1. Discuss the principles of
business writing
Business writing is different Writing for a business
audience is usually quite
differentt h an w ri ti ng i n t h e hu ma ni tie s , so ci al
s c ie nc es , o r o th er a ca dem i c di sc ip lin e s. Business
writing strives to be crisp and succinct rather than
evocative or creative; itstresses specificity and
accuracy. This distinction does not make business
writings u pe rio r o r in fe rio r t o ot he r s t yl es . Ra t
h e r, i t re fle c ts t he u niq u e pu rp os e a n d considera
tions involved when writing in a business context.When
you write a business document, you must assume that
your audience haslimited time in which to read it and
is likely to skim. Your readers have an interest
inw h at y ou sa y i ns of ar as it a ff ec ts t he ir
w o rk in g wo rld . T he y wa nt t o kn ow t he "bottom
line": the point you are making about a situation or
problem and how theyshould respond.Business writing
varies from the conversational style often found in
email messagesto the more formal, legalistic style
found in contracts. A style between these
twoextremes is appropriate for the majority of memos,
emails, and letters. Writing thatis too formal can
alienate readers, and an attempt to be overly
casual may comeacross as insincere or unprofessional.
In business writing, as in all writing, you mustknow
your audience.In most cases, the business letter
will be the first impression that you make
onsomeone. Though business writing has become less
formal over time, you shouldstill take great care that
your letter's content is clear and that you have
proofread itcarefully.
Simple vs. Complex Words
As far as possible the sender should select words
that are within the receiver’svocabulary. If the
words used are outside the vocabulary of the receiver,
the lattermay either not get the message at all,
get the wrong message by guessing

2. them e a n i n g i n c o r r e c t l y o r w o n d e r w h e t h e r t h e
s e n d e r i n t e n t i o n a l l y s e l e c t e d a complicated
word for making an impression. Therefore, it is better
to rely on plain,simple words.
Jargon, Slang and Metaphors
Jargon refers to technical terms that belong to
a particular subject area or discipline.For example,
medical jargon would include terms that only
medical practitionersand not lay person might
understand.Slang refers to casual words that are not
accepted and recognized in a StandardEnglish
dictionary.A metaphor is a figure of speech and
refers to colorful comparisons which evokevisual
images.
Pronouns and active versus passive voice
Personal pronouns (like
I
,
we
, and
you
) are important in letters and memos. In
suchdocuments, it is perfectly appropriate to refer
to yourself as
I
a n d to t he reader as
you
. Be c ar ef ul, ho we ve r, wh e n yo u us e t h e pr on ou n
we
in abusiness letter that is written on company
stationery, since it commits yourcompany to what you
have written. When stating your opinion, use
I
; whenpresenting company policy, use
we
. The best writers strive to achieve a style that is so
clear that their messages cannotbe misunderstood. One
way to achieve a clear style is to minimize your

3. useof the passive voice. Although
the passive voice is sometimes necessary,often it
not only makes your writing dull but also can be
ambiguous or overlyimpersonal.
Focus and specificity
B u si ne ss w rit i ng s ho ul d b e c le ar a nd c on ci se . T
a k e ca re , how e ve r, t ha t y o ur document does not turn
out as an endless series of short, choppy
sentences.Keep in mind also that "concise" does not
have to mean "blunt"—you stillneed to think about
your tone and the audience for whom you are
writing.Consider the following examples:
After carefully reviewing this proposal, we have
decided to prioritize other projectsthis quarter.
Nobody liked your project idea, so we are not going to
give youany funding.
Business letters: where to begin
R e re ad t he de s cr ip ti on o f yo ur t as k ( f or e xa mp l
e , t he a dv ert i se me nt o f a jo b opening, instructions
for a proposal submission, or assignment prompt for a
course). Think about your purpose and what requirements
are mentioned or implied in thedescription of the task.
List these requirements. This list can serve as an
outline togovern your writing and help you stay
focused, so try to make it thorough.
Next,i d e n t i f y q u a l i f i c a t i o n s , a t t r i b u t e s ,
o b j e c t i v e s , o r a n s w e r s t h a t m a t c h t h e requ
irements you have just listed. Strive to be
e x a c t a n d s p e c i f i c , a v o i d i n g va gue n es s, a mb ig
u i ty , an d pla t it ud es . I f t he re a re in d us tr y -
o r fi el d - spe c if ic concepts or terminology that is
relevant to the task at hand, use them in a mannerthat
will convey your competence and experience. Avoid
any language that youraudience may not understand.
Your finished piece of writing should indicate
howyou meet the requirements you've listed and
answer any questions raised in thedescription or
prompt.

4. . Describe a situation that you experienced where
communication went wrong because the non-verbal behaviour
sent conflicting signals. Which aspect of non-verbal
communication was responsible for the communication
failure? How would you rectify this?
As a Manager, I was a sender for a communication and
intended to be received by myexecutives.I have sent the
following communication to my executives through a
notice and displayed onthe notice board:
―Coming Sec
ond Saturday to complete our targets for the month a
review meeting is arrangedand all should attend. If any
executive is not able to attend should find out the
contents of the
meeting from their peers without fail‖.
But my communication went wrong and out of 10
executives, only three executives haveattended at 4.00
PM who checked-in with me the time of the meeting.
Following were the barriers of communication which
stood in the way of mycommunication:
The ―Channel‖ I have chosen did not ensure the
receipt of the communication by
―Receivers‖

The communication lacked the ―Chronological context‖
The second Saturday being a non
working day.

The communication has created a ―Psychological noise‖
by not mentioning correct time
of the meeting and confusion has been created.


5. The ―social context‖ also is one of the cause for the
failure of the communication as I
have not taken all my executives into confident by
giving any advance information or aintention of the
meeting earlier.
Lessons learnt in order to overcome these barriers of
communication:

My communication was unclear by not giving exact time
of meeting.

The media I have used is the placing the notice on the
notice board, instead had Icirculated to all the
receivers and obtained their signatures by asking their
availability orfeedback my communication would not have
failed.

I have chosen a wrong day a holiday though the task
was a routine one.

I could have maintained good relations with my
executives for success of mycommunication.
Q2. Explain why Public Relations is an important part
of external business communication
Public relations
(
PR
) is the practice of managing the flow
of informationbetween anindividual or anorganizationand
thepublic.
[1]
Public relations provides an organization

6. orindividualexposureto their audiences using topics of
public interest and news items that
do not require direct payment.
[2]
The aim of public relations by a company often is
topersuade the public, investors, partners, employees,
and other stakeholders to maintain acertain point of
view about it, its leadership, products, or of
political decisions.
Q3. Select a company of your choice in a sector that
you would like to work in. Imagine thatyou have to make
a brief presentation on this company to business school
students. Develop
–
a) A general and specific statement of purpose b) The
key idea c) Your style of delivery.Q4. Discuss the
principles of business writingQ5. Write a short note on
the SQ3R technique of reading.Q6. (a) List the
importance of effective communication in the
workplace(b) Explain the advantages of
oral communication with the help of suitable example.
Q1. Explain the purpose of keeping minutes of a
meeting. What goes into the contents of minutes of a
meeting?At some point your boss may ask you to take

7. minutes at a meeting. This task isn't reservedfor
secretaries only. Any person who attends a meeting may
be asked to do this. Since theminutes will serve as an
official record of what took place during the meeting,
you must bevery accurate. Here are some pointers to
help you master this skill.
Before the Meeting

Choose your tool: Decide how you will take notes, i.e.
pen and paper, laptop computer, ortape recorder.

Make sure your tool of choice is in working order and
have a backup just in case.

Use the meeting agenda to formulate an outline.
During the Meeting

Pass around an attendance sheet.

Get a list of committee members and make sure you know
who is who.

Note the time the meeting begins.

Don't try to write down every single comment -- just
the main ideas.

Write down motions, who made them, and the results of
votes, if any; no need to writedown who seconded a
motion.


8. Make note of any motions to be voted on at future
meetings.

Note the ending time of the meeting.
After the Meeting

Type up the minutes as soon as possible after the
meeting, while everything is still fresh inyour mind.

Include the name of organization, name of committee,
type of meeting (daily, weekly,monthly, annual, or
special), and purpose of meeting.

Include the time the meeting began and ended.

Proofread the minutes before submitting them.
Q2. Prepare a brief notice to be put up on
official notice boards, informing employees of
yourorganization about a newly introduced, official bus
service.
Notice boards are an ideal platform to allow you to put
up information if you want it to beseen by everyone
around you. Notice boards are often used in a variety
of setting includingschools, offices, government
buildings, and in private homes.Notice boards serve the
purpose of informing, warning and directing people
to the right placefor the right purpose. Notice boards
are made up of several materials.
Cheap noticeboards
do not last as long as higher quality more expensive
boards, but then can howeverprovide the ideal solution
for those on a budget or those looking for just light
or short tomedium term use.

9. Six Steps to Effective UseStep 1
–
AUDIT
Identifying the locations of notice boards can be the
first, difficult step. There are manydifferent boards,
often hidden away.Here are some criteria to identify
the boards to concentrate on:Position
–
e.g. in a populated office area where staff work, or a
waiting room.Footfall
–
i.e. how many people pass the notice board and will see
it. Bear in mindthat many facilities have developed
organically. Most staff may use differententrances to
the original entrance hallways, but notice boards might
not havemigrated along with the footfall.Size
–
larger boards can become „wallpaper‟ and not really
arrest the eye. Anything
posted above average eye height in a corridor will
probably not be seen.Visibility
–
is a board obscured by equipment?Current usage
–
do people look at it / act on information they see
already? Uselocal staff contacts to identify the best
boards for staff traffic. (This may beproblematic in
some places e.g. in one Welsh health board there are
no majorfootfall sites.)The challenge is large. There
are thousands of notice boards and it is not feasible
to dealwith every single one. Auditing current boards
will help identify the key boards and focus
on them.
At this point, it‟s worth identifying boards that are
„standing empty‟ –
if they are not beingused then it should be easy to
claim them and corporatize them with key messages.
Step 2
–

10. RESITE
Position is very important
–
a great board can be in totally the wrong place. It
might benecessary to reposition boards and the criteria
identified in the previous step all apply.Conversations
with staff are valuable at this point to identify areas
where people are, andwhere they linger. Notice boards
in staff break rooms are more likely to have an
impactthan in busy corridors where people
rush past.Unusual sites can catch the eye. Posters in
toilet facilities (in easily-cleaned plasticposter
holders) are used in many commercial settings for
advertising and raisingawareness.
Step 3
–
RECRUIT
Promote local ownership / management of general boards,
e.g. by asking people working
in the area to be „board guardians‟. It‟s important for
people to know which boards they
are responsible for, and what exactly the
y are required to do. Think of what a „jobdescription‟
would look like –
maybe a commitment to put items up when required,
spenda few minutes at the end of each month reviewing
notices and removing out-of-date ones,and so on.
Informal training in „good practice‟ will help. For
example, taking photos of good boardsto show what „best
practice‟ looks like.
In some places, e.g. on wards, there may be certain
boards designated for specificpurposes like
communicating progress on patient safety initiatives.
These will probably
already have „owners‟ who may be willing to take
responsibility for other boards as well
Step 4
–
ADD CONTENT

11. Before adding content, it may be useful to purge boards
of out-of-date or tatty material.The first step
to adding content is to decide what key messages should
be standard across
all „official‟ notice boards. This may include a values
statement, the latest edition of a
newsletter, patient safety and other improvement
messages, contact details for patientfeedback, and so on.
It‟s possible to sub
-divide boards, for example with coloured
tape, into „corporate‟ messages and „local‟ messages
(see
right). Alternatively, use separate boards that
are clearly
labelled, e.g. „Health Board Staff News‟ or „1000 Lives
Plus‟.
Corralling information in this way will help those
using theboard to find the information they
need.Consider the design of corporate messages
–
well designedposters with prominent headlines will
always attract the eye and be read more than ablack and
white printed policy with small dense text.If staff
need to be redirected to further information provide
pre-printed tear-off sheetswith web addresses or
contact details on. This can be a useful audit tool
later
–
interactivity with the board can be measured by how
many tear-off pieces have beentaken.Content-
wise, it is good to separate out notices „for staff‟
and „for the public‟ –
they aredifferent audiences. Are all internal messages
suitable? Some are
–
it‟s good for
patients to think „they know what they‟re doing‟. This
builds confidence in staff.

12. Prioritise the messages and information that most need
to be on the boards. Email
messages out to „board guardians‟ for them to put up.
It is good for there to be a regula
rschedule for updating the boards
–
perhaps monthly or quarterly. Again, review
whichmessages to cascade via boards. Long memos may not
be suitable for printing anddisplaying.Not all messages
are best promoted via boards. Some information which is
aimed at staff would be better covered in team meetings
so conversations can develop or feedback canbe
received.Controlling content could be challenging.
Putting the name of the person responsible for
the board onto it may help in controlling the content
that gets placed on there. „ContactJames Jones if you
want to put something on this board‟ will help prevent
board overload
and material being put in the wrong place.
Encourage the use of „expiry dates‟ on notices so that
they can be binned when no longer relevant. This will
help „board guardians‟ remove irrelevant information.
Taking a photo
every three months and comparing them will help
identify stale messages
–
be ruthless andtake them down. One out of date poster
undermines the relevancy of all the information.
Write a short note on the SQ3R
technique of reading.
This method was designed to help people become more
active in their reading and retain information more
easily. If you can discipline yourself to use these
tools, you will feel better prepared for class, have a
better grasp of the material, and perform better on
exams as well.
S = Survey Q = Question R = Read R = Recite R = Review

13. SURVEY:
Objective: get a solid overview of what you are going
to be reading.
1) Read the introduction. This will give you a good
outline of what’s to come in the reading.
2) Skim through the main headings of the chapter.
3) Read the summary--this will help you pick out key
points.
4) Read over any chapter question. Keep these in mind
as you read.
QUESTION:
Objective: Asking questions of yourself while reading
keeps your mind and the process active.
1) Make a question out of the main heading
2) Write questions as you survey the chapter
3) Use the author’s list of questions at the beginning
and end of chapters
4) Be aware of and use study guides.
5) If available, use workbooks for review after
completing each chapter.
READ:
Objective: Keep yourself aware of your reading habits.
1) Read actively. Seek answers to the questions you
have already established.
2) Look for main ideas and important details.
3) Notice italicized or bold words. Make sure you know
what they mean and how to spell them.
4) Read everything! Tables, graphs, and pictures help
you remember the information visually.
5) Keep challenging yourself to make sure you’re
understanding what you are reading!
RECITE:
Objective: Find out what you really remember by
reciting it to yourself out loud.
1) Stop periodically and try to recall what you’ve read
so far.
2) Try to recall main headings and the principle ideas
under each.

14. 3) This practice becomes even more important if you
need to memorize details.
4) Recitation should come immediately after learning to
solidify the information before forgetting.
5) The more disconnected the information is, the more
time you should spend on recitation.
REVIEW:
Objective: Survey what you have done and find out where
your strengths/weaknesses are.
1) Look at each main heading in the chapter and try to
fill in the information you know.
2) Review the summaries and see if you can recite them.
3) Go over notes you’ve taken from both the book and
any classroom work on the same subject.
4) Do several review sessions. Once a week set aside
time to review what you’ve done so far.
List the importance of effective communication in
the workplace
Explain the advantages of oral communication with
the help of suitable sutable example.
Communication is the nerve center of business today. As
you go up the corporate ladder, you will find that
communication skills are required, more than technical
skills. Communication research has revealed that among
the factors most important for managerial success,
communication skills rank above technical skills.
Several surveys conducted among people who have been
successful in their professions have indicated that
communication skills are more vital to job success than
subjects taken in college.
Communication has assumed even greater importance
today, since the new model of business is based on

15. teamwork, rather than on individual action. Teamwork
requires greater coordination and communication.
Communication is also required all the more in this age
of information and technology. Without communication
and human skills, technology will overwhelm an
organization. Communication helps to make sense of
technology and to manage all this information. For
example, communication is required to explain a new
computer program or software. While computers can
perform routine tasks, jobs like responding to
customers’ needs require a high degree of communication
skills.
Effective communication serves the following specific
purposes in an organization :
 Greater Awareness of Organizational Goals and
Teamwork – When there is open communication between
superiors, co-workers and subordinates, there is
smooth flow of information regarding the goals of
the organization. Coordination between the different
departments in particular, leads to greater
motivation to work together towards achieving a
common organizational goal, rather than working in
isolation.
 Better Employer-employee Relationships – By
listening to employees, showing empathy and giving
them the freedom to express their opinions without
fear of being repressed, a manager can create a
climate of openness that leads to better work
relationships. Employees will then feel more
comfortable in approaching their superiors and
discussing any matter with them.
 Problem-solving – Effective communication can help
resolve conflicts between co-workers, work related
and performance related problems. Face–to-face
communication is especially suited for achieving
this task, since it is one to one and highly
personalized in nature.
 Improved Performance – Effective communication by
managers at the time of appraising the performance
of their employees can point out areas for

16. improvement. A constructive review of performance,
through which a manager gives positive feedback and
counsels the employee, instead of criticizing him
for poor performance, can motivate the employee to
perform better.
 Stronger Link between Managers and the External
Environment – Apart from internal communication
within the organization, effective communication by
managers with external audiences such as customers,
government, bankers, media and suppliers leads to a
better rapport with them.A manager will be able to
understand the needs of his customers, be aware of
the presence of quality suppliers of material, of
government regulations and of the expectations of
the community at large, only through proper
communicatio
(b) Advantages of Oral Communication:
Oral communication may be defined as a process whereby
a speaker interacts verbally with one or more
listeners, in order to influence the latter’s behavior
in some way or the other.
Example: In a business context, a manager is doing a
performance appraisal with an employee, or a sales
manager making a sales plan presentation to his sales
team. In the first example, the manager may point out
areas for improvement and in the second case, the sales
manager may be explaining how to achieve new sales
targets.
Oral communication in a business context can take the
form of meetings, presentations, one-to-one meetings,
performance reviews and so on.
Oral communication has some advantages compared to
written communication. These include its personal
quality, high interactivity, possibility of making
immediate contact, instantaneous feedback and control
over the receiver’s attention.

17. Oral communication was also classified into oral face-
to-face communication (meetings and presentations) and
oral non face-to-face communication (teleconferencing,
telephone and voice mail). While face-to-face meetings
are more effective than non face-to-face communication
in most ways, they are expensive and impractical
sometimes, due to the distance factor. Thanks to
advances in technology, meetings today can still take
place without being face-to-face, through
teleconferencing. Teleconferencing allows participants
at distant locations to speak and sometimes to see each
other. Apart from the high cost and the difficulty in
setting it up, teleconferencing has the same advantages
as oral face-to-face communication.
Example: Several retailers like Walmart, the world’s
largest retailer, make use of teleconferencing to keep
their US headquarters in touch with their store
managers worldwide. Some headhunters also make use of
the facility to conduct preliminary interviews and
shortlist candidates based in other countries, before
inviting them for a face-to-face interview.
Many multi-national corporations and large Indian
organizations also use this facility extensively.
In spite of its advantages, teleconferencing will not
replace face-to-face meetings completely, since it is
unsuitable for certain types of communication that
involve brainstorming, negotiations, persuasion and
problem solving.
Telephone communication, another form of non face-to-
face communication, has the biggest advantage of being
able to contact a receiver who would be impossible to
reach in person. Today, mobile phones have made it even
easier to contact people who are on the move. Telephone
communication also has a personal quality and permits
the use of some non-verbal cues such as tone of voice,
to enhance the communication.
Voice mail is a type of telephone communication and is
similar to an answering machine. Although it is

18. generally inferior to speaking in person to the other
party, it has some advantages. When you leave a
recorded message, you can make your point felt and save
time that might be wasted in exchanging pleasantries.
Invitations can also be declined without having to give
an explanation or reason, or having the other person
talk back. Thus, there is greater control over how the
message is composed and delivered. Besides, voice mail
also makes it possible to keep a permanent record of
the communication, unlike other types of oral
communication. In spite of these advantages however,
voice mail has not caught on in India.
Select a company of your choice in a sector that you
would like to work in. Imagine that you have to make a
brief presentation on this company to business school
students. Develop – a) A general and specific statement of
purpose b) The key idea c) Your style of delivery.
.co
a) A general statement of purpose could be expressed in
terms of one of the following
To Inform – A presentation that seeks to inform would
merely create awareness about developments and progress
on specific fronts, or try to spread knowledge about
something new. In the table above, the first eight
types of presentations are aimed at informing different
audiences about something or the other – new
procedures, new terminology, new software, findings of
a study, sales progress, company achievements,
viewpoints and background.
To Persuade – A presentation that aims to persuade
would try to change the attitude or behavior of the
audience. It usually involves selling either a product,
or an idea. In the above table, the product
presentation, project proposal and policy proposal, are
all persuasive presentations. The product presentation
seeks to persuade consumers to try a new product, the

19. project proposal tries to persuade bankers to provide
funds for a new project and the policy proposal tries
to persuade top management to adopt a new policy of
reimbursing mobile expenses.
To Entertain – A presentation with this purpose is
meant to make the audience relax and have a good time.
In the table above, presentations marking special
occasions such as the company anniversary, may merely
focus on making people feel good about them.
b) Although it is useful to define the general purpose
of a presentation, it is more important to frame a
specific statement of purpose, which clearly spells out
the answers to the following questions
1. Whom do I want to influence?
2. What do I want them to do at the end of the
presentation?
3. How do I want them to do it?
4. When?
5. Where?
Example – ―I want 50% of my prospective customers to be
convinced enough to walk in to the store and try out
the new product on a trial basis, within the next one
week.‖ The above statement of purpose describes the
reaction that you are seeking from your audience and
also describes the goal in measurable terms. The number
of customers who walk into the store and sample the
product during the one week period would indicate
whether the goal has been achieved or not. As far as
possible, the goal should be quantified, so that it is
measurable.
Presentation goals should also be realistic, keeping in
mind the limitations of time, the topic of the
presentation and the nature of the audience. For
example, a presentation that aims to train employees on
the use of complicated software should not expect them
to become experts at the end of the session.

20. c) The key idea of a presentation is a statement that
expresses the main message to be conveyed to your
audience. It is different from a statement of purpose,
in that the purpose is generally meant for you as the
presenter, while the key idea is mentioned to the
audience at the beginning of the presentation. Example
– If the purpose is to persuade a prospective customer
to try out your company’s brand of vacuum cleaner, the
key idea or message may be to explain how your brand is
superior to other brands, feature for feature. Once the
key idea is clearly stated, it becomes easy to develop
the rest of the presentation.
d) Audience Analysis
Making a good presentation alone is not enough. It also
has to be tailored to your listeners, in such a way
that they understand and appreciate it. The following
information should be gathered about your audience,
even before you begin preparing for the presentation –
Job Designations and Areas of Expertise – You need
to find out whether the audience comprises of
specialists in a particular area such as information
technology, or generalists. If they are specialists,
your presentation could include technical aspects and
jargon, which they would be able to understand. If not,
you may have to make the presentation simpler, or
explain some of the terms elaborately.
Preferred Style of Presentation – It would also be
relevant to know the personal preferences of your
audience, with regard to the style of presentation that
they are most comfortable with. Some people may prefer a
more informal or conversational style with some humor
thrown in, to a more formal style. Others may like the
presentation to be made at a slower pace. It should be
remembered however, that humor should be used with care,
so that it is relevant and does not offend the audience.
Analyzing all this in advance would help in determining
how the presentation should be delivered.

21. Demographic Characteristics of the Audience – The
gender, age, cultural background and economic status of
the audience also needs to be studied in advance, so
that the presentation may be tailored to appeal to that
particular audience.
Size of the Audience – The size of the audience
would determine your presentation style, the time set
aside for questions and answers, the size of visuals and
so on. With a smaller group, the presentation could be
made less formal, the time for questions and answers
less and the visuals smaller, than for a larger group.
The Level of Knowledge on the Subject – You need to
know how familiar your audience is with the subject of
the presentation. If the audience comprises of experts
in that particular area, basic explanations may not be
needed. On the other hand, if the level of familiarity
is not so high, a lot of background information and
explanation will be required.
The Attitude of the Audience – The attitude of your
listeners, both towards you as a speaker and towards the
topic of the presentation, needs to be studied in
advance. If the audience is prejudiced towards you for
some reason, you may have to alter your style of
presentation considerably. If the presentation happens
to be on a sensitive topic, you may have to proceed very
tactfully. This is especially true of presentations that
aim to persuade.
e) Apart from analyzing audience, we also need to do a
self-analysis to determine our own purpose of making
the presentation, our level of knowledge on the subject
and our feelings about the subject. A clear statement
of the specific purpose of the presentation should be
developed. If you have a choice of subject, it is
always better to speak on a subject on which you are an
authority. If the choice is not given to you and you
are less knowledgeable, then it is important to
research the subject thoroughly, so that you are in a
position to anticipate and answer any questions.
Finally, you need to assess your feelings about the

22. subject and make sure that you are convinced enough to
be able to persuade others as well. This is similar to
a salesperson being convinced about a product to be
sold.
This includes taking into consideration any limitations
of infrastructure, time and context that might affect
your presentation in any way. For example, if you will
be speaking in a small room where the lighting and the
acoustics are insufficient, you may have to overcome
these limitations by altering the seating arrangement,
using brighter visuals and speaking loudly. If the
presentation is to be made after lunch, it may have to
be made more attention getting, so that the audience is
kept alert. If you are making a presentation as part of
a team, your style of presentation has to be consistent
with that of your team members.
Write short notes on (a) Upward communication (b)
Downward communication (c) Horizontal communication
Upward Communication – This may be defined as
information that flows from subordinates to superiors.
Some of the reasons for upward communication include
discussing work related problems, giving uggestions for
improvement and sharing feelings about the job and co-
workers.[ad#l]
This type of communication has both benefits and
disadvantages. One of the biggest benefits is problem-
solving. Once a subordinate has brought a problem to
his superior’s notice, chances are that the problem
will not recur, since the subordinate learns from his
superior how to tackle it the next time. Thus, his
ability to solve new problems and therefore his

23. managerial ability, improves. Another benefit that
could arise from upward communication is that valuable
ideas and suggestions may sometimes come from lower
level employees. Therefore organizations should
encourage this kind of communication.
A third benefit is that employees learn to accept the
decisions of management and thereby work as a team.
The biggest problem associated with this type of
communication is that it may lead to ―handing down‖ of
decisions by superiors. When subordinates frequently
seek the superior’s guidance, the latter may adopt an
authoritarian approach and merely give instructions,
disregarding the subordinate’s opinion completely.
Downward Communication – This may be defined as
information that flows from superiors to subordinates.
The most common reasons for downward communication are
for giving job instructions, explaining company rules,
policies and procedures and giving feedback regarding
job performance. A number of studies have indicated
that regular downward communication in the form of
feedback given to employees is the most important
factor affecting job satisfaction. Therefore
organizations today are trying to encourage more of
this type of communication.
There are both benefits and disadvantages associated
with this type of communication. Downward communication
that provides regular feedback will be beneficial if
the feedback or review of performance is constructive.
A constructive review is one where a manager ―counsels‖
an employee, or advises him on how to improve his
performance. On the other hand, a destructive review
can destroy employee morale and confidence. Regular
downward communication also creates a climate of
transparency or openness, where information is passed

24. on through official channels, rather than through
rumors.
Thirdly, downward communication boosts employee morale,
since it indicates that management is involved in their
progress.
The problems with this type of communication are the
danger of doing destructive reviews, as mentioned, and
that of ―message overload.‖ This means that superiors
many sometimes burden their subordinates with too many
instructions, leading to confusion.
Horizontal Communication – This type of communication
is also known as ―lateral‖ communication. It may be
defined as communication that takes place between co-
workers in the same department, or in different
departments, with different areas of responsibility.
For example, Sales Managers and Advertising Managers in
the Marketing department, or Marketing Managers and
Finance Managers.
The reasons for this type of communication are for
coordination of tasks, sharing of information regarding
goals of the organization, resolving interpersonal or
work related problems and building rapport.
The biggest potential benefit of horizontal
communication is the sense of teamwork that is created.
Regular communication of this type ensures that all co-
workers work together towards achieving a common goal
in the overall interest of the organization. The
biggest potential problem is that conflicts such as ego
clashes are bound to arise, when co-workers at the same
level communicate on a regular basis.

25. Discuss the different types of business reports
This particular article I located discusses the
different types of reports used for communication in
the business world. Choosing the right type of report
also requires a smart analysis. The writer must decide
what type to use based on the information that he or
she is trying to communicate. Also the writer must take
into consideration their intended audience. Is the
audience expecting the report to be in a specific
format? Are they used to receiving information in one
way? and which format will convey the message in the
most appropriate way? Finally, how formal or informal
should the report be.
Reports, according to this article, can be classified
as according to function or according to formality.
Reports according to function can also be subdivided
into the following:
Informational reports.
Analytical reports
Research reports
Where as reports according to formality can be
subdivided into the following:
Statutory reports
Non statutory or voluntary reports
The article goes further into outlining other types
or reports such as information, analytical,
research, statutory, non-statutory, special, and
routine reports.
Information reports are solely to provide facts
with out suggestion or personal opinions. What ever
ones findings are that is whats reported. These
facts are given with out personal explanation or,
again, any suggestions.

26. Analytical reports are one step further as they
contain facts along side analytical explanation of
these facts. They contain a sort of a narration of
facts and collected data. They also contain a
conclusion or a set of interpretations reached by
the writer.
List the different steps involved in report preparation
Ans.
Steps in Report Preparation
Since reports are a key to the success of any
business, they should be carefully planned,organized,
written and presented. A lot of groundwork should
precede the actualwriting of the report. We shall
briefly discuss the five main steps in report
preparation
–
1.
Planning the report
–
The first question to be asked before gathering
information andwriting the report, is regarding the
type of report that is required. We classified
reportsinto four main types, based on the purpose, the
audience to whom they are addressedand the frequency of
the report.Secondly, it must be remembered that most
reports are required by management tosolve a
problem,
or to make a decision. Therefore, the basis, or
starting point for areport is a problem. Reports are
written after a problem is analyzed and a solution
tothe problem is found. The problem may be of a day-to-
day nature, such as determiningwhich brand of overhead
projector to recommend for purchase. Or, the problem

27. maybe a negative one, such as sales of the company
showing a decline. In any case, theproblem is
the single fundamental issue to be addressed in the
report
and should be clearlydetermined, right at the outset.
Once the problem has been defined, it must be broken up
into sub issues or sub
problems, by asking the questions “what”, “ why”,
“when”, “where” and“who?”.
Example
–
Suppose the purpose of a study is to survey clerical
salaries in public sectorbanks in Bangalore city, in
order to determine whether salaries in your bank
arecompetitive and consistent. The problem may be
broken up as follows
–
What?
–
A study of clerical salariesWhy?
–
To determine whether salaries in our firm are
competitive and consistentWhen?
–
CurrentWhere?
–
Bangalore cityWho?
–
Clerical employees in public sector banksAsking the
above questions determines the exact scope of the study
and reduces theproblem to a workable size.
The next step in planning the report is to do an “
audience analysis
”. We have seen that
reports may be addressed to internal or external
audiences of an organization. Some of the

28. questions to be asked about the audience, or the reader
of the report
are
–
· Is the audience internal or external to the
organization?· Who is the specific audience or reader?
- for example, top management, customers orthe
government? Reports written for the government and for
top management shouldbe more formal than for other
audiences.· Is the audience known to you?· What is the
level of knowledge of the audience? Is the topic
familiar to the reader? If the report is of a technical
nature and the reader is a layperson, the technical
terms mayneed detailed explanation.· What is the level
of interest of the reader? If the report has been
solicited or
authorized, the reader’s level of interest will be high. On
the other hand, if the report is
voluntary or unsolicited, it may have to sustain reader
interest.The tone, length, complexity and degree of
formality of the report will depend largely
on the reader’s characteristics. For example, reports
addressed to peers would adopt
a more conversational tone, while reports on company
policies and proceduresaddressed to subordinates would
adopt an emphatic tone.
2. Selecting a Method to Solve the Problem
–
After defining the problem and doing anaudience
analysis, a method has to be selected to collect the
necessary information tosolve the problem. Broadly,
information may be gathered using
secondary research
methods,
such as books, magazines, newspapers, internet and
other

29. available sources,
orthrough
primary research
methods,
such as surveys that provide
first hand information.
3. Gathering and Organizing Data
–
Once the method of gathering information has
beenselected, the actual process of gathering the
information begins. Since this is timeconsuming and
expensive, only information that is relevant to the
report and the studymust be gathered. The raw data
should be evaluated for its usefulness and organized
ina form that is meaningful to understand. Tables,
charts, graphs and summaries shouldbe used to do this.
4. Arriving at a Conclusion
–
Once the information has been checked for its validity
andreliability, it must be interpreted and conclusions
drawn. Correct interpretation of thedata is needed for
the success of the report. Sound conclusions cannot be
made if theinterpretation of the data is faulty. A
common mistake made in the interpretation of data is
the tendency of the researcher to use subjective
judgments, instead of objectivereasoning based on
facts.
5. Writing the Report
–
The actual process of writing the report should begin
only after asatisfactory solution to the problem has
been found. As pointed out earlier, a wellwritten
report that contains a bad answer is worse than a badly
written report thatcontains a good answer.

30. Go through business magazines and daily newspapers and
select a situation when a company was facing a crisis
(e.g., Coke and Pepsi pesticide controversy). How did
the company communicate with its shareholders and other
stakeholders to overcome the crisis? Was the
communication effective?
Examples
–
A few years ago, Reliance was prosecuted by the governmentfor
irregularities in the stock market. Shareholders lost
confidence in thecompany. Reliance then mounted a counter
campaign against thegovernment, where they told the truth,
gave the facts and figures and deniedthe allegations made
against them. This helped them to regain lostconfidence and
salvage their image.Similarly, when Coke and Pepsi were
accused of pesticides in their softdrinks, they had to
undertake a massive public relations exercise to set
righttheir image in the eyes of the public.