chap 6

Business letters are typically sent .

• to relay bad news

• within an organization

• outside an organization

• only by high-level executives

Most workplace messages should be organized .

• indirectly

• chronologically

• directly

• topically

Which of the following messages is a considered a routine business message?

• An e-mail message to a coworker that confirms the time for an upcoming meeting

• A letter to a customer denying a request for credit

• A memo proposing the purchase of a new printer

• A cover letter applying for a job

A popular format of business letters, called style, aligns all parts on the left of the page.

• justified

• formal

• informal

• block

Which of the following statements accurately describes the use of letters, e-mails, and memos in businesses today?

• Businesses use memos to deliver positive messages internally and externally, but they use formal business letters to deliver negative messages.

• E-mail delivers most internal communication, hard-copy memos deliver most external communication, and letters communicate only legal issues.

• Despite the popularity of e-mail, in certain situations letters remain the preferred channel of communication for delivering messages outside an organization.

• Businesses today use e-mail, memos, and letters interchangeably for all audiences, purposes, and messages.

Although e-mail is successful for both internal and external communication, you should still use letters when .

• you need immediate feedback

• the message must reach your reader very quickly

• formality and sensitivity are essential

• you have too little time to proofread

In which of the following situations should you send a letter instead of an e-mail message?

• You are planning a sales team meeting.

• You are asking leading members of the community to contribute to a fundraising event to improve local parks.

• You are inviting employees to the annual sales seminar.

• You are reminding employees of Friday's divisional meetings.

Which statement about the format of a business letter is accurate?

• Legal agreements are invalid if they do not demonstrate the correct letter format.

• Business letters are required to use the block formatting style.

• The appearance of a business letter can send nonverbal messages about a sender to a receiver.

• Legal agreements are only valid if they are printed on company letterhead.

In the popular block letter format, which of the following guidelines apply?

• Use ragged, unjustified right margins.

• Use fully justified margins on all sides and center the body of the letter on the page.

• Start the sender's address, the dateline, and the complimentary close at the midpoint; align all other letter parts at the left margin.

• Double-space all content to improve readability.

*Frontloading* a message refers to .

• including an attachment

• proofreading only the beginning of a letter

• including a salutation or greeting

• placing the main idea of the message first