NOTES ON

MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

IST SEM

UNIT – I

COMMUNICATION

Meaning: Communication is the process of passing information and

understanding from one person to another to bring about commoners of

interest, purpose and efforts communication as not complete unless the

receiver of the message has understood the message properly and his

reaction or response is known to the sender.

DEFINITION: According to Newman and summer communication is

defined as "an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions (or) emotions by two or

more persons/'

According to Charles’s E Redfield "communication is the bread field of

human interchange of facts and opinions and not the technologies of

telephone, telegraph, radio etc".

According to the Keith and Gulling, communication is defined as "In its

Everyday meaning, communication refers to the transmitting of

information in the form of words or signals or signs from a source to a

receiver".

Communication plays an important role in business organization. The

success of an enterprise depends upon the effectiveness of

communications, it is said to be the new system of the enterprise. Nothing

happens in business until communication takes place. Every manager

must communicate, in order to get things done through others. It has few

established that manages spend about 75% to 95% of the working time in

communicating with others. Communication is as indispensable for all

meaning and controlling.

1. Basis of decision-making and planning

Communication is essential for decision for decision making and

planning. It enables the management to secure information without which

it may not be possible to take any decision without effective

communication it may not be possible to issue instructions and orders to

the subordinates effective communication helps in proper implementation

of plants and policies of the management.

2. Smooth and Efficient working of an organization

According to George R. Terry. "It service as the lubricant, fostering

for the smooth operations of management process.'' Communication

makes possible the smooth and efficient working of an enterprise. It is

only through communication that the management changes and regulates

the actions of the subordinates in the desired direction.

3. Promotes co-operation and industrial Peace

Effective communication creates mutual understanding and trust

among the members of the organization. It promotes co-operation

between the employer and the employees without communication, there

cannot be sound industrial relations and industrial peace. It is only

through communication suggestions to the management.

4. Motivations and morale

Communication is the means by which the behavior of the

subordinates is modified and change is effected in their actions. Through

communication workers are motivated to achieve the goals of the

enterprises and their morale is boosted. Although motivation

communication.

Example: proper drafting of message, thing of communication and the

way of communication etc.

5. Job Satisfaction

Effective communication creates Job satisfaction among employees

as it increases mutual trust and confident between management and the

employees. The gap between management and the employees is reduced

through efficient means of communication and since of belongingness is

created among employees. They work with Zeal and Enthusiasm.

6. Increases productivity ad reduces cost

The effective communication saves time are effort. It increases

productivity and reduces cost large scale production involves a large

number of people to work together in a group and achieve the benefits of

large scale production.

7. Public relations

In the present business world, every business enterprise has to

create and maintain a good corporate image in the society. It is only

through communication that management was present a good corporate

image.

Effective communication helps management in maintaining good

relations with workers, customers, suppliers, share holders, government

and the community at large.

OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION

The objectives of communication are as follows

1. To bring about the take of co-ordination among peer.

2. To furnish emotional and social support to the individual on the

principle that people in the same boat share the same problems.

3. Cross wise relationships exists between personnel in one decision

and personnel of equal, lower or superior status in other decision.

4. All the enterprises not only permit but also insist on voluntary

crosswise or horizontal chambers of communications at all levels to speed

information and improve understanding.

The process of Human communication

I. The Functions and Purposes of Communication among People

A. Human Communication – “is the process through which individuals

in relationships, groups, organizations, and societies create and use

information to relate with others.

B. Communication influences the way we think about and react to

situations and people.

1. “The consequences of these actions have significant implications for

the kinds of relationships we form, whom we become as people, and the

way we contribute as members of families, groups, communities,

organizations and the societies in which we live.”

C. Communication affects all aspects of our lives: Personally, Socially, and

Occupationally.

1. Personal Communication involves a reflection of oneself, and how

we (as individuals) have learned to communicate throughout our

development.

a. Intrapersonal Communication – Is an inner dialogue conducted with

oneself to assess one’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

b. According to Ruben & Stewart “as individuals, communication is

our link to the world, our means of making impressions, expressing,

ourselves, influencing others, and giving ourselves.”

2. Social Communication involves communication between two or more

individuals. “Communication is the means of pursuing joint activities,

relating to each other, and sharing ideas.”

a. Interpersonal Communication – Takes place any time a message is

transmitted between two people. (This type of communication is not

limited to formal speaking situations.)

b. It includes casual acquaintances, intimate relationships, family

members, coworkers, etc.

c. “Often (this type of communication) originate(s) in face-to-face

interactions with others.”

3. Occupational communication consists of specific communication skills

that employers are looking for; specifically:

a. Integrity and honesty – choosing ethical courses of action

b. Listening – Attending to and interpreting verbal messages from

others.

c. Reading – Locating, understanding, and interpreting written

information in documents such as manuals, graphs, and schedules.

d. Oral Communication – Communicating ideas and information through

verbal presentations.

e. Written Communication – Communicating ideas and information

through documents such as letters, manuals, reports, and graphs.

f. Responsibility and Self-management – Exerting high levels of

effort, striving to achieve goals, monitoring progress, and exhibiting self-

control.

g. Problem Solving – Recognizing problems and devising and

implementing plans to solve them.

h. Knowing how to learn – Acquiring and applying new knowledge and

skills.

i. Self-esteem – Maintaining a positive view of one’s self and job.

j. Sociability – Working and interacting well with others.

k. Diversity – Functioning effectively in a multicultural and diverse work

environment.

l. Decision Making – Prioritizing goals, generating, alternatives and

considering risks, choosing the best alternatives.

m. Creative Thinking – Generating new ideas.

II. The Elements of Communication (e.g., source,

encoding/decoding, channel, feedback)

A. Communication involves Responding to and Creating Messages and

Transforming Them into Information That Can Be Used

B. Effective Communication consists of the following key elements:

1. A Sender – who transmits a message?

2. A Receiver – who intercepts a message and then decodes it

3. Encoding – which is the act of converting an idea into a message;

performed by the sender.

4. Decoding – the act of translating the message into an idea; performed

by the receiver.

5. A Message – any symbol or collection of symbols that has meaning or

utility.

6. A Channel – The medium used to transmit the message.

a. There are various types of communication channels/mediums; they can

be verbal or non-verbal, and include telephones, computers, television,

etc.

7. Noise – any distortion that interferes with the transmission of a signal

from the source to the destination.

8. and Feedback – a reaction that the receiver gives to a message

offered by the sender.

III. The Roles and Characteristics of Senders, Receivers, and

Messages

A. the Role of a Sender is to send an encoded message to be decoded by

a receiver; the message is sent via a channel.

B. The Role of a Receiver is to obtain the encoded message and to

translate or decode it.

a. While decoding, the receiver must account for any noise or distortion

that may have interfered during the transmission of the Senders message.

b. “Coded communication works at its best when the (Sender and

Receiver) share exactly the same code.” (Origgi & Sperber) The Receiver

and Sender must have a mutual understanding of the symbols being

conveyed through the encoded message; if this understanding is not

present the message may not be clearly interpreted.

2. Once the Receiver has decoded the message it is up to him/her to

provide feedback (a reaction) to the sender.

C. The Roles and Characteristics of a Message

1. As stated before, a message consists of symbols with meanings; these

culturally agreed upon symbols create a symbolic language.

a. Symbols – are characters, letters, numbers, words, objects, people, or

actions that stand for or represent something besides themselves.

b. A Language – is a set of characters, or elements, and rules for their use

in relation to one another.

2. Messages may involve verbal codes – such as spoken or written

language – or nonverbal codes, involving appearance, gestures, touch or

other means.

a. Examples of messages: speech, letter, wink, poem, advertisement, or

painting.

IV. The Adjustment of Message Elements to Achieve Specific

Goals

A. When an individual decides to pursue a particular plan, career, personal

relationship, or personal challenge, that goal serves to direct his/her

attention toward certain information sources and away from others.

1. The goal increases the likelihood that the individual will expose

him/herself to communication sources and situations pertaining (to their

interests).

2. The goal may well increase the individual’s contact with other people

interested in a similar activity, and this will have an additional influence

on information reception.

V. The Use of Denotation and Connotation in the Communication

Message

A. Denotation – The basic and generally understood meaning of a word

found in the dictionary.

1. It is likely within a society that there is an agreed upon understanding

of symbols within that society. When someone does not understand the

general meaning, denotation can have an impact on the message; be it a

positive or negative impact.

B. Connotation – The meanings and feelings associated with a word by an

individual, based on personal experience.

1. Through self-reference we learn to attach meanings to the symbols to

meanings that reflect our own experiences.

This influence dictates how we interpret messages; what may be happy or

sad for one person can have the opposite effect on someone else.

VI. The Recognition of Characteristics and Influences of

Internal/External Variables on Messages

A. Characteristics of the information or message have a major impact on

the selection, interpretation, and retention (of said message).

1. Origin – Where or how the message was created plays an important

role in effective communication.

a. Some messages are produced in “our physical environment.”

b. Some messages are produced internally via intrapersonal

communication.

c. And other messages are produced using interpersonal communication.

“From activities with other persons…”

2. Mode – Modes are signals/influences that can enhance or distract the

receiver from the original message. “Both purposeful and no purposeful

cues are vital as potential sources of the information that shapes

behavior.”

There are five types of Modes

a. Visual – cues pertaining to sight; such as a wave, smile, or clothing.

b. Tactile – cues pertaining to touch; such as touch, bumping, or

temperature.

c. Auditory – cues pertaining to hearing; such as speaking, honking a

horn, or whistling.

d. Gustatory – cues pertaining to taste; such as food sources and your

taste.

e. Olfactory – cues pertaining to sense of smell; such as body odor,

perfume/cologne, or pheromones.

3. Physical Character – The messages size, color, brightness, and

intensity are also important in information processing.

4. Organization – The way that our “ordering of ideas or opinions affects

reception.”

5. Novelty – Information that is new, unfamiliar, or unusual stands out,

“grabbing our “attention”.

VII. The Recognition of Contextual Importance of Cultural, Social,

Economic, and

Historical Factors

A. Cultural – Culture is the complex combination of common symbols,

knowledge, folklore, customs, language, information processing patterns,

rituals, habits, and other behavioral patterns that link and give a common

identity to a particular group of people at a particular point in time.

1. The effects of culture on communication can lead to misunderstandings

of symbols that may have alternative meanings from culture-to-culture.

B. Social – People form social groups with like-minded people. Some

notions that may be agreed upon in one social environment may not have

the same meaning in alternative social settings.

1. “Through social and public communication the shared realities of

language and meanings are created, perpetuated, reaffirmed, or altered.”

C. Economic – A persons, societies, or cultures economic status can have

a profound effect on how a message is received and interpreted. This is

particularly prevalent in this technologically advanced stage in human

evolution.

1. How can someone in today’s society communicate via e-mail if they

have no computer? Or if they have no cell phone? Or if they have no

television?

D. Historical – The historical influences on a person, culture, or society

have the potential to greatly alter message reception. Reflect on

connotation and realize that each person, culture and society will apply

specific “learned” connotation to their meanings.

1. Consider land disputes, family disputes, racism, alliances, cultural

biases, etc. These historical influences will be “brought to the table” when

communicating about these topics and with these people.

MEDIA OF COMMUNICATION

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION: Written communication implies

transmission of message is black and white. It includes diagrams, picture,

graphs etc. Reports, polices, rules, procedures, orders instruction,

agreements etc, have to be transmitted in writing for efficient running of

the organization. Written communications ensure that everyone

concerned has the same information. It provides a permanent record of

communication for future reference written instructions are essential

when the action called for vital and complicated. To be effective, written

communication should be clear, concise, cornet and completed. It may

take the following terms

1. Reports

2. Circulars

3. Magazines

4. Memoranda

5. Newspapers

6. Pictures, diagram, graphs etc.

7. Instructions

8. Agreements

9. 9. Notice board etc.

Advantages of written communication:

It ensures transmission of information of uniform manner i.e.

everyone concerned has the same information.

It is an ideal way of transmitting lengthy message.

It ensures little risk of authorized alteration in the messages.

It is the only means of exchanging information’s at all places even

beyond telephonic range.

It tends to be complete, clear, precise and correct

It less be quoted as a legal evidence incase of any disputes

It is suited to convey messages to a large number of persons at one

and the same time.

Disadvantages of written communication

It is expensive

It is time consuming

It becomes difficult to maintain secrecy about a written

communication

It is rigid and does not provide any scope for making alterations for

in accuracies that might have crept in.

It encourages red 'trapezium’' and involves so many

It may be interpreted in a different manner by different people.

It oftenly becomes too lengthy, when message are conveyed in

writing.

ORAL COMMUNICATION

Introduction

Communication is a composite of speaking and listening. Honing skills in

both these areas is absolutely essential if the communicator wishes to

impress the receiver. The initial impact is made by speaking abilities of

the sender. Equally important is the ability to listen carefully. If the overall

effectiveness of these two components is considered. It would e seen that

his ability to listen rather than to speak fluently impress more. The two

activities via, speaking and listening, cannot be segregated. Both are

closely intertwined an overall impact is created if both these skills are

used effectively. Let us use the word ' IMPRESS' as an acronym to

understand the basic features of communication or concept, which, if once

understood, would define helps us to impress the other person.

I - Idea: The first step in the process of communication is to decide on the

idea which needs to be communicated. There may be a host of ideas

passing through the mind of the sender. Depending upon the situation

and the receiver, the speaker selects the idea suited to the occasion.

M - Message Once the idea has been selected, it needs to be clothed in a

language that is comprehensible to the receiver. The encoding of the

message has to be done keeping a number of factors in mind. What is it

that needs to be stated? What is the language that s going to be

understood y the receiver? Does the idea necessarily pertain to the

interest of the receiver? What is it that the receiver actually needs to

know? Framing of the message, if done (keeping answers to these

question in mind), would definitely make an impact on the receiver.

P - Pause/ Paragraphs the significance of pauses cannot be

underestimated. Pauses should be juxtaposed at just the right minute so

that the receiver can assimilate the impact of the message. The use of

pauses would be best understood in the context of presentation. The

presenter should, at the time of making a presentation, use this device

suitably. Excessive usage of this device can lead the presentation into

being one that is pretty boring and monotonous. The right use of pauses

actually stimulates the audience. The impact is often so great and forceful

that the receiver actually leans forward in their chairs when the presenter

pauses, as if urging him to resume the presentation. This device, in the

course of the interaction, lasts for barely a few seconds. However, the

impact is long and meaningful. In written communication pauses get

translated into paragraphs. If the decision to use a certain number of

paragraphs is right and the division of points in these paragraphs is also

correct, then written communication becomes meaningful and creates a

positive impression.

R - Receiver.

The receiver is the most important person in the process of

communication who could, if he so desires, also prove to be the most

difficult. He is the one who is generally led into the interaction. In order to

draw his attention, it is imperative that there be an extra plus that would

retain his interest and make him attentive to the ensuing communication.

To satisfy this criterion the sender should address himself to the needs

and expectations of the receiver. Formulating the statements according to

a mutually accepted goal is a good way of proceeding and drawing his

attention.

E - Empathy

In communication empathy should be used to help us understand the

other individual, the strategies that, he adopts and the responses that he

gives at a particular moment. It would be worthwhile to note that all

communication is situation bound. The same individual in two different

situations might use the same words but his intention might be totally

different. Gauging the exact meaning of an utterance can only be done

when we literally put ourselves in the shoes of the other person and try to

understand the situation from the perspective of the sender.

S - Sender

The communication process hinges on the sender. He initiates the

interaction and comes up with ideas and concepts that he wishes to share

with the receiver. His role is the most crucial. The success or failure of

interaction depends on him and on the strategies he adopts to get his

message across by securing the attention of the receiver. A cautious

sender would understand that there is a difference between the mental

frames of the participants. Such a difference could be a result of

discrepancy in interpretation of words, perception of reality, and attitudes,

opinions and emotions. Message, if formulated, with awareness along

these areas, is sure to bring success to the sender.

S - Security Check

Effective communication necessitates that the receiver listens carefully to

the utterances of the sender so that the end results are positive. The

primary rule is: never be in -a rush to commence communication.

Sufficient time and effort should be put in formulating the message.

Suppose the sender wishes to communicate five points. The sequencing

and necessary substantiation of points with facts and figures should be

done prior to the actual beginning of the communication process. This

would build confidence in the message and eliminate possibility of errors

in the statements.

To sum up, the sender, in order to impress the receiver should, at the

start, have an idea encoded in the form of a message. At the time of

encoding, the sender does a thorough security check to ascertain that all

points have been dealt with in a desired order. The message is then

transmitted to the receiver with the required voice articulations and

pauses so as to heighten the impact. Finally, the response of the receiver

should be viewed empathetic ally. Once all these factors have been

understood, it proves easy to prevail upon the receiver. There could,

however, be moments when, in spite of efforts being made to make the

interaction informative and meaningful, all communication links fall apart

and the process ends in a meaningless rumble of words and sounds. This

disturbing or distracting factor is what we refer to as Noise. This may be

on the part of the sender or the receiver; it can be voluntary or

involuntary.

Noise

Noise can be defined as a physical sound or a mental disturbance that

disrupts the flow of communication as the sender or the receiver perforce

gets distracted by it. According to this definition, noise can be classified

into two categories:

1. Physical

2. Psychological.

Physical noise is that sound which emanates from the surroundings and

hampers' the listening process, e.g. while speaking on the telephone,

disturbances might hinder the smooth transmission of message or just at

the time when the sender wishes to transmit an important point, there

might be a queer squeaking sound. Physical noise is not all that difficult to

manage. It can be done away with at the time of communication by

ensuring that all channels are in proper functioning order. For example,

often, companies have a soundproof room for discussions.

While care may be taken to eliminate possibilities of physical noise,

problems arise at the time when psychological noise plagues either the

sender or the receiver. Whenever there is psychological noise, it results in

(un)welcome ideas or thoughts crowding the mind, which are of more

relevance than the' ensuing communication to either of the participants.

Listening, as a result, is hampered and responses are not well formulated.

Some of the common forms of noise are mental turbulence,

preoccupation, ego hang-ups, anxiety, tiredness, pre-conceived ideas and

notions. These are mostly involuntary and no cause can be assigned to

them.

FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION:

In face to face communication we enjoy the opportunity to ask

questions and to participate. Face to lace communication is sometimes

supplemented by public hidden systems that permit manager to speak

directly to workers in the workshop when two or more individuals engage

in face to face communication the opportunity exist to utilize multiple

information channels which have a high information potential'. It should

be noted that participant’s ar.: not restricted to verbal channels to a single

direction except by individual or organizational choice. In a sense the

multiple nature of face to face channels in a form of automatic

redundancy which consequences. Low cost some individual and

some organizational international choose to restrict channel choice,

message content and single directions where such a choice has proved

effective and there is full awareness of its consequences.

VISUAL COMMUNICATION:

It includes pictures, graphs, diagram charts etc. organization make

extensive use of pictures such a blue prints progress charts, maps, visual

aids in training programmers, scale models of products and similar

devices, the use of such means of communication is increasing in training

and education as well as inorganisational communication pictures can

provide powerful visual images as suggested by the proverb "A picture is

worth a thousand words". Infact many companies have designed their

advertisement copies in which only pictures are used ,#rfd no wards are

spoken to be more effective, however pictures should be combine with

well chosen words and action to tell the complete message.

AUDIO-VISUAL COMMUNICATION:

Audio-visual communication that may use of telecast short films on

the cinema screen and video tapes is the latest medium of

communication. It a combination of sight and sound. It may make as

written words also.

Audio-visual communication is founds suitable form as publicity, mass

propaganda and mass education, large business laws frequently make use

of this techniques to educate their works and to populars their products.

The working of a new product can be effectively demonstrated through

audio visuals. Audio communication is suitable mostly tor mass publicity

and mass educations.

SILENCE: Here we do not communicate through words, sign and signals,

alone we communicate through the silence also. Elegant than words is not

a meaningless usage. It contains in it the essence of generations of

experience is not unusual to come across a situation in which nothing can

express ones response is effectively as silence.

Silence can effectively communicate a number of responses. Two

stranger talk together or to each other for a few moments and they

become silent. There is a communication gap between the two. The most

effective use of silence can be made by giving a slight pause before or

after as important point during a speech. Silence can effectively convey

certain aspects such as disapproval, anger or defence.

DEVELOPING LISTENING SKILLS

Introduction

"It's a pity that Raman didn't receive the promotion he wanted, but he has

one big fault: he doesn't know how to listen." This remark was made by a

department head in a manufacturing firm. Listening is a skill, an art

necessary for success in life and work.

Do you know that we devote about 40 to 45 per cent of our working hours

to listening? And do you know that, if you have not taken steps to improve

this skill, you listen at only 25 per cent efficiency?

For a long time most persons assumed that listening was a natural trait,

but practically, not all people are good listeners. Evidence indicates that

many persons do not know how to listen - that listening is a skill that must

be developed. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Marc Antony realizes that

persons don't listen readily, for he begins his famous oration by saying,

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." As you will learn in

the following pages, listening effectively is hard work. It involves far more

than sitting passively and absorbing others' words. It occurs far more

frequently than speaking, reading, or writing and is just as demanding and

important.

What Listening is

Johnson defines listening as "the ability to understand and respond

effectively to "Oral communication."

Thus, we can state at the outset that hearing is not listening Listening

requires more than hearing; it requires understanding of the

communication received. Davis states it this way:

"Hearing is with the ears, but listening is with the mind."

Industrial firms have recognized the importance of the listening skill to

manag-ers for some time. Dr. Earl Planty, in his role as executive

counselor at Johnson and Johnson, has said: "By far the most effective

method by which executives can tap ideas of subordinates is sympathetic

listening in the many day-to-day informal contacts within and outside the

work place. There is no system that will do the job in an easier manner.

Nothing can equal an executive's willingness to listen."

The benefits of applied listening skills are impressive. Good listeners make

a company a more effective organization. They have better rapport with

others, they get more out of meetings and are more effective in

conferences, and they are better at understanding the needs of others.

Common Faults of Listening

Research studies shows that our listening efficiency is no better than 25 to

30 per cent. That means the considerable information is lost in the

listening process. Why? Some reasons follow-

1. Prejudice against the speaker - At times we have conflict in our

mind as to the speaker. Whatever he speaks seems to be colored and we

practically don't listen what he says.

2. Rehearsing - Your whole attention is on designing and preparing your

next comment. You look interested, but your mind is going a mile a

minute because you are thinking about what to say next. Some people

rehearse whole chains of responses: I'll say, then he'll say, and so on.

3. Judging negatively - Labeling people can be extremely limiting. If you

prejudge somebody as incompetent or uninformed, you don't pay much

attention to what that person says. A basic rule of listening is that

judgments should only be made after you have heard and evaluated the

content of the message.

4. Identifying - When using this block, you take everything people tell

you and refer it back to your own experience. They want to tell you about

a toothache, but that reminds you of your oral surgery for receding gums.

You launch into your story before they can finish theirs.

5. Advising - You are the great problem solver. You don't have to hear

more than a few sentences before you begin searching for the right

advice. However, while you are coming up with suggestions and

convincing someone to just try it, you may miss what is most important.

6. Sparring - This block has you arguing and debating with people who

never feel heard because you are so quick to disagree. In fact, your main

focus is on finding things to disagree with.

7. Being Right - Being right means you will go to great lengths (twist the

facts, start shouting, make excuses or accusations, call up past sins) to -

avoid being wrong. You can't listen to criticism, you can't be corrected,

and you can't take suggestions to change.

8. Derailing - This listening block involves suddenly changing the

subject. You derail the train of conversation when you get uncomfortable

or bored with a topic. Another way of derailing is by joking.

9. Placating - Right. . . Absolutely. . . I know. . . Of course you

are. . .Incredible ... Really? You want to be nice, pleasant, supportive. You

want people to like you. So you agree with everything.

10. Dreaming - When we dream, we pretend to listen but really tune the

other person out while we drift about in our interior fantasies. Instead of

disciplining ourselves to truly concentrate on the input, we turn the

channel to a more entertaining subject.

11. Thinking speed - Most of us speak between 60 to 180 words per

minute, and people have capacity to think at the rate of 500 to 800 words

per Minute. The difference leaves us with the great deal of mental spare

time. While it is possible to use this time to explore the speaker's ideas,

we most often let our mind wander to other matters - from the unfinished

business just mentioned to romantic fantasies.

12. Premature evaluation - It often happens that we interrupt the

speakers before they complete their thought, or finish their sentence, or

state their conclusions. Directly as a result of our rapid thinking speed, we

race ahead of what we feel is the conclusion. We anticipate. We arrive at

the concluding thought quickly although often that is quite different from

what the speaker intended.

13. Semantic stereotypes - As certain kind of people bother us, so too

do certain words. When these words are repeated time and again, they

cause annoyance in the mind and effective listening is impaired.

14. Delivery - A monotonous delivery by the speaker can put listeners to

sleep or cause them to loose interest.

15.External distractions - The entire physical environment effects the

listening.

Among the negative factors are noisy fans, poor or glaring lights,

distracting background music, overheated or cold rooms, a conversation

going on nearby, and so on.

TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE LISTENING SKILL

The ability to listen more effectively may be acquired through discipline

and practice. As a listener you must be physically relaxed and mentally

alert to receive and understand the message. Effective listening requires

sustained concentration (regardless of the length of the message),

attention to the main ideas presented, note-taking (if the conditions are

appropriate), and no emotional blocks to the message by the listener. You

cannot listen passively and expect to retain the message. If you want to

be an effective listener, you must give the communicator of the message

sufficient attention and make an effort to understand his viewpoint. Here

are some practical suggestions for effective listening, which, if followed,

can appreciably increase the effectiveness of this communicative skill.

1. Realize that listening is hard work - You must appreciate the art of

listening, and make conscious effort to listen others.

2. Prepare to listen - To receive the message clearly, the receiver must

have the correct mental attitude. In your daily communications, establish

a permissive environment for each communicator. .

3. Have positive attitude - If you have to do it, do it with a positive

attitude.

4. Resist distractions - Tune out internal and external distractions by

facing and maintaining contact with the speaker. If you experience some

negative environment factors, you can sometimes move to another

location in the room. Good listeners adjust quickly to any kind of

abnormal.

5. Listen to understand, not refute -Respect the viewpoint of those

you disagree with. Try to understand the points they emphasize and why

they have such feelings (training, background, etc.). Don't allow your

personal biases and attitudes to influence your listening to the message.

6. Keep an open mind - A good listener doesn't feel threatened or

insulted, or need to resist messages that contradict his beliefs, attitudes,

ideas, or personal values. Try to identify and rationalize the words or

phrases most upsetting to your means.

7. Find an area of interest - Good listeners are interested and

attentive. They find ways to make the message relevant to themselves

and/ or their jobs. Make your listening efficient by asking yourself 'what is

he saying that I can use? Does he have any worthwhile ideas? Is he

conveying any workable approaches or solutions? G. K

Chesterton once said, There is no such-thing as an uninteresting subject;

there are only uninteresting people.

8. Concentrate on the context - Search out main ideas. Construct a

mental outline of where speaker is going. Listen for transition and

progression of ideas. If need be, you may reinforce the mental outline by

physically taking down the notes.

9. Capitalize on thought - speed - Most of us think at about four times

faster than the communicator speaks. It is almost impossible to slow down

our thinking speed. What do you do with the excess thinking time while

someone is speaking? The good listener uses thought-speed to advantage

by applying spare thinking time to what is being said. Your greatest

handicap may be not capitalizing on thought-speed. Through listening

training, it can be converted into your greatest asset.

10. Combine verbal delivery with nonverbal cues - F. S. Pearls,

author of Gestalt Theory Vibration, said "Don't listen to the words_ just

listen to what the voice tells you, what the movements tell you, what the

posture tells you what the image tells you".

11. Show some empathy - Empathy means placing yourself in the

shoes of speaker and try understand his viewpoint from there. If we show

some empathy, we create a climate that encourages others to

communicate honestly and openly. Therefore, try to see the

communicator's point of view.

12. Hold your fire - Be patient. Don't interrupt. Don't become over-

stimulated, too excited, or excited too soon, by what the speaker says. Be

sure you understand what the speaker means; that is, withhold your

evaluation until your comprehension is complete. Mentally arguing with a

communi-cator is one of the principal reasons so little listening takes

place in some discussions. Don't argue. If you win, you lose.

13. Listen critically and delay judgment - Good listeners delay

making a judgment about the communicator's personality, the principal

points of the message, and the response. Ask questions and listen

critically to the answers. Then, at the appropriate time, judgment can be

passed in an enlightened manner.

Approaches to Listening

Just as a carpenter or a chef uses different tools to tackle a job, listeners

can take advantage of several skills for listening and responding to

messages at work. Different approaches to listening are discussed below-:

Passive listening - Sometimes the best approach to listening is to stay

out of the way and encourage the speaker to keep going: "Uh-huh",

//really,/, "Tell me more", and so on. Non-verbal cues like eye contact,

attentive posture, and appropriate facial expressions are an important

part of the passive listening, enerally this approach is used when there is

one to one conversation or the speaker is giving a formal presentation.

Questioning - Sincere questions are genuine request for information:

"when did you find that fuel was leaking from the barrel?", "When did you

inform your manager?", and the like. These questions may be used to

gather facts and details, clarify meanings, and encourage a speaker to

elaborate.

Paraphrasing - Paraphrasing occurs when a listener restate the

speaker's ideas in his own words in order to ensure that he has

understood them correctly. This is often preceded by phrases such as,

"Let me make sure I understand what you are saying...", "or "in other

words you are saying..." and the like. We often think that we understand

other person but we may be wrong at times. Paraphrasing is a practical

technique that can highlight misunderstandings.

Here are some hints and tips to make you a better listener:

1. Listen carefully to what the speaker says. Pick out the key words in any

information. It's easier to remember one or two important words than a

whole sentence. If you're taking a message for someone it's easier to

write down key words to help you remember the message than it is to try

to write everything out. You can add to your message after you've

finished listening to the information.

2. Give each new stage in a set of instructions a number, it will help you

remember them later.

3. Repeat the instructions or the information you've been given back to

the person who gave them to you. If you've got anything wrong the

person will correct you and the repetition will help you to remember.

4. Ask questions about anything that you are unsure of, or replay the

recorded message.

5. Go through the complete sequence in your mind so that it is clear. If

you're taking a message for someone else you might want to rewrite it

using complete sentences so that it will make sense to the reader.

6. If you are with someone you need to do some extra things while you

are listening, because you are part of a two-way process and you want to

encourage the other person. Look interested in what they are saying

Maintain eye contact

If the person is giving you directions, pay attention to the direction they

are pointing. Gesture can be very important and can often make the

speaker's meaning much clearer.

The Secrets to Listening Well

"Listening is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to

talk well." -John Marshall

There must be a lot of frustrated people out there, a lot of people who feel

like they aren't listened to, a lot of people throwing up their arms and

saying, "You just don't get it, do you?"

There seems to be a growing realization of the importance of listening and

communication skills in business. After all, lack of attention and respectful

listening can be costly - leading to mistakes, poor service, misaligned

goals, wasted time and lack of teamwork. You can't sell unless you

understand your customer's problem; you can't manage unless you

understand your employee's motivation; and you can't gain team

consensus unless you understand each team member's feelings about the

issue at hand. In all of these cases, you must listen to others.

However, listening is less important than how you listen. By listening in a

way that demonstrates understanding and respect, you cause rapport to

develop, and that is the true foundation from which you can sell, manage

or influence others. "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from

listening carefully. Most people never listen." - Ernest Hemingway

Following are some keys to listening well:

Give 100% Attention: Prove you care by suspending all other activities.

Respond: Responses can be both verbal and nonverbal (nods,

expressing interest) but must prove you received the message, and

more importantly, prove it had an impact on you. Speak at

approximately the same energy level as the other person...then they'll

know they really got through and don't have to keep repeating.

Prove understanding: To say "I understand" is not enough. People need

some sort of evidence or proof of understanding. Prove your

understanding by occasionally restating the gist of their idea or by

asking a question, which proves you, know the main idea. The

important point is not to repeat what they've said to prove you were

listening, but to prove you understand. The difference in these two

intentions transmits remarkably different messages when you are

communicating.

Prove respect: Prove you take other views seriously. It seldom helps to

tell people, "I appreciate your position" or "I know how you feel." You

have to prove it by being willing to communicate with others at their

level of understanding and attitude. We do this naturally by adjusting

our tone of vice, rate of speech and choice of words to show that we

are trying to imagine being where they are at the moment.

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal messages communicate emotions

It forms the bulk of our communication. Most of that communication is

about emotional information, which in turn is a powerful motivator in

human behavior. We base our feelings and emotional responses not so

much upon what another person says, but upon what another person

does.

Because of nonverbal communication, you cannot not

communicate

The very attempt to mask one's communication communicates something

in and of itself. If you are playing poker with someone who has been

talking normally, but who suddenly stops talking and goes "stone-faced,"

that person has communicated something. It may be a very good hand, or

a very bad hand, but at the least the poker player has communicated a

desire to hide what is there. Long periods of silence at the supper table

communicate as clearly as any words that something may be wrong.

Nonverbal communication is strongly related to verbal

communication

Nonverbal cues substitute for, contradict, emphasize, or regulate verbal

messages. For instance, if someone asks us which way the restroom is, we

may simply point down the hall. We may compliment someone's new

haircut while our faces give away the real feeling of dismay we have. We

may describe a fish we caught with a motion of our hands to emphasize

the monster-like proportions. And most certainly we regulate the flow of

conversation nonverbally by raising an index finger, nodding and leaning

forward, raising eyebrows, and/ or changing eye contact.

Problems of studying nonverbal communication

Studying nonverbal communication presents a whole range of challenges

that are unique to its nature. They include:

Nonverbal cues can be ambiguous

No dictionary can accurately classify them. Their meaning varies not only

by culture and context, but by degree of intention, i.e., you may not be

intending to communicate (in the absence of nerve disorders, people

seldom talk out loud when they don't intend to). A random gesture may

be assumed to have meaning when none at all was intended. Plus, some

people who may feel emotion strongly nevertheless find that their bodies

simply do not respond appropriately, i.e., someone who is feeling happy

may not necessarily smile.

Nonverbal cues are continuous

This is practically related to the last point. It is possible to stop talking, but

it is generally not possible to stop nonverbal cues. Also, spoken language

has a structure that makes it easier to tell when a subject has changed,

for instance, or to analyze its grammar. Nonverbal does not lend itself to

this kind of analysis.

Nonverbal cues are multichannel

While watching someone's eyes, you may miss something significant in a

hand gesture. Everything is happening at once, and therefore it may be

confusing to try to keep up with everything. Most of us simply do not do

so, at least not consciously. This has both advantages and disadvantages.

Because we interpret nonverbal cues subconsciously and in a "right-

brained", holistic fashion, it can happen quickly and fairly accurately.

However, because it is not conscious and more "right-brained" it is difficult

to put one's finger on exactly why one got a certain impression from

someone, or even to put it into "left-brained" wording.

Nonverbal cues are culture-bound

Evidence suggests that humans of all cultures smile when happy and

frown when unhappy. A few other gestures seem to be universal.

However, most nonverbal symbols seem to be even further disconnected

from any "essential meaning" than verbal symbols. Gestures seen as

positive in one culture (like the thumbs-up gesture in the USA) may be

seen as obscene in another culture.

Categories of nonverbal communications

The major categories of nonverbal communications include the following:

personal space eye contact position

posture paralanguage expression

gesture touch locomotion

pacing adornment context

physiologic responses

Personal Space: This category refers to the distance which people feel

comfortable approaching others or having others approach them. People

from certain countries, such as parts of Latin America or the Middle East

often feel comfortable standing closer to each other, while persons of

Northern European descent tend to prefer a relatively greater distance.

Different distances are also intuitively assigned for situations involving

intimate relations, ordinary personal relationships (e.g., friends), social

relations (e.g., co-workers or salespeople), or in public places (e.g., in

parks, restaurants, or on the street.)

Eye Contact: This rich dimension speaks volumes. The Spanish woman in

the Nineteenth Century combined eye language with the aid of a fan to

say what was not permissible to express explicitly. Eye contact modifies

the meaning of other nonverbal behaviors. For example, people on

elevators or crowds can adjust their sense of personal space if they agree

to limit eye contact. What happens if this convention isn't followed? This

issue of eye contact is another important aspect of nonverbal

communication.

Modern American business culture values a fair degree of eye contact in

interpersonal relations, and looking away is sensed as avoidance or even

deviousness. However, some cultures raise children to minimize eye

contact, especially with authority figures, lest one be perceived as

arrogant or "uppity." When cultures interact, this inhibition of gaze may

be misinterpreted as "passive aggressive" or worse.

Position: The position one takes vis-a-vis the other(s), along with the

previous two categories of distance between people and angle of eye

contact all are subsumed under a more general category of "proxemics" in

the writings on nonverbal communications .

Posture: A person's bodily stance communicates a rich variety of

messages.

Paralanguage: "Non-lexical" vocal communications may be considered a

type of nonverbal communication, in its broadest sense, as it can suggest

many emotional nuances. This category includes a number of sub-

categories: Inflection (rising, falling, flat...) Pacing (rapid, slow, measured,

changing...) Intensity (loud, soft, breathy,...) Tone (nasal, operatic,

growling, wheedling, whining...) Pitch (high, medium, low, changes...)

Pauses (meaningful, disorganized, shy, hesitant...)]

Facial Expression: The face is more highly developed as an organ of

expression in humans than any other animal. Some of these become quite

habitual, almost fixed into the chronic muscular structure of the face. For

instance, in some parts of the South, the regional pattern of holding the

jaw tight creates a slight bulge in the temples due to an overgrowth or

"hypertrophy" of those jaw muscles that arise in that area. This creates a

characteristic appearance. The squint of people who live a lot in the sun is

another example. More transient expressions often reveal feelings that a

person is not intending to communicate or even aware of.

Gesture: There are many kinds of gestures: the different gestures have

many different meanings in different cultures, and what may be friendly in

one country or region can be an insult in another .

Touch: How one person touches another communicates a great deal of

information: Is a grip gentle or firm, and does one hold the other person

on the back of the upper arm, on the shoulder, or in the middle of the

back. Is the gesture a push or a tug? Is the touch closer to a pat, a rub, or

a grabbing? People have different areas of personal intimacy, and this

refers not only to the sexual dimension, but also the dimension of self-

control. Many adolescents are particularly sensitive to any touching that

could be interpreted as patronizing or undue familiarity. Even the angle of

one's holding another's hand might suggest a hurrying or coercive implicit

attitude, or on the other hand, a respectful, gentle, permission-giving

approach.

Locomotion: The style of physical movement in space also

communicates a great deal, as well as affecting the feelings of the person

doing the moving. A related variable is the time it takes to react to a

stimulus, called "latency of response." Some people seem to react to

questions, interact in conversations, or are slower or faster "on the

uptake" than others.

Adornment: Our communications are also affected by a variety of other

variables, such as clothes, makeup, and accessories. These offer signals

relating to context (e.g. formal vs. informal), status, and individuality. The

ways people carry cigarettes, pipes, canes, or relate to their belts,

suspenders, or glasses also suggests different semiotic meanings.

(Semiotics is the science of the emotional or psychological impact of

signs, appearances-not words-that's "semantics"-- but of how things

look.).

Context: While this category is not actually a mode of nonverbal

communication, the setting up of a room or how one places oneself in that

room is a powerfully suggestive action. Where one sits in the group is

often useful in diagnosing that person's attitude toward the situation.

Group leaders need to be especially alert to the way the group room is

organized.

Physiological Responses: This, too, is an exceptional category, because

it cannot be practiced voluntarily. Still, it's useful for therapists and group

members to become more aware of these subtle signs of emotion. It often

helps to comment on these observations, as it implicitly gives permission

to the person experiencing the emotion to more fully open to that feeling;

or, sometimes, to more actively suppress it. Either way, the existence of

that signal is made explicit in the group process.

INTERPRETING NONVERBAL CUES

Immediacy

Immediacy cues communicate liking and pleasure. We move toward

persons and things we like and avoid or move away from those we dislike.

Generally, we instinctively decide whether we like someone or not and

then later find "reasons" to back up our feelings. We can summarize the

nonverbal behaviors then by saying that cues that move or lean or

otherwise open up or go toward the other person communicate liking.

Cues that fall in this dimension include eye contact, mutual eye contact,

touching, leaning forward, and touching.

Arousal

Arousal in this usage is similar to animation. That is, when we are

interested in communicating with someone else, we tend to be more

animated. A flat tone of voice and very little movement indicate a lack of

interest.

Cues that fall in this dimension include eye contact, varied vocal cues,

animated facial expressions, leaning forward, movement in general.

Dominance

These cues indicate something about the balance of power in a

relationship. They communicate information about relative or perceived

status, position, and importance.

For instance, a person of high status tends to have a relaxed body posture

when interacting with a person of lower status. High-status people tend to

have more space around them, such as bigger offices, and more "barriers"

such as more hallways, doors, and gatekeepers such as secretaries.

Furniture, clothing, and location also tend to communicate in this

dimension.

IMPROVING NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Check context

Don't try to interpret cues isolated from other such cues, from the verbal

communication, or from the physical or emotional context. As we've said

in class, someone's arms being crossed may indicate nothing more than

physical discomfort from a cold room.

Look for clusters

This is the nonverbal context itself. See if the arms being crossed are

accompanied by a resistance to eye contact and a flat tone of voice.

Consider past experience

We can more accurately interpret the behavior of people we know. For

one thing, we notice changes in behavior more than the behavior itself.

Unless we know someone, we can't know that something has changed.

For another thing, we interpret patterns of behavior. Your mother may

always cry when you come home from school with an A, and so you learn

that this represent happiness in that particular situation.

Practice perception checking

This is basically the art of asking questions. For instance, you come home

and announce to your significant other that you have received a great

promotion that requires you to move to another state. Your

announcement is met with silence. Rather than assume that s/he is upset,

ask, "Does your silence mean that you're opposed to the move?" You may

find out that s/he is simply stunned at the opportunity. Recognize that you

are interpreting observed behavior, not reading a mind, and check out

your observation.

SIX WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

It is not only what you say in the classroom that is important, but it's how

you say it that can make the difference to students. Nonverbal messages

are an essential component of communication. Some major areas of

nonverbal behaviors to explore are:

• Eye contact• Facial expressions• Gestures• Posture and body orientation• Proximity• Para linguistics

• Humor

Eye contact:

Eye contact, an important channel of interpersonal communication, helps

regulate the flow of communication. And it signals interest in others.

Furthermore, eye contact with audiences increases the speaker's

credibility. Teachers who make eye contact open the flow of

communication and convey interest, concern, warmth and credibility.

Facial expressions:

Smiling is a powerful cue that transmits:

Happiness

Friendliness Warmth Liking

Affiliation

Thus, if you smile frequently you will be perceived as more likable,

friendly, warm and approachable. Smiling is often contagious and

students will react favorably and learn more.

Gestures:

If you fail to gesture while speaking, you may be perceived as boring, stiff

and unanimated. A lively and animated teaching style captures students'

attention, makes the material more interesting, facilitates learning and

provides a bit of entertainment.

Head nods, a form of gestures, communicate positive reinforcement to

students and indicate that you are listening.

Posture and body orientation:

You communicate numerous messages by the way you walk, talk, stand

and sit. Standing erect, but not rigid, and leaning slightly forward

communicates to students that you are approachable, receptive and

friendly. Furthermore, interpersonal closeness results when you and your

students face each other. Speaking with your back turned or looking at

the floor or ceiling should be avoided; it communicates disinterest to your

class.

Proximity:

Cultural norms dictate a comfortable distance for interaction with

students. You should look for signals of discomfort caused by invading

students' space. Some of these are:

• Rocking

• Leg swinging

• Tapping

• Gaze aversion

Typically, in large college classes space invasion is not a problem. In fact,

there is usually too much distance. To counteract this, move around the

classroom to increase interaction with your students. Increasing proximity

enables you to make better eye contact and increases the opportunities

for students to speak.

Paralinguistics:

This facet of nonverbal communication includes such vocal elements as

• Tone

• Pitch

• Rhythm

• Timbre

• Loudness

• Inflection

For maximum teaching effectiveness, learn to vary these six elements of

your voice. One of the major criticisms is of instructors who speak in a

monotone. Listeners perceive these instructors as boring and dull.

Students report that they learn less and lose interest more quickly when

listening to teachers who have not learned to modulate their voices.

Humor:

Humor is often overlooked as a teaching tool, and it is too often not

encouraged in college classrooms. Laughter releases stress and tension

for both instructor and student.

You should develop the ability to laugh at yourself and encourage

students to do the same. It fosters a friendly environment that facilitates

learning.

Obviously, adequate knowledge of the subject matter is crucial to your

success; however, it's not the only crucial element. Creating a climate that

facilitates learning and retention demands good nonverbal and verbal

skills. To improve your nonverbal skills, record your speaking on video

tape. Then ask a colleague in communications to suggest refinements.

EFFECT OF CULTURE ON BUSINESS

Responding effectively to different cultures when preparing for

business communication is a key business survival strategy in a

global economy, and permeates nearly all aspects of business

afterward. Culture affects all areas of business communications,

including contract negotiations, production operations, product

sourcing, marketing campaigns and human resources decisions.

Definition of Culture

Culture is a set of attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and customs.

Members of a community teach one another these learned cultural

cues so that it becomes an ingrained, accepted part of their society.

Common cultural elements include social structure, language,

religion and communication. Beliefs about the role of business and

how business activities should be carried out fall into this

understanding of culture, since business partners interact within

their own cultural context. Examples of cultural preferences in

business might include the pacing of negotiations, level of formality

between business partners and subtle versus direct conversation

about money.

Smaller World

Modern technology, including the Internet, telephones, fax machines

and cell phones, has facilitated more rapid communication between

businesses around the world. While this greatly expands a

business’s opportunity for growth and profitability, it does increase

the chance that a communication misstep can result in an offended

client or business partner. Such miscommunications can lead to the

loss of partnerships and millions, if not billions, of dollars.

Culture in Business

Culture affects the way people think about business in their own

society. An awareness of cultural attitudes toward business will help

you communicate efficiently and effectively when working with

people from other cultures. For example, Asian cultures, including

Japan and China, promote teamwork and cooperation in business

environments while Western businesses promote individual action

and responsibility. Understanding these values will help you to

create an effective communication strategy with partners from

these regions.

Effects on Communication

Culture directly affects business communication, both verbal and

nonverbal. Some cultures, including Australia, the United Kingdom

and Germany, place high significance to the words actually spoken.

Other cultures, including Japan and Arab cultures, still place

significance on the spoken word, but also place great significance on

the context of the conversation. Silence carries significance in all

cultures, and this might be interpreted in different ways during

cross-cultural business meetings.

Communication Breakdown

Ignoring culture in business communication can lead to problems

and communication disruptions. Internal business communication

can be disrupted or misinterpreted if workers don’t share the same

understanding of goals, expectations and processes. Understanding

a culture can help businesses anticipate potential challenges or

barriers in the adoption of new policies or processes before efforts

break down. For example, some business cultures may thrive in an

exchange and dialogue-based communication system while other

cultures (for example, Japanese and Arab cultures) rely more heavily

on subtext. If new information or ideas are suddenly imposed on

employees accustomed to a more collaborative work culture, there

may be a lack of buy-in and the project will fail.

Training

Some businesses may choose to pursue professional training in

business communication with an emphasis on cultural

understanding. For example, the Global Business Communication

training program offered by the University of Colorado includes

training on cross-cultural awareness for international business

settings. Participants dissect cultural case studies, learn

communication skills and practice sustainable business

communication skills.

The Role of Culture & Communication in Business

Culture is a shared set of values and perceptions -- and a very

powerful concept. Culture can be limited to small groups, such as an

office or a company, or it can be wide enough to span continents as

is the case when people refer to "Western Culture," which

encompasses the commonalities of numerous nations. Each

individual runs into culture in our towns, regions, nations, ethnic

backgrounds and of course, work. Business intersects with culture at

many junctures and a smart businessperson considers all of these

when making important decisions.

Workplace Considerations

America is a country of immigrants. As such, people of widely varied

races and ethnic backgrounds form the modern workforce. While

America certainly has elements of an overarching American culture,

it is equally characterizes by the variations of its various ethnicities

and subcultures. Employers and employees must respect the

cultural variations, and the different perceptions and human needs

they create. This ranges from being sensitive when discussing

religion, culture and politics to being thoughtful about scheduling

and allowing for people's time off to accommodate their holidays

and celebrations. It also includes working with people for whom

English may not be a first language and trying to help them succeed

in your workplace.

Company Cultures

Every company has a culture and they are far from uniform. When

dealing with clients, vendors and business partners, you have to

consider the company culture when addressing its representatives.

For example, your office may be small, relaxed and friendly, but

your client's culture may be very formal and traditional. Starting an

email with a "Hey, Bob..." could be seen very poorly. Similarly, when

making a sales pitch, a strong emphasis on personalities and

understanding may not go over well with a formal company. Instead,

a very well organized PowerPoint presentation accompanied with

written reports will get you further.

Shaping Success

Company cultures give everyone in the organization a common

platform and approach for their work. The shared outlooks of a

company's culture determine employees' attitudes, effectiveness

and sense of team. Some cultures develop around the way a

company works, and other times, leaders work to shape and

implement a company culture. Creating a strong and effective

company culture stems largely from the communication strategies

of owners and top management. Companies who want a creative

and proactive company culture not only have to communicate this

to employees, but to reinforce it in their daily communication styles.

For example, managers of empowered company cultures often say

things like, "Great thinking -- can you take the lead on implementing

that?", "How would you solve this problem?" and "I'd like you to

come up with three great ideas and come show them to me later."

Culture And Marketing

When companies interact with their customer bases, they have to

consider that not every market works the same way. The marketing

and sales approaches that work in an upscale suburb might be

completely ineffective and even inappropriate to an inner-city area

with ethnic minorities or a rural area with a different socio-economic

composition. Particularly in retail sectors, companies have to

construct their marketing and communication strategies to be

culturally sensitive and appealing to a numerous ethnic groups and

demographics. This may include using Spanish billboards in some

areas orChinese signage in stores in other areas as well as changing

certain stores' product mixes to meet the needs and tastes of the

local populations.

International Meetings

Working with overseas clients, business partners, vendors and

offices means understanding the cultures with which you're working.

To sell effectively or create a strong working platform, you have to

make sure good communication is actually occurring and

communication only occurs when both parties reach a common

understanding. When meeting with foreign clients, be sure to

develop presentations that mesh with their business culture. Also be

prepared to interact in a way that shows respect for their ways of

doing business. Effective international communication usually

involves some careful preparation by studying a culture as well as a

lot of face-to-face communication, which may include video

conferences

UNIT-II

MANAGING ORGANIZATION COMMUNICATION

FORMAL COMMUNICATION: Formal communication as the very name

implies is the deliberately created officially prescribed path for flow

communication between the various positions of in the organization. It is

deliberate attempt to regulate the flow of organizational communication

so as to make it orderly and there by to ensure that information flows

smoothly. The officially prescribed communication network may be

designed on the basis of a single channel or multiple channels as

described below.

a)SINGLE CHAIN: Single chain communication network exists between a

superior and his subordinate since these may be a number of levels in an

organization, each individual within those levels is both Superior as well as

subordinate except the person at the top or bottom. Communication flows

downward or upward through each successive level. Communication flow

through a chain may be orderly and easy to control but is very time

consuming. Often we find such a communication network in bureaucratic

organizations.

b) WHEEL: In wheel network all subordinate under one superior

communicate through him only as he is the hub of the wheel. They are not

allowed to communication among themselves. Thus there is no horizontal

communication. In this network, problem of co-ordination is the main

drawback.

c) CIRCULAR: In circle network, the communication moves in a circle

each person can communicate.

With his adjoining two persons. In this network, communication flow is

slow.

d) FREE FLOW: In this network, each person can communicate with

others freely. In this network, Communication flow infact but problem of

coordination exists. This is followed in free-form organization or in tasks

force.

e)INVERTED-V: In this network, an individual is also to communicate with

his immediate superior as well as his superiors superior. In this case the

subject matter of communication is prescribe.

In each a network communication travels faster.

INFORMAL COMMUINICATION/GRAPEVINE COMMUNICATION

The informal channels of communication also known as 'grapevine' is

the result of any official action, but of the operation of social forces at

workplace. The term 'grapevine' arose during the day of U.S. civil war. At

that time intelligence telephone lines were string loosely from tree in a

manner of grapevine and the message there on was often disorted, hence

any rumour was said to be from the grapevine. To day the term applies to

all informal communication while formal communication is the method by

which people carry on social, non-programmed activities within the formal

boundaries of the system.

Grapevine is more active when:

There is high organizational excitement such as policy changes, like

automation, computerization etc. or personnel changes.

The information is new rather state.

People are physically located close enough to communicate with

one another.

People cluster in groups along the grapevine, that is they have trust

among themselves.

GRAPEVINE NETWORK: There are fewer types of pattern through which

grapevine travels, they are.

a) Single Stand: In single stand network, the individual communication

with other individuals through intervening persons.

b) GOSSIP: In probability network, the individual communicates

randomly with other individual according to the law of probability.

c) PROBABILITY: In probability network, the individual communicate

randomly with other individual according to the law of probability.

d) CLUSTER: In cluster network, the individual communicates with only

those individual whom he trust out of these information networks, the

cluster is the most popular.

ACCURACY IN GRAPEVINE

Usually there is a perception that grapevine is inaccurate. This

happens because grapevine tends to be associated with rumor, another

form of formal communication, which more often tends to be in accurate.

However contrary to this perception, the accuracy level is very high in

grapevine. Sometimes major portion of grapevine may be true but

inaccurate part may make the whole grape wise meaning loss.

INTRA- PERSONAL COMMUNICATION: Jntrapersonal communication is

individual and personal communication where the process take place

within an individual. An individual may be isolated from others by not

communicating but cannot stop communicating with himself or herself

continuously. It is a common practice that before communicating with

others an individual communicates with him to understand and estimate

the action of the receiver.

The way we talk to over selves and the way we use language has much to

do withy our happiness, our relationship with others and our success. We

talk to our selves, more than any body else because our thought race to

about 400 words per minute. It is virtually impossible to shut off our

national conversation. India personal communication depends on the

persons age, psychological maturity, nature of personality, external

environment, psychologist and doctors first that everybody should spare

time to concentrate on them, in the form of meditation.

India communication is the most significant part of human life it refers

and guides mans regular life and influences his behavior with others. It

helps to become more aware of themselves which is essential for

effective.

INTER PERSONAL COMMUNICATION: It is the next io Intra personal

communication in which the communication process between persons,

take the form of conversation otherwise known face-face, communication

people at home, at the workplace, in public gathering within enquires and

topics of mutual interest, Inter personal communication result from human

bonds, may be among family members, colleagues, social relations,

neighbor, per group etc. Inter personnel relations, provide basic frame

work for building human relations and a strong society,, work environment

and conflicts free organization. This concept of interpersonal relations and

different models of it such fact to face conversation, telephone

conversation etc.

MODEL FOR INTER PERSONAL COMMUNICATION:

EXCHANGE THEORY

Exchange theory provides a conceptual frame work by considering what is

being exchanged in interpersonal relations. This concept holds that

interpersonal motives depend on the reward value gained from the

relationship and that individuals involved in a relations need to feel that

each is contributing equally i.e. other rewards are equal to what is given.

If over a period of time one person feels he or she is contributing too

much or too little to a relationship that person-is likely to discontinue-that

relationship. In this theory, one was view interpersonal acts as

commodities to be exchanged. Such commodities would include

information, expertise, status and love, as well as money.

Example: If A invites B to dinner, B my attempt to repay A's effort and

expense by unferring status on A. This might take the form of thanking A

and remarking about the excellent food and perhaps asking for the recipe

in order to show how pleased B was with the dinner. Eventually however B

may need to reciprocate in some manner perhaps by asking A to dinner.

Example: A manager allow his or her subordinate to break some company

rules of little consequence like taking unactivised break if they above

completed a job. When a comes up where a little extra effort is needed

from - the workers, the manager is in a position to ask them for extra

effort since they have received something from the manager in exchange.

JOHARI WINDOW - MODEL FRONTIER PERSONAL

COMMUNICATION:

The 'Johari window' is a theoretical conceptualization developed by 'Joe

Luft (1961). We use it here as a focus of our discussion on the information

from between two persons. Imagine window frame. Inside the frames

everything there is to know about you i.e. your opinions feelings, likes and

dislikes, goals, needs etc. You are not aware of everything about

yourself. You learn more about yourself all the time. Others with whom

you have relationships do not have full knowledge of you either.

The Johari window is a model for examining those areas of a person

which are known and those areas which are not known to the person and

others. The johari window divides knowledge about an individual into four

areas according to the degree of self-knowledge other have of the

individuals.

AREAS FO THE JOHARI WINDOW

The 'ARENA' is those aspects of a person of which both the individual

and others are aware. This might be termed as 'open area'. It represents

the image are presents to other. One's arena is often largely defined by

the role and activities one pursues. The second area the "BUND SPOT'

area might better be walled the 'bad-breath area'. This is the area where

one is unaware oneself though others are aware. The third area is 'facade'

this area has to do with a persons few troubles, negative, feelings about

self etc. which the person is afraid to show others for fear they might him

or her. Finally the fourth part of an individual that which is completely

unknown i.e. "unknown area" part of an individual that which is

completely unknown i.e. "unknown area" part of the person has not been

revealed because the person has not put himself or herself in situations of

reveal it. For example: If one has been under extreme stress, how one

would react under extreme stress is unknown both to oneself and others.

These four areas are inter related and mav chonped in size in the

process of interpersonal relations and personal growth.

TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS - MODEL FOR INTER PERSONAL

COMMUNICATION:

Transactional Analysis provides a useful framework for focusing attention

on how exchanges take place.

Bune (1964) suggests that there are three basic ways that individual use

to relate to others. These modes of behavior are called the parent, the

Adult and Child Sine they are roughly analogous to these roles.

Parent

Adult

Child

PARENT EGO STATE: The parent mode of communication is learned

from one's parents people record the attitudes, values and moral of their

parents during their childhood at a time when they one in no position to

question or evaluate their parents idea. Young children observe their

parents behavior how the parents relate to them etc. When situations

arise which touch on one's parent, the parent ego state is likely to be

activated. It is generally easy to recognize parent communication. If the

tone of voice is moralistic, if the person shakes a finger at the listener, if

authority is used instead of reasoning and if the speed is sprinkled with

"shoulder" it is very likely the parent that is also may over whelm the

adult.

ADULT EGO STATE: The adult ego state is that part of the individual

which is relating-oriented and problem-centered, the adult attempts to

take differs experiences as data and rationally deal with them. The

objective of the maturing individual in transactional analysis terms is to

free oneself both form the Childs feelings of helplessness an dependency

and the parents edicts which over everything from sex to work.

Perhaps the best indicator of the Adult state is the ability to cope

responsibility with stress. As we shall see later most peoples adult are

contaminated with child and/or parent ego states so that often what

seems to be an adult communication (reasonable, responsible etc) may

infact also contain child or parent message.

CHILD EGO STATE: The child ego state contains ail the impulse that can

naturally to a young child. It also contains the memories of childhood

experiences and how one respond to them. The child has experienced

situations where the individual was helpless and dependent, which may

have led the child to conclude that he or she is not satisfied or

comfortable. The child also contains the playfulness and curiosity that are

so obviously a part of the young child life. Characteristics of the child

which are easily recognized are rebelliousness, curiosity, playfulness etc.

The Adult is the only ego state which is interested in and receptive to

information. The child is primarily interested in fulfilling the wants. If

sender message in an attempt to convey its needs. The parent assume

role of the sender in presenting its controlling message. It is the adult

which receiving processes and feed back information in an attempt to

understand the other person.

Communication Gateways

Unit -1 Barriers

Importance Important

Paradox Johari window

Essentialities relevance

Models

Basic Interpersonal International

UNIT - III

MANAGING MOTIVATION TO INFLUENCE INTERPERSONAL

COMMUNICATION:

As we tend to see, managers who are so strongly, focused on the task

and the achievement of company objectives as prescribed by the external

system that they are largely unaware of these intrapersonal variables. The

unaware managers are likely to view ideas concerning motivation as

pointing the ways to get the subordinate to perform at a higher level. The

implication for these managers is that there is something that the

manager can do which will "magically" get the subordinates to produce

like crazy because the subordinate now want to achieve the company

objectives. That is when many managers speaks of motivating

subordinate they really mean changing the subordinates motives, while

changing the motivation of others is possible, it is difficult to receive of

such change as these managers have in mind unless they have much

great control over the environment of the subordinate.

It is much feasible for managers to understand the subordinate

presents motives gather than to change their motives. If managers

understand subordinates motives and accepts them as un changeable

they may be able to influence the behavior of the subordinates. The

integration of individual and organizational objectives is one of the

primary issues manager in today world.

INTRA PERSONAL PERCEPTION UPON COMMUNICATION: When

people are unaware, they interact with others in ways which often lead to

communication breakdowns people guess from inference debut others

motives. If these motives are expressed in a confused way, they are likely

to be misinterpreted. The misinterpretation or in accurate perception can

happen for a number of reasons.

First the same interpersonal act may be motivated by one of several

different motives. The impact of their personal act depends somewhat on

how one perceives the motivation underlying the act.

For example: If Jeo invited Fred his boss to dinner this might be

interpreted by Fred as an act of friendship or as paying or repaying a

social obligation or it might be interpreted by Fred as an attempt6 to

influence him.

Second reason for inaccurate interpersonal perception is that the way

the interpersonal act is perceived which depends on the perceives as well

as act.

Example: If Fred feels uncomfortable being close to other people have

more likely to treat the invitation to dinner as an attempt to influence his

rather than as an expression of positive feeling by Joe. If Fred is the type

of person whose is concerned about influencing and manipulating others,

he is more likely to see others as trying to manipulating him. We tend to

interpret other peoples actions in term of our own motives.

Third reason for in accurate interpersonal perception is that we tend to

interpret interpersonal actions in terms of our image or stereo type of the

person with whom we are interacting. We use the information of

misinformation we have accumulate about the group which that person.

Managing Motivation to influence inter personal communication:

As we tend to see, managers who are so strongly, focused on the task and

the achievement of company objectives as prescribed by the external

system that they are largely unaware of these intrapersonal variables. The

unaware managers are likely to view ideas concerning motivation as

pointing the ways to get the subordinate to perform at a higher level. The

implication for these managers is that there is some thing that the

manager can do which will "magically" get the subordinates to produce

like crazy because the subordinate now want to achieve the company

objectives. This is when many managers speaks of motivating subordinate

they really mean changing the subordinates motives, while changing the

motivation of others is possible, it is difficult to receive of such a change

as these managers have in mind unless they have much great control

over the environment of the subordinates.

It is much feasible for managers to understand the subordinates

present motives rather that to change their motives. If managers

understand subordinates motives and accepts them a as unchangeable,

they may be able to influence the behavior of the subordinates. The

integration of individual and organizational objectives is one of the

primary issues manager in today world.

INTRA PERSONAL PERCEPTION UPON COMMUNICATION: When

people are unaware, they interact with others in ways which often lead to

communication breakdowns, people guess from inference about others

motives. If these motives are expressed in a confused way, they are likely

to be misinterpreted. The misinterpretation or in accurate perception was

happen for a number of reasons.

First the same interpersonal act may be motivated by one of several

different motives. The impact of the interpersonal depends somewhat on

how one perceives the motivation underlying the act.

For Example: If Jeo invited Fred his boss to dinner this might be

interpreted by Fred as an act of friendship or as paying or repaying a

social obligation or it might be interpreted by Fred as an attempt to

influence him.

Several reason for inaccurate interpersonal perception is that the way

the interpersonal is perceived which depends on the perceives as well as

act.

Example: If Fred feels un comfortable being close to other people he is

more likely to treat the invitation to dinner as an attempt to influence him,

rather than as an expression of positive feeling by Joe. If Fred is the type

of person who is concerned about influencing and manipulation gathers,

he is more likely to see others as trying to manipulating him. We tend to

interpret other peoples actions in term of our own motives.

Third reason for inaccurate interpersonal perception is that we tend to

interpret interpersonal actions in terms of our image or stereo type of the

person with whom we are interacting we use the information of

misinformation we have accumulate about the group which that person

belongs as means of interpreting his or her motives. If we have stereotype

of union members which says that all they want to do is to avoid work,

that they want to makes a lot of money without really contributing to the

compe. Then we will bend to interpret their actions in terms of this image.

Infact the image may be so strong that we will have to distort or ignore

information we have about the particulars union member with whom we

are interacting, in order to continue to perceive that person as our

stereotype describes him or her.

Eventually as we continue to interact with the person, we may

accumulate enough information about him or her to force us to reject the

stereotype, usually we simply admit that we were wrong in assuming that

the particular person involved fit the stereotype. Rarely we do examine

the validity of the stereotype.

ROLE OF EMOTIONS IN INTER PERSONAL COMMUNICATION:

Lack of awareness of emotion can lead to breakdowns in communication.

This is because feelings influence interpersonal perception and inter

personal motives. Infact the expression of any interpersonal

communication reflects the individuals feeling. If people are unaware of

their feelings they are unaware of a significant aspect of what they are

communicating.

In addition to the fact that expressing feeling as they occur tends to

reduce irrationality and confusion the expression of ones feelings acts to

bring other feelings to consciousness. That is when we have repressed

feelings for most as receives, there are a lot of feelings which we have not

expressed. When we express one, this expression tends to bring others to

awareness and there is a possibility of more straight forward

communication.

The identification and constructive use of negative emotions pose

special problems in interpretational communication they are - fear and

anger.

FEAR IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION: Fear is the anticipation

of physical or psychological pain. If one is paying attention to what might

happen rather than to what is presently happen one's ability to respond to

the situation is impaired.

In order to understand how fear inhibits performance and development

let us examine a common fear provoking situations. A manager is afraid of

making presentation to committees or other groups. If the fear is great,

the manager is likely to perform poorly. The avoidance of a fear producing

situation relieves the fear and thus is rewarding. The only way of reducing

the fear is by speaking to a group and performing well. In that event the

manager will be reinforced for this action and will be less likely to avoid

the situation. By speaking on numerous occasions, the manners ability as

a speaker should improve, yielding additional re-enforcement and thus

speaking to a group and decreasing fear.

Anger in interpersonal communication: The modern in our cultures and

certainly in the culture of business is to avoids the expression of anger or

control ones anger. This may be detrimental in many ways even in

business. If the person cannot directly express anger, it is likely to be

expressed indirectly. The manager who is angry at the boss but afraid to

express this anger may take it out on a subordinate. This is called

displaced aggression, some may take it out on themselves. This is

especially true of people with low self confidence who tend to attribute

relationship problems to their own inadequacies. Being angry at oneself of

course only contributes to lower self-confidence. Finally the individual may

simply internalize anger. The failure express anger, however may increase

tension to a point where it effects task performance adversely. The

danger with the expression of anger is not that it will fail to have an

impact on the listener, but that the listener may act in a destructive or

negative manner rather than attempt to constructively change the anger

producing situations.

COMMUNICATION STYLES

A communication style might best defined as a specialized set of

interpersonal behaviors which are used in situation. The communication

process describes in elemental terms "what" take place when set of

behaviors involved in the elemental process.

A communication style differs from a specific communication action in

two distinct ways.

1. Each communication style represents a category of communication

behaviors which have related purpose and similar approaches.

2. A particular style will be used with consistency by a person for

similar situations.

There are six different types of communications styles.

1. The Controlling Style: The controlling style is one in which the

communication constrains and directs the actions or thought of others.

The controlling style is essentially one way, with any feedback being

basically for the purpose of classification, communicators using this style

tend to permulate their ideas prior to discussion and then gain the

compliance of others. They do not like to consider alternatives which

others may propose. They persuade others by showing the incentives

which may give from a given course of action. They often engage in the

process of selling themselves and their status to others. By virtue of their

power, the communication tell others what the others will or will not do

direct threats or promises do not apply or are not effective such a

communicator may manipulate the receiver into the desired action. Since

the disappointment that follows for the receives usually damage future

communication, manipulation is usually reserved for short term

relationship. Which we are using controlling style. We are taking the

parent role of transactional Analysis and inviting a child response on the

part of the person with whom we are communicating. The directive aspect

of the management process often walls for the use of the controlling style.

2.The Equalitarian Style: The equalitarian style is characterize a two

way flow of exchange in which the influence feedback and forth between

people. Here the communication does not assume personal superiority or

expertise but receives information as well as giving it. The communicator

shows genuine interest in the ideas of others. Decisions are often based

upon a consensus rather than being unilateral in nature. The atmospheric

established by the equilibrium style is relaxed and often information.

3. Structuring Style: The structuring style is used by the

communication who is oriented toward establishing order organization,

scheduling and structure through the communication process. This

communicator influences others by discussing with them the goals,

standards, schedules, rules or procedures that seem to apply to the

situation. Structuring communications rarely involve the expression of

strong emotion. The communications usually are objective in nature.

4. The Dynamic Style: The dynamic style is employed by a

communicator who is highly active and aggressive. The communication

tends 1.0 be brief and to the point. It is frank and open with an absence of

evasion. The communications o\- the dynamic style are not deep and

philosophical but are oriented to the pragmatic, immediate problems

confronted. They rarely deal with plans or strategies of the distant

future. This approach to communication is more at home in the distant

future. This approach to communication is more at home in the fact

moving business than in the halls of the ivy-covered university.

5. The Relinquish Style: The relinquish style involve a subordination of

ones position to that of another person. The communicator defers to the

desires of other person. A communication takes a receptive rather than a

directive position and shows interest in the contributions of others. The

communication shows preference for a supporting role rather than for a

directing one.

6. The With-drawal Style: The withdrawal style involves an avoid an

interaction. It is almost a mis representation to refer to the person using

this pattern as a communicator. Infact the users do not wish to

communicate but prefer to withdraw from others. They do not wish to

influence others and prefer not to be influenced. In a discussion

withdrawal may take the form of diversionary tactics to get away from the

topic. The diversionary approaches may include joking about the problem.

BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION

The problem of communication arises be causes there are various

obstacles which may entirely present a communication, filter part of it out

or give it incorrect meaning. These obstacles are knows as

'communication barriers'. They are discussed under various groups as

follows:

SEMAT1C BARRIERS: Semantics is the science of meanings as

contrasted with phonetics, the science of sounds. All communications are

symbolic, that is these use symbols (words, pictures, etc) that suggest

certain meanings, semantic barriers arise from limitations in the symbols

with which we communicate.

1. Symbols with different meanings: Communication symbols usually

have a variety of meanings and we have to choose one meaning from

many. In 500 most common English words have an average of 28

definitions each. Moreover a particular word may give contradictory

meaning in different parts of the country.

2. Badly expressed message: Lack of clarity and precision in a

message makes it badly expressed. Poor chosen and empty words and

phrases etc. are so common faults found in this case.

3. Faulty translations: livery manager receiver various type of

communication from superior and he must translation information

destined for subordinate, into language suitable to each. Hence the

message has to be put into words appropriate to the framework in which

the receiver operates or it must be accompanied by an interpretation

which be understood by the receiver. Here faulty translations to impaired

efficiency and heavy costs.

4.Unclassified assumptions: There are certain excommunicated

assumptions which under le practically all meanings. Though a message

appears to be specific, its underlying assumptions may not be clear to the

receiver.

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

An activity as complex as communication is bound to suffer from setbacks

if conditions contrary to the smooth functioning of the process emerge.

They are referred to as barriers because they create impediments in the

progress of the interaction.

Identification of these barriers is extremely important. According to the

role observed by the two participants, let us categorize the barriers as:

Sender-oriented

Receiver-oriented.

Sender-oriented Barriers

Sender-oriented barriers could be voluntary or involuntary. At any cost,

efforts should be made on the part of the sender to identify and remove

them. As the sender is the originator of communication, he should be

extremely careful not to erect barriers. If his interaction gives rise to or

indicates that there are barriers, the communication comes to a grinding

halt. Some of the barriers that are sender-oriented are as follows:

1. Badly Expressed Message.

Not being well versed in the topic under discussion can create problems of

this nature. The sender may not be able to structure his ideas accurately

and efficiently. What he wishes to say and what he finally imparts may not

be the same. The discrepancy emerges as soon as the words are uttered.

In fact, one of the important criteria at the time of initializing a piece of

communication is that ideas should be concrete and the message should

be well structured. The receiver should not feel that the interaction is a

waste of time. The moment this feeling crops up, the listener totally

switches off and thus ceases the process of effective communication.

2. Loss In Transmission.

This is a very minor issue but one that gains in magnitude when it leads to

inability in transmitting the actual message. Once again, if the choice of

the channel or medium is not right, the impact of the message is lost. This

is mostly a physical noise. However, the responsibility lies with the

sender, as he should ensure that all channels are free of noise before

commencing communication.

3. Semantic Problem

High and big sounding words definitely look and sound impressive. But if

the receiver is not able to comprehend the impact of these words, or if

they sound 'Greek' or 'Latin' to him, the entire exercise proves futile. This

problem could arise in the interpretation of the words or overall meaning

of the message It is also related to the understanding of the intention

behind a particular statement.

4. Over/ Under Communication

The quantum of communication should be just right. Neither should there

be excess information nor should it be too scanty. Excess information may

confuse the receiver as he has to figure out the exact import of the

message, and scanty information would make him grope for the actual

intent of the message .The sender should ,as far as possible try to get the

profile of the receiver so that at the time of communication he knows how

much material is needed and how much can be done away with. Suppose

he starts with some information that the receiver already possesses, the

latter might lose interestas it is merely repetition of what he already

knows . So b the time he arrives at the core of he matter , he had already

lost the attention of the receiver.

5. T -Attitude.

Imagine a piece of communication that begins and ends with the pronoun

"I". How tedious it is going to be for the listener to sit through the entire

piece of interaction. If the sender starts every sentence with "I", it

gradually leads to what is referred to as the I-syndrome. He would not be

receptive to changes, if suggested by the receiver; as such, changes

would go against his personal formulation of certain views.

6. Prejudices.

Starting any piece of communication with a bias or know-itall attitude can

prove to be quite detrimental to the growth of communication process.

Though it is easier said than done, still, when communication commences,

all sorts of prejudices should be done away with, and the mind should be

free of bias. This would enable the sender to formulate his message, Mind,

free of keeping only the receiver and his needs in mind. Thoughts like

"Last time he said this..." or "Last time he did this..." or "He belongs to this

group..." can totally warp the formulation of the message. This barrier can

also be extended to the receiver. If the respondent starts with prejudices

in mind, he too would be unable to listen to the intent of the message. His

understanding of the message is going to be warped. The messages are

going to be understood in relation to the prejudices that a receiver

harbors against the sender.

Rules for Overcoming Sender - Oriented Barriers.

These barriers are not insurmountable. Care and constant practice on the

part of the sender can remove these barriers. Some of the rules for

overcoming sender-oriented barriers are as follows:

1. Plan and clarify ideas.

Ideas should be carefully formulated/thought out before beginning any

kind of communication. This can be done by following few steps. Primary

among them is to test thinking by communicating with peers and

colleagues. It is said that two minds are always better than one. Ideas,

when discussed aloud with another person, necessarily take on a shape

and form. Errors of logic, if any, get sorted out. In this process the

concepts of others can also be collated and incorporated to make the

communication richer and more fruitful. As these steps require

preplanning and extra time, the sender should be highly motivated.

Unless he is sufficiently motivated, he will not spend extra hours in

planning the message and clarifying it by facilitating discussions with

other members in the organization.

2. Create a climate of trust and confidence.

In order to win the trust and confidence of the receiver, the sender has to

put in extra effort through which he is able to win the trust and confidence

of the recipient. This is what we normally refer to as establishing sender

credibility. If the receiver is convinced that the sender has his best

interests at heart, he would be willing to pay attention to all that is being

said and try to grasp the import of the message in the manner in which it

is intended.

3. Time your message carefully.

Different occasions and different hours necessitate a change in the

encoding of the message. The sender has to be careful of the time and

the place he makes his statements. As all communication is situation

bound, a statement made at an incorrect moment, or a wrong place can

stimulate an undesired response. The most prudent step is to measure

the import of the message in relation to the situation and then impart it.

4. Reinforce words with action.

Whatever statements are made should be reinforced by action on the part

of the sender. The receiver should not feel that there are two codes at

play, one for transmittal and the other for action. If there is harmony

between the two, the decoder is mentally at peace, for his grasp is more

accurate and thorough.

5. Communicate efficiently.

The sender can only ascertain whether communication has been effective

when he confirms with feedback. The receiver on his part is also wary as

he knows that he would be requested for feedback. Soliciting and

receiving feedback is the simplest and the surest way of removing any

barriers that might crop up in the course of communication as a result of

either over communication or a semantic problem. Once all barriers to

communication have been overcome, communication, it is said has been

meaningful and purposeful.

Receiver-Oriented Barriers

Receiver can also have some barriers in the course of the interaction.

Although his role in the initial phase is passive, he becomes active when

he starts assimilating and absorbing the information. He is equally to

blame if the situation goes awry and communication comes to a stop, or

there is miscommunication. Some of the barriers emanating from the side

of the receiver are as follows:

1. Poor retention.

Retention is extremely important during interaction. If the receiver has

poor retention capability, he would probably get lost in the course of the

proceedings. There would be no connection between what was said

initially and what is being said now. He might counter statements instead

of seeking clarifications that might lead to clamping on the part of the

sender. If the decoder feels that his retention capacities are not good, a

judicious strategy for him would be to jot down points. It does not portray

him in a poor light. On the contrary, it shows how conscientious he is to

get the message right.

2. Inattentive listening.

The mind has its own way of functioning. It is very difficult to exercise

control over one’s mind. Listening is more of an exercise in controlling the

mind and exercising it to assimilate messages. The errors in listening arise

primarily because the receiver is either not interested in what is being

said, or has other things to concentrate on. The art of listening is an

exercise in concentration.

3. Tendency to evaluate.

Being judgmental and evaluative are both the starting points for

miscommunication. Remember, one mind cannot perform two activities at

the same time. If it is evaluating, listening cannot take place. Evaluation

should always be a sequel to the listening process. It cannot be done

simultaneously with listening. The minute sender opens his mouth, if the

listener starts mentally pronouncing judgments concerning his style or

content, he has actually missed out on a major part of what has been said.

His responses naturally are then going to be incorrect or expose his

misunderstanding.

4. Interests and attitudes.

"I am not interested in what you are saying" or "My interest lies in other

areas". Starting any piece of communication with this kind of indifference

can thwart any attempts at communication. Fixed notions of this kind

should be dispensed with. It is not possible to be interested in all that is

being said. But to start any communication with this notion is hazardous.

5. Conflicting information.

Dichotomy in the information that the receiver possesses and that which

is being transmitted can create confusion and result in miscommunication.

Conflict between the existing information and fresh one results in

elimination of the latter unless and until the receiver is cautious and

verifies with the sender the reliability and validity of the message. The

sender hould convince the receiver that whatever is now being said is

correct and relevant to further proceedings.

6. Differing status and position.

Position in the organizational hierarchy is no criterion to determine the

strength of ideas and issues. Rejecting the proposal of a subordinate or

harboring a misconception that a junior cannot come up with a "eureka"

concept is not right. In fact, many companies have started encouraging

youngsters to come up with ideas/ solutions to a particular problem. These

ideas are then discussed among the senior managers and their validity is

ascertained keeping the workings and the constraints of the company in

mind. The basic purpose of this upward traversing of ideas is that fresh

and innovative minds can come up with unique solutions. If an individual

has been working in a particular company for some years, it is natural that

his mind gets conditioned in a particular manner. Challenging newcomers

to innovate,as a part of company policy takes care of ego problems that

may arise if this is not a accepted norm.

7. Resistance to change.

Fixed ideas, coupled with an unwillingness to change or discuss, hampers

listening and results in miscommunication. Novae concepts that require

discussion before they can really materialize, if rebuked, fall flat. The onus

lies directly on the receiver who is unreceptive and unwilling to change.

People with dogmatic opinions and views prove to be very poor

communicators and erect maximum number of barriers.

8. Refutations and arguments.

Refutations and arguments are negative in nature. Trying to communicate

with the sender on the premise that refutations and arguments can yield

fruitful results would prove to be futile.Communication is a process in

which the sender and the healthyreceiver are at the same level. The

minute refutations or discussions arguments begin, there is a shift in

balance between the two participants, after which the receiver moves to a

conceived higher position and the sender remains at the same level. In

case there are some contradictions that need to be resolved, discussion is

the right way to approach. Listening to the views of the other, trying to

understand or at least showing that there has been understanding,

appreciating and, finally, positing own views should be the sequence to be

followed. The strategy adopted should not make the sender feel small or

slighted.

UNIT - IV

BUSINESS WRITING SKILLS

Effective writing is pre-requisite of existence in modern set up and

success in any endeavour.

Not all successful persons are good writers, but generally a close

correlation between success and effective writing exists.

Writing still contributes to one's success in any profession or business.

To become successful in any endeavour, one should master the skill

and art of expressing oneself clearly and precisely through written

message.

One's excellence in writing skill determines the chances of influencing

people, winning friends and gaining business.

On the other hand poor writing means failure. Inability to express his

intellect and wisdom takes away much of his credit as an intelligent

and wiseman.

Clecir, concise and persuasive message writing is essential for any

business executive.

Written message ( a letter, report, memo) conveys a lot about the w

riter'" s personality.

Well written and well executed message nol only helps the other

person to understood the purpose of conversation but also enhances

the writer's image as well as orgn's image.

WRITING SKILLS:

Writing like any art or craft is an inner urge which springs from the

inner most feelings.

The persons who are more sensitive and profound thinkers can write

with greater depth and breadth.

Writing small influence and measure-

o how best one is able to pat his ideas on paper,

o how one uses apt words at appropriate places,

o how one follows the rules of grammar, and

o above all how one express oneself clearly and concisely.

Writing skill requires tremendous practice and persistent efforts to

master the art of writing clearly, correctly, concisely and creatively.

Business people sometime a feel confused to put their thoughts to pen

and paper, to manage the mechanics of grammar, Spelling and format.

Business writing doesnot involve long process of introspections,

exploration of inner layers of mind, meditating and then putting

intuitives arm logical thoughts on paper.

Business writing does not involve higher erudition, imagination and

creativity. However, it requires clear thinking, thorough knowledge the

situation, and grasp of principles of good writing.

Good Business Writing:

Any piece of writing must satisfy the following, to quality a good

business writing:

o it must reveal the writer's ability to express himself in good

English.

Essential of Good Business Writing:

The purpose of every business writing is to make the reader

understand on the same sense and spirit, that the writer wants to

convey.

The conveyable message should be produced out of well thought

and matured but at the same time it should look natural and simple

look ordinary message.

Business writing like other forms of communication should possess

the 70's of communication. Candit, Clear, complete, concise, correct

ad courteous.

To make the written message effective, the sender has to pay

attention to certain principles.

a. Unity:

• The written message should contain unified sentences and

unified paragraphs.

• Each single sentence should contain a single idea clearly and

directly expressed.

• All should stress only on one central idea.

b. Emphasis:

• The idea, facts, figures pertaining to the message should be

emphasized in the order of their imp or priority.

• Graphs, charts, audio-visual, statistics etc. should be used at

proper place to attract the reader towards the main idea of

the mag.

c. Completeness:

• Incomplete message breeds misunderstanding and

misinterpretations, load to further queries which result in

wastage of time and resources, and irritate the reader.

• It should contain all relevant details.

d. Clarity:

It Means conveying the message free from an ambiguities and

confusion.

• Writer should think clearly and in logical sequence.

• Express in commonly used words.

e. Conciseness:

• Convey the message in lowest possible words without

completeness and clarity.

• To save the time of reader.

• Aimless and unnecessary details distract the reader's attn.

• Avoid needless repetition and roundabout expression.

f. Accuracy:

• Reporting of inaccurate facts and figures can mislead the

reader and loan result in wrong decisions.

• Wrong spellings, faulty grammar, poor sentence

construction etc. district the attn of the reader and

sometimes confuse him.

Steps in Effective Writing:

• Any writing, particularly business writing can be divided into 3 stagesor

steps for the sake of convenience:

1. Pre-writing, 2. Free writing, 3. Re-writing

Step-I. Pre-Writing:

Pre-writing stage involves planning the material and facts to be

collected or literature to be searched.

Before writing, decide about the following:

a) the purpose b. the person to whom it is written

c) the scope of the subject d. the desired response expected.

Step-II, Free-Writing:

Writing the first draft, that starts after deciding the purpose, identifying

the reader, etc.

Never expect the first draft be the final draft. Before production of final

draft, a lot of review and revision of the first draft has to be done.

Writing first draft requires organizing and outling the matter in logical

sequences and steps.

These outlines act blue prints facilitating construction of the building.

• Once outlines are complete, write in the way you feel easy

and convenient on the paper.

Here creativity should not be sacrificed for an elegant

expression, fine tuning of words and perfection of grammatical

rules.

• But before writing-

a. feel at ease, free from inner trouble and turmoil,

b. gather your mental strength,

c. concentrate and contemplate on the matter for the purpose of

bringing thoughts from the crust to the surface of the mind.

Stop-III: Re-Writing:

• Involves review and revision of the first draft.

• Ensure that the written material is written from the reader's point of

view & not from writer's point of view.

• Consider the following points for rewriting:

a. be sure that you have used the words the reader will understand,

b. replace the long sentences and words with short and simple ones.

c. favour active verbs over passive.

(it does not imply that passive verbs cannot be used: about avoid their

over use)

d. ensure that your mag is logical and well-knit.

e. correct your grammar, spelling and punctuation errors,

f. check the tone, (formal, humorous, positive or negative tone

depending upon the relationship you intend to establish with the reader).

LETTER WRITING

Meaning and Definition of Letter:

• Letter is defined an a written communication, transmitted by the

receiver, by means of post office or some other mode.

• Letter is a type of written communication, addressed to a particular

person transmitted through a mechanism of post office network,

connected regionally or globally.

Meaning of Business Letter:

• A business letter is a form of communication written by an authorized

person of an organization.

In government organizations business letters are often termed as official

letters.

Purpose and Functions of a Business Letter: (IMPORTANCE)

• Business letters are highly useful in introducing trade relations and

promoting business transactions.

They provide convenient and inexpensive means of communi. Without

personal contacts, furnish evidences of transactions and help in

creating good impression and goodwill.

1. Record and Reference - (permanent record, ready reference

substitutes sharpest memory.

2. Evidence of Contracts - (a letter signed is an authentic proof, fully

recognized by the courts of law)

3. Public Relations - (built goodwill among clients and creditors, create

positive image, friendliness, actas silent ambassadors of the company)

4. Business in Remote - (can reach even very remote places)

5. Propagate the existence of the Organization :

• Letters make the people to remember the organization. Forever. Ex:

Greeting cards, thanks letters, invitations etc. strengthens the

external environment.

• To co-ordinate the activities of Large People/Departments/Units:

• Letters are efficient means to enter into new markets:

Globalization formulated avenues to new and unexplored markets. Types

of Letters:

1. Personal letters (friends and relations)

2. Social letters (the group includes invitations and answers to invitations

for lunch, dinner, supper etc. These letters are strictly formal)

3. Official/Business letters:

Inquiry - answer to inquiries, orders and their execution, sales letters and

circulars, agency letters, complaints-claims and adjustments; collection-

settlement of accounts, credits status inquiry references, bank

correspondences, insurance correspondence, import and export

correspondence, application letters, calling for a post, calling for

interviews, appointment letters and termination orders.

Essentials of an Effective Business letter:

1. Promptness:

Promptness creates good and blasting impression, sometimes, a back

reference has to after to different departments or has to get the consent

of the higher officers. When it is knows that the reply the letter requires

time, the correspondent should atleast lake it a point to acknowledge the

letter received and intimate time requires to send a reply.

2. Knowledge of the Subject:

The knowledge of the past correspondence, better understanding of letter,

the needs and requirements of sender of the letter and the knowledge of

the firm's policies can prove valuable aids to the correspondent for d

rafting an apt reply.

3. Appropriateness:

A letter writer should vary tone arid language of the letter according to

the need and the occasion:

Psychology of the reader, the use of technical terms, are imp.

Unnecessary use of phrases and words must be strictly avoided, simplicity

in writing is imp.

4. Accuracy, Completeness and Clearness:

Facts, figures and statements, quotations must be very accurately

mentioned.

Accuracy and completeness together and help in avoiding mistakes.

Letters should be accurate, complete and clear, or else it might result in

unnecessary exchange of letters leading to delay and create frustration

and adverse affects.

5. Courtesy:

Courtesy is considerate and sympathetic behaviour, a friendly attitude.

Impatience, irritation, criticism and unfriendly tone, a fighting style should

be kept out of our letters.

If you don't make a friend, you will atleast avoid making any enemy, if

your letter is courteous.

6. Tact:

Matters of delay in execution of order, refusing complaint and credit,

requesting for early payments or adjustments, always requires tactful

handling.

7. Persuasion:

It requires making positive suggestions and convince him how and why is

to be advantage.

Even disagreeable things can be get done with the help of conviction,

which is achieved only through art of persuasion.

Everyone is primarily interested in himself. Hence, Persuasion

requires an appeal to the reader's interests, economy, financial gain,

savings, pride of possession, social prestige, self esteem and security etc.

8. Salesmanship:

Every outgoing letter is a traveler, it is a salesman. Every letter is a sales

letter and it should have the requisite of salesmanship.

It is silent but not dum. It helps to make the reputation of the firm.

9. The positive and Pleasant approach:

A businessman will have many occasions when he has to refuse, say, no,

regret, disagree, complain or say sorry to say this in plain words and a

straight forward style is not difficult.

• A negative beginning irritates the reader.

• A positive approach convinces the reader of the helplessness of the

writer or his genuine difficulties etc.

10. Faulty and consciousness

11. The you attitude.

12. Pleasant impression.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF LETTER-WRITING:

Every business letter-writer has to consider these principles to formulate

an effective letter:

1. Clarity:

• The purpose is to put across the idea to the reader and not to set a

puzzle for it.

• To be sure of what you mean and then to say it in plain terms.

• There should be only one possible meaning and this should be clear

to be reader.

• Logical sequence. " crediting unnecessary words/terms.

2. Simplicity:

• Achieved by using simple and familiar words

• Use short sentences, use short paragraphs

• Prefer the active to passive voice.

3. Brevity:

• The writer should not be brief at the cost of clarity and courtesy.

• Brevity can be obtained by vvriling unnecessary details and cutting

out unnecessary words.

4. Sincerity:

• Sincerity of purpose counts a lot in human relations and business

dealings.

• Frankness and authenticly.

• Attn on assumptions and its disclosure.

• Refined language plays an important role in business.

• The writer should not take shelter behind backneyed expressions

that are used indiscriminately.

Ex: Assuring you of our best co-operation.

Marriage invitation - friends, relatives etc.

5. Courtesy:

Ensure courtesy with firmness, reduces negative feelings, make a angry

person to a friendly, suppress the short temper of a peson, reduce

negative response and brings positive response.

6. Positive Tone:

• A letter may sound, cordial, friendly, cold, preemptory

(authoritative) or even captious (fault finding) or contentions.

• • Attn on reader's point of view.

• Polite and definite.

• Avoid pompous (outward show) language.

• Avoid communication gap.

7. The you Attitude:

• Means that the reader is the most important person for the writer.

• Letter should an understanding of his problems and difficulties and

should be written from his point of view.

8. Define the purpose:

• Every letter has a definite purpose to achieve.

• Expectation - precise.

9. Language:

• Must be simple and direct, avoid long and complex sentences

• Delete high sounding violability which are not common and also rare

• Edit unnecessary words without missing its meanings.

10. Standards in Writing:

Quality can be improved through-

a. using quality paper, pen and printers,

b. avoiding corrections, overwriting.

c. using suitable and attaining format

d. neat and attractive messages and folding of the letter

e. avoid substandard languages.

11. Informal and friendly attitude:

• Latest trends in letter writing is the principle of adoptive informal

way of expressing views.

• Friendly culture is today's principle of business writing.

• Same is applicable between subordinate and superior,

sellor and customer.

12. Highlight the essential points:

• Underline or printed in bold letters.

• Mention in brief the same message before closing remarks or in

the last paragraphs.

• Repetition - wherever possible.

13. Tactful and sincere:

• It is not always easv and simple to write reply in convincing and

effective wav.

• Ex: information on profits, revenue or expenses.

• Intelligent presentation of the information.

• Express the fault or problem or facts genuinely, but ensure

relations may not get spoiled.

14. Free from mistakes:

• Human error to a reasonable extend is accepted.

• Spelling mistakes must be avoided,

(weak-weak, cheap-cheap weather-whether, laxmi-lakshimi)

• Mis-spellings may give wrong meanings -

Madam - Madum Quean - Queen.

• Grammar mistakes

• Vague expressions

15. Write a short letter:

• Normally the receiver/sender is a busy executives, he is

interested only in the sub/business, but not on the language

skills.

• If the letter is very long, the receiver pospone reading the letter

or reading selective lines or selective paragraphs.

16. Autonomy to the writer:

• If sufficient free is given to the writer, he can use his professional

skills.

• Many times, the stone/typist, is better than the superior in

framing and wording a letter.

• Reasonable freedom is to be allowed to the actual person in-

charge of drafting letter.

• A business letter is a formal letter and in several cases, it acts as

a legal document.

• Different parts of a letter have different, but definite functions to

perform.

ex: Date, letterhead, signature has different duties to perform.

GENERAL COMPONENTS/ELEMENTS (Para) OF A BUSINESS

LETTERS

The Head-address/Heading or letter Ex. Head:

• This is the name and address of the sender. Usually its place is top

center to the right of the sheet or paper.

• The letter head contains short description of the business, and also

includes the telephone numbers, then telex numbers, and the

telegraphic address, if any, on the left hand side, below the name and

address.

• Some letter heads include the addresses of the ITO/Regd.

Office/administrative office in detail.

• Proper care in printing the letter head (colour size )

Date:

• The date should always be written with the name of the month and the

number of the date.

Ex: wrong 10-03-2002, right 10th March 2002.

• In the modern style the stand and are avoided (10th, 2nd) 1st)

• Do not write abbreviations for name of month, because it confuses the

reader and reader can not grasp the abbreviations quickly.

• It is advisable to the writer to write actual data, unless it is essential,

like typing letter in advance, a letter should not be ANTE date or POST

date.

3. Reference: (Internal reference)

• This is usually written to the left of the paper, in the same line as the

date.

• It indicates the file number, the dept to which the file has to go, the

number of the letter and the year.

• Correct ref will help to dispatch to the right persons to take action

intime.

• Reference facilitates link to previous letters.

4. The inside address:

• Consists of the name and address of the person or company to whom,

the letter is to be sent.

• Address has to be written in as great detail as on the envelops, for it,

may sometimes used as the outside address;

Ex: in a window envelope.

• When writing to a company, M/s should be written only if the name of

the company contains a personal name.

Ex: Wrong M/s. National Rayon Co.Ltd., Right National Rayon Co.Ltd.

• When writing to an individual, both or and esquire should not be written.

• The place of the inside address determines the margin of the body of

the letter.

• While writing inside address, the following points should be noted;

Each part of address is to be written in sepaiate line. Name of the town is

to be written in capital letters, if necessary underline it, pin is to be

mentioned separately.

5. Salutation:

• It is greeting to the receiver of the letter.

• The commonest forms used are Dear Sir and Dear Madam.

• Only Sir or Madam makes the letter very formal.

• In Govt, correspondence, only Sir or Madam in preferred.

6. The Caption Line:

• Caption line is usually placed below the salutation.

• It gives in a nutshell what is contained in the main common of the letter.

• The caption line is usually made distinct by placing words: RE; REF;

• Sometimes the caption line is heavily underlined and placed before the

salutation.

7. The body of a letter:

• Most important part and divided into three parts-

a. The opening or the introductory paragraph

b. The main communication to be made, mav be subdivided into

paragraphs.

c. The closing paragraphs, which is short and something of

a formality.

• A business letter should usually deal with only one topic. Otherwise it

becomes difficult to file the letter.

• Other steps:

a. proper indication for continuation pages,

b. avoid giving side headings,

c. avoid writing points in the form of a list,

d. avoid big paragraphs

e. make it as natural as possible.

8. The Complimentary close;

• It is a form of saying good-bye.

• It comes to the right of the letter below its body. Ex: Yours faithfully,

Yours sincerely, Yours truly.

•While writing the complimentary close, the Y has to be capital and there

should be no aposprophs in the word Yours.

9. The Signature:

A letter should contain signature of the writer.

A letter without a signature is not a letter in the eye or law, because

it does not make a person responsible for the contents of the letter.

• Signature is a free hand written name with pen on the line or space

left for the purpose.

• Mr/Mrs is not written before signature.

• Can use FASCIMILE signature also.

10. Enclosure:

• This word is written to the left side of the paper, and below the

signature. It is marked either as one or end.

• It indicates that some thing more than letter is attached.

• It is very easy for the xeceiver to check the list give under End: with

the set of papers he received.

11. Identification initials:

• A business letter will be dictated to the Steno, who types it.

• To make it convenient, for admn. Reference, both the typist and the

dictator of the letter may their initials.

• This may be marked at close to left margin below the signature line.

• It becomes easy to trace a mistake if where is any, when the initials are

given.

12. Copies to or Copy Notation or Co or carbon copy:

• This is a part of the letter which comes in the left hand corner below

the word enclosures.

• This is normally mentioned as C.C. with the names and addresses of

the persons to whom copies of the letters have been sent.

13. PS or Post Script:

• PS comes from the latin word-post scriptum, and means what ever has

been written afterwards.

• The ps is written at the bottom of the page.

• No nalutation or complimentary close is required.

• Useful to rectify faults.

COMMERCIAL CORRESPONDENCE

Commercial correspondence is a skill and is required by training,

observation and constant practice.

1. Letter-head must be attractive and give the full name, full address and

other details accurately.

2. Where there are a number of addresses, make it clear where the

correspondent is a supposed to reply to you.

(specific indication - please

3. Ensure that every letter looks beautiful and pleasing

• Corrections

• Interpolations (x)

• Omissions

• Erasures

• Uneven spacing etc.

Spoil the beauty of LETTER

4. The envelope must be typed with care

(spl attn when using window envelopesO

5. When using window envelopes: See to it that the inside address

coincides with the window, otherwise letters are likely to be miscarried or

delayed.

6. Be courteous.

7. Ensure the you attitude

9. Check enclosures (order)

10. Check dates

(particularly month beginning, month ending, year ending, new year)

11. Letter should be to the point.

12. Letter should be is precise.

13. Letter should be clear.

• Clear thinking, firmness, frankness.

14. Give clear instructions, if the letter is to be sent otherwise than by

ordinary post

• Certificate of posting

• Record delivery

• Express delivery

• Speed post

• Registered most

Reg'd. Post with ack. Due

• Insured post

• Hand delivery

• Special message.

15. Reply promptly (in time)

16. Special instructions

• Confidential

• Purely persons.

DON'TS

1. Do not delay a reply

But do not also be in a hurry.

You may wait till you have all the relevant facts and information before

you.

2. Do not be confused

3. Never be

• You can be firms.

• Yet polite

4. Do not be unfair.

5. Do not make a personal attack or personal criticism. Ex: mistakes -

grammar mistakes

6. Do not miss any relevant points when relying to letters.

7. Do not write to a wrong persons or wrong authority.

8. Do not use jargo unless the technicalities of the subject matter require

such use.

9. Do not use cliches

10. Don't violate and Do's mentioned

11. Proper punctuation:

Comma, Semicolon,Colon, Full Stop, Question mark,

Apostrophe, Mark of exclamation, quotation marks , dash, hyphen,

brackets.

MEMOS

• Written commn. in frequently used within the organization. Those are

popularly called inter-departmental communication.

• IDC may assume the form of memo, office circulars, office orders,

notes, letters to regional office or letters to branch office etc.

• These are designed on the some principles of written commn. as were

used in letter writing.

• However, those are drafted in direct and straight forward language

with little worry about the effect of words on the reader.

• It does not mean that internal messages may be written in harsh and

cold language.

• The purpose is to present clear and straight forward message that gets

across quickly and easily, (convey inf/decision/to make short requests)

ORIGIN of the word - MEMO:

• Memos in abbreviation of word MEMORANDUM which means "a note to

help the memory".

• This is internal commn flowing downward, upward or horizontally,

meant to provide a summary of important information and suggest

actions to be taken.

• It Is also called interoffice memorandum.

Usually memos are USED:

a. for conveying routine message

b. for submitting periodical reports

c. for communicating changes in orgns,

d. for issuing instructions to the staff.

e. for confirming a decision made at phone,

f. for calling explanation on some matter of conduct,

g. for asking certain spl. Information.

h. for granting/ withdrawing certain permission to do something.

Advantages of the Memo:

1. Inexpensive:

• Because of its hand to hand circulation within the orgn.

It isinexpensive means of commn.

2. Convenient:

• It is convenient to write and read memo, as all headings like

person, dept/unit/section printed in standardized format.

• Memos take comparatively less time for writing,

transmission and reading, than letters.

3. Future reference:

• Memos are usually stored in office files or computer discs. Can be

usedfor future references.

4. Quick:

• Memos ensure quick and smooth flow of inf. In all directions.

• With exchange of memo, the busy executives and

employees can interact with each other without disturbing their

routine.

5. Establishes accountability:

As memos are records of facts and decisions, they

establish accountability (responsibility)

Prefer memos even for exe events and requests than telephone or

verbal conversations. Disadvantages of Memo:

It is very common that people feel hurt whom they are issued

memos for something bad.

(but there are certain extreme situations, where the question of

fixing responsibility arises, memos have to be issued)

The executive should avoid frequent use of memos, especially

in situations calling explanations.

The person whom written explanations are issued feels embrassed and

consequently tries to react through back-bittings etc. This pollutes the

orgnl environment and creates cynicism, which is harmful for the orgnl

growth and creativity.

How to overcome the dis-advantages:

To bring change in the orgn, issuing memos will not serve the real

purpose.

Before issuing memos, executives and employees 'of different levels

should be involved.

Remember the chain of understanding should always preceed the chain of

command.

How to write Effective Memos:

• A memo is written in easy language and direct style.

• Like reports, plain facts arc narrated in direct and objective way.

• No attempt is made to create psychological impact or an emotional

appeal to the reader.

I. Pre-Writing Stage:

• In the pre-writing stage, the writer should-Identify the purpose of

writing memos.

Determine the audience, the persons, for whom the memo is

written,

Establish the scope of the subject,

Gather all references and data before hand.

II. Writing Stage:

• While writing memo -

a. keep the purpose and reader's needs in mind,

b. organize the facts in logical sequence.

(Chronological/functional/Geographical/question andanswer

type/problem and solution wise)

If the memos are short, they can be written in direct wav, narrative

the facts in logical manner without dividing the memo in different parts.

But for writing long memos, it is better to divide them into following:

1. Summary - highlight the findings, conclusions and recommendations in

condensed form.

2. Introduction- to state the purpose, scope and problem.

3. Discussion - it is the main part. May be divided in to various

subheadings, statement of the problem, methodology adopted, analysis,

evaluation, conclusion and recommendations.

4. Concluding & remarks- reviews the main points and problem. General:

avoid language which is too technical, specify clearly the action to be

taken.

III. Rewriting Stage:

• The last stage involves review and revision of the first craft.

• Ensure to incorporate the most essential inf.

• Pay particular attn to the accuracy, dates, names, figures, and other

qualitative data.

• Correct the grammar, spelling and punctuation errors,

• Check the distribution list of make bare that anybody who needs to see

a copy, his not left out.

ELECTRONIC MAIL (E-MAIL):

Email in business can be used for intra-company communications, marketing

purposes and coordinating with business partners, suppliers and customers.

Some common advantages of business email over traditional mail or telephone

communications are cost reductions, lower overhead and speed. Email software

is available for every size business, allowing for customized business and

employee interactions.

Speed

Communicating by email is almost instantaneous, which can enhance

communications by allowing for quick dissemination of information and fast

response to customer inquiries. It may also allow for quicker problem-solving and

more streamlined business processes. As a result, small business owners can

accomplish more in less time.

Geographic Barrier Reduction

Email reduces geographic and time zone barriers for businesses. Employees or

contractors from around the world can communicate, regardless of their location.

Likewise, customers can send sales questions and support requests by email

based on their own time zone schedules.

Targeted Marketing

Email lets businesses market to targeted audiences. Customers can opt in to

receive email communications about products they own, sales or new items.

Customers who receive targeted emails based on their preferences are likely to

be more receptive. Email marketing can also target customers based on their

status with a business. For example, a business can tailor messaging to new

customers, existing customers and repeat customers.

Efficiency

Email can help increase productivity. Business owners can communicate with

established distribution lists, automatically forward information based on a topic,

or send information to specific individuals as needed. Most email software

provides customization features you can tailor to the type of work performed,

volume of daily email messages and the needs of the worker. Effective email use

can reduce reliance on face-to-face consultations and meetings.

Lower Costs

Moving communications from physical mail to email can result in significant

savings in postage costs, shipping supplies and employee resources. Businesses

can also decrease customer service support costs by focusing on email customer

support options rather than phone-based services

Advantages of E-mail:

1. Facilitates paperless office/without sitting at office

• In the present business world, rapidly advancing towards less

formaltructure, E-mail facilitates more paperless office and enables the

employees to function even without sitting at office.

2. Work at home beyond the duty of hours:

• 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.

3. Cheaper Rates:

• E-mail is the instant means of communication at distant places at

significantly cheaper rates.

4. Message to large number or selected persons:

• Through E-mail, message can be sent to large number or selected

persons simultaneously.

5. Storage and Memory: (Packages such as MS outlook express

have the facility of storing the msg)

• Like Fax, E-mail system also provides the advantage of storage of

message in the memory. As a result, it saves the sender's time wasted in

telephone tags.

6. E-Culture and E-Expression:

• People are more interested in E-Mail addresses, than postal address

or telephone members.

E-mail is becoming popular not only because of being cost-effective and

instant means of communication, but also because of present social shift

to E-Culture and ultimate form of e-Expression.

7. Authenticity to the message:

• In E-mails the sender's ID, date and time of the message are

automatically transmitted. Therefore, they give some authenticity to the

message.

8. Zipping:

• It is possible to send large amounts of data through E-mails through

zipping.

Scanned images, graphs, statistics, pictures, photographs, audio

messages, drawings - can be send and received as attachments without

distorting the formatting.

Limitations:

1. Restricted only to people with Computers:

• One of the disadvantage of E-mail is that it is restricted only to

people with computers.

2. Virusprone:

• Another disadvantage with e-mails is that they are virusprone. As many

anti-virus packages are developed, so many viruses are Mushrooming.

MEETINGS

Meetings are unavoidable part of an organisation. They are liked and

hated at the same time.

The popular saying is A committee keeps, minutes but loses hours.

They are also felt as a deliberate play to delay a plan or to scuttle a

proposal.. Some feel that a good way of letting a proposal killed, is

referring into a committee.

Peter Drucker feels, one either meets or one works. One cannot do

both at the same time.

Committees/meetings can thrush out solutions to knetty problems,

because it is the collective wisdom..

In a multitude of minds, sometimes, decisions are delayed. But collective

participation gives everyone a sense of participation in the mgmt.

They can clear several misunderstandings or misconcepts.

What makes Meeting Wasteful?

The reasons can be varied. It could be ill-planning, poor

preparation, personal angularities, non-recording/improper

recording of minutes, incompetent/high handed chairpersons,

hidden agendas, absence of important members, unsuitable

timings etc.

1. Poor preparation:

The one who convenes takes the meetings casually.

The usual excuse is paucity of time. Agendas are not prepared.

Last minute additions do not give time for members to prepare

for the discussion.

Some members do not do their homework. They forget their

agenda copies. They try to depend upon their memory.

In all these cases, productive time is wasted and decisions delayed.

2. Personal angularities:

Some people are more interested in who is proposing than what

is being proposed.

Ex: as in politics, good decisions would not be taken because of

personal angularities.

3. Non-Recording or Improper recording of Minutes:

Minutes are authetic record of discussions and decisions in a

meeting. Without recording the minutes, it is wasteful to convene

a meeting.

Many people circulate the minutes very late.

Some times minutes are circulated deliberately late so that

decisions which were not taken could be quietly inserted.

4. Too many members:

Some committees/meetings will be over-sized, ie, more members

than required.

Such committees/meetings are formed to please everyone on the

pretext of having a broad base.

The result is the old adage- Too many cooks spoil the breth.

Over sized membership leads to delay as well as spoil the time of

everyone.

5. Hidden Agenda:

• Several meetings in an orgn. end unproductively because there

are hidden agendas.

• Some managers cannot see beyond there own sections. In the

absence of larger interests , hey tend to argue only for their

departmental or look at the things in the light of their experience.

•

6. Absence of Important Members:

• It would be wasteful to discuss imp matters relating to a particular

dept without its head.

• Even if discussion takes place on the inf available, supplementary

questions cannot be attended to.

• If decisions are taken, they have to be revised latter due to genuine

practical problems.

• They also use meetings as a useful tool to delay things or to bury

them.

• They call meeting after meeting to discuss certain issues on which

they do not want a discussion.

(Ex: they don't dirty their hands.

The buck is passed on to the committees collectively.)

3. Spineless Managers:

• A chairperson has to play the role of a leader in meetings. He is

expected not only to coordinate the meeting but also to control it

when necessary.

• He should ensure active participation.

• Some members try to dominate the meetings just because they Cc\

n talk or they have good connections.

• The chairperson has the responsibility of ensuring that everyone

gets equal opportunity to participate and express his opinion.

• Some of the managers even though they have the power to control,

do not have the courage to assert themselves.

4. Autocratic Managers:

• Some managers do not like arguments or discussions. They muffle

any dissent.

• Whether the other member's point of view is good and reasonable,

it doesn't matter to them. They are always right.

• They expect others to crinage before them and listen to them.

• For the meeting means not meaningful exchange of ideas, but

listening to their ideas

5. Loquacious Managers:

• Some managers just love to talk.

They call for a meeting at the slightest occasion.

They go on talking.

They want to show off their knowledge.

• Such meetings serves no purpose.

• Even if there is imp matter to be discussed occasionally, the others

may not take such meetings seriously.

TELEPHONE COMMUNICAT810N (CELLPHONE) Background:

• Telephone(T) is. the most useful tool for communication. It

transmits in instantly and the feedback can be get immediately.

• There is no uncertainly about the message reaching the other party.

• But in this mode there is no means of reading the other party's

facial reaction to our talk.

Teleconference/Audio Conferencing:

• It is now possible to have a teleconference of 3 or more persons.

This will enable effective teamwork.

• An extended uses of this facility is Video-Conferencing.

Ex: The way AP's technocrat CM, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, conducts video-

conferences with all the 23 district collectors/officials simultaneously is a

classic example of productive use of IT.

Video Conference:

• Video-conference avoid wasteful traveling and promote meaningful

interaction.

• Cell phones and Satellite phones can be used with mobility.

Merits of Telephone:

a. Through telephone, contact with persons sitting miles away is

possible.

b. It saves the time wasted in transmission of message either through

first or personal contacts.

c. On telephone instantaneous feedback is possible. Consequently the

communicator can clarify the doubts, if receiver can adjust his message

accordingly.

d. Sometimes it is very difficult to contact a person busy with his job.

Through telephone, he can be contacted without disturbing his busy

schedule.

e. Telecommn. Can be made more effective than face-to-face

communication through modulations of voice.

Dements of :

a. Since T lacks visual feedback, it is difficult to reveal the moral of the

receiver.

As a result communication becomes ineffective, if the receiver is in hurry

or anger.

b. Unlike face-to-face communication on telephone it is very difficult to

hold the receiver's attn. For a long time.

Therefore, it is not suitable for conveying lengthy messages.

c. It is expensive especially when geographical distance between the

sender and the receiver is more.

But compared with Videoconferencing it is cheaper.

d. T message does not provide a permanent record for legal

purposes/unless they are recorded on audio tapes.

e. it is very frustrating when the concerned person can not pick up the

receiver, because of his touring or traveling.

(pagers and mobile phones have overcome this dis-adv. Eat they are still

expensive in India)

Cell phones:

• Cell phones were very expensive, when they were introduced. Their

rents and air time tariff have come down very drastically.

• With the introduction of cell phones different service providers , the

monthly rents and air time tariffs have come within reach of

common. man.

• Even the instruments are available cheaply with reduction in taxes.

• With advanced technology, a cellphone owner can made or receive

a call from most of the major cities in the country, if he got the

ROAMING facility.

effective use of Telephone/Celiphone?

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

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

• Speak in polite, pleasant and positive manner

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

USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

Communication technology has changed the way the world conducts

business. Cellular phones, webcams and the Internet are only a few

of the many tools business regularly used that were unheard of a

little more than a decade ago. The advent of this technology and its

variety of benefits has made conducting business easier and more

assessable to small business owners globally.

Financial Savings

Perhaps the biggest advantage of the improvement of technology in

business communication is the financial savings it affords small

businesses and global corporations alike. Tasks that once took large

sums of money may now be completed with a touch of a button for

pennies. This has allowed small businesses to better compete with

larger organizations in the global market. Before Voice of Internet

Protocol, or VoIP, technology, placing a long distance telephone call

was an expensive gesture. Current VoIP and cellular telephone

technology, however, has made flat rates for local and long distance

calls common place. The same can also be said for correspondence.

Not long ago, the only way to send letters or documents from one

location to another was to engage a postal or messenger service.

The email, however, has eliminated the need to transport hard

copies. Furthermore, many email services are free.

Expediency

Business communication technology has also increased the speed in

which business is conducted. This is especially advantageous to

companies that do business with customers and clients in far-away

locations. Instead of waiting days for documents to be received by a

colleague in foreign country, business may now exchange files in a

matter of seconds over the Internet. The expediency provided by

business communication technology is also beneficial in

interpersonal communication. Previously, businesses would have to

plan conferences for individuals who sit in separate locations to

meet. Currently, parties can convene from their respective locations

as a result of telephone and video conferencing technology.

Specialized Employment

An ancillary advantage of the continued improvement of technology

in business communication is the many jobs that never before

existed that have been created. Skilled professionals are required to

install, operate and maintain new information technology tools. In

2008, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that 1 million

people where employed in the telecommunications industry,

including those in wired and wireless communication. Furthermore,

the median average income of these professionals was $1,038 per

week.

UNIT – V

REPORT WRITING

Origin of the word Report:

• The word report is derived from the Latin word report are

which means to carry back. (re = back + nortare = to carry)

• A report is a description of an event carried back to someone

who was not present on the scence (Scene)

Meaning of Report:

• Report means a statement or description of what has been

said, seen done etc. A treatise containing facts, figures,

information, analysis, opinions, suggestions,

recommendations, maps, graphs, charts, pictures,

statistical tables, specially compiled for a particular purpose.

Definition of Report:

• C.A. Brown defines a report as a communication from

someone, who has to inform someone who wants to use that

information. It describes the events or individuals to someone

who requires it.

• American Marketing Society, defines a report as "to convey the

interested persons the whole result of the study in sufficient

details and to arranged as to enable each reader to

comprehend the data and to determine for himself the validity

of conclusions. A report is a formal communication written for

a specitic purpose; in includes a description of procedures

followed for collection and analysis of data, their significance,

the conclusions drawn from them, and recommendations, if

required.

A report is a clearly structured document in which the writer

identifies and examines issues, events, or findings of an

investigation. Information obtained from research or from

undertaking a project is delivered in a precise, concise writing style

organised under a set of headings and sub-headings, which enable

the reader to find data quickly. Graphs and tables can also be used

to present data in the body of the report. Rather than commenting

upon, comparing or evaluating ideas, as an essay does, a report

frequently offers recommendations for action based on the

information it has presented.

STRUCTURE OF REPORT

A report is a clearly structured document in which the writer

identifies and examines issues, events, or findings of an

investigation. Information obtained from research or from

undertaking a project is delivered in a precise, concise writing style

organised under a set of headings and sub-headings, which enable

the reader to find data quickly. Graphs and tables can also be used

to present data in the body of the report. Rather than commenting

upon, comparing or evaluating ideas, as an essay does, a report

frequently offers recommendations for action based on the

information it has presented.

Report Headings

• Title: The title should tell the reader what the report is about.

• Acknowledgements: Briefly thank people who assisted you in

compiling and writing up the information in the report

• Abstract, executive summary or synopsis: Many readers will only

read this abstract so it needs to be informative, clear and brief. It

provides an accurate, summary of the content of your report. The

first sentence should articulate the main aim or question explored

in your report. It should also outline your approach to the

research, the main theories you applied, and the most important

findings or results of your research.

• Table or list of contents: List the main sections/headings of the

report and the page number on which they first appear. You

should be able to generate this automatically from a styled

MSWord document after you have completed the rest of the

report.

• List of tables and illustrations: List any illustrations, graphs,

charts, maps and the page number on which they first appear.

• Introduction: Set the report within a context of background

information to illustrate the relevance or importance of your

research.

State the research aims: what is it your research will explore or

demonstrate? Areas that may need to be covered in the introduction

include:

- Background: The significance of the report and why it was

commissioned.

- Purpose: State clearly and succinctly.

- Scope: What issues were covered, what were omitted.

- Research: How the data was obtained (e.g., interviews,

surveys, literature review).

- Definition of terms: Specific terms or concepts that need to be

clarified or defined.

• Literature review: Briefly summarise the most significant writings

and major research findings in your field of investigation using

APA format. Evaluate the major works/findings, and connect them

to your own work, to show how you will draw upon or depart from

the literature in your research.

• Materials and methods: State/define the methods you used to

conduct your research (quantitative/qualitative;

primary/secondary) and briefly provide a rationale for why this

method was employed.

Describe the conditions under which the research was

conducted, number of participants, how they were selected duration

of the experiment etc. Identify any limitations in the methodology. If

necessary also include any materials that were used.

• Results: Present the main findings of your research, using sub-

headings where appropriate. You can order the results

chronologically, or in any other appropriate way.

• Discussion of results: In this section analyse your findings at

length, and provide an explanation for why those results were

obtained. You may state whether or not the results confirmed

your initial hypothesis, whether they were expected, and their

possible significance. \

Present your findings or arguments in a logical manner according to

the subject matter. You may also present options, alternatives or

responses to specific situations or issues.

• Conclusions: Summarise the purpose of the report, the

methodology or theories employed, the key points or findings of

your report and the significance of those findings. Don’t introduce

any new points, or information or new sources. You can put

recommendations here if you don’t intend to have a specific section

for them.

• Recommendations: Suggest ways in which problems identified in

the report

may be resolved. They should be given in a numbered list and

should be feasible and realistic. Information on how they can be

implemented should also be given. There should be a logical

relationship between the results and the recommendations, and all

recommendations should clearly spring from previously discussed

material.

• Reference List: List alphabetically the sources referred to in the

body of the report. Use APA end-text referencing for sources

quoted, paraphrased or referred to in-text. Only include sources

mentioned in the report.

• Appendices: This is for material you consider important but that

interferes with the flow of your discussion; for example, data,

calculations, surveys, transcripts, graphics, maps, questionnaires,

pamphlets etc.) referred to in-text. Number each item starting each

item on a new page. Only include items mentioned in the report.

Writing your report

The report writing process is fairly similar to that of other types of

written assessment. These are best explained as a series of steps.

1. Analyze the task carefully. Things that deserve consideration

include the purpose of the report, the scope of the report (what

aspects are to be covered), the limits of the report (e.g.,

information, word count, time frame), and the target audience.

2. Make an initial plan. This step involves the generation and

selection of ideas aligned to the purpose of the report (i.e., working

out what’s relevant and what’s not) and the systematic organization

of the ideas (establishing a coherent structure).

3. Find the information, read and make notes. This step involves the

research process, which typically begins by employing effective

search and information management strategies. Gather and collate

information in accordance with your initial plan. Amend your plan to

accommodate additional information that your research might yield

(but keep a strong focus on the purpose and requirements of the

assessment task). Determine whether you are going to include

diagrams, graphs and illustrations. Decide which information or

calculations could go into an appendix.

4. Write the first draft outline with headings. It is usually best to

begin with the main section of the report.

5. Revise your draft until ready for submission.

PURSPOSE OF WRITING

1. Precision:

• Very clear about the exact purpose of writing a report.

• Precision given a mind unit and coherence to the report and makes

it a valuable document.

• Must achieve the central purpose.

2. Accuracy of Facts:

• The scientific accuracy of facts play at imp role in decision making.

• Inaccurate facts may load to disastrous decisions.

3. Relevance:

• Every fact included in a report has a bearing on the central purpose.

• Ensure that nothing is relevant has escaped inclusion.

• Irrelevant facts make a report confusing.

• Exclusion of relevant facts renders it incomplete and likely to

mislead.

4. Render-Orientation:

• It is necessary to keep in mind the person(s) who is (are) going to

read it.

• A report meant for the layman will be different from another meant

for technical experts.

5. Objectivity of Recommendations:

• Recommendations should come as a leg ional conclusion.

• They must not reveal any self-interest on the part of the writer.

• Recommendation must be impartial and objective.

6. Simple and Unambitious language:

• It should be free from various forms of paretic abolishment like gigu

figures of speech.

• As simple and unambiguous language.

7. Clarity:

• Absolutely clear.

• Proper arrangement of facts,

• Purpose must be clear definite

• Divide the report into short paragraphs giving then headings, and

insert other suitable sign posts to achieve greater clarity.

•

8. Brevity:

• Should be brief (but completeness and clarity should be considered

• Include everything significant and yet be brief.

9. Grammatical Accuracy:

• Faulty construction of sentence makes the meaning obscure and a

ambiguous.

• Grammatical accuracy of language.

• No body is going lo read a report if its language is faulty.

PREPARING THE REPORT:

• Once we are clear about the purpose of writing a report the persons

for whom it is meant, the facts to be examined and the to be

included, and the time at your disposal, and we know what type of

report we are going to write, it is time to start the work.

• In write better, speak better, the following stops are suggested to

write a report.

1. Investigating the sources of Information:

• It is a kind of spadework.

• It is to be done right in the beginning.

• The extents of investigation depend on the imp of report.

• Major sources of info are - company files, personal observation,

interviews, letters, questionnaires, library research, compliments

from customers about unsatisfactory services, standard reference

books, current issue of newspapers, trade publications and

magazines.

•

2. Taking Notes:

• In the course of investigations, to writer keeps on taking notes that

appears to be related to the sub.

• Then there is no time to analyze them.

• Hut as the writer keeps turning them in the mind over and over

again, a mind of pattern starts emerging and he beings to be clear

about what is relevant and what is not.

• It is a very general kind of pattern but it gives the writer at least a

starting point.

3. Analyzing the Data:

• Now is the time to analyze the collected data.

• A lot of data will have to be rejected.

• The final pattern will emerge at this stage.

• The writer should never hurry through this stage, since this is the

most imp stage in writing a report.

4. Making an Outline:

• Once the final pattern of the report has taken shape in the writer's

mind, he should prepare an outline to write the report.

• In this outline the problem is stated, the facts are recorded, they are

briefly analyzed and the logical conclusions are arrived.

• An outline is not essential, but it should be found extremely useful

and helpful in writing a SYSTEMATIC report.

5. Writing the Report:

• The last stage needs a constant shuttling between the outline and

the notes.

• First a rough draft of the report is prepared, and then it is revised,

pruned and polished.

Organizations Of A Report

1. Letter form

• In the case of brief, informal reports, the arrangements follow in

business letters is adopted.

• Its main

2. Memorandum Form:

• Adopting the memorandum form is a simple way of presenting the

report, since here the formalities of the letter form are done away

with.

• The title of the subject is stated on the top of this is followed by the

name of the writer of the report, the data, the actual text and the

conclusion.

• As in the letter form, the text of the report is divided into

paragraphs with headings and sub-headings.

3. Letter-Text Combination Form:

• Long reports are usually written in this model. A complete report in

this form included three major parts.

a. Introductory material:

• Letter of transmittal or letter of presentation

• Title page

• Constant page

• Summary

b. Body of the Report

• Definition of the problem

• Method of procedure

• Findings

• Conclusions and recommendation

c. Addends:

• Bibliography

• Appendix

• Index

Note: It is not essential that a report contains all these parts.

Bibliography: List of references and {he sources, the writer consulted to

draw his material. Appendix: Statistical data, darts, diagrams etc. are

put at the end in the form of an appendix.

Index: In the case of lengthy reports, an index of the contents of the

reports may be included.

Reports may be classified broadly under the following heads:

I. ACCORDING TO USE:

1. External Reports:

• These reports which are prepared for the use of external parties are

called External Reports.

• Various reports to (Owners/partners/shareholders, Govt. Stock

Exchanges, debenture holders, investors, financial institutions,

financial analysts, press, researches etc. are the external parties to

a business origin.

2. Internal Reports:

• The reports meant for various persons inside the company are

known as internal reports.

• Internal reports are media of written commn. to transmit inf to the

various levels of mgmt.

• Very useful in decision making at various levels.

II. ACCORDING TO PERIOD:

1. Routine Reports:

• Also called periodic reports.

• Very imp for the successful operation of the orgn.

• It involves a continuous comparison of actual with standards to

know the deviations and to take remedial measures.

• The matters mainly cover the day-to-day working aspects.

• Written media plays an imp role.

• Weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly or even daily

• Routine reports normally cover sales, production capacity utilization,

yield, and quality, selling cost, raw materials, market conditions,

customer behavior, labor problems and public relations.

2. Special Reports:

• Spl. Reports are prepared for special purposes.

• Certain long term decisions like expansion, modernization, change

in method of production or make decision to replace labor by

machines etc, which call for spl. Inf.

• Reports prepared with the coordinated efforts of various functional

departments are known as 5pi reports.

III. REPORTS TO THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT:

1. Reports to top Management:

• Very useful in policy formulation, planning and coordination various

levels.

• Bank A/c, balance sheet, funds flow st, cash flow st, capacity

utilization, idle capacity, cost of production, sales, credit collection,

read etc. are examples.

2. Reports in Functional Management:

• The middle/functional level mgmt in concerned with the task of

implementation of basic goals and objectives formulated by the top

mgmt.

• The following are the various types of reports relating to operational

level or functional level of mgmt.

a. Production Reports

b. Sales Reports

c. Purchase Reports.

d. Financial Reports.

e. Reports to junior level mgmt.

• Also known as Supervisory Level mgmt reports.

• Concerned with day to day working performance.

f. Others:Operating reports, Control reports, Information ReportsVenture measurement Reports.

Static Report, Dynamic Report.

IV. CORPORATE REPORTS:

1. Statutory Reports:

• Reports which are statutorily required to prepare under law are

called SR.

• • SRs/u/s 165 of ICA, 1956 - Auditors report

Directors' report

Annual Accounts

Reports by the inspectors appointed

To investigate the co affairs.

2. Directors' Report/Board's Reports:

• Annual reports of the Directors attached to every balance sheet is

called DR.

• These should be attached to every B/S laid before co in a general

meeting.

3. Auditors' Report:

4. Non-Statutory Reports:

• Reports which are not required to be prepared under law are called

NSR.

• Such reports may include reports of directors to the Shareholders on

the certain spl proposals or problems, reports of committees on spl

matters like finance committee, allotment committee and spl,

reports of the company secretary.

V. OTHER REPORTS:

a. Review Reports: Used for decision making, policy formulation of

b. Cost Audit Reports: C of India has made Cost Audit (Report) Rules,

1968.Contains the matters about the scrutiny o cost records.

c. Interim Reports: Submitted at any time before submitting a final

report. Normally submitted after the study has been half way

through and the same subject matter is incorporated in the final

report.

d. Oral Report: OR means presentation of written matter before a

group.

e. Miscellaneous Reports:

Periodical report.

Progress

Inspection

Survey

Investigation.

Project.

Examination

Statistical.

Recommendation.

Individual report.

Committee report / sub committee report.

Formula Report.

Informal report.

Press report.

Importance/Uses of Reports:

• A report is a basic management tool used in decision making.

In large scale organizations reports are just indispensable.

(Top executives cannot keep a personal watch over all the activities,

so they have to depend upon reports)

• Even as a student, every student has to write a number of reports

project reports, survey reports, laboratory reports.

• Report writing develops the power of discrimination, organization,

judgement and communication.

• It has rightly been observed that for running an industry or a

business efficiently the skill of report writing is as necessary as good

equipment and quality raw materials.

• ® Writing reports is a disciple which has an intrinsic value. It trains

the writer in planned and orderly procedures and logical

presentation of ideas and information. It reveals gaps in reasoning,

spotlights wooly thinking, identifies digressions from the correct line

in the work done, shows up faults of tactics or strategy which the

work and confusion of day to day close combat comfortably conceal.

SPECIAL REPORTS

First Information Report: (FIR)

• This is required when there is a disaster like fire., building collapse,

robbery or accident in an organization.

• It is prepared by a responsible person on the spot or person in

charge, for submission to a higher authority.

• The report has to give all the information which is available

immediately after the incident occurs.

• It must state what happened, about what time, who first noticed it,

and what steps were taken immediately.

• It also states the extent of destruction or loss of life, property,

important papers etc. as can be estimated immediately.

• A FIR is always written by an individual.

Investigation Report:

• This is written after making a thorough study and inquiry.

• An investigation is made when there is a problem and the mgmt

needs to find out the causes of the problem, and needs suggestions

for solving it.

Ex: Falling sales, declining deposits in a bank, many

customer complaints, losses in branch etc.

• A committee may be appointed to find out the causes of the

problem, and suggest measures. It requires collection of facts which

are not always easy to get.

• The collected information has to be analysed, conclusions have to

be drawn and recommendations have to be made.

• Since this type of reports requires a great deal of work, thinking,

discussion and consideration, they are usually assigned only to a

committee.

Feasibility or Survey Report:

• A feasibility report is required when an orgn. Intends to launch a

new product in the market, introduce a new service, or make any

major changes that may affect the company's customers.

• The proposed field or area has to be surveyed, and its conditions

observed and recorded.

• The purpose may be to consider the suitability of a site for a factory,

to evaluate the feasibility and financial viability of a proposal, to

survey the market and to estimate damages.

• For some purposes only a physical inspection of the area may be

sufficient, for others, availability of essential requirement in the

area, attitude of the local people, Govt, policies, possible expansion

etc. will be needed.

• A survey may be made by an individual or by a committee,

depending upon the size of the survey to be made.

Ex: factory - committee is required.

Damage to a machine-an engineer can do it.

Project Report:

• A project report is written after a proposal takes shape, and after

the preliminary survey has been completed.

• It describes the proposal as projected into the future, showing the

cash flow and expected results.

• It is used for planning and also for convincing others, especially

sanctioning and funding authorities like Govt departments and

banks.

• A project report is not assigned. It is prepared by persons who want

to get their proposal mentioned.

FORMAL REPORTS

1. Formal Reports:

• A formal report is one which is prepared is a prescribed form and is

presented according to an established procedure to a prescribed

authority.

2. Informal Reports:

• An informal report is usually in the form of a person-to-person

communication.

• It may range from a short, almost fragmentary statement of facts on

a single page to a more developed presentation taking several

pages.

• An informal report is usually submitted in the form of a letter or

memorandum.

Types of Formal Reports:

I. Statutory reports:

• A report prepared and presented according to the form and

procedure laid down by law is called a statutory report.

Ex: Report submitted at the Statutory meeting of shareholders,

Directors' report to the Annual General Meeting, Annual Return. Auditor's

Report.

II. Non-Statutory Reports:

• Formal reports which are not required under any law but which are

prepared to help the mgmt in framing policies or taking decisions

are called non-statutory reports.

Ex: Reports on diversification of production, Undertaking a spl project.

Entering into collaboration with another company, Entering a new line of

business.

INFORMATIVE AND INTERPRETATIVE REPORTS

• If a report merely presents facts pertinent to an issue or a situation,

it is informative.

• On the other hand, if it analyses the facts, draws conclusions and

makes recommendations, it may be described as analytical or

interpretative.

• An informative report on the sale of folding beds will simply record

the number of folding beds sold during the various months. But an

interpretative report will analyze why and to what extent their sales

go up during the summer months of May to July and may make

recommendations on the schedule of production.

• An interpretative report, like an informational report, contains facts

but it also includes an evaluation or interpretation of analysis of

data and the reporter's conclusions.

It may also have recommendations for action.

An interpretative report which consists principally of recommendations

is also called a recommendation or recommendatory.

ORAL AND WRITTEN REPORTS

• A report may be either oral or written.

An oral report is simple and easy to present. It may consist in the

commn. of an impression or an observation.

Some times it may be quite useful. But a written report is always

preferred. It enjoys several advantages over the oral one.

1. An oral report can be denied at any time. But a written report is a

permanent record.

2. An oral report to be vogue. In written report, the writer has to be

accurate and precise.

3. A written report can change hands without any danger of discretion

during transmission.

4. A written report can be referred to again and again.

PERSUASION

P may be defined as an effect to influence the attitudes, feelings, or

beliefs of others, or be influence action based on those attitudes, feelings

or beliefs.

The art of Persuasion (with special reference to Commn/Reporting)

1. It needs conviction on your part. You should be genuinely convinced that

the alternative course of action being suggested by you is in the

interest of the orgn. As well as in the receiver's interest. You should not

try to persuade others from a purely selfish motive.

2. Do not impose yourself on the receiver of your communication

Do not overwhelm him with arguments.

Give indirect hints and subtle suggestions.

Gently channelise his thinking (in a right/designed manner)

3. If the other person is a docile and has a flexible mind, he will be

easily

persuaded.

But if he is a headstrong, self-opinions opinionated person, try to

meet him half-way.

Concede a few points to him in the beginning. Then gradually bring

him round to the other points.

4. Bring yourself to the level of the other person.

Try to look at the issue from his point of view and mould your

arguments accordingly.

STEPS in Persuasion:

1. Analysing the situation:

• The communicator analyses the situation to find but why the need

of P is required.

• Attn. Of adv. And dis-adv. Of P.

• Study the psychology of the man to be persuaded.

2. Preparing the receiver:

• Complemented on some of his outstanding qualities and

achievements.

• On open mindedness.

• Discuss the whole issue from the receiver's point of view.

3. Delivering the message:

• The msg should be delivered stage by stage.

• Beginning with those parts which are easier to accept, and delaying

the unpleasant parts as much as possible.

4. Prompting action:

• Prompting action is but a logical commn of the first three steps.

• If the first, steps have been taken carefully, the receiver of the msg

will be easily persuaded to adapt a different course of action.

5. Letter of Transmittal:

• Also known as forwarding or introductory or covering letter.

• A letter is used to transmit the report from the writer to the

recipient.

• It contains some imp items of significance like the date of

submission, details of the writer and the name and address of the

person or the co to whom the report is to be transmitted.

6. Acceptance of Message:

• This is with reference to the authorization message.

• A letter of memorandum indicating agreement or acceptance to

take up the report work.

7. Preface:

• The object of this paragraphs is to include the authorize opinion on

the report.

• It includes an explanatory statement about the report, objectives,

the circumstances that lead to the writing of a report.

• It is an introduction to a report which explains the contents,

indicting sometimes the limitations in the report.

• It includes prefatory words before a report is effected to the readers.

8. Acknowledgements:

• A separate paragraph is devoted to record acknowledgement.

• Sometimes acknowledgements portion include under the preface

portion itself.

• It is greeting someone or to thank in writing who extended their

help or support or advice.

• If the report received help or used published material, owes a

special doubt to a particular source, they should be acknowledged

under the paragraph.

9. Content Page:

• It is also called topic of contents, which should be drawn up included

at the beginning of the report.

• The contents page should indicate accurately the titles and

commencing of pages of all chapters, major sub-divisions,

appendices, schedules, bibliography, index etc.

• In the case of a lengthy report having voluminous materials, it

would obtain the chapter titles, synopsis under each chapter,

subtitles and page numbers of each chapter/ topic.

10. Lists of Tables ad Figures:

• Lists or tables and figures must be listed separately

• The list of tables normally proceeds that of figures.

• After the content page a list of tables and a list of figures, diagrams,

maps are included.

• It indicates the location of tables, maps etc.

11. List of Abbreviations:

• Where abbreviations are frequently used, a key to these

abbreviations should provided at the beginning of the report and

should be presented in an alphabetical order.

REPORT TEXT OF BODY OF THE REPORT

1. Introduction

• Here the background the problem and relevant of about the status

of the situation up to the time of writing the report should be stated

clearly.

• The introduction, should set the stage for the main points out want

to present.

2. Body of the Report

• Will vary in accordance with the objectives of each specific case and

the type of problem involved.

• Suitable division of paragraphs must be followed.

3. Abstract

• Abstract is a summary/synopsis of the subject matter.

• Facilitates quick reading

• Attn on the imp conclusions and recommendations.

4. Summary:

• The summary should indicate the main points like methodology,

findings, identifying the problem, offering suggestions or remedial

measures, conclusions and recommendations in brief.

• It helps the busy reader to form a fairly good idea about the

contents o( a report.

• By going through this summary, a person can decide whether to go

through the whole report or not.

5. Discussion:

• The major part of the body of the report deals with the discussion.

• This part includes analysis, synthesis and interpretations.

6. Headings and Sub-headings:

• Should be precise and in two or three words

• Should give a clear indication of content and be as short as possible.

• Raman numerals and Arabic numerals are used to distinguish the

paragraphs.

7. Findings:

• Findings is the life-blood of the report and it is called the "Text

proper".

• Presented and arranged in chronological or logical sequence.

• According to the order of chapters, it may also include pictures,

maps, diagrams, tables, charts etc.

8. Conclusions:

• At the end of the report, the significant results should be

subgmaraised clearly.

• Findings are the basis for arriving at the conclusions.

• The conclusion consists of a summary of the basic points not

covered in the study.

• Points of conclusions are generally classified and grouped.

9. Suggestions & Recommendations:

• • In some reports, findings, conclusions and

recommendations are written separately to indicate the future

course of action.

• Finally, the recommendations are accepted and put in the form of

recommendations.

• All the recommendations may not be receipted or ratified.

• A good report should clearly indicate suggestions which

need implementation by the user.

Signature: (Date)

• A report has to be signed and the signatures are usually put down is

the right-hand bottom corner of the last page of the report, and

place and date in the left hand corner.

• Signature signifies their acceptance or consent to its contents.

Minutes of Dissent:

• It is possible that some members may come different conclusion or

they may hold different opinions.

• If such members so desire, they may append a note of dissent at

the end of the report.

SUPPLEMENTARY SECTION:

List of References:

• If the report contains matter from any published or unpublished

source, the writer of the report should give credit to the respective

author(s) by citing them in the body and listing them at the end of

the report. This list is known as L of R.

Appendix:

• A means extra information added at the end of

a book/ report/ document.

• Detailed information and methods are presented in the form

of Appendices.

• In brief the appendix is part of the study whose details are

separated from the main body of the report and included in the

appendix.

Glossary:

• G is a list of words etc with their meanings relating to the subject of

the report.

• It is a list containing entries of jargon words, prepared in

alphabetical order.

Index:

• Index must be prepared and be given at the end of the report.

• It helps the readers as a good guide.

• It contains both subject index and author index (copies, concepts)

• Arranged alphabetically.

Bibliography:

• The word 13 refers to a list of books by an author on a subject.

• This list of books is known as B, which is normally appended to the

research reports.

PRINCIPLES OF WRITING A REPORT

• A report must add to the knowledge of the recipient and hence must

be drafted by observing certain principles.

• Of course , these principles are simply guidelines and should not be

treated as standardized and rigid rules.

• Organizations takes decisions on the basis of the reports. It is

necessary to observe certain well established principles at the time

of preparing and submitting reports.

OBJECTIVITY:

• The reports should include the accurate facts and figures.

• The reports should include only the facts and figures which arc not

intentionally distorted and which are subject to verification.

• Nigam and Sharma have rightly said that reports inform, people

perform.

• It is very imp to note that complete objectivity is both expensive

and difficult.

• Because must of the reports include the predictions about the

future.

• It is necessary to use the most scientific methods to predict the

future and report the same to the concerned.

2. COMPARABILITY:

• The reports should provide the information about both the actual

and the anticipated, so that meaningful comparison can be made, to

find out the deviations and to initiate proper action.

3. SIMPLICITY:

• Every report is a media of communication, it is imperative that it

should be expressed in a language which can easily be understood

by the recipient.

• As far as possible, scientific or technical language is best left out of

reports, unless it becomes unavoidable.

• In case the reports are of regular in nature, it is preferable to get

language more or less standardized.

4. ROUTINE DETAILS:

• Every report must contain routine details regarding the period of

time, the date of its preparation, the units of information, the name

of the person preparing and presenting it, names of persons to

whom it is being submitted etc.

5. BREVITY:

• A report should not be too lengthy. It should be precise, concise,

specific and accurate.

• It should contain only what to relevant and should exclude what is

insignificant.

6. ACCURACY:

• Accuracy of information/data in each report is a must.

• Taking into account purpose of the preparation report, the degree of

accuracy should be determined.

• It is generally contended that by suppressing unnecessary details,

both the clarity and accuracy may be improved

7. MEDIA OF PRESENTATION:

• A report may be presented in medias; it may be in written of oral

form or graphic form.

• An ideal report is one which is presented in the form which carries

successful blending of different medias.

• This media decides the size and shape of report.

8. UP-TO-DATE:

• Report should be kept up-to-date, by making revisions necessitated

by making revisions necessitated by the changing conditions.

9. COST:

• A report is said to be idea only when the cost of preparing it is

reasonable and is consistent with the benefits.

• The cost of preparing and submitting the report should never

exceed the benefit to be derived from the use of such report.

10. ATTRACTIVENESS:

• The report must be attractive and should provide an eye-appeal in

the sense that it should not go unheaded by the user.

11. NUMBER OF REPORTS:

• It is difficult to lay down any ideal number of reports tube used in an

organization.

• As a rule, the report should not create additional report, it should

not give birth to the duplication of report and reports should be

prepared and used only for selective areas.

• The number of reports should be kept as minimum as possible.

12. SUITABLE TITLE:

• Every report should bear a suitable title indicating the nature of its

contents.

• It should also highlight upon its origin and the person for whom it is

being prepared.

Others:

13. Clearness:

• A careful orgn. Of facts and interpretation will enable the reader to

follow the writer.

• The writer misses his target if the idea in his mind is not received

with understanding.

Ex: Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas — Only I don't exactly

know what they are

14. Completeness:

• The writer that have provide adequate proof for favourable and

unfavourable findings.

15. Conciseness:

• The length is not the criterion.

• Conciseness does not consist in using a few words, but in covering

the subject in the fewest possible words that will express what is the

writer's mind.

16. Understandable Language:

• Writer can adopt his own language, but should write on the

listener's level.

• This will make the message pleasing and interesting.

• A pleasing message not only put the reader at case but also relaxes

its reader.

17. Courtesy:

• C indicates politeness, considerate and respectfulness in writing.

• Time is valuable to the readers well as to the writers.

• Whether a message is a positive, negative, satisfactory,

disappointing, it should be courteously conveyed.

Ex: I regret to say-(Discourteous)

I respectfully regret to say-(Courteous)

18. Coherence:

• Coherence in commn. helps the readers to understand

rather than' misunderstand.

• Coherence requires message planning, emphasis linguistic, usage,

transition, modification and parallelism.

• Coherence is applied to sentence, paragraphs ad the messages a

whole.

• It is tying together of several ideas in any paragraph under one

main topic.

19. Honesty:

• The facts must be scrupulously weighted and properly evaluated.

• Draw a distinction between fact and opinion.

• Honesty in reporting involves a sense of obligation to one's self, to

either people and to the absolute.

Readable:

• It is well to report aloud. If it is easy to read, @@ bank its being easy

to understand. If you hesitate over a word, a phrase or a sentence,

take a second look.

Sequence:

• Material should be arranged so that the reader can pick out the

main facts and recommendations easily quickly, consistency,

continuity, and logical presentation of the message cannot be

ignored.

• Attract the attention of the reader, interest him while he is reading

it.

Unity:

• Unity means the condition or being one.

• The individual sentences should be unified

• The individual paragraphs should be unified

• The totality of the subject must be unified.

• Every sentence must contain a single idea clearly expressed.

Emphasis:

• The ideas, facts and figures of them may have an order of

importance or priority.

• It involves positioning, repetitive use of figures, phrases, and

by meaningful arrangement of paragraphs.

WRITE A SUCCESSFUL PRESS RELEASE

A press release is one of the primary ways you can communicate news

about your company to the media. Reporters, editors, and producers are

hungry for news, and they often depend on releases to tip them off to new

and unusual products, company trends, tips and hints, and other

developments. In fact, much of what you read in newspapers, magazines,

or trade publications, hear on the radio or see on television originated in

press release form. Unfortunately, the average editor receives as many as

several hundred press releases each week, the vast majority of which end

up getting “filed.” Your challenge is to create a release that makes the

journalist want to know more and discover that your story is one they

must tell.

1. Use an active headline to grab the reporter’s attention

The headline makes your release stand out. Keep it short, active, and

descriptive; in other words, use something like “Rajdeep Named Man of

the Year” instead of “Rajdeep Gets Award.”

2. Put the most important information at the beginning

This is a tried and true rule of journalism. The reporter should be able to

tell what the release is about from the first two paragraphs. In fact,

chances are that’s all they may read. So don’t hide good information. And

remember the “5 W’s and the H” - make sure your release provides

answers to Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.

3. Avoid hype and unsubstantiated claims

A writer can smell a sales pitch a mile away. Instead of making over-

inflated statements, provide real, usable information. Find legitimate ways

to set you and your company apart and stress those points. To promote

your business, write a release that answers questions about your

business, rather than one that provides only general statements about

how great or interesting your business is without saying why.

4. Be active and to the point

Use language that will get the reader as excited about your news as you

are. If your release is boring or meandering, they may assume that you

will not be a good interview.

5. Keep your release to two pages or less

On the rare occasion, you can opt for a third page if it is necessary to

provide critical details. Otherwise, if you can’t state your message in two

pages, you’re not getting to the point.

6. Include a contact

Make sure your release has a person the journalist can contact for more

information. This person should be familiar with all the news in the

release, and should be ready to answer questions. And issue the release

on your company letterhead - it looks professional and gives the writer

another way to reach your firm.

7. Keep jargon to the minimum

If you’re in a technical field, try not to use technical terms. Many reporters

are not as intimate with your company or your industry as you are. Real

English, not jargon, best communicates your story.

8. Stress benefits

This falls into the category of “don’t say it, show it.” Avoid saying

something is “unique” or “the best.” Instead, show how people will benefit

- i.e. save time, save money, make their life easier, etc.

9. Be specific and detailed

Marcia Yudkin, author of “Six Steps to Free Publicity” calls this “Yes, but

what IS it?” syndrome. The reader needs to be able to visualize a new

product, or know how a new service works. If in doubt, have someone

unfamiliar with your product or service read the release and asks him or

her to describe what you trying to publicize. And it’s better to use too

many details than too few. So, as Yudkin notes, “Instead of ‘Shekhar’s

new book contains information designed to benefit any stock market

investor,’ write, ‘Shekhar’s new book contains seven principles of market

analysis that enable even casual investors to choose profitable stocks.’

Even better, describe two of the seven principles right in the release.”

10. Proofread

When you’ve finished your press release, remember to proofread it for

typographical errors. If you don’t have a good eye for spelling or

grammar, give the release to a friend or colleague who does. If your

release looks sloppy and careless, so will you.

Who do I send my press release to?

In order to properly answer your question, I’m going to ask you to put on

two pairs of shoes. The first pair belongs to the editor or producer of a

particular publication or broadcast. Why walk in these shoes? These are

the people responsible for assembling a publication or broadcast. If your

information does not fit the format or purpose of the publication or

broadcast, this editor or producer will ignore and bypass your press

release information.

The second pair of shoes to wear are those of the reader or viewer of a

publication or broadcast. What are they interested in reading or viewing?

Do they want news, entertainment, tips or techniques? Knowing what

readers and viewers want and how editors and producers supply these

needs will help you craft and target your press release. With these two

pair of shoes in mind, who do you now send the press release to? The

logical answer is daily or weekly newspapers that serve your target

market. You can get a list of these from your library or from search engine

research. Once you have identified the publication, then you can contact

each to find the appropriate contact person for your genre of information.

Sometimes this will be a reporter, a feature editor, a managing editor or,

in rare cases, the actual publisher. For radio and television, this person is

the producer, executive producer, news director, program manager,

feature editor (sports, food, lifestyle) or individual reporter. Again, calling

the station or searching the Internet will help you track down the correct

name and contact information.

Once you’ve compiled your lists, it’s time to send your information.

Hopefully in your contact information research, you were able to obtain an

e-mail address and/or fax numbers. There is a trend today toward e-mail

communication, although faxes do still work. In some cases, when

pictures, graphics or exhibits are pertinent, snail-mail works best. Knowing

which method your contact prefers and then delivering accordingly will

enhance your chance of publication or broadcast.

Keep your list of contacts, add to it, work it and keep in touch, even when

you don’t have an actual press release. Remember, though, these people

are very busy and usually face tighter deadlines than you and I work with

on a daily basis. Respect this and work with their schedules, and you’ll be

on your way to hitting your target with PR.

What are the preferences of some of the well-known publications

as far as submitting PR-related material?

The advice given here applies to any situation in which you are submitting

PR materials to the press. This is Part I.

What do magazines and newspapers look for in a story pitch?

Not all magazines are looking for news stories. Instead, as one editor

put it, “We want leads about people who are flying beneath the radar

and doing something quite remarkable. Your best bet is to offer a story

very grounded in best practices. Give us a company that no one has

really heard about before or a new effort from a fascinating company

that is trying something different.”

Some magazines prefer to examine case studies, though their writers do

them in their own way. Most importantly, know the magazine. Although

editors admit it’s not something that can be easily explained, all too often

they receive irrelevant pitches that don’t relate to the publication. If, for

instance, you wanted to pitch an idea for a technology article, use the

press release to tell the editor that you’re pitching a proven example of

something. And get their attention in two paragraphs or less.

Magazines love it when a company approaches them with real examples

of how it differs from the competition. It’s also not a bad idea to give a

clear definition of what segment of the market you are playing into. Keep

in mind, though, editors don’t like companies that come off as boastful in

their press releases.

Before you pitch a newspaper in a major city, heed this advice: Read

previously published articles. Make sure your story is one no one has

written about. And if it’s a new campaign, it has to be different and

relevant.

If you’re trying to get PR for your new product, make sure your press

release communicates to editors exactly what makes the product unique,

be it pricing or a cool technical aspect. Above all, know their audience.

10 ESSENTIAL TIPS TO ENSURE YOUR PRESS

Release Makes the News.

1. Make sure the information is newsworthy.

2. Tell the audience that the information is intended for them and why

they should continue to read it.

3. Start with a brief description of the news, then distinguish who

announced it, and not the other way around.

4. Ask yourself, “How are people going to relate to this and will they be

able to connect?”

5. Make sure the first 10 words of your release are effective, as they

are the most important.

6. Avoid excessive use of adjectives and fancy language.

7. Deal with the facts.

8. Provide as much Contact information as possible: Individual to

Contact, address, phone, fax, email, Web site address.

9. Make sure you wait until you have something with enough

substance to issue a release.

10. Make it as easy as possible for media representatives to do

their jobs.