Business Communication

1. What Is The Importance Of Communication In Business? Ans : Importance of Communication in Business : Communication is extremely important within a business and is what every good business should be built upon, giving a business the power to send a message to employees, prospective customers and the general public that they are one of the best at what they do. Communication makes a business grow and develop, it gives a company the chance to inform, educate or instruct. Both bilateral and downward communication is important within business. Bilateral communication allows businesses to send messages between people on the same level or position within a company, while downward communication sees messages sent from superiors to subordinates. Both of these communication types have a large role in the workplace. There are three main types of communication in businesses: Internal, external and business to business (usually abbreviated to B2B). The former is when messages are sent from someone in the business to another person working for the same business. External communication consists of messages sent from within one business to people who are not working within the business. Business to business communication occurs when a message is sent from one business to another. All information is sent and received via communication of some sort. Without effective communication of this information, a business will struggle with a lack of understanding, motivation and direction. Effective communication will keep employees well informed and give a business a higher productivity rate. Many companies that carry out staff satisfaction surveys find that employees who are kept up to date with effective communication are more satisfied in their role. Employees tend to have higher levels of job performance when there is a congruence of individual needs and job characteristics that exist and are communicated well. In turn, a happy and hard working team of employees helps give a business a corporate image that the public will find impressive and appealing. 2. Describe the writing process and effective writing strategies. Ans : Writing Process & Effective Writing Strategies a: The Writing process is both a key concept in the teaching of writing and an important research concept in the field of composition studies. Research on the writing process (sometimes called the composing process) focuses on how writers draft, revise, and edit

texts. Writing depends upon external pressures. Students need a sense of meaning and how what they write can be connected to the world outside of the classroom. According to Ann E. Berthoff, the job of a teacher "is to design sequences of assignments which let our students discover what language can do, what they can do with language".Generally the writing process is seen as consisting of five stages: Prewriting Drafting (See Draft document) Revising (See Revision (writing)) Editing: proofreading Publishing

In addition to these steps, there are several other steps one must take to have a quality business report (or message). The first step is research, which constitutes of finding relevant information through formal and informal research methods and brainstorming. This enables students to generate ideas from different types of sources; to better understand and define the topic, with the goal of informing the receiver. The next step is to organize. Cluster diagrams, scratch lists and outlines are very effective processes to utilize after defining the main topic. Individually or in a group, this step allows students to explore all the different components of a subject before beginning to write. These points can be categorized and structured with sub categories, sub clusters or sub headings to have a clearer picture. Where to place the main idea in a report is another important element about organizing. Direct patterns provide the main idea in the beginning of a business message which is followed by its justifications and proofs, targeting a content audience. Whereas the indirect pattern provides justifications and proofs first and is then followed by the main idea in order to minimize negative reactions to a discontent audience. Finally the last step is to compose. Always start with a quickly written rough draft to get all your ideas on paper. Having a combination of short and long sentences with correct grammar is key to portray your idea. Breaking up a paper into paragraphs help separate each group of thought. There are direct paragraphs where the main sentence comes first to introduce something to your receiver and indirect paragraphs where the main idea is in the middle to portray persuasion and explanation. All sentences and paragraphs must be linked and consistent to one another. These stages can be described at increasing levels of complexity for both younger students and more advanced writers. The five stages, however, are seldom described as fixed steps in a straightforward process. Rather, they tend to be viewed as overlapping parts of a complex whole or parts of a recursive process that are repeated multiple times throughout the writing process. Thus, for instance, a writer might find that, while editing a text, she needs to go back to draft more prose, or to revise earlier parts of what she has written. Six Rules of effective writing : 1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. 2. 2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.

3. 3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. 4. 4. Never use the passive where you can use the active. 5. 5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. 6. 6. Break any of these rules sooner than saying anything outright barbarous .

3. Define E-mail. Evaluate the E-mails Pros and Cons. Ans : E-mail : Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. The pros: E-mail is easy. The hardest part of Internet e-mail (or any Net service, for that matter) is getting connected to the Internet in the first place. Once you've made it through that trial-by-fire, however, the rest is no sweat. All you need is the appropriate software that runs on your computer. There are no yucky stamps to lick, no impossible-to-decipher waybills to fill out, and no trips in the freezing cold to mailboxes. E-mail is fast. No matter where you're sending your message, whether it's on the other side of town or on the other side of the planet, even the most rambling missive still takes only seconds or, at most, minutes to reach its destination. Nowadays, whenever I send regular mail (or snail mail as e-mail aficionados snidely refer to mail sent through the post office), I shudder to think it's actually going to take days to reach its destination. How primitive! E-mail is cheap. Outside of your normal online connection charges, Internet e-mail costs precisely nothing (although some commercial e-mail systems do charge a nominal fee after you've sent a certain number of messages or characters). Unlike long distance telephone calls, you pay no more for messages sent to London, Ohio, or London, Ontario, or London, England. E-mail messages are easily stored. Because they're electronic, saving an e-mail message you've received (and calling it back up again later on) is a breeze. And the electronic nature of e-mail means we use less natural resources and we don't have to bother with things like slimy fax paper. E-mail is practically universal. Not only do millions of people on the Internet use email, but every major e-mail system in the world has built-in electronic "bridges" (called gateways) that allow their users to send messages to and receive messages from the Internet. Yeah, sure, your aunt in Boise may not be wired, but just give the old gal some time. The cons: E-mail is impersonal. Unlike in a mano-a-mano conversation, it's tough to get across facial expressions and other nuances in e-mail prose. Even a telephone confab relies on oral cues such as inflection and volume to convey subtleties such as sarcasm and wry humor. There are ways around these e-mail constraints, but your overall range of expression is limited.

Impersonality of e-mail also leads to another problem: forgetting that, most of the time, a live human being will be reading your message. E-mail is so easy that you can throw together a message in a few minutes and send it packing with a single keystroke or mouse click. And once it's sent, there's no way to retrieve a message that was written in a fit of pique or anger. E-mail can take over your life. As you get more involved in the world of e-mail, you'll naturally start getting more correspondence. You'll be exchanging pleasantries with friends and colleagues, subscribing to mailing lists and online journals, and trading info with complete strangers. Before you know it, you can spend most of your day just reading and responding to the deluge. E-mail security is lax, at best. As your e-mail messages wend their way to their destinations, they have to pass through other, public, systems. Anyone with the right amount of technical know-how can easily intercept your mail and snoop through it without you or the recipient knowing. E-mail messages are easily stored. "Hey, wait a minute! I thought that was a pro." Well, it is, but there's a downside to this easy storage. If you say nasty things about your boss or a colleague in a message, a saved copy of your tirade could easily resurface and come back to haunt you sometime in the future. A good rule to follow is to assume your message will be read by the general public and to write accordingly. E-mail can only handle text. The big advantage that snail mail and couriers have over e-mail is that you can send things like Christmas presents and food. E-mail is a text-only medium, which limits the types of things you can send. Things are getting better, though. Most modern e-mail programs let you "attach" things like graphics, sound files, and other types of documents. 4. Explain Negative Announcements in details. Ans : Negative Announcements : When your negative message is written in reply to something the reader has requested, you at least have a logical starting point for your letter. Readers who have requested favors, adjustments, or credit expect your reply and know that their request may be denied. Negative announcements and reminders present a more challenging problem. Even when your readers know that they have not fulfilled some obligations, they do not fully expect to receive your announcement. Also, negative announcements and reminders are frequently prepared as form messages to keep their costs low, which makes personalizing them difficult, and it is easy to forget that the reader is still a customeror potential customerwho needs to be encouraged to act in a way that will allow both of you to benefit rather than a nuisance whose behavior is causing you a problem. If negative announcements and reminders are to be read and taken seriously, they must offer the reader something of value. When you can, offer real and specific benefits. You should, at least, offer to discuss the situation with the reader so that you can reach an agreement. Not this: I regret to inform you that your admission to candidate status has been delayed until you complete the following requirements.

Say this: Before your admission to candidate status, you will need to complete the following requirements. Not this: On March 3, we sent you the accidental injury forms and requested that you return the forms to the Coronary Clinic. Its now March 27, and we have not yet received your reply. Say this: To receive your check from America First Insurance, you will need to file the accidental injury forms we sent you on March 3. Letters of reprimand also fall into this category. Even though these messages stay within the company, they typically use letter format because of the formality of the situation. Such letters are usually preceded by less formal warnings, so the reader should be expecting the negative message. Even so, when circumstances require you to reprimand an employee for his or her behavior, delay the most negative aspects of the message until you have reviewed the facts. To help the person do a better job in the future, be specific about and document what the person has been doing wrong (too much absenteeism, too many personal phone calls, poor quality control, or other failures to meet job requirements). You should also specify in the letter what the person needs to do to perform satisfactorily. Letters of reprimand are often delivered as part of a formal review procedure so that their contents can be discussed. When writing such letters, use the following structure: 1. Review the facts: Begin with a point of agreement to pace the reader and help establish rapport. Use positive language to specify what the reader is doing wrong, and explain the reasons the reader should be aware that the behavior is wrong. 2. State the expected behavior: Tell the reader exactly what should be done to correct the problem. When appropriate, clarify future review dates and progress expected by those dates. If failure to correct the problem behavior could result in termination, say so explicitly. 3. Offer to help: Keep the communication channels open. Offer to discuss the situation with the reader. Ask the reader to come up with his or her own solution to the problem. 5. What is Non-verbal Communication ? Explain various Non-verbal Cues of Communication ? Ans : Non-verbal Communication : Nonverbal communication, or body language, is a vital form of communicationa natural, unconscious language that broadcasts our true feelings and intentions in any given moment, and clues us in to the feelings and intentions of those around us. When we interact with others, we continuously give and receive wordless signals. All of our nonverbal behaviorsthe gestures we make, the way we sit, how fast or how loud we talk, how close we stand, how much eye contact we makesend strong messages. These messages dont stop when you stop speaking either. Even when youre silent, youre still communicating nonverbally. Oftentimes, what we say and what we communicate through body language are two totally different things. When faced with these mixed signals, the listener has to choose whether to

believe your verbal or nonverbal message, and, in most cases, theyre going to choose nonverbal. Cues of Communication : There are many different types of nonverbal communication. Together, the following nonverbal signals and cues communicate your interest and investment in others. Facial expressions The human face is extremely expressive, able to express countless emotions without saying a word. And unlike some forms of nonverbal communication, facial expressions are universal. The facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust are the same across cultures. Body movements and posture Consider how your perceptions of people are affected by the way they sit, walk, stand up, or hold their head. The way you move and carry yourself communicates a wealth of information to the world. This type of nonverbal communication includes your posture, bearing, stance, and subtle movements. Gestures Gestures are woven into the fabric of our daily lives. We wave, point, beckon, and use our hands when were arguing or speaking animatedlyexpressing ourselves with gestures often without thinking. However, the meaning of gestures can be very different across cultures and regions, so its important to be careful to avoid misinterpretation. Eye contact Since the visual sense is dominant for most people, eye contact is an especially important type of nonverbal communication. The way you look at someone can communicate many things, including interest, affection, hostility, or attraction. Eye contact is also important in maintaining the flow of conversation and for gauging the other persons response. Touch We communicate a great deal through touch. Think about the messages given by the following: a firm handshake, a timid tap on the shoulder, a warm bear hug, a reassuring pat on the back, a patronizing pat on the head, or a controlling grip on your arm. Space Have you ever felt uncomfortable during a conversation because the other person was standing too close and invading your space? We all have a need for physical space, although that need differs depending on the culture, the situation, and the closeness of the relationship. You can use physical space to communicate many different nonverbal messages, including signals of intimacy, aggression, dominance, or affection. Voice Its not just what you say, its how you say it. When we speak, other people read our voices in addition to listening to our words. Things they pay attention to include your timing

and pace, how loud you speak, your tone and inflection, and sounds that convey understanding, such as ahh and uh-huh. Think about how tone of voice, for example, can indicate sarcasm, anger, affection, or confidence.

6. What are the Listening Skills ? Explain barriers of Good Listening. Ans : Listening Skills : Listening is the act of hearing attentively. Research shows that 45% of our time is spent on listening. We listen more than speak.If this listening skill is used in a proper way we can master the tools of communicative skills. Listening is difficult, as human mind tends to distract easily. A person who controls his mind and listens attentively acquires various other skills and is benefited. Listening skill can be defined as, Listening is the act of hearing attentively. It is also a process similar to reading which should possess knowledge of phonology, syntax, semantics and text understanding. Thomlison (1984) defines listening as, Active listening, which is very important for effective communication. Listening can be also defined as, More than just hearing and to understand and interpret the meaning of a conversation. BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING A) Physiological Barriers 1) Hearing Problems hearing deficiencies, auditory-processing difficulties like auditory discrimination, sequencing, memory 2) Rapid Thought the brain is able to process at 500 wpm, but people speak at 125 wpm, leaving a lot of free time to drift B) Environmental Barriers 1) Physical Distractions 2) Problems in the Communication Channel face-time is far more accurate than any other type 3) Message Overload coping with a deluge of information C) Attitudinal Barriers 1) Preoccupation what else do you have to think about? 2) Egocentrism My opinion is worth more; rates lower on the social attractiveness scale; Nobody ever listened himself out of a job. 3) Fear of Appearing Ignorant D) Faulty Assumptions 1) Assuming that Effective Communication is the Senders Responsibility both speaker and listener share the burden of reaching an understanding 2) Assuming that Listening is Passive can be hard work, you may nee to ask questions or paraphrase the statements to ensure your understanding 3) Assuming that Talking has more Advantages than Listening Big people monopolize the listening, small people monopolize the talking. E) Sociocultural Differences

1) Cultural Differences (a) Accents the assumption that anyone with an accent is less intelligent, the noise of misunderstanding due to accents (b) Time the amount of time that is spent listening varies culturally (c) Silence the length of silences also varies culturally 2) Gender Differences (a) Women listen for relational subtext, men for content (b) Women interpret listening noises uh huh, mmm to signify they are listening, men use them to signify agreement (c) Men & women listen for different reasons (d) All else being equal, women are not as likely to be listened to as men, regardless of how they speak or what they say. 7. What is Meeting ? What are the essential elements of Valid Meeting ? Ans : Meetings : Formal or informal deliberative assembly of individuals called to debate certain issues and problems, and to take decisions. Formal meetings are held at definite times, at a definite place, and usually for a definite duration to follow an agreed upon agenda. In a corporate setting, they are divided into two main groups (1) Organizational meeting: normally a regular meeting involving stockholders(shareholders) and management, such as a board meeting and annual general meeting (AGM). (2) Operational meeting: regular or ad hoc meeting involving management and employees, such as a committee meeting, planning meeting, and sales meeting. A meeting is typically headed by a chairperson, and its deliberations are recorded in a written form called minutes. Under corporate legislation, two main types of meetings are general meetings and special or extraordinary meetings. Such meetings must have a minimum number of members (called quorum) present to make the legally operative. Decisions (called resolutions) are made on the basis of number of votes the assenting and dissenting parties can muster. Under the doctrine of collective responsibility, decisions taken at these meetings bind all members whether present or not. However, a dissenting minority may apply to a court to have an already adopted resolution set aside if it is deemed illegal, iniquitous, or ultra vires. Essential Elements of Meetings 1. LOGISTICS a. Reserve an accessible meeting location b. Get materials (if needed): chart paper, markers, refreshments c. Agree upon time and length of time (accessible to majority) d. Give enough advance notice to attendees 2. THE AGENDA a. Agree upon agenda items b. Limit to a realistic number of topics/decisions i. Approximate the time per topic c. Define desired outcomes for each topic d. Leave room for announcements/new topics

e. Announce the topics in advance 3. DECISION-MAKING PROCESS a. Make sure process is clear and agreed upon i. How are decisions made? ii. Who makes what decisions? iii. Consider using gradient of agreements when possible b. Orient people, especially as new people join 4. DOCUMENTATION a. Have a note taker i. Note brief summaries of discussions ii. Note clear definition of decisions (check it) b. Store notes where they are accessible to more than one person c. History: make notes accessible to future memberships 5. OUTREACH/ORIENTATION a. Reach out and talk with people b. Inform people so everyone feels prepared to contribute i. Encourage people who dont talk as much ii. Dont lobby (inform, give opinion, but dont pressure) c. Find out if other topics need to be discussed d. Do research if a topic is unclear or needs more info e. Make copies for everyone if needed 6. FOLLOW UP BETWEEN MEETINGS a. Check in/update members who werent at meeting b. Do assigned tasks from the meeting c. Check in with members who have assigned tasks. 8. What is Collection letter? What important considerations are to be made while writing a collection letter? Ans : Collection Letter : Unfortunately, sending an invoice doesn't always result in getting paid. If you're having trouble with slow-paying or non-paying customers, you need to develop a competitive accounts receivable program. One that will enable your business to collect more money, sooner, at less cost, and without losing valued customers. In commercial collections, you rarely need more than two collection letters - an early collection letter and a final demand letter. The exceptions are:

Bad Check Collection Letter (call or email us for a complimentary sample letter) Collecting Your Judgment Letter (call or email us for a complimentary sample letter) The IRS Collection Letter (very aggressive General Considerations : In general it may be said that to secure proper attention and which is even more importantto bring the money that is their ultimate object, such letters should be characterized by (1) clearness, (2) terseness, (3) force, and (4) courtesy. (1) Clearness :

The necessity for clearness in a collection letter, and indeed in any other business letter, will be admitted. It is, however, impossible to write a clear letter unless a clear idea exists in the writer's mind of the ends to be attained by his letter and the means by which he expects to attain them. He must know what he wants to say and then say it so that its meaning is as clear to the recipient as to himself. Paragraph freely, so that each idea stands out strongly by itself. Do not bring in irrelevant material of any kind that would obscure or divert attention from the main thought; i. e., that the writer wants the money due him. Above all things do not let personal feelings influence the letter to its injury. At times indignation or even anger may be proper, but these should be used as a means to an end. The letter should not be made a vehicle to relieve the collection manager's feelings at the expense of his collection. (2) Terseness As a rule, a collection letter should be terse. What is to be said, should be said as fully as is necessary to convey the desired meaning, but it should be said in a concise, pointed manner. Long, involved sentences are entirely out of place and tend to weaken the letter. Terseness makes both for clearness and for force. On the other hand, terseness should not ordinarily be carried to the point of brusqueness, as this might in itself make the letter offensive. Also, if the account is questioned, terseness is to be avoided. In such case it is politic to discuss the matter at such length and in such detail as to show that the writer is really desirous of getting at the facts (3) Force The two characteristics already discussed, i. e., clearness and terseness, are essential to force. Beyond this, force requires the use of such language and such expressions as will cause the recipient of the letter to act. There is nothing more forceful than simple AngloSaxon, with its short, strong words; and the collection manager will do well to cultivate its use. In a collection letter, above all others, a spade should be called a spade and not be referred to as an agricultural implement. It may also be noted that the forceful letter is usually built up of short sentences. A long, involved sentence does not lend itself to force of expression. A complex idea should be expressed in a number of short sentences, unless one strong, clear, and not too long a sentence can be made to carry the whole idea. (4) Courtesy One of the essential elements of successful collection letter-writing is courtesy. There are occasions when a rough and even brutal collection letter is a proper letter to write; but such occasions are rare. The collection manager may at times find it advisable to be indignant, sarcastic, or even angry; but he should never violate the rules of courtesy and sink into rudeness or brutality, unless it is clearly and unmistakably necessary to gain his ends.

It is one of the elementary principles of successful collecting never to offend a debtor if it can be avoided, and particularly when this debtor is a customer with whom future business is desirable. To ask a man for money is a delicate matter at the best, and both courtesy and good feeling are usually necessary to make the request effective without disturbing the friendly relations between the parties. Apart from the above considerations, the tone of letter, style and appearance of the letter also plays a vital role.