Chapter 12—Professionalism at Work: Business Etiquette, Ethics, Teamwork, and

Meetings

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Which statement about professionalism is accurate?

a. Professionalism refers to those behaviors exhibited only to customers.
b. Professionalism describes desirable workplace behavior.
c. Professionalism emphasizes hard skills or technical knowledge desired by employers.
d. Professionalism is important only in large companies.
2. A synonym for professionalism is
a. hard skills.
b. social acceptance.
c. business etiquette.
d. diversity.
3. Professional behavior is comprised of six dimensions, including courtesy and respect, appearance and
appeal, tolerance and tact, honesty and ethics, reliability and responsibility, and
a. soft and hard skills.
b. self-actualization and self-control.
c. diligence and collegiality.
d. education and training.
4. Which of the following statements about professionalism in the workplace is accurate?
a. Unprofessional behavior affects only the individual who displays it.
b. More organizations are establishing procedures or policies to encourage professionalism.
c. Employees need to exhibit professional behavior only when working at their desks.
d. You exhibit professional behavior only through nonverbal actions such as dressing
appropriately or maintaining eye contact with others.
5. Paul is starting a new job and wants to demonstrate that he is a professional employee. What advice
should he follow?
a. Never apologize for errors or misunderstandings because doing so calls attention to them.
b. Show up a few minutes to late every so often to show that he isn't an overzealous
employee.
c. Share confidential information with his closest coworkers.
d. Keep personal opinions of people private.
6. Richard wants to prove that he is diligent and collegial. What is the best advice you can give him?
a. Put all focus on his job and avoid volunteering his services to a worthy community or
charity group.
b. Turn in projects on time, even if he's not proud of the work he's done.
c. Show a willingness to share his expertise with others.
d. Richard should do all of these to come across as diligent and collegial.
7. How do recruiters and employers view the importance of professional behavior in the workplace?
a. Although recruiters are impressed with applicants who speak well, a candidate's technical
expertise is all that matters.
b. Employers will often promote or advance individuals who display appropriate
communication skills and professional polish.
c. Professionalism and soft skills are important only in service-oriented fields.
d. Team, communication, and people skills are low priorities for most hiring managers.

Guffey, Du-Babcock, and Loewy | Essentials of Business Communication, 3rd Asia Edition
© 2016 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
1
 8. Helen understands that soft skills and professional polish will ensure her long-term success on the job.
Which of the following is not a soft skill?
a. A grasp of workplace etiquette
b. An eagerness to learn
c. The ability to work effectively as part of team
d. Proficiency in using a variety of computer software packages
9. Which of the following statements about face-to-face communication is accurate?
a. Face-to-face communication is less expressive and persuasive than written
communication.
b. Face-to-face communication increases the likelihood of misunderstandings.
c. Face-to-face conversations reduce cooperation and limit problem solving during conflict.
d. Face-to-face interaction is the most effective of all communication channels.
10. Saying words correctly and clearly with the accepted sounds and syllables reflects
a. rate.
b. pitch.
c. vocal quality.
d. proper pronunciation.
11. Ray, hoping for a promotion, wants to improve his pronunciation skills so that he's able to say words
correctly and clearly with accepted sounds and accented syllables. Which of the following is the best
advice for Ray?
a. Hire a professional speech coach.
b. Listen carefully to educated people.
c. Practice sounding enthusiastic when speaking.
d. Relax. Mispronouncing a few words is common and will not affect the opportunity for
promotion.
12. Which of the following statements is accurate?
a. The quality of your voice sends only verbal messages.
b. You can learn to change your voice to make it more powerful.
c. Listeners do not judge people's voices.
d. Speakers should use a higher-pitched voice.
13. The best definition of uptalk is
a. a flat or monotonous delivery.
b. a rising inflection at the end of a sentence that makes statements sound like questions.
c. self-gratifying comments to make you appear better than others.
d. an unnaturally quick speaking pattern.
14. To use your voice effectively,
a. speak in a moderately low-pitched voice at about 125 words per minute.
b. overemphasize all words to guarantee audience understanding.
c. avoid listening to educated individuals to retain your speaking uniqueness.
d. keep the same volume and rate while speaking.
15. Joyce’s coworker has told her that Joyce is more likely to be promoted if she speaks effectively in
conversations. Which of the following is a good tip for Joyce?
a. Learn and use first names for all coworkers, clients, and customers.
b. Prove that she is relaxed and confident by telling some political jokes that are sure to
"raise an eyebrow."
c. Show strength of conviction by openly discussing her complaints.
d. Give sincere and specific praise to managers, colleagues, and workers.

Guffey, Du-Babcock, and Loewy | Essentials of Business Communication, 3rd Asia Edition
© 2016 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
2
16. Which of the following is the best advice regarding small talk in the workplace?
a. Avoid small talk in the workplace because doing so is unprofessional.
b. Read newspapers and listen to the radio and TV so that you can discuss current events
intelligently.
c. Bring up controversial topics such as politics or religion as often as possible to show your
intelligence.
d. Be defensive if someone brings up a topic that upsets you.
17. A coworker has justly criticized you for poor performance at work. If you agree quickly with this on-
target criticism,
a. the coworker is likely to take the criticism to your supervisor.
b. others will view you as a coward who doesn't fight back when criticized.
c. the coworker is more likely to take advantage of your weakness.
d. others will more likely respect you.
18. You are in a meeting receiving your performance review and are surprised that your supervisor has
offered you many suggestions for improvement. How should you react to the criticism?
a. Interrupt your supervisor frequently to comment on his or her suggestions so that you don't
miss giving feedback on anything.
b. To avoid any type of confrontation with your supervisor, agree with all comments made.
c. Try to deflect blame for anything negative said to others in your department.
d. Ask for clarification of comments when necessary.
19. You recently chaired a team implementing new federal confidentiality requirements. After
implementation, you must evaluate each team member's performance. Which of the following
suggestions about giving constructive criticism is not accurate?
a. Use language that focuses on improvement instead of problems.
b. To show more compassion, be as vague as possible.
c. Ask the team members for feedback.
d. Discuss the behavior, not the person.
20. Which of the following statement best provides constructive criticism?
a. You seem to think that you can submit any kind of work and that it doesn't matter.
b. Your work is often shoddy.
c. Producing inferior work often causes this company to lose time and money.
d. You need to produce work that meets this company's standards.
21. Which of the following is the best advice when making business telephone calls?
a. Realize that the responsibility for ending a call lies with the person who receives the call,
not with the caller.
b. Before you make a call, ask yourself if it's necessary.
c. To sound natural and spontaneous, decide what you're going to say after the receiver
answers.
d. Don't worry about smiling because the person can't see you.
22. Harry has limited time and must call Ron for answers to several questions. Which of the following is
the best example of a brisk and professional approach?
a. Ron, I have only a few minutes, but I knew you were the one with answers to my questions.
b. Hey, Ron, what's up, dude?
c. I can't waste any time chit chatting, so you need to get to the point pronto!
d. Look, Ron, you always have the inside scoop at work; what's going on?
23. Which of the following demonstrates the best example when answering a telephone call?
a. This is Claire. May I help you?
b. Precision Integrations. What's on your mind?

Guffey, Du-Babcock, and Loewy | Essentials of Business Communication, 3rd Asia Edition
© 2016 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
3
 c. Hello. What can I do for you?
d. Thanks for calling Precision Integrations. This is Claire Ong. How may I help you today?
24. Which of the following is the best advice to follow when receiving telephone calls for others?
a. Identify your colleague's whereabouts if you are answering his or her phone.
b. Provide only your name when answering a call.
c. Verify telephone numbers and spelling of names when taking messages.
d. Guarantee the caller that your colleague will return the call within a few hours.
25. Which of the following is the best example of a response when answering calls for others?
a. Janet is currently participating in an important budget meeting with our board of
directors.
b. We're not really sure where Janet is right now, but she'll return your call immediately
whenever she gets back.
c. Janet has run down to the ladies' room for a few minutes, but she should be back soon.
d. Janet is away from her desk, but I will give her your message when she returns.
26. Rena uses a mobile phone for all her business communications. What advice should she follow?
a. Talk openly and freely on her mobile phone in any location.
b. Converse in her normal speaking voice.
c. Answer her mobile phone when it rings while she is driving to ensure she communicates
with her customers at all times.
d. Screen incoming calls.
27. Which of the following statements about using mobile phones for business is most accurate?
a. Because mobile phones can be annoying to others, don't use them for business purposes.
b. To make yourself look professional and important, leave your mobile phone on at all times
during the workday.
c. Choose a unique and creative ring style such as your college fight song to distinguish calls
to your mobile phone.
d. Be careful about using your mobile phone to discuss private or confidential company
information.
28. The benefits of voice mail include eliminating unnecessary chit chat, telephone tag, inaccurate
messages, and
a. time-zone barriers.
b. the need for written messages.
c. the necessity of a cordial, friendly greeting.
d. prompt responses.
29. Sean needs to record his business voicemail outgoing message. Which of the following outgoing
messages is most professional?
a. Hi! I'm sorry I missed your call. Please leave a brief message after the tone.
b. This is Sean. I'm not available right now. But if you leave a message, I promise to call you
back. Be sure to include your name, phone number, and the best time to return your call.
c. Your call is important to me. Please leave your name and number so that I can return your
call promptly.
d. Hi! You have reached the voice mail of Sean Lim of Perfect Accounting. I am currently
away from my phone but will return by 2 p.m. Please call back then. Thank you for
calling.
30. Margaret has called a client and gotten his voice mail. What is the best advice you can give Margaret
for leaving a message?
a. Hang up and call back later; her client won't want to be bothered with having to listen to a
message.

Guffey, Du-Babcock, and Loewy | Essentials of Business Communication, 3rd Asia Edition
© 2016 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
4
 b. Speak as quickly as possible to make her message more concise.
c. Smile when leaving her message to add warmth to her voice.
d. Leave a complete message, including confidential details about the project Margaret is
working on, to make her message as useful as possible.
31. Which of the following statements about workplace teams is most accurate?
a. Teams tend to respond more slowly to competition or problem solving.
b. Because conflict often results, teams tend to have decreased productivity.
c. Team members who are involved in the decision-making process show less resistance to
change.
d. Individuals tend to make better decisions than teams.
32. What term describes groups of people who work interdependently with a shared purpose across space,
time, and organization boundaries using technology?
a. Blogs
b. Virtual teams
c. Team players
d. Social networking
33. The most effective groups have members who
a. do not establish rules.
b. make excessive jokes to make everyone laugh.
c. ignore silent group members.
d. offer information and try out their ideas on the group to stimulate discussion.
34. The most successful workplace teams
a. have a small number of members.
b. are homogeneous.
c. avoid conflict.
d. work independently.
35. What is the optimum number of participants for most group projects?
a. Two
b. Four to five
c. Ten
d. There is no "optimum" number; more is always better.
36. Which of the following would probably best help a group achieve its goal?
a. Competition
b. Individual leadership
c. Emphasis on individualism
d. Active listening skills
37. Which of the following statements about meetings is most accurate?
a. Reliance on e-mail and wireless devices are causing face-to-face meetings to disappear.
b. Meetings consist of ten or more individuals who gather to achieve a goal, solve a problem,
or create a work plan.
c. As businesses become more team-oriented, people are attending more meetings than ever.
d. Most people enjoy attending meetings because they recognize that meetings present great
opportunities for professional growth and recognition.
38. What is your first task before holding a meeting?
a. Decide how and where to meet.
b. Prepare an agenda.
c. Invite participants.

Guffey, Du-Babcock, and Loewy | Essentials of Business Communication, 3rd Asia Edition
© 2016 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
5
 d. Determine your purpose.
39. Which statement about group conflict is accurate?
a. Good groups acknowledge conflict and address the root of the problem openly.
b. Addressing group conflict wastes valuable time and reduces team commitment.
c. Groups should use majority voting to resolve group conflicts.
d. Groups that confront conflict should be person oriented, not task oriented.
40. Roy has just volunteered to participate in a work team that will explore the establishment of an
employee exercise facility. Which of the following behaviors should he practice?
a. Concentrate on his desire to stay fit rather than on other employees' goals.
b. Agree with all group members' contributions.
c. Remind group members of their task if they periodically get off track.
d. Hold back his knowledge of an employee exercise program from a previous employer.
41. When the purpose of your meeting is to solve a problem, what is the recommended number of meeting
participants?
a. Five or fewer
b. Ten or fewer
c. Thirty or fewer
d. An unlimited number of participants
42. A meeting agenda should include the date and place of the meeting, start and end times, a brief
description of each topic with its time allotment, and
a. a refreshment list.
b. an explanation of the leader's position on each of the topics.
c. the speaker order.
d. any premeeting preparation expected of participants.
43. Which of the following is the best practice for a group when it begins a meeting?
a. Wait until all participants arrive.
b. Give a quick recap to anyone who arrives late.
c. Establish ground rules.
d. Always avoid self-introductions.

44. Jane is leading her first professional business meeting and wants to follow professional meeting
etiquette. Which of the following is the best tip for Jane?
a. Avoid following an agenda because the meeting will appear too rigid.
b. End the meeting on time, even if the group hasn't discussed all agenda items.
c. Don't waste time on introductions because you may run out of time to complete your
meeting business.
d. Encourage friendly, informal side conversations.
45. Kenneth will attend his first sales meeting and wants to follow proper meeting etiquette. Which of the
following should he do to make a good impression?
a. Keep his mobile phone and pager on so that he doesn't miss an important call.
b. Leave the room only for breaks and emergencies.
c. Use body language to show if he's bored; the chair will appreciate his honesty.
d. Avoid direct eye contact with other group members.
46. How should a group leader keep a meeting progressing effectively?
a. Engage in most of the talking to ensure that the meeting ends on time.
b. Allow group members to digress on a topic because other topics may be beneficial to
explore.
c. Discourage members who monopolize the discussion.
d. Summarize only at the end of the meeting.

Guffey, Du-Babcock, and Loewy | Essentials of Business Communication, 3rd Asia Edition
© 2016 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
6
 47. Which of the following statements about meetings is not accurate?
a. Meetings should start on time unless someone important is late.
b. An agenda should be distributed at least two days before the meeting.
c. Meetings should not be held if the flow of information will be strictly one way.
d. The real expense of a meeting is the lost productivity of the attendees.
48. Which of the following statements about managing workplace conflict is most accurate?
a. Conflict in the workplace can be desirable.
b. Because conflict makes people feel awkward and uneasy, it inhibits creativity.
c. Since conflict is always negative, you should always avoid it in the workplace.
d. Unresolved conflict indicates leadership failure.
49. Team leaders can handle difficult group members during a meeting by
a. announcing the rules for expected behavior as soon as a participant digresses.
b. seating the difficult group member as far from the leader as possible.
c. making direct eye contact with everyone when asking questions.
d. assigning a task to the disruptive person.
50. Which of the following should occur at the end of a meeting?
a. A meeting should end only when participants have discussed all agenda items.
b. The leader should provide a summary of accomplishments and a review of action items.
c. The leader should remind participants that they are responsible for taking their own
minutes.
d. Participants should pass their assigned tasks on to someone who did not attend.
TRUE/FALSE

1. Many businesses have established protocol procedures or policies to encourage civility.

2. Hard skills refer to a whole cluster of personal qualities, habits, attitudes (for example, optimism and
friendliness), communication skills, and social graces.

3. Technical fields such as accounting and finance don't emphasize soft skills.

4. Because today's technologies provide many alternate communication channels, face-to-face

communication is no longer important in business and professional transactions.

5. You are unable to change your voice.

6. Your vocal quality sends only verbal messages.

7. Speakers should avoid "uptalk" in the workplace because it makes them appear weak and tentative.

8. Rate refers to the pace of your speech.

9. When conversing with others, always address them by their first names.

10. Attending work-related social functions can harm your career if you dress inappropriately or choose
controversial conversation topics; therefore, it is best to avoid these functions.

11. If you receive constructive criticism on the job, you should focus on your feelings as much as possible.

12. If another person has criticized you unfairly, you should disagree respectfully and constructively.

Guffey, Du-Babcock, and Loewy | Essentials of Business Communication, 3rd Asia Edition
© 2016 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
7
13. When you deliver constructive criticism, you should use the word "we" instead of "you" to avoid
sounding accusatory.

14. You should deliver most constructive criticism in writing rather than in person.

15. E-mail has made telephone use obsolete in the corporate world.

16. When placing a business telephone call, immediately name the person you are calling, identify
yourself and your affiliation, and give a brief explanation of your reason for calling.

17. You should identify the extension when transferring a call.

18. Some places are inappropriate or even dangerous for mobile phone use.

19. To make your outgoing voice mail message more professional, use the computer-generated voice that
comes with most systems.

20. Because of the increased focus on individualism, teams have become less important in today's business
environment.

21. Decisions made by teams promote greater "buy-in" from group members.
22. Many organizations are using virtual teams to exchange ideas and make decisions.
23. The most effective groups have members who are willing to establish rules and abide by those rules.

24. Withdrawing from a group is viewed as an effective technique to deal with group differences.

25. Groups with diverse members often produce the best decisions.

26. When confronting group conflict, focus on the person to make him or her feel important and heard.

27. Effective teams often have no formal leader.

28. Today's workers attend more meetings than ever.

29. No meeting should be called unless the topic is important, can't wait, and requires an exchange of
ideas.

30. Emotional topics should be placed near the beginning of an agenda.

31. When preparing the location for business meetings, you can maximize collaboration by arranging the
tables or chairs in straight rows.
32. Etiquette guidelines for business meetings indicate that both participants and leaders are responsible
for sticking to the agenda and avoiding tangents.

33. Ground rules for a business meeting should be discussed only when a participant's behavior is harming
the progress of the agenda.

34. It is appropriate for a meeting leader to move the meeting along by saying, "Thanks, Ivan, for your
viewpoint, but please hold your next comment until we can hear what Shung Chai thinks of your idea."

35. When a conflict develops between two members, allow each to make a complete case before the
group.

Guffey, Du-Babcock, and Loewy | Essentials of Business Communication, 3rd Asia Edition
© 2016 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
8
 36. One way to handle dysfunctional group members during a meeting is to seat them next to the leader.

37. A meeting should be adjourned when the group has reached an impasse.

38. No one should leave a meeting without a full understanding of what was accomplished.

39. Meeting minutes should be distributed within two weeks after the meeting or at least two days before
the next meeting, whichever comes first.

40. It is the leader's responsibility to see that what was decided at the meeting is accomplished.
COMPLETION

1. ____________________, also known as business etiquette, civility, social intelligence, or soft skills,
refers to a whole range of desirable workplace behaviors.

2. ____________________ intelligence is defined as "the ability to get along well with others and to get
them to cooperate with you."

3. The ____________________ of your voice is the degree of loudness or the intensity of sound.

4. ____________________ criticism involves planning what you will say, focusing on improvement,
offering to help, being specific, and avoiding anger.

5. ____________________ enable you to conduct business from virtually anywhere at any time and have
become an essential part of communication in today's workplace.

6. ____________________ mail links a telephone system to a computer that digitizes and stores
incoming messages.
7. To connect with distant team members across borders and time zones, many organizations are creating
____________________ teams. These teams work interdependently with a shared purpose across
space, time, and organization boundaries using technology.

8. ____________________ consist of three or more people who gather to pool information, solicit
feedback, clarify policy, seek consensus, and solve problems.

9. The list of topics to be discussed at a meeting is called a(n) ____________________.

10. The ____________________ are a record of points of discussion, decisions made, and tasks assigned
at a meeting.

Guffey, Du-Babcock, and Loewy | Essentials of Business Communication, 3rd Asia Edition
© 2016 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
9