In recent years rapid and revolutionary

developments have taken place in the tools

and techniques of communication.

Advancement of communication technology

have overcome the problem of physical

distance between countries and people.

Whole world has become one market.

Only some of the tools of communication

have been discussed here:

10. Tools of

Communication

It is a written message address to a person or an

organization. It may be handwritten, typed or printed. It

may be sent through courier, peon or post. There are

two types of letter. Personal letter: And Business letter: It

is not always possible to maintain personal contacts with

persons or institutions. Letters help to maintain contacts

in such cases.

Business letters are important and indispensable part of

the business communication. Every business, irrespective

of its size and structure, has to establish rapport with

customers, suppliers, government agencies etc.

One can handle business activities over phone but these

systems are either expensive or time consuming.

Moreover people fail to retain more than 25% of what

they hear and chances of misunderstanding are high in

oral communication.

Letters

Effective business letter:

1. Write naturally:

Letter writing is a piece of conversation by post or E-Mail. It should be as

natural as the oral communication.

2. Language:

Difference between personal letter and

Business letter.

Business letters like personal letters are also a

piece of conversation by post. But they differ

in certain aspects.

The objective of personal letter is to establish a

personal contact or to keep alive a personal

relationship or to evoke sense of actual

meeting with the reader. While objective of

business letter is to achieve a definite purpose

like selling product, seeking information,

creating goodwill, etc.

Personal letters being least formal are

supposed to be frank and intimate whereas

business letters are more formal and to the

point.

In writing personal letters heart dominates as

they are written to express feelings and

emotions; where as in business letters the head

dominates as they are written in cool and

calculated way.

HOW TO MAKE BUSINESS LETTERS EFECTIVE?

Business letters act as the silent ambassadors of the company. They should be

written in clear and vivid language, free from confusing and complicating

phrases, and in accurate facts.

Not only should they be written effectively but also displayed attractively on

handsome looking stationery paper.

They should be dispatched in fine envelop, so that all the things associated with

their production and execution should leave a good impression in the mind of

the reader.

Effective business correspondences require more attention and awareness of

the language and avoidance of outworn expressions, wordy phrases and vague

terms. The language of the letter can be improved by following these steps –

Write in simple and straight forward way, Unnecessary and undesirable phrase

should be avoided.

3. Clarity of the message:

The message should be clear and unambiguous and self – explanatory.

Communication is complete only when the receiver understands the message in

the same sense and spirit as the conveyor wants to convey. For this: Avoid the

use of abstract and vague words & phrases. These are meant commonly for

concepts or generalities and ideologies which are far from daily business

experiences. Their use definitely leads to misunderstanding.

4. Brevity:

The effective business letter always expresses the writer’s message in a clear

way and in as few words as possible. Businessman has got limited time at their

disposal to deal with correspondence and will naturally like to get exact

information without the wastage of time. Brevity does not imply saying less

than what is needed but doesn’t also mean saying more. At the same time

clarity should not be scarified for brevity.

5. Accuracy:

Business letters should convey accurate facts and figures to the reader.

Inaccurate information can cost money and goodwill which no businessman

can afford to sacrifice. Therefore, while writing letters, the writer should

ensure that all names, figures, dates, specifications are correctly spelled; and

ideas have been clearly presented.

6. Tone:

Tone, the emotional content of the letter, can be formal, informal, persuasive,

humorous, positive or negative. Each tone has a different role to play in a

different context. While writing to government agencies, formal tone should

be used, whereas for communicating with a friend or friendly business house,

informal tone will be better.

A memo is the short form of the term memorandum. A

memorandum is a brief official note used for

communication between the members of the same

organization. It is also known as ‘letter in brief’. It is

also a written message and serves as a record.

The term memorandum means a note to assist the

memory. A memo is used for internal communication

between Executives and Subordinates. It is never sent

outside of the organization. The word From and To is

important in memo. The main advantages of writing

memo are it is brief, convenient and inexpensive.

Memos are written in the following

circumstance:

To remind subordinate about some

job or duty assigned to him

To seek explanation from the

subordinate on the matter of

conduct

To inform granting or withholding

some permission

To confirm decision arriving at on

the telephone

To issue instruction to the staff

To communicate policy change to

staff

To give/Seek permission

To request help or information.

Following precautions should be taken

while writing memo:

It should be properly dated

It should be written in a direct style

It should be as brief as possible

Name of the person/department

sending as well as receiving should be

mentioned

Matter generally put in paragraph, a

paragraph each for more than one

matter.

It should be written without any

salutation.

No complementary words should be

written in memo.

It should be signed by issuing authority.

Its tone should not be very formal or

very informal too.

Office circulars are used to convey the

same message to a large number of people

in the same organization. Such information

is usually of general in nature and not

confidential. The subject of the circular is

written on the top. Circular may be put on

the notice board.

Office circulars are generally used for the

following purposes:

To highlight some aspects of the office

conduct.

To convey changes in the working hours of

the office, library or canteen.

To inform employees about various

changes in rules and regulations

To invite applications from employees for

promotion, tests, etc.

Office Circular

Telephone: Telephone is one of

the most frequently used means of oral

communication in the present business

world. Most of the urgent matters are

dealt with on phone. Not only one-to-one

contact but group communication is also

possible through audio conferencing when

more than two persons, sitting far away

speak on telephone.

Merits of Telephone

Contact with persons sitting miles away is possible.

It saves the time wasted in transmission of message.

On telephone, instant feedback is possible doubt can be

clarified.

Sometimes it is very difficult to contact a person busy with

his job. Through telephone, he can be contacted without

disturbing his busy schedule.

Telephonic communication can be made more effective

than face-to-face communication.

Demerits:

1. Since telephone lacks visual feedback, it

is difficult to reveal the mood of the

receiver.

2. On telephone it is very difficult to hold

the receiver’s attention for a long time -

not suitable for conveying lengthy

messages.

3. It is expensive especially when

geographical distance between the sender

and receiver is more.

4. Telephone message does not provide a

permanent record for legal purposes,

unless they are recorded on audio tapes.

5. It is very frustrating when the

concerned person cannot pick up the

receiver, because of his touring or

travelling.

How to make effective use of telephone?

1. Before ringing up, plan the message to be conveyed.

2. Always keep pen and paper for noting down the main contents

3. Speak in polite, pleasant and positive manners.

4. Do not waste time in unnecessary and undesirable talks.

5. Do not shout or speak too low. Speak in natural voice.

6. Be more alert and attentive while talking on phone. Listen to the other

person patiently without any interruption.

7. Say ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ or ‘hello’ before introducing

yourself.

8. Introduce yourself before conveying or receiving the message.

9. Make sure about the identity of the other person before talking.

Type Of Telephone Communication

1. Internal Telephone (intercom) External Telephone

Facsimile (Fax):

A facsimile or fax machine is one of the most

useful media for transmission of written

especially visual material such as diagrams,

copies, etc. Fax machines are connected with

telephone both at transmitting and receiving

end. In Fax a document is fed in the

transmitting end which is converted into

electrical signals. These signals are transmitted

through telephone lines to another fax which

reconverts these signals into printed out hand-

copy.

IMPORTANT FEATURES IN A FAX

MACHINE

Remote Activation: The user can activate his

machine via his cordless or even a parallel

phone line. This telephone works even during

a power failure.

Memory: The fax machine can store the

message in memory if there is no paper for

printing the message.

Transmission Speed: If the speed of

transmitting the message is high, the cost of

transmission and reception decreases.

Auto Paper Cutter: Fax machine has a paper

roll, printing the transmitted message. This

paper is to be cut if auto paper cutter is not

available.

Answering Machine: Usually fax machine

have inbuilt answering machines.

E-mail is another instantaneous medium of

communication. It transmits the written message via

computers connected on networks. For access to

network area, a computer, a telephone, a modem

with software are needed to function on E-Mail. If

the network is linked with internet it provides the

added advantages of global communication at local

charges.

E-Mail facilitates more paperless office and enables

the employees to function even without sitting at

office.

E-Mail has created an easy communication link

among executives and employees transcending

hierarchical barriers and has facilitated them to

work at home beyond their duty hours.

E-Mail is the instant of communication at distant

places at significantly cheaper rates. Through E-Mail,

message can be sent to large number or selected

persons, simultaneously. Like fax, E-mail system also

provides the advantage of message in the memory.

Video Conference:

Videoconferencing is the conduct of a videoconference (also known as a video

conference or video teleconference) by a set of telecommunication

technologies which allow two or more locations to communicate by

simultaneous two-way video and audio transmissions. It has also been called

'visual collaboration' and is a type of groupware.

In a video-conference, voice and image are transmitted through the

microphones and cameras are attached to the computers of the person

participating in the conference. It is much more than talking and seeing. It

permits visual meetings.

Videoconferencing differs from videophone calls in that it's designed to serve a

conference or multiple locations rather than individuals. It is an intermediate

form of, video telephony first deployed commercially in the United States by

AT&T Corporation during the early 1970s as part of their development of

Picture phone technology.

With the introduction of relatively low cost, high capacity broadband

telecommunication services in the late 1990s, coupled with powerful

computing processors and video compression techniques, videoconferencing

usage has made significant inroads in business, education, medicine and media.

Internet is the worldwide or global

network of computer connected

through telephone and other high

speed links. It provides the facility

for communicating and sharing

information with people all around

the world. Internet users can share

information in a variety of forms

through telephone wires, cables

and satellite links.

Benefits of Internet:

1. Fast mode of communication

2. Round the clock and year round facility

3. No distance barrier across the globe

4. Marketing of service and product is

possible

5. Can be used for entertainment.

Internet is also known as cyber space and

information super highway.