IMPROVE TONE AND CLARITY

1. Which of the following represents a courteous approach to writing business messages?

• Use words that sound demanding or authoritative.

• Turn demands into rhetorical questions.

• Express legitimate emotions of anger and frustration

• Emphasize writer benefits.

Which of the following would help to create a conversational but professional tone in a business message?

• Headings for skim value

• Technical terms to establish the writer's industry knowledge

• Familiar words and personal pronouns

• Frequent abbreviations such as IMHO and BTW

When adapting your message to its audience, make sure your language is sensitive and bias-free. Be cautious about expressions that might be biased in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age, and______.

• religion

• accented speech

• disability

• nationality

What is the primary purpose of using jargon? 

• Jargon is used to make sure that only insiders understand your message.

• Jargon can be used to let readers know that you are an expert in your field. 

• Jargon is used to communicate complex ideas quickly. 

• Jargon is used to purposefully confuse and obfuscate your message.

Positive language generally conveys more information than negative language does.

• TRUE

• FALSE

The sentence You must submit your application by Friday is a more effective business message than Please submit your application by Friday.

• TRUE

• FALSE

"Every mechanic has ten minutes for his morning break" is an effectively written sentence.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Whenever possible in business writing, substitute longer, less familiar words for shorter, simpler words.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Jargon should never be used in business writing.

• TRUE

• FALSE

As a business communicator, you should use strong verbs and concrete nouns in your writing.

• TRUE

• FALSE