Possible Questions

Chapter Two: Fundamentals of Business Writing: Planning Business Messages

1) Describe the major steps of writing process that help create effective messages.
2) What are the benefits of planning your messages carefully, particularly longer and
more complex messages?
3) While planning business messages, how the communicators analyze the situation?
4) What two types of purposes do all business messages have?
5) What do you need to know in order to develop an audience profile? Discuss with
examples.
6) Identify the Information-gathering options for simple business messages. Why
gathering information is important?
7) What do you understand by the term Journalistic Approach?
8) Discuss the three attributes of quality information as identified by Bovee and Thill
(2014).
9) Discuss (with examples) the advantages and disadvantages of the following
channels of communication:
Oral medium
Written medium
Visual medium
Electric medium
10)Why electric channels of communication are widely used nowadays? Give
examples of electronic versions of oral media, written media and visual media.
Select one such channel and identify the challenges that communicator might face
while using such media.
11)List the factors to consider when choosing the most appropriate medium for a
message.
12)Explain why good organization is important to both writer and audience.
13) List the tasks involved in organizing a message.
14)Discuss the common techniques a writer might use to generate creative ideas with
examples.
15)What is limiting the scope of a business message? Why is it important?

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16)What three elements do you need to consider when choosing between the direct
and indirect approaches?
17)Differentiate between direct approach and indirect approach of information
presentation.
18)Why a writer of a business message need to outline the content of the message?
How do they do so?
19) Indicate whether the direct or indirect approach would be best in each of the
following situations and briefly explain why? Would any of these messages be
inappropriate for e-mail? Explain.
o A message to the owner of an automobile dealership complaining about
poor service work.
o A message turning down a job applicant.
o A message from an advertising agency to a troublesome long-term client
explaining that the agency will no longer be able to work on the clients
account.

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Possible Questions
Chapter Three: Fundamentals of Business Writing: Writing Business Messages

1) Identify the four aspects of being sensitive to audience needs when writing business
messages.
2) What is meant by you attitude?
3) Explain how establishing your credibility and projecting your companys image are
vital aspects of building strong relationship with your audience?