Chapter 02 - Adapting Your Message to Your Audience
Chapter 02
Adapting Your Message to Your Audience
True / False Questions
1.Knowing your audience is critical to the success of any message.
TrueFalse
2.The first step in analyzing your audience is to determine ways to reach them.
TrueFalse
3.You must reach the auxiliary audience to fulfill the purpose of your message since they decide whether to accept your recommendations or act on your ideas.
TrueFalse
4.Watchdog audiences must be handled very carefully because they can stop a message.
TrueFalse
5.A gatekeeper has the power to stop a message and may prevent the primary audience from ever seeing it.
TrueFalse
6.An auxiliary audience includes "read-only" people who will not actually have to act on a message.
TrueFalse
7.Audiences are well defined, so it is not possible for a single person to be part of two audiences.
TrueFalse
8.The founders of the successful Internet business RealClearPolitics.com advise other entrepreneurs to focus on the broadest base of customers possible in order to reach large numbers of people.
TrueFalse
9.The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator categorizes people on four dimensions: introvert-extravert, sensing-intuitive, thinking-feeling, and perceiving-judging.
TrueFalse
10.The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator identifies ways that people differ.
TrueFalse
11.According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, extraverted people get their energy from within.
TrueFalse
12.Introverts would be more likely to become focused and energized during quiet moments of meditation than during large group interactions.
TrueFalse
13.The Thinking-Feeling dichotomy on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator measures the way an individual makes decisions.
TrueFalse
14.The Judging-Perceiving dichotomy on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator measures the way an individual prefers to take in information.
TrueFalse
15.You will be most persuasive if you play to your audience's weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
TrueFalse
16.Generalization is appropriate when you must appeal to a large group of people with one message.
TrueFalse
17.In organizational situations in which the audience includes members of a group instead of just one individual, the best approach is to focus on the differences among the group members.
TrueFalse
18.Business writers do not have to be concerned with literacy levels because people who read business messages have above-average reading and comprehension skills.
TrueFalse
19.A research study mentioned in the chapter found that many U.S. adults have below-average reading skills. Fortunately, this finding does not pose much of a challenge for business writers since these are not the types of people who read business documents.
TrueFalse
20.Demographic characteristics are too general and subjective to be relevant in audience analysis.
TrueFalse
21.Demographic characteristics are measurements of the different attitudes that people in an audience have.
TrueFalse
22.Religion, education level, and income are examples of demographic characteristics of a population.
TrueFalse
23.All the demographic information that can possibly be obtained should be carefully considered when analyzing a group of individuals.
TrueFalse
24.Psychographic characteristics are quantitative aspects of an individual that involve objective measurement.
TrueFalse
25.Even if you know very little about your audience, you will find it easy to select and organize information that they think is important and that appeals to them.
TrueFalse
26.Knowing what your audience finds important allows you to choose information and approaches that the audience will find persuasive.
TrueFalse
27.Messages that are consistent with an organization's culture have very little chance of succeeding.
TrueFalse
28.Company A has several levels of management, and it is important that employees communicate only with their immediate supervisors if they have a problem. Company B's president has an open-door policy and encourages employees at all levels to drop in any time they have something on their minds. It is apparent that these two companies have different organizational cultures.
TrueFalse
29.A discourse community is a group of people who share assumptions about what topics to discuss and how to discuss them.
TrueFalse
30.The values statement on a company's Web site reveals much more about a company's culture than how employees actually behave.
TrueFalse
31.A company's Web site and policy manuals are valuable sources of information about a company's corporate culture.
TrueFalse
32.To get an immediate response, it is more effective to use a written channel than an oral one.
TrueFalse
33.An oral channel is more appropriate than a written one for delivering messages that contain many specific details important to the audience.
TrueFalse
34.A written message is more effective than an oral one when one of the goals is to minimize undesirable emotions.
TrueFalse
35.Video conferencing that connects people around the world has eliminated the need for face-to-face meetings.
TrueFalse
36.The political environment of an organization can impact an audience's reaction to your message.
TrueFalse
37.As long as a message is clearly stated, audiences will respond to it the same way regardless of who is delivering the message.
TrueFalse
38.The process of audience analysis involves relying on a list of standard questions that is asked about all audiences, in all situations, for all purposes.
TrueFalse
39.Using acronyms when communicating with those outside your unit is appropriate because it keeps messages short and to the point.
TrueFalse
40.Put good news first when describing the benefits of what you have to say to an audience.
TrueFalse
41.Good writers maintain one consistent style and approach for all audiences.
TrueFalse
42.A message that would typically be written indirectly should be organized using a direct structure if this is what the reader prefers.
TrueFalse
43.Documents that will be used outside of an office environment should be prepared on large sheets of paper on which there should be very little white space.
TrueFalse
44.Negative messages should include audience benefits.
TrueFalse
45.Research shows that the most highly satisfied employees are the ones who have many extrinsic motivators available to them on the job.
TrueFalse
46."If your suggestion for improving company procedures is implemented, you will receive a $1,000 bonus!" This sentence is an example of an extrinsic motivator.
TrueFalse
47.Polly wrote a report that solved a problem in her department. She felt good about having used her writing and technical skills successfully and therefore decided to volunteer for a committee working on a different problem. In this case, Polly's motivation was intrinsic.
TrueFalse
48.Pride in a job well done, satisfaction with assuming additional responsibility on the job, and an annual bonus for high-level performance are all examples of intrinsic motivators.
TrueFalse
49."You can use your creativity to design a system that works well for your own departments' needs." This sentence is an example of an intrinsic motivator.
TrueFalse
50.Explaining a benefit to an audience is particularly easy if the audience has never thought of the benefit before.
TrueFalse
51.To develop the best possible reader benefits for a message, you should brainstorm as many benefits as you can and then pick those that you can develop most effectively.
TrueFalse
52.Thorough explanations of every feature of a product or policy are primarily what motivate an audience to purchase it.
TrueFalse
53.When it is not possible to meet all of your audiences' needs, meet the needs of the gatekeepers and primary audience first.
TrueFalse
54.When multiple audiences of your document have different and competing needs, it is advisable to provide an overview or executive summary for readers who just want the main points.
TrueFalse
55.When you write to multiple audiences, you should address those with the least amount of understanding and involvement to determine level of detail, organization, level of formality, and use of technical terms and theory.
TrueFalse
Multiple Choice Questions
56.The primary audience for your message is made up of
A.decision makers or opinion molders in an organization.
B.everyone who receives it.
C.individuals with the highest status in an organization.
D.people who represent the opinions or attitudes of the majority.
57.Who is the primary audience for a company that cans and markets pet food?
A.Suppliers of the food products
B.Veterinarians and animal hospitals
C.Pet owners
D.Dogs and cats
58.You are a technical writer in a large company who is working on a training manual to help new users learn the company's computer system. Employees will use your manual in training seminars taught by your company's trainers. The manual will also serve as an on-the-job reference later. Both of the system analysts who designed the computer system and the trainers will comment on your draft. The trainers would be classified as what kind of audience for your manual?
A.Watchdog
B.Gatekeeper
C.Primary
D.Secondary
59.Which of the following is not a gatekeeper?
A.A receptionist for a small business who opens the mail and then date-time stamps each piece before passing it on to its owner
B.An account executive who approves a marketing plan before it is submitted to the client
C.A program director at the National Science Foundation who screens all grant applications to ensure conformity to the application criteria before forwarding them to the review board
D.The HR director of a large university who screens all internal applicants for eligibility before sending applications to the interviewers for a specific position
60.Which audience has political, social, or economic power, pays close attention to the transaction between you and the primary audience, and may base future actions on its evaluation of your message?
A.Auxillary audience
B.Watchdog audience
C.Gatekeeper
D.Secondary audience
61.Carlos Diaz works in the collections department, and he is very successful at writing professional, effective letters to customers whose accounts are overdue. The human resources department asks to use copies of some of his letters in a training course for new employees to show good practices for written documents. These trainees are
A.the primary audience
B.gatekeepers
C.a watchdog audience
D.a secondary audience
62.Which of the following people would be an example of an auxiliary audience?
A.A company vice president who routinely reads minutes of departmental meetings just to stay informed, even though he has no direct role in these meetings
B.A customer group who will decide whether or not to purchase your product based upon your sales presentation
C.An attorney who uses company documents as evidence of the organization's culture and practices
D.A supervisor who reviews requests for employee transfers to other departments and who sends only those requests she approves on to the president's office
63.Carol Edwards is applying for a position in the marketing department of a local corporation. Although Shawn McMann is the director of this department, she has been instructed to send her resume and other documents to Jeff Cohen, manager of the human resources department. Jeff screens all applications before sending those of qualified candidates on to appropriate department heads. Jeff is
A.the primary audience
B.a gatekeeper
C.a watchdog
D.an auxiliary audience
64.The ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and to feel with that other person is
A.common sense
B.professionalism
C.audience analysis
D.empathy
65.Which of the following methods is not a useful way of analyzing an individual who is your audience?
A.Rely on what you already know about this individual through your previous experiences with him/her.
B.Assume this individual thinks the same way as someone else you know who is in a similar position.
C.Talk to other people who know this individual.
D.Observe this individual firsthand.
66.Audience analysis is relatively easy when you are communicating with
A.large groups of people.
B.strangers.
C.mailing list customers.
D.an immediate supervisor.
67.Which one of the following is not a dimension of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?
A.Introvert-extrovert
B.Sensing-intuitive
C.Perceiving-judging
D.Channeling-formatting
68.According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, people who are the judging type
A.like solving problems and being creative and are often impatient with details.
B.are comfortable making quick decisions and like to come to closure so they can move on to something else.
C.are very aware of other people and their feelings, are sympathetic, and like harmony.
D.like to think on their feet, are energized by people, and would rather talk than write.
69.Suzanne Anthony tends to act on the spur of the moment and is comfortable adapting to changing situations. She also likes to consider all of her options and not rush in making a decision. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, she qualifies as which type?
A.perceiving
B.judging
C.thinking
D.intuitive
70.According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a person would not be both a
A.a feeling and a judging type
B.a thinking and an introverted type
C.a sensing and an intuition type
D.an extroverted and a perceiving type
71.Decisions can be made based on the logical consequences of a choice or action OR on the impact on people. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which dichotomy measures the way an individual makes decisions in this context?
A.thinking-feeling
B.judging-perceiving
C.extravert-introvert
D.sensing-intuition
72.Which of the following is not measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?
A.personality types
B.stylistic preferences that people tend to have
C.demographic facts about people
D.the ways people differ
73.Many organizational situations involve an audience that consists of a group of people. Which is an appropriate approach to analyzing this type of audience?
A.Rely on the fact that generalizations are true for all members of a group.
B.Disregard demographic information to avoid stereotyping people.
C.Avoid making any generalizations at all since group members are individuals.
D.Identify things that the members of the group have in common.
74.When preparing a message for a large, diverse audience, you must
A.request audience participation.
B.include multiple visual aids.
C.look for common denominators that tie members of the group together.
D.compose an e-mail informing the audience of your timeline.
75.Which of the following is an example of demographic data?
A.Moral values
B.Age
C.Social security number
D.Interests
76.Demographic characteristics are measurable features that can be counted objectively and include all of the following except
A.education level.
B.gender.
C.religion.
D.personality.
77.Which of the following does not involve a demographic characteristic of an audience that is being addressed at a conference presentation?
A.Approximately 40% of the attendees are opposed to the economic stimulus package.
B.Over 70% the group members are scientists with Ph.D. degrees.
C.At least 20% of the audience members are nearing retirement age.
D.Nearly 35% of the participants are from Asian backgrounds.
78.Psychographic characteristics include all of the following except
A.goals.
B.beliefs.
C.values.
D.income level.
79.Which of the following demonstrates a psychographic characteristic of an individual?
A.An employee is highly motivated to perform because he has the freedom to do things his own way.
B.A 64-year-old woman is now interested in learning about Medicare benefits.
C.A woman who was just promoted to president of a major corporation is contacted by a professional financial advisor.
D.An African American male auditions for the lead role in a documentary about Martin Luther King.
80.Which of the following is not an advantage of using psychographic information?
A.It shows what the audience finds important.
B.It offers objective, measurable data about the audience.
C.It helps a communicator choose the best appeal for the audience.
D.It is less expensive than interviews.
81.Which of the following facts would NOT reveal information about an organization's culture?
A.The employee manual is detailed, continuously updated, and relied upon extensively to run the company.
B.The company gives 10% of its after-tax income to a community beautification program.
C.The company philosophy is grounded in Biblical principles.
D.The company president will be retiring in four years.
82.In an organization that values equality and individualism, you might find all of the following except
A.a strict chain of command that must be followed.
B.an environment that allows you to write contact the CEO directly.
C.that the Vice President of Sales & Marketing treats you as a colleague.
D.that your own ideas can be voiced and are acknowledged by senior management.
83.If you wanted to analyze an organization's culture, you would do so by asking all of the following questions except:
A.Is the organization tall or flat?
B.What does the work space look like?
C.What activities do employees engage in after work?
D.Is diversity or homogeneity preferred?
84.Which of the following is the typical relationship between discourse communities and organizations?
A.There are several organizations in a single discourse community.
B.There are several discourse communities in a single organization.
C.Each organization has a single discourse community.
D.Each discourse community has a single organization.
85.Which of the following would not be related to a discourse community in a factory?
A.Extensive evidence and documentation is required to convince a manager to deviate from a company routine.
B.Certain topics should not be brought up in the presence upper management.
C.Supervisors have an open-door policy that encourages workers to stop in and chat.
D.Additional funding has been allocated for the research and development of more energy-efficient manufacturing.
86.Which of the following is an example that would relate to a discourse community?
A.There are many levels of management between the company president and the production employees in a manufacturing business.
B.Since there are numerous geographical locations, it is common for committee business to be discussed via e-mail or by using company discussion boards.
C.The higher-level managers have the largest offices on the top floor of the building.
D.Production workers receive monetary rewards for new ideas that save money or time.
87.Which of the following is not an example of how an organization reveals its culture nonverbally?
A.Since there are numerous geographical locations, it is common for committee business to be discussed via e-mail or by using company discussion boards.
B.There are many levels of management between the company president and the production employees in a manufacturing business.
C.The higher-level managers have the largest offices on the top floor of the building.
D.Production workers receive monetary rewards for new ideas that save money or time.