UNIT 2

COMMUNICATION AT WORKPLACE

BUSINESS WRITING - IMPORTANCE AND SIGNIFICANCE

But the most obvious reason that good business writing is important is that it will
give your company credibility. ... With impending deadlines and spellcheck, it is easy
to get careless and make mistakes, but in order to establish credibility and
trustworthiness, each piece of writing must be well-written.

1. Effective business writing drives sales.

Marketing copy and proposals play a huge role in the sales process. If poorly written,
these materials make your organization seem unprofessional and incompetent,
creating a terrible first—and often last—impression. If written effectively, however,
they show that your organization is smart and capable, helping you generate more
leads and convert more sales.

2. Effective business writing boosts your brand reputation.

Most people experience your organization through your written content—your
website, your social media, your email blasts, emails, and reports. Writing also
heavily influences clients’ experience of your organization, with written
communication from or with your employees and your written deliverables both
coloring that experience. Clearly, improving writing quality will make a positive
difference in how people experience, and therefore view, your organization.

3. Effective business writing accelerates efficiency, productivity, and innovation.

And because effective writing means employees are communicating clearly in
documents and emails, readers are much less likely to need clarification or to make
time-wasting misinterpretations. This efficient communication also ends up
improving innovation, as team members collaborate better and fewer delays gum up
the process.

4. Effective business writing powers quality management.

Effective written communication is an important component of quality management.
When managers write clear emails and work instructions, not only are employees
more likely to produce the results that managers expect, but it can also improve
employee relations because clear managerial communication promotes a collaborative
atmosphere.

5. Effective business writing aids bench strength and retention.

Because quality written communication is important for good management, helping
employees hone their writing skills prepares them to rise in the organization, thereby
strengthening your internal talent pipeline, and in turn aiding in retention, as
 employees are happy that they are learning valuable skills for their career and have
prospects for advancement.

BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Business correspondence means the exchange of information in a written format for

the process of business activities. Business correspondence can take place between
organizations, within organizations or between the customers and the organization.
The correspondence refers to the written communication between persons.

Business letters and memos are formal documents typically sent to

external communication partners but may also be sent internally to people within
your organization. Business memos are semi-formal documents that convey
information to readers within the organization.

Memoranda, or memos, are one of the most versatile document forms used in
professional settings. Memos are “in house” documents (sent within an organization)
to pass along or request information, outline policies, present short reports, and
propose ideas. While they are often used to inform, they can also be persuasive
documents. A company or institution typically has its own “in house” style or
template that is used for documents such as letters and memos.

Letters

Letters are brief messages sent to recipients that are often outside the organization.
They are often printed on letterhead paper that represents the business or organization
and are generally limited to one or two pages. While email and text messages may be
used more frequently today, the business letter remains a common form of written
communication. It can serve to introduce you to a potential employer, announce a
product or service, or even serve to communicate feelings and emotions (compliant
letters, for example).

There are many types of letters, and many adaptations in terms of form and content,
but this chapter presents the fifteen elements of a traditional block-style letter. Letters
may serve to introduce your skills and qualifications to prospective employers (cover
letter), deliver important or specific information, provide documentation of an event
or decision, or introduce an attached report or long document

A typical letter has 7 main parts:

1. Letterhead/logo: Sender’s name and return address

2. The heading: names the recipient, often including address and date

3. Salutation: “Dear ______” use the recipient’s name, if known.

4. The introduction: establishes the overall purpose of the letter

5. The body: articulates the details of the message

6. The conclusion: restates the main point and may include a call to action

7. The signature line sometimes includes the contact information

Email
Email is familiar to most students and workers. In business, it has largely replaced
print hard copy letters for external (outside the company) correspondence, and in
many cases, it has taken the place of memos for internal (within the company)
communication.

Email can be particularly useful for messages that have slightly more content than a
text message, but it is still best used for fairly brief messages. Many businesses use
automated emails to acknowledge communications from the public, or to remind
associates that periodic reports or payments are due. You may also be assigned to
“populate” a form email in which standard paragraphs are used but you choose from a
menu of sentences to make the wording suitable for a particular transaction.

Emails may be informal in personal contexts, but business communication requires

attention to detail, awareness that your email reflects you and your company, and a
professional tone so that it may be forwarded to any third party if needed. Email often
serves to exchange information within organizations. Although email may have an
informal feel, remember that when used for business, it needs to convey
professionalism and respect. Never write or send anything that you wouldn’t’t want to
read in public or in front of your company president.

Some of the major components of a business meeting are: 1. Notice of Meeting, 2.

Agenda of Meeting and 3. Minutes of the Meeting

Notice of a Meeting:

When a meeting is to be convened, a notice is required to be sent to all who are to

attend it.

It should satisfy these conditions:

1. It should be under proper authority

2. It should state the name of the organization

3. It should state the day, date, time, and place. Also, sometimes, how to reach the

place

4. It should be well in advance. Some require seven days’ notice, some 48 hours’

5. It should state the purpose and, if possible, the agenda

6. It should carry the date of circulation and convener’s/secretary’s signature

7. It should go to all persons required at the meet

Agenda:

As stated earlier, an agenda is the list of items to be considered at a meeting. It is also

called business or order of business. It comes from the Latin word agendum (singular)

which means ‘a thing to be done.’ But agenda (the Latin plural) is used as a singular

noun.

It is the route map of the meeting. The specimen notices above already contain a hint
of how it is written. The agenda may be a part of the notice or may be attached as an

Annexure. The convenor/secretary prepares it in consultation with the chairperson and

gets his approval.

The items of agenda should cover all that is necessary to be considered at that time.

Meetings take time and effort to arrange; hence the agenda has to be well thought out.

The items may be devised from:

(a) Previous minutes

(b) Suggestions received

(c) Actions and events since last meeting

(d) Correspondence of the organization

The agenda contains routine items as well as special ones.

Here are some guidelines for listing the items:

1. Apologies from absent members (need not be written previously)

2. Condolences if any (may or may not be written previously)

3. Reading and approval of minutes of the last meet

4. Matters arising out of previous meet’s minutes (this need not always be mentioned)

5. Urgent and non-controversial items

6. Matters requiring closer discussion and debates

7. Any new, on-the-spot items with the approval of the chairman

8. Date of the next meet.

The last item in a meeting is a vote of thanks to the chairman but this need to be

mentioned. The items are mentioned briefly or elaborately according to the practice or

need.

Minutes of the Meeting:

The minutes of a meeting are the record of the discussions/decisions therein. They

have an official status; they are useful in law, and in some cases required by law to be

written. Minutes are final when they are approved by the members of the group to

which they relate, generally in the next meeting, and signed by the chairperson.
Even if there are emotional moments in a meet, the minutes are written in an

unemotional manner, are cool, factual, impersonal, and impartial. Moreover, such are

the demands of time on most people that the minutes should be concise, boiled down

to the essentials.

Only some organizations require that they record the detailed discussions as well (i.e.

who said what and what were the reactions… until the decision was reached).

Normally, the body of the minute’s records.

(a) The motions and amendments thereto

(b) The proposer and seconded of motions

(c) The details of voting if any

(d) Recommendations

(e) Decisions/ resolutions

(f) Tasks assigned to individuals, sub-committees

The overall minutes should give:

1. The name of the organization/ unit

2. Day, date, time and place

3. Number in order (e.g. 33rd meeting of…)

4. Names of chairperson and secretary

5. Names of members present

6. Names of the absent

7. Attendees by special invitation, e.g. auditor, caterer, etc.

8. Record of the transactions (on the guidelines given above)

9. Signature of secretary and, after approval, that of the chairman.

BROCHURES AND INSTRUCTION BOOKLETS

A company brochure is a print publication used to highlight a company's benefits,

products and services for customers. A brochure typically has one, two or three folds

and is distinct from a flier, direct mail letter or catalogue. Brochures are promotional

documents, primarily used to introduce

a company, organization, products or services and inform prospective customers or

members of the public of the benefits.

Brochures are distributed in many ways: as newspaper inserts, handed out personally,

by mail or placed in brochure racks in high traffic locations especially in tourist

precincts. Brochures available in electronic format are called e-brochures. This format

has the added benefit of unlimited distribution and cost savings when compared to

traditional paper brochures

An instructional book or booklet that is supplied with almost all technologically

advanced consumer products such as vehicles, home appliances and computer

peripherals. Information contained in the owner's manual typically includes:

 Safety instructions; for liability reasons these can be extensive, often including

warnings against performing operations that are ill-advised for product

longevity or overall user safety reasons.

 Assembly instructions: for products that arrive in pieces for easier shipping.
  Installation instructions: for products that need to be installed in a home or

workplace.

 Setup instructions: for devices that keep track of time or which maintain user

accessible state.

 Instructions for normal or intended operations.

 Maintenance instructions.

 Troubleshooting instructions; for when the product does not work as expected.

 Service locations; for when the product requires repair by a factory

authorized technician.

 Warranty information; sometimes provided as a separate sheet.

ORGANIZATIONAL REPORTING

Organizational reporting refers to both "the public reporting of operating and financial

data by a business enterprise," and "the regular provision of information to decision-

makers within an organization to support them in their work." It is a fundamental part

of the larger movement towards improved.

TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL REPORTING

Sales reports
Sales are the lifeblood of your business. Sales reports can help you analyse trends in

sales volume over time to make sure your business is healthy. You can create these at

any time to see if you need to adjust your sales strategy.

Inventory reports

Conducting inventory audits and managing stock are day-to-day functions for many

businesses. If inventory reports are updated regularly, they give an up-to-date analysis

of the inventory on hand. They come in handy for understanding restocking needs,

helping with the reconciliation process, and determining future inventory needs.

Payroll reports

As a business owner, your most valuable resource is the team. Payroll reports allows

to view all pay check details, employee totals, employee pay stubs or the company

totals for a selected time period. Additionally, can view Payroll Protection Program

(PPP) report to help calculate average monthly payroll and make it easier to apply for

these loans.

STAGES OF ORGANIZATIONAL REPORT WRITING

1. Appointment of a Reporter: A reporter is appointed specifically by means of an

order. The order contains the subject matter to be investigated, objectives of

investigation, the area of investigation, a list of inquired persons, time frame for

submission of report and the like. Based on the order, the reporter is going to

investigate and submit the report as per the guidelines.

2. Determine the Scope of the Report: The scope of the report should be well

defined for getting clear cut information. If so, relevant and important information are
collected and avoided irrelevant and unimportant information in the report. Moreover,

the reporter can easily complete the report writing.

3. Find the Sources of Information: The sources of information should be finalized

from the beginning of the report writing. The extent of information determines the

length and importance of the report. Major sources of information are company files,

personal observation, interviews, letters, questionnaires etc.

Company files are used to know the reasons for declining sales and increase the cost

of production. Besides, the files contain the findings and recommendations for

increasing sales and the ways for controlling or reducing the cost of production.

Personal observation is followed for collecting the information whenever an accident

or fire occurred. It needs on the spot inquiry to find the real causes for the accident or

fire.

A company can get complaints from their valuable customers. Now, the company

prefer to extent better service and relationship with their customers for the purpose of

reducing or avoiding complaints. At this junction, interview may be held with

selective customers. Sometimes, instead of holding personal interviews, letters may

be sent to customers.

Questionnaire method is followed to collect information from large number of

persons. The questionnaires are used to find the popularity of the products or

introducing a new product. Questions should not be lengthy. The respondents are

expected to tick the correct answers out of alternative answers instead of writing

answers. If the results of a questionnaire are given in the report, a copy of the

questionnaire should be enclosed.

4. Consider the Reader of Report: All the readers of the report are not uniform in

nature. They are varying according to the nature or type of report. Moreover, many

readers are going to take a decision on the basis of the contents of report. Hence, the

reporter should be cautious and considers educational level of the readers, position in

the organization, previous knowledge about the topic of the report, age, experiences,

department, preferences and attitudes of the readers.

5. Taking Notes: A diary can be maintained by the reporter. He takes notes as and

when the reliable information available. Sometimes, the reporter has no time to collect

the information or unable to contact any individual for getting information. In this

way, all the relevant information may be collected and included in the report.

6. Analyse the Information: The reporter should analyse the. information without

any personal bias. A lot of data will be rejected while analysing the data in right

direction. Hence, the reporter need not to be in hurry manner while analysing the data.

The collected information is arranged in a systematic way for presenting the same in

the report. Hence, this is the important stage in writing a report.

7. Making an Outline: Now, the reporter has an idea of writing a report. Hence, he

should prepare an outline to write the report. In this outline, purpose of report,

information collected, brief analysis of information, findings, recommendations and

conclusion arrived are briefly explained. These things are useful for writing a report

systematically.

8. Writing the Report: First, a rough draft is prepared to improve the quality of

report. Then, the rough draft is to be revised on the basis of comments of the others.

The reporter can find the flaws in the rough draft. Hence, he can include all the

relevant information and delete irrelevant information. Sometimes, he can edit the
contents and find the grammar and spelling mistakes of the report. Finally, the

reporter can present the report in simple and unambiguous language. Now, the report

gets proper form for presentation.

BUSINESS PROPOSALS

A business proposal is sent from a supplier to a potential client for the purpose of

winning a specific project. It is a written document and it can either be requested by

the client or sent unsolicited. Many service-based small businesses rely on proposals

in order to sell their services and bring in new work. Business proposals can be as

short or as long as necessary to communicate required information.