The Basics of Business Writing

1.Writing in a business environment differs from other types of writing. In professional settings, written messages and oral presentations should be purposeful, economical, and audience oriented.

Identify the correct business writing objective for the following description.

Look at the problem from the perspective of the audience instead of your own.

a. Audience oriented

b. Economical

c. Persuasive

d. Purposeful

2.Identify which writing characteristic of business messages is violated in the following description.

I see that there appears to be an absolutely unfamiliar potential client requesting to converse with you in the upcoming afternoon interval. Would you prefer that I reject his request because you are already experiencing an overload of professional work demands?

a. Purposeful

b. Persuasive

c. Economical

3.True or False: Conciseness and clarity are what count in business.

True

False

4.Using a systematic process and practicing writing can help a business writer become better at which writing skills? Check all that apply.

a. Being entertaining

b. Focusing on the writer’s thought process

c. Focusing on the concerns of the audience

d. Being purposeful

5.Following a systematic plan for the preparation of an e-mail, memo, letter, or oral presentation will make the composition process easier and will help you create more effective business messages. The writing process for business messages includes prewriting, drafting, and revising.

Which of the following are steps involved in the prewriting phase of the writing process? Check all that apply.

a. Analyzing

b. Drafting

c. Researching

d. Adapting

e. Anticipating

f. Editing

6.The first phase of the writing process is prewriting.

Identify which writing characteristic of business messages is violated in the following description.

You are writing a memo to staff members outlining the solution to a lingering problem. Some are intimately familiar with the problem; others are not. You consider what the staff members know and how they might react to the proposed solution.

a. Editing

b. Analyzing

c. Anticipating

7.The second phase of the writing process is when you draft your message.

Choose the appropriate step in the drafting phase to complete the sentence.

Mr. Hernandez has asked you to make a presentation on the new HR benefits package options. Last week you researched the benefits options and created an outline for your presentation. You sit down at your desk and begin to create your presentation visuals and talking points. This step in the writing process is the phase.

a. drafting

b. organizing

c. researching

8.Revising is the third stage of the writing process.

Identify the step in the revision process that corresponds with the following description.

After completing your first draft, you will check the message for clarity, conciseness, tone, and readability.

a. Editing

b. Evaluating

c. Proofreading

Spending the appropriate amount of time on the writing process is important.

Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence about the writing process.

Experts suggest that of your time should be spent on the revising phase.

a. 25 percent

b. 50 percent