Business Communication I

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

A two-way exchange of
thoughts, opinions and information
by speech, writing or signs.

Some people say its not how we

speak but its how smartly we think
that affects communication but

we think in our mother tongues

 My pen is going Im not knowing

where.
I live in the backside of the building.
Im going to give an exam.

Some Statistics
FICCI and The World Bank conducted
a survey on the employability of
Indian Graduates.
Only 39.5% of Indias graduates are
employable.
Only 25% of Indian engineering
graduates are employable.

Most employers consider that skills

can be improvised but the ability to
communicate well is very important
as the employee is the face of a
company.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Language is just one of many
dimensions of communication.
There are many skills important for
bridging cultural differences and
communication gaps.

Speech
Power of the spoken word!
VOLUME
PITCH

PACE

TONE
INFLECTION

The world has become a global village and

India has a considerable lead over many
non-English speaking countries.

Body language.
Overall presentation skills.
Understanding of professional lingo.
Grasp of general rules of professional
communication and office etiquette.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Optimism
Common Sense
Integrity

INTERPERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
Empathy
Communication
Leadership
Manners

While India is considered one of the

largest speakers of the English
language our messages are often
misinterpreted
due
to
literal
translation and poor articulation.

Guy
Table
Flame
Flour
Chef
Gigantic

Geyser
Vegetable
Inflammable
Flower
Chief

Crichton

Lets make it our business to

communicate professionally!

Business Communication II
E-mail

Objective
o To understand and learn how to
communicate professionally through
the e-mail

GOLDEN RULES OF E-MAIL

o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Be clear about the objective

Mind the language
Be specific and precise
Value time
Follow a basic structure
Be careful while formatting
Ensure receiver reads it

Be clear about the objective

o You are initiating the communication
o You are replying to earlier
communication

When you are the initiator

o State your objective clearly
o Organize your matter
o Ask for feedback

Organize your matter

Follow inverted pyramid principle

Primary FocusFocus-Lead

Most important information

Point 2
Point 3
Point 4

Information is presented in
descending order of importance

E-Mail Practice I
Read the email carefully and check for redundancies.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm writing to you today to propose my services as an unpaid
intern with your organization.
As you can see from my accompanying c.v. I have just
finished a degree in Economics from the University of Kent. I
appreciate that in the current job market that I am unlikely to
get a paid position if I do not have any valid work experience.
This is why I think I could be of big help to your
organization.

I would be happy to work for you for a minimum of

6 months without any form of payment. All I ask
from you is to give me work experience in a variety
of areas.
I am somebody who seeks responsibility as I have
shown both in the university and in vacation jobs that
I have had. I am also an excellent team player. I
think I can contribute a lot to your organization.
Yours sincerely (truly)

E-Mail Practice II
Read the email carefully and check out any vocabulary
you don't know.
Dear Dick,
I am writing to you today to officially tender my resignation from
Lipmark Ltd with effect from the end of March.
I never thought I would ever leave such a great company as Lipmark,
but I've been offered a senior position with another company at a
salary and with responsibilities that I was unable to refuse.
I cannot say enough good things about Lipmark, about all the
people Ive encountered in my years of service with the company,
and especially about you and the senior management team.

Your leadership has been excellent, and I have appreciated all your
personal and professional advice over the years.
It's my hope that we will stay in touch as I begin this new chapter
in my life. However, I am sure that you will understand that this
new opportunity is one that I cannot turn down.
If you have any questions, please ask. Thanks again for everything.
Yours sincerely,

When you are replying

Make a note of all queries and
prioritize
Answer all Qs/Pre-empt further Qs
Keep the Context clear

Keep context clear

Quote relevant parts of message
especially when seeking clarification
Dont use too many pronouns in the
initial sentences

Mind the language

Basics
Spelling
Grammar
Punctuation

Style

Style

Simple, avoid jargon

Neutral gender
Not overly formal
Personal, conversational

Active voice

Active Vs Passive voice

Active Voice

Passive Voice

Emphasizes the person

Emphasizes the action

or thing performing the

that is being performed

action
Generally clearer and
more personal
We will process your
order today

In long sentences reader

may lose interest
Your order will be
processed today

Be specific & precise

o
o
o
o
o

Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid

ambiguous terms
abbreviations
SMS language
emoticons
redundant phrases

Some Abbreviations
This
BTW
BCNU
FYI
IMHO
COB
TTYL

Means This
by the way
be seeing you
for your information
in my humble/honest opinion
Close of business
talk to you later

Some Emoticons
:-)
;-)
:->
:-D
:-/
:-@
:-O

Smiley face
Wink (light sarcasm)
Devilish grin (heavy sarcasm)
Shock or surprise
Perplexed
Scream
Yell

Value Time
o Answer swiftly
o Dont attach unnecessary files
o Write short sentences

Benefits of short and simple

sentences
o Easier to write, read and understand
o Long sentences test the writers ability
to use grammar and punctuation
correctly

Follow a basic structure

Greeting
The reference
Reason for writing
Enclosing documents
Closing remark

Informative
Persuasive
Collaborative