions.

COM 295T Supporting Activity: 3-Step Writing Process

What is the three step writing process? Do find it to be effective?

COM 295T Supporting Activity: Word Choice

Word choice in business writing is critical. How do you select words that are correct AND effective?

COM 295T Supporting Activity: Technology and the Tools of Communication

Watch “Technology and the Tools of Communication.”

What are some items you should consider when communicating in the workplace?
What are the advantages of using technology to communicate? What are the disadvantages?
How has technology assisted with push and pull communication?

COM 295T Supporting Activity: Four Generations, One Workplace

Watch “Four Generations, One Workplace” in the University Library.
What are the communication generational differences noted in this video? How do you overcome or compromise these differences in the workplace?

COM 295T Supporting Activity: Does Technology Shape Society or Does Society Shape Technology?

Watch “Does Technology Shape Society or Does Society Shape Technology?” located in the University Library.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having so much technology today? What are employers doing to use technology to their advantage? Consider the hiring process, for example.
What are the generational differences when using technology in the workplace? What did the study at the Boston Children’s museum show?

COM 295T Supporting Activity: Designing, Proofreading, and Delivering Messages

Watch “Designing, Proofreading, and Delivering Messages.”

What is white space?
Why are headings important?

COM 295T Supporting Activity: Planning Business Messages – Orange Photography

Watch “Planning Business Messages – Orange Photography.”

When considering clients, how does Orange Photography differ in its communication?
How do you believe Orange Photography plans its messages to be effective to each client?

COM 295T Global Communications Worksheet

Your supervisor wants to send a brief e-mail message to welcome employees who have recently transferred to your department from Brazil, Russia, India, and China. He has written a draft message and would like your feedback.

Review your supervisor’s message below. Rewrite the message to make it appropriate for the of one of the four countries of your choice. Conduct research to know more about the of your chosen country.

“I wanted to welcome you ASAP to our little family here in the States. It’s high time we shook hands in person and not just across the sea. I’m pleased as punch about getting to know you all, and I for one will do my level best to sell you on America”.

Complete the table with your rewritten welcome message.

COM 295T Ethics & Credibility in Business Communications

Write a 350- to 700-word paper (not including title and reference page) on the event you have chosen in the Learning Team Collaboration Activity according to the following criteria:

Explain the situation of the event.
Describe the company’s ethical obligation in their communications to the public.
Answer the following questions:
- Did you find any evidence of communications to the general public? How effective was the communication in terms of establishing credibility?
- If not, what approach would you suggest the company take to communicate to the public to gain credibility?
- Cite and reference at least two sources.

COM 295T Week 2 Knowledge Check

Email communication
Which of the following is the first step in the AIM planning process for developing influential messages?
In the context of the AIM planning process, which of the following tends to be the single most important planning step for many messages?
George, the marketing manager at Regal, believes that an employee should always act ethically and should also report instances of unethical behavior that he encounters. This belief held by George is an example of a(n):
Which of the following is most likely to have a negative impact on your readers’ perceptions of your credibility?
The less specific you are while writing your business messages the greater the possibility
In the course of conducting a FAIR test to review your business message, when you attempt to determine how your message will affect others from ethical, corporate, and legal perspectives, you are most likely checking:
Craig is the sales manager at Blaize Supersports and has a 20-member-strong sales team that reports to him. On an average, Craig receives about 115 emails and sends out 75 emails a day. James, a salesperson at the store, leaves the subject line blank while typing out a leave request mail to Craig. James wants to take the week off and spend time with his family. As James is about to send it, he realizes that the subject line is blank.
Which of the following should James do before sending the email to Craig?
Which of the following reputations is a result of the meta message “I abide by the rules”? Which of the following is a reason why audience analysis for routine messages generally does not require much time?
In the case of a routine message, the number of words in a primary message:
Which of the following stages of developing routine messages involves proofreading?

COM 295 Week 3 Assignment Individual: Constructing Effective Business Messages Part I

Select a product or service for this assignment in which you believe your organization should invest capital resources to develop for sale in a global environment.
Review Ch. 4 of Business Communication Essentials.
Create a Microsoft Word analysis of 1,400 words that includes the following:

Describe the product or service, including its main characteristics.
Why do you believe this product is worthwhile?
A profile of your audience’s. Why are these audience’s important? How different would you approach each audience?
Explain how you would establish credibility.
Explainwhy you selected the channel.
Selectthe appropriate channel for delivering your message based on context, audience, and purpose.
Formatyour assignment consistent with APA guidelines.
Clickthe Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

COM 295 Learning Team Collaborative Discussion: Constructing Effective Business Messages for Different Audiences

Collaborate with your team to identify the different ways their respective organizations communicate, such as email, instant messaging, social media, flyers, etc.
Discuss the following with your team in the Discussion area:

Explain what types of messages are more effective
Explain what types of business message are more effective
List and briefly describe at least three different audiences within your organizations or give examples
Explain how your approach might be different when writing a message to these audiences about a product or service

Post one original post to address the bullet points above.
Reply to at least one team member’s post. Your posts will count towards weekly participation requirement.

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Making your message persuasive

What are some steps you can take to make your message persuasive? Have you ever been successful in creating a persuasive message? Share your example.

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Primary and Secondary Research

What is the difference between primary and secondary research? Can you conduct both on the Internet?

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Colors

This section discusses the literal look and feel of your communications. It deals mainly with printed communication, but the rules also apply to PowerPoint and other slide presentations. When creating a slide presentations, what guidelines should you follow related to use of colors and white space?

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Delivering Bad News

What are some tips for delivering bad news in proposals? Is it ever wise to try to hide bad news? What are the ethical considerations?

COM 295 Supporting Activity: How to be persuasive

What four things do you need to be a persuasive speaker?

COM 295 Collaborative Activity: Technology and Communication

Collaborate with your team to choose the most effective technology, medium, or combination of media for each of the following messages:

A message to the technical support about an employee’s computer that has been infected by a virus.
A message from HR to all employees, explaining the changes to the company health plan in the coming year.
A message from the CEO of a large company to employees, explaining negative news regarding the company appearing on national news channels.
A message from a gym manager to clients about temporarily closing the pool in the gym.
A message from a professional association to members about the coming annual conference.

Explain your answers.

COM 295 New Hire Communication Worksheet

Select a company you are familiar with. Imagine that you work for the HR department of the company. You are tasked to develop a message to orient new hires to the company culture, process, procedures, and general information.

Compose a message for new hires using the three-step process outlined in Ch. 5 of Business Communication.

Step 1: Prewriting

Analyze the situation described above by answering each of the following questions with 1 to 2 paragraphs:

Step 2: Drafting

Research your company’s background to know about the culture, processes, and procedures within the organization you selected.

Step 3a: Revising

Copy and paste the message you drafted in Step 2 below. Proofread and edit the message using the “Track Changes” feature under the “Review” tab to show you are actively engaged in proofreading and revision.

Step 3b: Final Message for Submission

Provide the final copy of your message here.

Save the document and submit it as your assignment.

COM 295 Technology and Communications

Identify the specific medium or media you would use to deliver each of the messages listed in the Week 3 Learning Team Collaboration Activity.

Write 1- to 3-paragraphs for each message that describe and explain your choices. Your answer can reference your Learning Team discussion or you can make your own choices.

Choose the most effective technology, medium, or combination of media for each of the following messages:

A message to the technical support about an employee’s computer that has been infected by a virus.
A message from HR to all employees, explaining the changes to the company health plan in the coming year.
A message from the CEO of a large company to employees, explaining negative news regarding the company appearing on national news channels.
A message from a gym manager to clients about temporarily closing the pool in the gym.
A message from a professional association to members about the coming annual conference.

Explain your answers.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

COM 295 Knowledge Check

Which of the following statements is true about primary research?
Which of the following terms best describes the process that involves the analysis of data collected by others with no direction from you or members of your organization?
Which of the following is of the least importance when analyzing data?
Which of the following raises the credibility of a report?
Which of the following is an advantage of documenting your research sources?
What does it mean to demonstrate originality in thought when using secondary research to develop reports?
Which of the following demonstrates originality in thought when using secondary research to develop reports?
Which of the following is true of persuasive messages?
Which of the following is the first step in the planning process for writing persuasive messages?
Which of the following is true about understanding your audience?

COM 295 Week 4 Assignment Individual: Developing Persuasive Business Messages Part II

Scenario: In Week 3, you selected a product or service that you believe your organization should invest capital resources to develop the product or service for sale. To speed up the new product investment, you decide to write a memo proposing and advocating for the launch of a new product or service to the company president.

Create a memo proposal using the AIDA model in a Microsoft Word in a minimum of 1,400 words. You will add an introduction and conclusion, and your paper will include the following components:

Convince your audience to invest capital resources to develop the product or service you intend to sell and explain your rationale. See Figure 9.5 – Persuasive Message Using AIDA model.
Gain credibility (for yourself and your request) and (2) to make your readers believe that helping your product/service will indeed benefit the company. Close with a request for some specific action, and make that course of action as easy to follow as possible to maximize the chances of a positive response.
Include secondary research to support your argument, related to your product and/or service.
Explain what you will do in case the selected product or service does not initially sell as much as expected.
Indicate potential digital channels for marketing your product or service.
Consider cross-cultural and multinational implications. Note: Main points from this memo will be included in the Week 5 Persuasive Presentation.

The following guidelines will help you effectively format specific memo elements, Business Communication Essentials, 7/e (Pg. 410).

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Enhancing Presentations with Slides

Watch “Enhancing Presentations with Slides and Other Visuals – Orange Photography.”

According to Orange Photography, what types of illustrations do they suggest using

in presentation? Why?

What does Orange Photography keep to a minimum? Why?
Should a presentation be complex or simplistic? Why?

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Public Speaking: The Six-Pack Rule for Visuals

Watch “Public Speaking: The Six-Pack Rule for Visuals” located in the University Library.

What is the Six-Pack rule?
How does the Six-Pack rule make visuals work?

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Visuals

What are the most common options for presenting data in a visual format? What role does analyzing your audience play when selecting your communication channel?

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Steps for a successful presentation

What are the five steps to delivering an effective presentation? From your experience as an audience member, have there been any standout presentations that you recall? What was it about the presentation that makes it memorable?

COM 295 New Hire Communication Peer Review

Complete the New Hire Communication Peer Review.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

Read the following sample student Week 3 New Hire Communication assignment. In the message, an HR staff member of ABC Company communicates the company’s culture, processes, procedures, and general information to new hires in emails.

Sample Student Work: HR Email Communication for ABC Company New Hires…

View answers to BSCOM 100T entire course.

COM 295 Persuasive Messages

Select a product or service for this assignment.
Review Ch. 9 of Business Communication about writing effective persuasive messages.
Complete the following two parts to sell the product or service to two different audiences.

Part I:

Write a message to persuade your boss to invest capital resources to develop the product or service for sale.
Include secondary research to support your argument and explain what you will do in case the selected product or service does not initially sell as much as expected. Cite and reference sources using APA formatting.
Select the appropriate channel for delivering your message based on context, audience, and purpose.
Explain why you selected the channel.

Note: Part I is the basis of your Week 5 Persuasive Presentation assignment.

Part II:

Write a sales pitch to sell the product/service to the end consumer. The sales pitch that you write could be part of a marketing campaign, which can be the verbiage for a commercial, a flyer, a message posted on social network, and so on. Make sure to identify the context, as per the examples, in which the sales pitch will take place.
Select the appropriate channel for delivering your message based on context, audience, and purpose.
Explain why you selected the channel.

Include an APA formatted title page for the assignment.
Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

COM 295 CAREER CONNECTION: Resume Building

CAREER CONNECTION: This activity connects to career by getting students started on building their resume. Go to Phoenix Career Services. Click on Resume Builder. Build your resume.

Copy your resume to a Microsoft Word document and submit it to your instructor. Make sure you include your introductory statement, which could be your career objective, qualification summary, or career summary.
Include an APA formatted title page for the assignment.
Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

COM 295 Knowledge Check

Which of the following is true with regard to the use of slides and handouts during presentations?
What is the expansion of the acronym “AIM” in the content planning process?
The__________ of a presentation should include an attention-getter, a positioning statement, and an overview.

COM 295 Week 5 Assignment Individual: Designing Effective Presentations Part III

Create an 8- to 10-slide presentation that should be 5 to 10 minutes in length. Please include detailed speaker notes, based on the Week 4 Persuasive Messages Part I & Part II assignment.

Apply the four aspects of designing business presentations discussed in the textbook to your presentation.

Include at least one visual to support on your slides, for example, using a line chart to show increasing sales. Include the following in presentation slides:
• Title
• Introduction
• Recommendation
• Benefits
• Impact if product or service does not sell as much as expected
• Conclusion
• References
Format consistent with APA guidelines.
Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

COM 295 Week 5 Supporting Activity Questions

(3 optional answers/responses for each question included)

NOTE: Discussion Questions change with each Instructor, so these may not match your weekly questions.

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Tactics for the job hunt

Searching for the right job is a competitive task. What are some tactics you would take to find and land your dream job? Try to be creative!

COM 295 Supporting Activity: Preparation

What are some ways to prepare for a job interview? Does your preparation change depending on the type of interview it is?

COM 295 Final Exam

Complete the Final Examination. You are allowed one attempt to
complete the examination, which is timed and must be completed in 3
hours. Results are auto graded and sent to your instructor.

A colleague asks you for advice on how to understand the audience of his persuasive message. Which of the following pieces of advice will you offer?
Javier is an editorial manager at a publishing company. He wants to give one of his supervisors an “Employee of the Year” award. Which of the following supervisors should he choose if he is looking for an employee with a strong sense of caring?
Bao is conducting a study that compares the cost of keeping print messages on file versus storing digital messages in the cloud. What aspect of communications relates to the storage of messages?
Which of the following is true of documenting secondary research sources?
Rick is trying to schedule a video teleconference with colleagues at several locations. To do so, he needs to coordinate their schedules and also check to see if the company needs to invest in any additional resources to make it happen. By addressing coordination and resource issues, he is dealing with:
Lori is using secondary research to develop a business report. How can she write her report in a way that demonstrates originality in thought?
In the context of developing persuasive messages, which of the following is most likely to help you demonstrate a voice of competence?
Which of the following should contain all your research sources and should be provided at the end of your report?
Which of the following is an example of psychological noise?
One of the first tasks to accomplish when developing a presentation is to:
Which of the following is an example of projected cognitive similarity?
Your coworker LaRita has asked you to review her slide presentation. You notice that it is difficult to recognize and process the most important ideas and information. To help her fix this, what will you recommend that she change?
In order to focus your presentation on people, you should:
A mistake that many job applicants make while creating resumes is:
By doing audience analysis, Radika discovers that the people she will be giving her sales presentation to know very little about her product. Because of this, she is likely to decide to:
Which of the following is typically included in the drafting stage of writing an effective business message?
In order to design your slides to facilitate ease of processing, you should:
__________ is the process of converting meaning into messages composed of words and nonverbal signals.
Vanessa has been assigned the task of creating an effective business message aimed at improving the productivity of the employees in her company. In the process of creating the business message, she studies the background of the employees, their needs, and priorities. To which step of the planning process for developing influential messages does Vanessa’s action typically belong?
In the context of persuasive messages, validating your readers means that you are:
Which of the following is typically included in the reviewing state of writing an effective business message?
________ noise occurs when communicators apply different meanings to the same words or phrases.
Performing at the highest standards, not just for oneself, but for the team, for the supervisor, for the consumer, and for the company’s shareholders, indicates a sense of _________.
Your resume should tell a story of:
Which of the following is useful advice on conducting business across cultures with those who have limited English ability?
Which of the following facilitates a one-stop work space containing project and meeting information, shared files, and communication platforms?
Which of the following is true of competence?
Gregor, who works at a textbook company, has put together a presentation proposing that the company save money by getting its images from less expensive stock, photo sites. Gregor needs to present his idea to the executive committee. Considering the content of his presentation, which of the following people on the committee should he most try to influence?
Which of the following is a trait of individualists?
The career summary section of a resume should provide the candidate’s ________.

View the answer on Youtube;