Business Communication Flashcards

During a meeting a coworker explains a problem, and you reply, "So what you're saying is the vendor missed two deadlines?" Which active listening technique are you using?

Answer: Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing repeats the speaker's message in your own words to confirm you understood it.

What should formal meeting minutes mainly record?

Answer: Decisions made, motions, and action items with the people responsible

Minutes are a short official record of decisions, actions, and who is responsible for each, not a verbatim transcript.

Which detail is most important to include when taking a telephone message?

Answer: The caller's name, phone number, date and time of the call, and the message

A complete phone message lets the recipient identify the caller and call back without delay.

Which sentence uses "affect" or "effect" correctly?

Answer: The new policy will affect every department.

"Affect" is usually a verb meaning to influence, and "effect" is usually a noun meaning a result.

Why might a writer choose the passive voice, as in "An error was made in your invoice"?

Answer: To soften negative news and avoid blaming anyone

Passive voice moves attention away from the person responsible, which helps keep the tone diplomatic in bad-news messages.

A letter is addressed to a company, but you want a specific employee to handle it. Which letter part should you use?

Answer: Attention line

An attention line sends a letter addressed to an organization to a particular person or department.

A manager has to give an employee detailed, sensitive feedback about performance. Which communication channel is most appropriate?

Answer: A private face-to-face meeting

Rich channels like a face-to-face meeting work best for sensitive, complex messages because they allow tone, nonverbal cues, and immediate feedback.