Use this worksheet to

• follow along as you

watch the video.
Module  6  Review  Worksheet  and  Study  Guide  
Part 1 • check your
understanding.
“Wise people have money in their heads, but not in their hearts”
~Jonathan Swift
th
17 Century Irish author, poet, satirist, and
clergyman

Course Objectives (abridged)

• Communicate with integrity
• Express ideas using specialized
vocabulary.
• Recognize different types of power
relationships
• Create messages with appropriate tone that
are less likely to provoke defensiveness
• Use reading strategies to comprehend
financial and economic texts including
charts and graphs.
• Use language for negotiation including asking probing
questions, giving reasons that make financial sense,
and making concessions.
• Use techniques that provoke open and honest
communication
• Present information from a chart or graph using
language expressing cause and effect, contrast,
movement up and down, and addition of similar ideas.
• Anticipate questions for poised answers lacking
defensiveness.

Scenario 1
Your first quarter sales revenue falls short of projections. In preparation for your presentation to the
board, you send an email to the sales manager requesting a meeting to discuss the reasons for this
variance and possible steps to makeup for it.

1. How do you want the tone of your email to be perceived?

Scenario 2
You are very worried about this variance in sales revenue.

1. Should you use negative words in your email such as “upset” or “worried”?

2. Why or why not?

3. Why is it important that you don’t create a negative tone?

4. What word can you use instead of problem?

Scenario 3
You meet with the sales manager. After the meeting the sales manager sends you a thank you note. He
thanks you for helping him work through the numbers, commenting that you’re always so knowledgeable
and supportive. He mentions how grateful he is that you’re always willing to listen.

1. In this situation there are two types of power supporting your leadership ability. What are they?

2. Why do you think the sales manager was so happy with your help?

3. Was it because you really listened and asked questions that didn’t provoke defensiveness?

4. Did you use open or closed questions?

5. What are some examples of probing questions?

Scenario 4 Hello, Wanda Huber
Before you can write your budget variance report, you have to understand speaking.... I’ll be happy to
the reasons you’re over budget. You contact the finance manager to get help you understand the
more details. reason your indirect labor
Hi Wanda, it’s Gary in costs are 11.8% over
When explaining variances in budgets and HR. I was wondering if budget.
forecasts, you use cause and effect language. you could help me
understand the _____ my
1. What word is missing from Gary’s labor costs are over
conversation? budget?

Scenario 5
The 2.2% variance in management salaries was due to the fact that an IT manager from another
division was helping on an emergency project.
1. What other words and phrases could you use to signal a cause and effect relationship? Can
you use them in a sentence?

[Cause, effect]
Due to the _____, management salaries were $2000 higher than expected.
As a result of _____, management salaries were $2000 higher than expected.

[Effect cause]
Management salaries were $2000 higher than expected due to an unexpected event.
Management salaries were $2000 higher than expected because of an unexpected event
Management salaries were $2000 higher than expected because an unexpected event
happened.

1. Looking at the first-quarter budget-variance report below, anticipate questions that your boss
may ask you.

2. How does anticipating questions help you when making formal presentations?

3. Using the graph called Sales v Target below, what questions will you anticipate a member of
the board might ask? Probable something about the variances, huge spikes.

4. How will you answer those questions?