Subject Area In Business English

1.1

Vocabulary

Business Vocabulary
Which words and phrases are best for business writing? While the answer to this question depends
greatly on your line of business, it pays to build a professional business vocabulary. Read on for business
writing do’s and don’ts, common business English vocabulary, and some examples of the best words to
use to spice up your business writing.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Business Writing & Vocabulary

Today’s business world runs on information, so remember this quick ABC: Always be concise. This is one
of the biggest, most important “do’s” and it is one of the primary reasons for building a solid business
vocabulary. Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when writing for business, no matter what the
topic.

 Less is More: When it comes to using your vocabulary during the course of business, it’s important to
find words and phrases that allow you to express yourself in a concise way. Avoid sentences that
meander, get to the point, and send your message.

 Pay close attention to titles, names, and genders: Have you ever received a message in which you
were addressed incorrectly? If you have, you know just how irritating it is. From a business vocabulary
point of view, an error in someone’s title, name, or gender is incredibly destructive, not to mention
embarrassing to you and your company.

 Be professional, courteous, and cordial: Choose business English vocabulary words that are positive,
professional, and friendly. In past decades, business writing was quite formal. This is fine for things like
job applications and legal documents where every little word is likely to be scrutinized, but overly formal
jargon can be jarring and difficult to read.

 When being informal, don’t become unprofessional: It is often appropriate to choose normal, informal
vocabulary words to convey messages during the course of business. Stay professional by avoiding off-
color jokes, snarky remarks, gossip, and personal comments out of your business communications. Don’t
circulate anything – even an email – that you wouldn’t feel comfortable airing in a public forum.

 One H, Five W’s: You should always check and double check your work to be sure that the message you
are sending makes sense. The easiest way to make sure you’ve covered all your bases is to follow a
business writing rule that originated in journalism. Answer all the questions your audience might have by
ensuring How? Who? What? When? Where? and Why? are covered.

 Avoid jargon and “weasel words”: People don’t like to read words that don’t mean anything. Respect
your readers’ time by choosing business vocabulary words that leave no room for the reader to question
intent or meaning. Plain language is always appreciated.
 Use business vocabulary words that inspire action: Choose words that will spur your readers to take
the desired action. Almost all business writing is produced in order to achieve a certain purpose, making a
call to action important. Let your readers know what to do to get the right outcome.

 Write once, check twice: No matter what vocabulary words you’ve chosen to use in your writing, do your
business a favor and proofread what you have written. Do this twice, preferably once right after you finish
and once again a few hours or days after writing, if possible. The brain often skips errors that were made
in the recent past but will catch them later. If it is not possible to wait to check your work at a later time,
have someone else do the second round of proofreading for you. Little mistakes happen, but people will
judge you for them. Nothing is quite so embarrassing as a typo in a document that’s filled with great
business vocabulary words and is otherwise perfect.

Wonderful Words: Try These and Spice Up Your Business Vocabulary

Today’s business environment is much different from the way it was in the past, and there are quite a few
business vocabulary words that are best left out of communications. Bottom line? If a buzzword or phrase
looks complicated, don’t use it. Stay genuine and always use language that is plain and clear.

Here are some examples:

 Agenda: A detailed plan

 Advantage: A specific benefit or improvement

 Benefit: A specific, positive outcome

 Calculate: To do something with numbers, i.e. count, add, subtract, multiply, or divide

 Develop: Bring out the possibilities of or capabilities of

 Estimate: Guess how much something will cost or how long something will take

 Incentive: Provide a reward or offer something at a special price

 Invest: Spend a resource such as time, money, or effort in order to make a future improvement

 Maintain: To take care of, cover expenses, or keepiin a specified state

 Negotiate: Try to make a better arrangement or get a better price

 Objective: A specific goal or target

 Participate: To take part in

 Process: A series of actions that achieves a certain end

 Schedule: A certain time frame

 Structure: A complex system that takes in the entire point of view

 Target: A measurable goal

 Thank you: A polite phrase to use with everyone you interact with; though simple, it goes a long way

These are just a few of the many fantastic words you can incorporate into your business vocabulary. In
the event you are looking for a new way to say something, Ginger synonym provides instant help to
enrich your documents and improve your business vocabulary.

Building Your Business English Vocabulary

One of the best ways to build your business English vocabulary is to take a business writing course if you
haven’t already done so. No time for school? You can increase your word power by reading more. Spend
a little time each day reviewing business writing tips and re-reading correspondence that includes the
type of language you would like to use.

Ginger has many resources you can use free. Take advantage of them as often as you like.

1.2

Fluency

– The word fluent comes from the Latin root meaning ‘flow’
– Fluency is a speech language term that means the smoothness or flow with which sounds,
syllables, words and phrases are joined together when speaking quickly

– Language fluency is used informally to denote a high level of language proficiency, whereby
language use if smooth and flowing, as opposed to slow and halted

When it comes to communicating in more than one language fluency is certainly desirable, but it is not
essential for communication to take place. You can communicate with a native speaker if you have only a
mild proficiency in English, but being truly fluent in the language offers many advantages, particularly in
the business world.
English: the international language of business
English is now widely accepted as the official language of business around the globe. Most foreign
companies have adopted it as the most effective means of gaining access to global commerce and trade.

Why English?
One of the biggest reasons for the uptake of English around the globe is the wide proliferation of North
American and European companies trading internationally. A large percentage of multinational
corporations originated in the US, and they continue to be headquartered in this country. Their influence
throughout the global business community is quite predominant, and in order for other companies around
the world to communicate and trade with them you need to learn the lingo.

The emergence of the internet now plays a huge role in the spread of English internationally too. English
predominates the online world, as can be seen on social media, messageboards, and the fact that most
foreign websites provide means for translation into English.

Why is fluency important?

So we’ve accepted that English is the official business language these days. So what are the advantages
of being fluent in business English as opposed to just proficient?
In practical terms, the better you can speak the language, the better you can negotiate – and not just with
native English speakers. If you work for a German shipping company you may need to speak English to
speak to a Russian exporter, for example.

This is the age of the internet and online commerce, and if you’d like to set up your own online business
then wouldn’t you like to be able to reach out to the 1 billion English speakers on the World Wide Web?

The higher your level of fluency in English the better it is for your employer, as you present a more
efficient, professional image for your company when doing business with others.

Knowing that you have full command of the language means that your employer can feel wholly confident
putting their trust in you. It’s cheaper for them too as they don’t need to hire interpreters or spend time
and money correcting linguistic mistakes.

When an employer has full confidence in your abilities it allows you to progress further within the
company, with your employer more confident in entrusting you with more responsibilities – so it can lead
to higher pay and more job opportunities.

The more fluent you are in English the more job opportunities will be open to you, giving you a far wider
choice of career prospects and often higher pay.

On a personal and business level it allows you to travel more. Whether for business or pleasure, a firm
grasp of English allows you to succeed in a wide range of countries.

Understanding different levels of fluency

Not all levels of fluency are the same and, in fact, even native English speakers can fail to be fluent in
their own language if they are not properly educated. Here we take a look at what it means to be fluent at
different levels of business English.

Business level fluency

When applying for jobs you may see positions advertised for those with a ‘business level fluency’ in
English. What do employers mean? Here they’re looking for someone who can conduct business in
English without the need for a native English speaker to be there. That means being able to converse
with other staff, customers and clients, as well as being able to read and write emails and company
documents.

Six levels of fluency

In the 1980s, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) was put together
by the Council of Europe, with the aim being to provide a method of learning, teaching and assessing
which applies to all languages in Europe. It features six reference levels that are becoming increasingly
accepted as the European standard for grading an individual’s language proficiency and fluency. So,
according to the CEFR your level of fluency may have reached:

Basic – Breakthrough level

Basic – Elementary level

These levels indicate that you can interact in a simple way with English speakers when the person you
are communicating with talks slowly and clearly. At this basic level of fluency you’ll be able to introduce
yourself and ask and answer basic and familiar questions.

Independent – Intermediate level

Independent – Upper intermediate level

At these independent levels of fluency you’ll generally by able to communicate well while travelling
independently where English is spoken, and will be able to understand more complex texts, thoughts and
ideas in English. This level of fluency allows you to communicate with native English speakers quite
naturally, without either of you finding the conversation hard work.

Proficient – Advanced level

Proficient – Mastery or proficiency level

At the proficient level of fluency you’ll not only be able to understand a wide range of more demanding,
longer texts as well as virtually everything you hear in English, you’ll also be able to express your ideas
fluently and spontaneously without having to stop to think of the correct words or phrases to use. You’ll be
able to differentiate finer shades of meaning in texts and in the spoken language, attaining fluency in
writing, reading, listening and speaking.

1.3

Natural Speaking Paterns

It is distinctive manner of oral expression

Though the exact definition varies between scholars, natural language can broadly be defined in contrast
to artificial or constructed languages (such as computer programming languages and international
auxiliary languages) and to other communication systems in nature. Such examples include bees' waggle
dance and whale song, to which researchers have found or applied the linguistic cognates of dialect and
even syntax. However, classification of animal communication systems as languages is controversial.[2]
All language varieties of world languages are natural languages, although some varieties are subject to
greater degrees of published prescriptivism or language regulation than others. Thus nonstandard
dialects can be viewed as a wild type in comparison with standard languages. But even an official
language with a regulating academy, such as Standard French with the French Academy, is classified as
a natural language (for example, in the field of natural language processing), as its prescriptive points do
not make it either constructed enough to be classified as a constructed language or controlled enough to
be classified as a controlled natural language

1.4

Written English

Written English is the way in which the English language is transmitted through a conventional system of
graphic signs (or letters). Compare to spoken English.

The earliest forms of written English were primarily the translations of Latin works into English in the ninth
century. Not until the late fourteenth century (that is, the late Middle English period) did a standard form of
written English begin to emerge. According to Marilyn Corrie in The Oxford History of English (2006),
written English has been characterized by "relative stability" during the Modern English period.
Early Written English

 "[T]he vast majority of books and manuscripts produced in England before the invention of
printing were written in Latin or (in later times) French. Administrative documents were not written
in English in any number until the fourteenth century. The story of early written English is one of
a local vernacular language struggling to achieve a distinct visual identity and written usage."
(David Graddol et al., English: History, Diversity, and Change. Routledge, 1996)
"[A] new standard form of written English, this time based on the usage of London, began to
emerge from the fifteenth century onwards. This was generally adopted by the early printers, who
in turn provided a norm for private usage from the sixteenth century onwards."
(Jeremy J. Smith, Essentials of Early English. Routledge, 1999)

Recording Functions of Written English

 "The history of writing in the English-speaking world reveals a balancing act between competing
recording functions of the written word. While written English has always had a role in creating
durable records that were never intended to be read aloud, the 'oral' side of writing has been far
more important than we tend to realize. Through most of the language's history, an essential
function of writing has been to aid in subsequent representation of spoken words.
Overwhelmingly, those spoken words have been formal in character--drama, poetry, sermons,
public speeches. ( . . . [B]eginning in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, writing developed
a new set of quintessentially written functions with the emergence of newspapers and novels.)
"In the latter part of the twentieth century, a new twist was added, as writing increasingly came to
represent informal speech. This time, there was no intention of later rendering such texts aloud.
Gradually, we learned to write as we spoke (rather than preparing to speak as we wrote). As a
result we've generally blurred older assumptions that speech and writing are two distinct forms of
communication. Nowhere has this muddying of boundaries been more apparent than in the case
of email."
(Naomi S. Baron, Alphabet to Email: How Written English Evolved and Where It's Heading.
Routledge, 2000)

Writing and Speech

 "When writing developed, it was derived from and represented speech, albeit imperfectly . . ..
"To affirm the primacy of speech over writing is not, however, to disparage the latter. If speaking
makes us human, writing makes us civilized. Writing has some advantages over speech. For
example, it is more permanent, thus making possible the records that any civilization must have.
Writing is also capable of easily making some distinctions that speech can make only with
difficulty. We can, for example, indicate certain types of pauses more clearly by the spaces that
we leave between words when we write than we ordinarily are able to do when we speak. Grade
A may well be heard as gray day, but there is no mistaking the one phrase for the other in
writing."
(John Algeo and Thomas Pyles, The Origins and Development of the English Language, 5th ed.
Thomson Wadsworth, 2005)

Standard Written English

 "Standard or standardized written English (SWE). It's alive and well in our culture, but what does
it mean? Many varieties of English get into print in various contexts, but 'standard' doesn't refer to
all of them--not even to everything published in mainstream books and magazines. It refers only
to one slice of mainstream writing--but an incredibly important and powerful slice: the slice that
people happen to call 'correct edited written English.' When people champion Standard Written
English, they sometimes call it 'proper' or 'correct' or 'literate' writing. . . . [I]t's a language that is
 found only on paper--and only in the texts of certain 'established writers,' and its rules are in
grammar books. So again: standardized written English (or prescriptive written English) is no
one's mother tongue."
(Peter Elbow, Vernacular Eloquence: What Speech Can Bring to Writing. Oxford Univ. Press,
2012)
"Unlike most other kinds of English, standard written English is strongly codified. That is, there
is almost total agreement as to which forms and usages form part of it and which do not. . . .
"Mastery of standard written English is a requirement for many professions, and it is highly
desirable in many others. But nobody comes naturally equipped with this mastery. Standard
written English has to be acquired, usually by formal education. Sadly, however, in recent years
schools in most English-speaking countries have pulled back from teaching this material. As a
result, even university graduates with good degrees often find themselves with a command of
standard English that is at best inadequate and at worst distressing. This is not a trivial problem,
since a poor command of the conventions of standard English will often make a very bad
impression on those who must read your writing."

1.5

Pronounciation

What is Pronunciation?

pronunciation (noun): the way in which we pronounce a word

pronounce (verb): to make the sound of a word

"Pronunciation" refers to the way in which we make the sound of words.

To pronounce words, we push air from our lungs up through our throat and vocal chords, through our
mouth, past our tongue and out between our teeth and lips. (Sometimes air also travels through our
nose.)

To change the sound that we are making, we mainly use the muscles of our mouth, tongue and lips to
control the shape of our mouth and the flow of air. If we can control the shape of our mouth and the flow
of air correctly, then our pronunciation is clearer and other people understand us more easily.

Speakers of different languages tend to develop different muscles of the mouth for pronunciation. When
we speak a foreign language, our muscles may not be well developed for that language, and we will find
pronunciation more difficult. By practising the foreign language pronunciation, our muscles develop and
pronunciation improves.

As well as creating correct vowel and consonant sounds using the muscles of our mouth, tongue and
lips, there are other important aspects of pronunciation, including:

 word stress - emphasis on certain syllables in a word

 sentence stress - emphasis on certain words in a sentence
 linking - joining certain words together
 intonation - the rise and fall of our voice as we speak

1.6
Flow of speech

How fast to speak, when your voice should raise or lower in pitch or in volume, where to pause and
for how long.

1.7

Culture

Understanding and reacting appropriately to situations and expectations of English-speaking

cultures.

Learning about culture gives you ...

 a competitive edge
 the cognition to be a better mentor
 a knowledge of other people's backgrounds
 a chance to focus on people as individuals
 information in a non-intimidated way
 understanding that even in a group that appears the same there can be differences

 ability to remove obstacles and barriers that block us from our full personal potential
 techniques for gaining insight
 a chance to be an advocate for fresh ideas
 the tools to make your school or workplace an environment of value
 an opportunity for new friendships

 a reason not to quickly judge others

 a purpose of cherishing your own culture
 an awareness that diversity is about differences and similarities

Definition of Culture
Culture is the patterns of learned and shared beliefs and behavior. This is the definition of culture
according to Cultural Anthropology: Asking Questions about Humanity by Robert Welsch and Luis
Vivanco. However, Anthropologists cannot seem to agree on one definition of culture because of
how broad culture is.

Culture is taken for granted. The culture and environment you grow up in is part of you; culture isn’t
made up of just the big things like religion, foods, holidays, art, and folklore it’s everything in-
between as well.
Culture also consists of humor, manners, marriage, gender roles, money, values/morals, your rights
as a person, gestures and non-verbal communication, personal behavior and appearance,
ownership, health/ medicine, superstitions, and the ceremonies we conduct.

When Anthropologists talk about culture, there are four levels of culture they discuss.
• Enculturation

Which is the process of learning the culture rules and logic of a society, which beings with birth.

• Subculture

A subdivision in complex, diverse societies that shares some features with the larger society.

• Cultural Universals

These are generally learned behavior patterns that are shared by all of humanity.

• Familial Culture

Culture shared with your family.

Another way to divide the areas of language is the following:

1. Listening (receiving oral messages)

2. Speaking (giving oral messages)
3. Reading (receiving written messages)
4. Writing (giving written messages)

Communication flow in business

2.1

Components of business communication

Introduction[edit]
In the emerging global economy, e-commerce and e-business have increasingly become a necessary
component of business strategy and a strong catalyst for economic development. The integration of
information and communications technology (ICT) in business has revolutionized relationships within
organizations and those between and among organizations and individuals. Specifically, the use of ICT in
business has enhanced productivity, encouraged greater customer participation, and enabled mass
customization, besides reducing costs.
With developments in the Internet and Web-based technologies, distinctions between traditional markets
and the global electronic marketplace-such as business capital size, among others-are gradually being
narrowed down. The name of the game is strategic positioning, the ability of a company to determine
emerging opportunities and utilize the necessary human capital skills (such as intellectual resources) to
make the most of these opportunities through an e-business strategy that is simple, workable and
practicable within the context of a global information milieu and new economic environment. With its
effect of leveling the playing field, e-commerce coupled with the appropriate strategy and policy approach
enables small and medium scale enterprises to compete with large and capital-rich businesses.
On another plane, developing countries are given increased access to the global marketplace, where they
compete with and complement the more developed economies. Most, if not all, developing countries are
already participating in e-commerce, either as sellers or buyers. However, to facilitate e-commerce growth
in these countries, the relatively underdeveloped information infrastructure must be improved. Among the
areas for policy intervention are:
 High Internet access costs, including connection service fees, communication fees, and hosting
charges for websites with sufficient bandwidth;
 Limited availability of credit cards and a nationwide credit card system;
 Underdeveloped transportation infrastructure resulting in slow and uncertain delivery of goods and
services;
 Network security problems and insufficient security safeguards;
 Lack of skilled human resources and key technologies (i.e., inadequate professional IT workforce);
 Content restriction on national security and other public policy grounds, which greatly affect business
in the field of information services, such as the media and entertainment sectors;
 Cross-border issues, such as the recognition of transactions under laws of other ASEAN member-
countries, certification services, improvement of delivery methods and customs facilitation; and
 The relatively low cost of labor, which implies that a shift to a comparatively capital intensive solution
(including investments on the improvement of the physical and network infrastructure) is not
apparent.
It is recognized that in the Information Age, Internet commerce is a powerful tool in the economic growth
of developing countries. While there are indications of e-commerce patronage among large firms in
developing countries, there seems to be little and negligible use of the Internet for commerce among
small and medium sized firms. E-commerce promises better business for SMEs and sustainable
economic development for developing countries. However, this is premised on strong political will and
good governance, as well as on a responsible and supportive private sector within an effective policy
framework. This primer seeks to provide policy guidelines toward this end.

2.2

Verbal and Non Verbal Communication

Verbal

- When people ponder the word communication, they often think about the act of talking. We rely on
verbal communication to exchange messages with one another and develop as individuals. The term
verbal communication often evokes the idea of spoken communication, but written communication is
also part of verbal communication. Reading this book you are decoding the authors’ written verbal
communication in order to learn more about communication. Let’s explore the various components
of our definition of verbal communication and examine how it functions in our lives.

Non Verbal

Like verbal communication, we use nonverbal communication to share meaning with others. This is
achieved by communicating through body language, hand gestures, facial expressions, clothing, etc.
Just as there are many definitions for verbal communication, there are also many ways to define
nonverbal communication,

2.3

Formal and Informal communication

Difference between Formal and Informal Communication

Comparison Chart
 Skill for business

3.1

Business Meeting

What Is a Business Meeting?

In essence, a business meeting is a gathering of two or more people to discuss ideas, goals and
objectives that concern the workplace. Business meetings can be conducted in person at an office or at
a different location, or even over the phone and by video conference. Meetings take place with
employees, managers, executives, clients, prospects, suppliers and partners, and anyone else related
to the organization. In most cases, a meeting needs to take place when the issue at hand is something
that cannot be properly communicated over the phone or via email, and requires face -to-face
interaction with one or more people.

The purpose of a business meeting is often to make important decisions regarding the organization.
Whether it’s deciding on a departmental issue, such as how to grow the marketing budget, or a larger
organizational matter, like how many people to lay off during a time of transition, a meeting helps to
convey ideas clearly. When speaking in person with important stakeholders, it’s easier to get across
important information effectively in order to reach the decision in question.

Another common objective for meetings includes making important announcements. These can be
about organizational changes, operational plans or a change in company direction. Often, meetings are
held when senior executives join or leave the team or when the company is celebrating a major
milestone or success. These kinds of meetings can work to increase employee engagement and
organizational harmony.

Business meetings also help to resolve conflict and solve complex problems. Conflict can be a common
occurrence in the workplace, with many different personalities working together on a team. While some
conflict is healthy and can foster growth, it can also be undesirable and require quick resolution.
Holding a meeting can help the disagreeing parties to reach an understanding. Larger problems that
involve multiple stakeholders have a better chance of being resolved in a business meeting when the
important people in question are all in one place and working toward the same goal.

Reviewing company or project progress is also a common objective of business meetings. Here, the
organization tracks how the team is doing on a particular project or how the company is faring as a
whole against planned revenue targets. By having frequent progress check -in meetings, organizations
ensure that all the relevant parties are aware of the status of important deliverab les.

How to Run Effective Business Meetings

While business meetings help organizations to make decisions and solve complex issues, they can
sometimes be an ineffective use of time if not run properly. When people come to meetings
unprepared, don’t pay attention and don’t follow up on action items, it can be seen as a waste of time.
In order to ensure that the time is used effectively, both the organizer and the participants of business
meetings need to be actively involved. If you’re organizing the meeting, prepare a meeting agenda,
outlining exactly what will be covered. If there are items that attendees should prepare for, be sure to
give them enough time to do so. Some meetings are held on a routine basis, like weekly team touch
points. For these kinds of meetings, create a template for the agenda and fill in unique items each
week.
 Review the attendee list carefully and invite only key stakeholders to the meeting. If someone that
needs to be at the meeting cannot attend, you may need to reschedule to accommodate them.
Otherwise, running a meeting with a missing stakeholder that is required for decision -making can turn
out to be ineffective.

Time is valuable, and it’s important to respect that people who attend your meeting are taking the time
out of their day to do so. As a result, it’s vital to ensure the meeting starts and ends on time. When
preparing the agenda, decide how much time you’ll need to spend on each item and run the meeting by
the clock. If you feel that the meeting is going off-track, reign it in by asking people to stick to the topics
on the agenda. If other important issues arise, table them for further discussion at another point.

In order to ensure that no important items brought up in your meeting were missed, take notes, also
called minutes. You can either write or type them out yourself during the meeting or assign someone
else in the meeting to take the notes for you. This way you will be able to concentrate on the
discussion. After the meeting, be sure to review the notes, add any missing items and send them to the
important stakeholders. Having a written record of what was discussed in the meeting can be helpful if
issues arise in the future.

After the business meeting is over, be sure to follow up on any action items that were de cided upon.
You may need to send reminders to your colleagues or touch base with them to make sure they
completed their tasks. If there are any outstanding issues that were not completed by the deadline, you
may need to have an additional discussion with that person.

Business Meeting Icebreakers

Some business meetings, especially ones where the attendees don’t know each other very well,
require ice breakers. Fun questions or short team-building activities can help to ease tensions and put
everyone on a level playing field. One of the easiest ways to break the ice at a meeting is to ask a
question that reveals a unique or interesting quirk about each person. The answers to these kinds of
questions help people relate to one another. Some examples include:

 If you were an animal, which one would you be and why?

 Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?
 If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be and why?

Icebreaker questions don’t have to deal with the topic of the meeting. They are designed t o get people
talking and listening to one another. Another great meeting icebreaker involves each attendee telling
two truths and a lie, and the rest of the attendees have to guess which item is the lie. This is a great
way to get to know the people at the meeting. Icebreakers can also come in the form of group activities.
For example, ask the people at the meeting to find someone at the meeting who has something specific
in common with them, like a pet or a brand of car. This forces people to leave their s eats and talk to
others who they may not generally speak with.

Some icebreaker activities involve a bit of preparation on the meeting organizer’s part. One activity
includes writing the name of celebrities on small pieces of paper and sticking a name on th e back of
each attendee. In this game, each attendee has to ask yes or no questions about the person whose
name is on their back, trying to guess who it is.

Business Meetings Etiquette

While the culture of your organization will inform how you should behave at business meetings, there
are some aspects of meeting etiquette that are universal. One of the best ways to attend a meeting is
to be prepared. This means knowing what is on the agenda and having done the preparation or
research to go along with the items you’re responsible for. For example, if an agenda item involves
 discussing a marketing plan that you’re working on, it’s important to go to the meeting with the plan
notes in hand, ready to discuss them in detail. It’s also equally important to arrive on time.

Focusing on the meeting instead of your smartphone or laptop is another way to demonstrate your
professionalism, so turn off your phone and shut your laptop during the meeting. If you need to access
any files on your laptop for the meeting, be sure to turn off your email so you’re not distracted by
incoming messages. Remember that the meeting requires your attention and dividing it between your
phone or laptop will not result in an effective discussion.

Being a good listener and an active participant are central aspects of attending a business meeting. Be
sure to follow along with what people are saying, ask questions when you’re not sure of something and
provide answers or insight on items you’re responsible for. Your body language is also part of being an
active participant; this means sitting up tall instead of slouching in your chair and making eye contact
with the people you’re speaking to.

Depending on the type of meeting you attend, you may want to send a thank you note to the meeting
organizer or the people you met with. This might be appropriate if you’re meeting with an important
client or prospect. You can thank them for their time and reiterate some important things you discussed
in the meeting to show your enthusiasm.

Business Meeting Minutes Template

When you’re tasked with recording the minutes of a meeting, it can seem like a stressful job. A few tips
can help you note all of the important points in a meeting without missing anything. It’s important to
understand the purpose of minutes. The notes taken during a meeting are meant to be a written record
of what took place there. These notes can be helpful for the attendees to remember what was said or
they can provide a breakdown of the meeting for those that were not able to attend. As a result, it’s
important to take down all the key items discussed during the meeting, including decisions made, tasks
or next steps planned and resolutions achieved.

Before attending a meeting, write out a simple template that you can fill in while taking no tes. Get a
copy of the agenda for the meeting and use it as a guide. At the top of the agenda, add a space for
noting the names of all the meeting attendees. If there are key stakeholders missing, you’ll want to note
that as well in case you need to follow up with them later. Depending on the type of meeting and the
topics to be discussed, there are a number of items you can add to the minutes template:

 Date and time of the meeting.

 Date and time of the next meeting, if one is being scheduled.
 Names of attendees and names of any key missing stakeholders.
 Decisions that were made or options that were discussed for each agenda item.
 Next steps for each agenda item.
 Agenda items which were not discussed at the meeting, but will be carried over to the next m eeting.
 Any new business that was not indicated on the original agenda.
 Tasks or action items and the individuals they were assigned to, including due dates if specified.

3.2

Briefings

A briefing is an informational or instructional meeting. Thus, a business briefing occurs when you
hold a meeting to give employees information or instructions on new policies, objectives, strategies
or assignments. In very small organizations, all employees might participate in single briefings. In
larger or more spread-out small business operations, store or department managers often hold
briefings specific to their teams.

3.3

Conference

Generally speaking, meetings and conferences are all events where people get together to consider a particular
subject; usually the difference is one of scale. Meetings can be more informal, usually involve just a few people and
can often be held in-house.

Conferences on the other hand, can be held in house but more often than not are held externally as they can involve
larger numbers of attendees and people from different businesses. Hotels and Conference & Training centres are
often better placed to offer the facilities, equipment and environment required for a successful event.

Meetings can be called at any time, in any space available and are usually informal. A group of people getting
together to discuss a subject, whereas a Conference is usually formal, will have an agenda and a programme of
activities planned. Some conferences will be residential over a number of days and the delegates will participate in
team building and other activities.

Hotels and purpose built Conference & Training centres are ideal for handling individual company's requirements,
they will have onsite experienced staff to assist and ensure the event runs smoothly. Some Conference centres are
not residential and therefore accommodation will have to be found off site, which is sometimes not convenient. Other
Conference centres will be able to accommodate large groups of people and also offer special 24 hour rate
packages, including overnight accommodation, dinner and room hire, refreshments during the day and equipment.

Ask your Conference booking agent to source the best possible venue to meet your requirements and negotiate the
best 'value for money' package to suit your delegates

3.4

Writing the minutes of meeting

Enhance your minute taking with Diligent Minutes, a tool that is integrated with Diligent Boards™ and
enables you to take board meeting minutes more efficiently. You will also be able to easily assign action
items, all within a secure ecosystem

Diligent Meeting Minutes is a critical component of Governance Cloud, Diligent’s ecosystem of

enterprise management governance (EMG) that a llows for end-to-end governance management.
As Minute taking is mandatory in board meetings, but the process is usually manual, insecure, or
both.

3.5

Communication Technology in Business

Technology is developed to meet a problem or opportunity. Businesses use technology to extend their

abilities and to serve their customers. Business owners or entrepreneurs have the vision to recognize

consumer wants and to devise ways to meet them. However, they will need to use technology to

accomplish some of these goals, and in most cases, they will have to hire experienced technical people
who can use technology to implement these ideas. Nowadays it’s challenging for a business to

gain competitive advantage without using technology.

Business owners and managers must know the importance of technology in business, and they have to

plan on how to use it well so that they increase on (RIO) Return on Investment. Technology is used in

various ways; businesses can use technology in manufacturing, improving customer care, transportation,

human resource management, business communication, use technology to improve their services or

products as a way of gaining competitive advantage .etc. However, for a business to get the best out of

technology, they have to plan and manage this technology very well.

MANAGEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY IN A BUSINESS:

Management is an act of planning, directing, and evaluating any activity. Management involves ”authority”

(the right to direct actions) and responsibility (accountability for actions). The production and use of

technology in business have to be well managed to increase output and Return on Investment. Managers

have the responsibility to make decisions that ensure that the company is thriving. The authority of a

business manager may include hiring a technical person to manage business technology, purchasing of

technological materials, developing products, setting pay rates, etc.

PLANNING:

Planning determines the sequences of operations needed to complete a particular task. Preparation is the

backbone of most production systems. Once a business decides to use technology as a way of improving

on its services and productions, the manager and his technical team have to create a plan on how to use

this technology to gain competitive advantage and increase on their (RIO) return on investment.
Implementing technology in a business can be costly, so there has to be a plan on how to make money

and get back all the investment injected in this new technology.

Below I have listed detailed points on the use of technology in business.

 Improve customer care service: The primary goal of any business is to serve its

customers. It does not matter whether your business makes dog food or helps big

organizations, the only reason you will stay in business is to serve your customers well and

on time. Serving the needs of customers goes beyond offering the best service or product. It

involves understanding what your customers want, so even though your product or service is

excellent, ”do your customers need to use it?”. As a business, you can use technology to

improve your customer service in so many ways. (1) Get customer data and information

using information technology tools like websites cookies and online surveys. You can create

a website for your business and get feed backs on what your customers need so that you

tailor your service basing on what they need. (2) Use technology to simplify the way

customers pay for your services or products. If your service or product can be ordered online,

provide multiple forms of payment via your website; (3) Use electronic mail to notify your

customers about new deals and discounts, this will make customers feel cared for and it will

drive them to buy.

Increase in production: As opposed to human labor, technology is efficient and fast.

Production activities have two primary goals; to produce a product or produce a structure.

Production activities that make products are called manufacturing activities. Most businesses

are involved in the manufacturing of products, and these businesses need to utilize the two

factors of production which include time and efficiency. A business can use technology to

automate certain areas of production, this will help the business increase in its output, and it

will also enable the business to serve its customers on time. People want to get what they
 want when they need it on time. So if a business implements technology in its production

process, they will save time and deliver the product to the end user on time. For example, a

small bakery can decide to automate production by installing temperature sensors in the

production room and then employ one technical person who will receive data sent by this

automated temperature sensor. The sensor will submit reports on when the temperature is

high or low so that the technical teams know what to do. This will help in saving time as well

as led to product of high-quality bakery product because a bakery business is more

dependent on heat and temperature control.

Manage human resource: A business can not operate without experienced employees.

However small businesses may be, it will need to hire experts to complete specific tasks. So

how does a business use technology in its human resource management? (1) A

business can use the internet to recruit experienced labor. Nowadays their so many job

portals which allow business post jobs for free and get applicants. Most of these Job portals

have even integrated video services which can help the applicant explain about them selves

in a visual form, then they can submit required documents and references to the recruiter’s

email through the Job portal. (2) Human resource managers can use technology to assign

tasks to new employees and test them; the same technology can be used to monitor the

performance and behavior of the employee

 Improve on business communication: Communication is one of the primary drivers of a

business. Communication helps in the flow of information within a business. The use of

communication technology can simplify the flow of information between a business and its

customers, suppliers, employees, and investors. A business can use communication

technology tools like electronic mail, mobile phones, and text messaging services, social

networks to engage and collect relevant information. Read more on this topic here
  Can be used as a catalyst for innovation: Technology can improve the level of innovation

in business. Using technological tools like the internet can help the business find relevant

information which can be used to expand their business and also create new production

lines. It is critical to do research and read about your competition, this will help you

understand your competitors and it will also help you know new emerging technologies which

you can implement and gain competitive advantage.

READING AND WRITING SKILLS

4.1

Skill in marketing in business

Key general marketing skills

If you are applying to entry-level jobs, it's not as important to show experience as it is to show some

fundamental qualities that convey your potential for great marketing work. These key qualities are

important no matter how long you've been in the field.

On your resume, list descriptive examples of:

 Exceptional communication skills. Show that you are a great communicator by describing how you've
successfully used effective writing and oral skills. Marketing is knowing how to appeal to people, how
to communicate an idea, story, or feeling most effectively.
 Creativity and imagination. Marketers have to come up with fresh, new, and exciting ways of branding
products and services and brainstorm ways to create mass appeal for those products and services.
This requires an enormous amount of creativity.
 Interpersonal skills. Marketing consists of engaging people, so solid interpersonal skills are necessary
for doing the job well. You will also be working with teams of other marketers and constantly interacting
with creators in connected fields like design and publishing. Good interpersonal skills are especially
crucial for big, collaborative projects.
 Influencer abilities. Influencers have a natural or learned ability to encourage others to think in new
ways, to reconsider perspectives. They know how to inspire and generate interest in any idea and have
an underlying psychological astuteness and emotional awareness, all qualities for successful
marketing.
 Business savvy. Marketers need good business sense and should understand the practical and
intuitive rules of commerce. Marketing goals are intrinsically connected to business goals.
 Analytic skills and numeracy. Depending on the specific job description, you will need to interpret and
analyze online traffic results, conversion rates, statistics, and so on. Comfort with numbers, graphs,
and charts is a valuable asset.

Trend-savvy marketing skills

The array of new tools, ideas, and approaches in the marketing world is dazzling. You can impress any

employer with your command of relatively new and constantly expanding marketing trends, like content

marketing, social media, mobile, and email marketing.

List and describe your competencies with specific apps, software, and online marketing tools like Google

Analytics or Hootsuite. Show your design savvy with software and platforms like Adobe Photoshop or

Canva.

Niche marketing skills and experience

Depending on the kind of marketing job you are applying for, you may have to show specific certification

or training in a certain field. Many marketers focus on specialized or niche industries.

To do market research for a biotech company, you may have to show a background in related fields like

biology or biochemistry. On the other hand, a marketing job for a sports magazine may ask for some

familiarity with the sports marketing niche.

Your resume is your moment to stand out. Do your research so that you understand the needs of your

potential employer. Tailor the marketing skills on your resume to engage with those needs. Use

descriptive examples and focus on proven attributes to create a strong impression.

4.2

Skill in business purposes

Essential business skills

You will require a number of skills to start and run a business. It is important to identify the skills you need

to develop or improve so that you can succeed in your day-to-day business operations.
These business skills are essential

Financial management

Being able to effectively manage your finances is critical. You will need to be able to forecast your cash

flow and sales, as well as, monitor your profit and loss. You will also need to declare your income to the

Australian Tax Office.

Having sound financial management skills will help you to run your business profitably and protect your

financial investment.

Find out more about managing your financials.

Marketing, sales and customer service

It is important to be able to promote your products or services effectively. Providing good customer

service and having a marketing strategy in place will help you to generate sales.

Find out more about marketing.

Communication and negotiation

You will need to communicate and negotiate with your suppliers, potential investors, customers and

employees. Having effective written and verbal communication skills will help you to build good working

relationships. Every communication should reflect the image you are trying to project.

Leadership
If you employ people, leadership will be a key skill. You must be able to motivate your staff in order to get

the best out of them and improve productivity. Allocate time to mentor and coach your employees.

Find out more about employing staff.

Project management and planning

Starting a business means you will have to manage a range of projects, such as setting up a website,

arranging the fit-out of your premises and developing a range of policies and procedures. Knowing how to

effectively manage your resources, including time, money and staff will help you to achieve your goals.

Delegation and time management

Failure to delegate is a trap many business owners fall into usually because they are reluctant to let go of

control. Managing your time effectively may mean delegating responsibility to someone else in the

business or outsourcing. Identifying who you can delegate tasks to, allows you to concentrate on those

tasks that generate revenue.

Problem solving

However much you plan, you will encounter problems in your business. This means you need to be able

to make good decisions, sometimes under pressure.

Networking

Building good relationships through networking will help you to grow your business and give you the

support you’ll need.

Consider joining an industry or business association to grow your network.

Further your knowledge and skills

Running a business is a demanding task. Seek assistance if you are unsure about your abilities and

skills. Developing the necessary skills will provide your business with solid foundations.

GRAPHIC IN BUSINESS

5.1

Graphic or Visual

What is the Difference Between Graphic Design and Visual Communications?

Choosing between graphic design and visual communications can be particularly challenging for some
artistically minded students, especially since these fields are often confused as nearly identical in nature.
In reality, however, graphic design is actually quite a bit different than the visual communication field.
Students will learn a broader number of topics in a communications-oriented major or career field, and
they’ll be responsible for a comprehensive approach to communicating with customers or clients in a
visual way. Graphic design, by contrast is quite narrowly focused only on making a visual representation
of key concepts within a visual method of communication, like advertising or web design. Before choosing
between these fields, consider their key differences and professional responsibilities.
Visual Communications: The Well-Rounded Approach for Designers
The visual communication field is focused on communicating with clients and customers through any
visual means available. That means students will learn graphic design, illustration, animation,
photography, and even the modification, or airbrushing, of photographs to better illustrate a given point.
These skills are considered broad and comprehensive, and they prepare graduates to enter a number of
exciting fields within the communications industry. Available career paths include graphic design,
professional photography or retouching, illustration and professional animation, advertising, website
design, and visual marketing departments.

Students in a visual communication program are generally either encouraged or required to choose an
area of concentration, which can help them target their skills more broadly. Concentrations do include
graphic design, but also include digital animation, professional digital photography, animation, computer
illustration, mixed visual media, and advertising.

Graphic Design: A Narrow Focus for Highly Specialized Skills

The key thing to remember about graphic design, especially when compared to visual communication, is
that it’s a narrow, highly specialized field that focuses only on the creation of key graphics for a broader
advertising campaign, website, or print materials. Graphic designers do not come with the broad set of
skills that covers everything from animation to photography, nor do they produce a completely finished,
visual product for clients. Instead, they focus on creating key graphical elements that fit within a broader
visual communication process.

As a result, graphic designers typically learn a larger number of key computer applications, and they learn
how to fit their graphics into websites, print media, digital and print ads, and broader marketing efforts.
They’ll also learn the intricacies of color selection, communications team collaboration, and new file
formats that make images smaller in file size and more portable overall. These skills will scale well as
graphic design standards and best practices change over time, and will set up graphic design graduates
as key, expert advisers to visual communicators without a specialized skill set in this particular field.
Two Growing Areas of Expertise for Design and Communication
Visual communicators focus on a large number of different methods to get their point across:
Photography, digital design, unique illustrations, presentations, and even animations, all fall under their
large umbrella of training and expertise. While visual communications are more broadly trained, graphic
designers are not. Their focus is narrowly limited to the design and development of key graphics for
insertion into digital and print media, websites, mobile apps, and more. Together, however, these two
types of professionals make it easier to communicate a company’s key points and marketing efforts in a
way that is bright, vivid, and graphically appealing, no matter the type of media being used.

5.2

Correspondence for business purposes

Business correspondence is a form of written communication used for business purposes. It is usually
made between organizations, within the organization, or between clients and the organization. Email can
be considered as a form of business correspondence when used to represent a company or for the
purpose of the business.

Written communication is important in a business for various reasons. It serves as a formal way of
exchanging information while maintaining professional relationships between organizations, employees,
and clients. It can also serve as future reference for the information being communicated.

The 5 most common types of business correspondence

1. Internal Correspondence

Internal correspondence is a written communication between the employees, units, departments, and
branches of the same organization. Internal correspondence can either be formal or less formal. Routine
internal correspondence are usually less formal, such as quick instructions between a supervisor and a
staff, and these are normally in the form of email.

There are other more formal types of internal correspondence which include promotion letter, written
reprimand, notice to explain, memorandum, formal requests for approval, and letter of approval or
dismissal. These types of communication are ideally printed on paper, signed by the sender, and
physically received by the recipient.
2. External Correspondence

External correspondence takes place between different organizations, or between an organization and
their individual clients. This is a form of written communication made by a company to those who do not
belong to their organization.

External correspondence is commonly made to vendors, creditors, suppliers, existing customers,

prospective clients, financial institutions, government offices, law and accounting firms, business affiliates,
sponsors or donors, and other offices that have either direct or indirect business relationship with the
company.

3. Sales Correspondence

Sales correspondence refers to sales-related communications. It is not limited to just selling a product or
service, but it also includes other activities relating to sales. Sales correspondence include marketing
letters, offer and discount letters, sales proposals, invoices, statement of accounts, sales reports, order
confirmation, purchase orders, letters of authorization, collection letters, and such.

For the purpose of selling, it is important to know how to write quality sales letters to be able to
communicate effectively. Also, marketing and offer letters should reflect truthful and non-misleading
information. Other kinds of sales correspondence — such as invoice, purchase orders, and collection
letters — must contain accurate information.

4. Personalized Correspondence

Personalized correspondence involved personal and emotional factors. Despite being labeled as
“personalized”, this type of correspondence can also be used for business purposes. Examples of
personalized correspondence include letters of gratitude, letters of favours or requests, appreciation
notes, letters of congratulations of commendation, and such.

This particular type of correspondence doesn’t need to have a very formal tone. Though this can be done
via email, writing an actual, physical letter is more preferable because it has a sense of personal touch.
You may use a regular office paper for this, or perhaps a personalized yet cheap note pads, or a greeting
card for a certain purpose (e.g. Thank You card, Congratulations card, etc).
5. Circulars

Circulars are notices that are communicated to a large number of people within the organization. It is also
referred to as office instructions or announcements. Often, general announcements (such as changes in
contact information, details about meetings with shareholders, instructions about certain protocols, etc)
are being communicated via circulars.

5.3

Business Reports and proposal

Composing Business Reports and Proposals

Business reports are used as a way of communicating to other businesses and investors the successes
and About page of a business reportfuture plans of the company. Therefore, business reports are
essential to every company. Typically, a business report will start with a formal introduction that states a
problem the business aims to solve. Then, the body of the report gives facts and hypothesis used to solve
these problem/s. The conclusion will tie up all loose ends and give goals to be reached in future business
ventures.

Writing A Business Report

When writing a business report, it is important to remember the following tips:

Know the audience that will be reading the report.

Use a professional and objective business style.

Include factual information that proves your statements.

Organize this factual data in easy-to-read charts and graphs.

Keep all sections well-organized and in an easy-to-navigate fashion.

Audience

The audience of the report should be identified early in the writing process. An audience’s background,
knowledge, and need for the information need to be characterized for the report to be usable. Further
questions as to why the audience needs this information should also be identified. What circumstances
brought about the need for this information? In answering these questions early in the writing process, the
author will be able to anticipate questions the reader might have.

Purpose

Remember when compiling a business report that it needs to hold the interest of the reader. To
accomplish this goal, one must be attentive to the overall design. There should be enough factual
information to make the report credible, but not so much dry, technical language as to lose the reader on
the first page. By interspersing charts, graphs, and pictures, the author will increase the likelihood that the
report will hold the reader’s interest and focus.

It is always a beneficial to begin the report with an eye-catching picture or question. This can persuade
the reader to read further to find the answer or to see how the picture fits into the overall report. After this,
it is important to include factual data. If possible, ask questions of the reader throughout. This allows the
reader to become more involved in the overall process, which keeps their attention. A business report
should be written assuming the reader has little knowledge of the company because these reports are
read by those in and out of the organization. Business reports should have a cohesive message so
readers to not draw incorrect conclusions.

Graphics

It is important to include graphics in a report. Graphics are visual descriptions of information that can be
easily understood by the reader. In many work settings the audience is a business professional with
limited time. Various graphics can help to convey the pertinent information quickly. It is important to take
the reader centered approach when creating graphics. Consider your audience and what information you
want to convey. Examples of graphics are:

pie charts: Pie charts are useful for showing different portions or divisions of a whole. For example,
showing what percentages of expenses come from which department in a company.

bar graphs: Bar graphs can be used to show the amounts or frequency of occurrence of different
characteristics of data.

trend graphs: Trend graphs show how data is distributed over time. Trend graphs are also known as X/Y
scatter plots.

pictures: Pictures and illustrations are useful in manuals or instructions to show the subject you are
writing about. They can also make a document more interesting and intriguing.

Report with images

Graphics are powerful tools in report writing but they are not always appropriate. If there is not a place for
a graph or other graphic in the report do not try to force one in. Not only will an unnecessary graph clutter
a report, it will weaken your credibility. Take care to make sure that the graphic you choose delivers the
message and information you want.

Factual Detail

A good report includes factual details that support the purpose of the report. Keep the reader in mind
when selecting these details because too many technical details may be difficult to understand. The
details should support the purpose of the report and be necessary for the reader to be persuaded.
Research Methods

While composing a business report or any report requiring factual information it is important to conduct
research. By using credible information you will establish credibility, meet your reader’s needs, and
persuade your audience. The following are 5 methods of conducting research.

Using your memory and creativity to explore ideas

• Brainstorming, free writing, or creating flow charts, matrices, or cluster sketches

Internet

• Using search engines or internet directories. Be careful during this to ensure proper citation and the
sights you are getting information from are credible sources and not just a bloggers opinion.

Libraries

• Using indexes, references, government documents, or computerized full-text sources

Interviewing

• Conducting a face-to-face interview or telephone interview. Make sure you know something about the
person or have a reference. People are generally more willing to set up interviews when they are not
“cold calls”

Surveys

• Conducting a survey to retrieve information from a large group of people. When dealing with the results,
remember who it is that you surveyed to see if there could be skewed results.

Documentation
Information borrowed from another source needs to be cited. Variations of citation methods can be used
for the report. The most important part is making sure to include citations. Not only will you lose credibility
among colleges for plagiarism, you can be sued and fined by the original author.

5.4

Business presentation media management

Managing media for your company’s presentations

Slide management is not simply managing the order in which your slides are presented (although that’s
paramount.) It also addresses the way in which companies or departments can share the creative content
they generate for all of their presentations more broadly throughout their organizations.

9 Tips For More Powerful Business Presentations

1. Establish Your Credibility Right Up Front

Lets face it, your audience is more likely to listen to what you have to say if they know you are credible.
And it’s not about a lengthy intro with your career highlights.

Instead, whether giving a public presentation or an internal presentation, start your presentation by
establishing credibility before you give them information.

2. Include a Goal Early in the Presentation

If your audience knows the purpose or goal of the presentation from the start, they are more likely to
relate what you have to say with that purpose as you present your material. This makes it easier at the
end to get the action you want, whether it’s funding, approval to proceed with an initiative, to change their
minds, or simply get agreement and understanding.

It will also help you shape your presentation by focusing you on that goal rather than straying from the
primary purpose.

3. Use Supporting Material Liberally

Even if you establish your credibility, you also need to establish the credibility of what you say during your
presentation. Instead of just presenting the material, accompany it with information that supports it and
gives it credibility. You don’t have to include it in your slides, but make sure it is in your speaking notes.
For instance, you can tell a story, give statistics, reference research, or even provide quotes from well-
respected figures that support your message.

And don’t be shy about addressing credibility. You can even say “you may be sceptical about this, but ...”
or “I know this is surprising, but ...”

4. Begin Separate Ideas with Powerful Quotations or Images

For more impact, introduce each separate topic or idea with a relevant quotation or full-screen image that
evokes the topic instead of using a stock title slide. Add a word or two about the topic if you have to, or
simply say it out loud and let the quote or image support it.

This gives your topic more impact since a strong quote or image will stick in their minds as they listen to
the related material. It also breaks up the presentation, particularly if you have no choice but to include
dry material like sales graphs or bullet points in your PowerPoint presentation.

5. Ask Thought-Provoking or Rhetorical Questions

An effective way to convey information is to ask a question first instead of launching into the presentation
material. This will get them thinking about the material in the context you want.

For instance, you could say “You might wonder why ...”; “When I started to look at this issue, I asked
myself ...”; or “How much longer should we ...?”

Be sure to consider your audience and the things they would wonder about, and phrase your questions
so you answer those things for them, while at the same time advancing your message and your goals for
the presentation.

6. Make Startling Statements

Sometimes the best way to get attention about information you are presenting is to make startling
statements. It gets their attention and if you can back it up with your information, you will drive home your
point.

If necessary, you can pull one fact out and use it, even if it isn’t your main point. It is simply a catalyst for
your message.

7. Be Prepared for Difficult Questions

Questions may come up during your presentation or even at the Q&A session, so you need to be
prepared for the most difficult ones, particularly ones that may derail your presentation or subvert your
goal. Since you should know your topic and your audience, you should plan for these kinds of questions.

Consider all the objections the audience might have or questions they may raise about your points and
information. Include the most critical ones within your presentation to sideline objections, or be prepared
to answer them when they come up.

This can be as simple as being able to justify statements or address concerns about an approach from
subject matter experts like finance, IT, HR, etc., who may be part of your audience.

8. Have Your Own Questions Ready in Case Nobody Asks One

Regardless of whether you are doing a public presentation or a focused business presentation, you
should leave time for questions and answers at the end. If nobody asks a question, be prepared with your
own questions that you can then answer. Ease into them by saying something like “I’m usually asked…”
or “One thing you might still be wondering about is ...”

Of course, your questions should be directly related to getting your message across and achieving your
goal, so use them strategically. Even if you get questions, you can still use yours at the end of the Q&A.

9. Have a Second (Short) Closing After the Q&A

Just like an encore or a curtain call, you should include a short closing after the questions. This is the time
to summarize (again) and drive home your key messages and points, including your call to action.
If you need to, you can prepare a slide for this, but you should be able to do the final closing without a
slide to support you.

MEDIA MANAGEMENT

6.1

Mass Communication

is the process of exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. In
other words, mass communication refers to imparting and exchanging information on a large scale to a
wide range of people. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as these
technologies are used for the dissemination of information, of which journalism and advertising are part
of. Mass communication differs from other forms of communication, such as interpersonal communication
or organizational communication, because it focuses on particular resources transmitting information to
numerous receivers. The study of mass communication is chiefly concerned with how the content of mass
communication persuades or otherwise affects the behavior, the attitude, opinion, or emotion of the
people receiving the information.

Normally, transmission of messages to many persons at a time is called mass communication. But in a
complete sense, mass communication can be defined as the process through which some information is
circulated extensively among people nearby and also throughout far extending areas such as entire
countries or the globe.

Through mass communication, information can be transmitted quickly to many people who generally stay
far away from the sources of information. Mass communication is being done through many mediums,
such as radio, television, social networking, billboards, newspapers, magazines, film, and the Internet.

6.2

Public Relation

is the practice of deliberately managing the spread of information between an individual or an

organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) and the public.Public
relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of
public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. This differentiates it from advertising as
a form of marketing communications. Public relations is the idea of creating coverage for clients for free,
rather than marketing or advertising. But now, advertising is also a part of greater PR Activities. An
example of good public relations would be generating an article featuring a client, rather than paying for
the client to be advertised next to the article. The aim of public relations is to inform the public,
prospective customers, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders and ultimately persuade
them to maintain a positive or favorable view about the organization, its leadership, products, or political
decisions. Public relations professionals typically work for PR and marketing firms, businesses and
companies, government, and public officials as PIOs and nongovernmental organizations, and nonprofit
organizations. Jobs central to public relations include account coordinator, account executive, account
supervisor, and media relations manager.

Public relations specialists establish and maintain relationships with an organization's target audience, the
media, relevant trade media, and other opinion leaders. Common responsibilities include designing
communications campaigns, writing news releases and other content for news, working with the press,
arranging interviews for company spokespeople, writing speeches for company leaders, acting as an
organisation's spokesperson, preparing clients for press conferences, media interviews and speeches,
writing website and social media content, managing company reputation (crisis management), managing
internal communications, and marketing activities like brand awareness and event management Success
in the field of public relations requires a deep understanding of the interests and concerns of each of the
company's many stakeholders. The public relations professional must know how to effectively address
those concerns using the most powerful tool of the public relations trade, which is publicity.

6.3

Press Release

A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is an official statement
delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, an official statement, or
making an announcement. A press release is traditionally composed of nine structural elements. Press
releases can be delivered to members of the media both physically and electronically.

Press release material can benefit media corporations because they help decrease costs and improve the
amount of material a firm can output in a certain amount of time. Due to the material being pre-packaged,
press releases save journalists time, not only in writing a story, but also the time and money it would have
taken to capture the news firsthand

Although using a press release can save a company time and money, it constrains the format and style of
distributed media. In the digital age, consumers want to get their information instantly which puts pressure
on the news media to output as much material as possible. This may cause news media companies to
heavily rely on press releases in order to create stories.

Elements

An example of a press release, a Wikipedia press release template prepared by the Wikimedia
Foundation communications team

Any information deliberately sent to a reporter or media source is considered a press release as it is
information released by the act of being sent to the media. Public relations professionals often follow a
standard professional format for press releases. Additional communication methods that journalists
employ include pitch letters and media advisories. Generally, a press release body consists of four to five
paragraphs with a word limit ranging from 400 to 500.

Press release length can range from 300 to 800 words

Common structural elements include:

Letterhead or Logo

Media Contact Information – name, phone number, email address, mailing address, or other contact
information for the PR or other media relations contact person.

Headline – used to grab the attention of journalists and briefly summarize the news.

Dek – A sub-headline that describes the headline in more detail.

Dateline – contains the release date and usually the originating city of the press release. If the date listed
is after the date that the information was actually sent to the media, then the sender is requesting a news
embargo.

Introduction – first paragraph in a press release, that generally gives basic answers to the questions of
who, what, when, where and why.

Body – further explanation, statistics, background, or other details relevant to the news.

Boilerplate – generally a short "about" section, providing independent background on the issuing
company, organization, or individual.

Close – in North America, traditionally the symbol "-30-" appears after the boilerplate or body and before
the media contact information, indicating to media that the release has ended. A more modern equivalent
has been the "###" symbol. In other countries, other means of indicating the end of the release may be
used, such as the text "ends".

As the Internet has assumed growing prominence in the news cycle, press release writing styles have
evolved. Editors of online newsletters, for instance, often lack the staff to convert traditional press release
prose into print-ready copy.

6.4

Press Conference

was a public-affairs television program aired in the United States in the mid-1950s.

Press Conference was similar in format and content to the long-running Meet the Press and was
moderated by one of that program's creators, pioneering female journalist Martha Rountree. On the
program, a current newsmaker, generally but not always a politician, was questioned by a panel of
newspersons in a typical press conference format. As usually done in a traditional press conference, the
subject was allowed to make an opening statement (although not all chose to do so) prior to fielding
questions.

Press Conference was launched on NBC in July 1956, but that fall moved to ABC. Initially shown in prime
time, the program drew only a minimal, public-affairs oriented audience running against two high-profile
Sunday night variety series, The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS and The Steve Allen Show on NBC; however,
its appearance helped ABC to meet the public-interest requirements imposed on United States
broadcasters by the Federal Communications Commission. Press Conference was moved to Sunday
afternoon for three months in early 1957, prior to returning to prime time in April of that year under a new
title, Martha Rountree's Press Conference. The program ended in July 1957.

6.5

Social Media

are interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information,
ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. The variety of
stand-alone and built-in social media services currently available introduces challenges of definition;
however, there are some common features:

Social media are interactive Web 2.0 Internet-based applications.

User-generated content, such as text posts or comments, digital photos or videos, and data generated
through all online interactions, is the lifeblood of social media.

Users create service-specific profiles and identities for the website or app that are designed and
maintained by the social media organization.

Social media facilitate the development of online social networks by connecting a user's profile with those
of other individuals or groups.

Users usually access social media services via web-based technologies on desktops and laptops, or
download services that offer social media functionality to their mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and
tablets). As users engage with these electronic services, they create highly interactive platforms through
which individuals, communities, and organizations can share, co-create, discuss, participate and modify
user-generated content or self-curated content posted online.

Networks formed through social media change the way groups of people interact and communicate or
stand with the votes. They "introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between
organizations, communities, and individuals. These changes are the focus of the emerging fields of
technoself studies. Social media differ from paper-based media (e.g., magazines and newspapers) and
traditional electronic media such as TV broadcasting, Radio broadcasting in many ways, including quality]
reach, frequency, interactivity, usability, immediacy, and performance. Social media outlets operate in a
dialogic transmission system (many sources to many receivers).This is in contrast to traditional media
which operates under a mono-logic transmission model (one source to many receivers), such as a
newspaper which is delivered to many subscribers, or a radio station which broadcasts the same
programs to an entire city. Some of the most popular social media websites, with over 100 million
registered users, include Facebook (and its associated Facebook Messenger), YouTube, WeChat,
Instagram, QQ, QZone, Weibo, Twitter, Tumblr, Telegram, Baidu Tieba, LinkedIn, LINE, Snapchat,
Pinterest, Viber and VK.

Observers have noted a range of positive and negative impacts of social media use. Social media can
help to improve an individual's sense of connectedness with real or online communities and can be an
effective communication (or marketing) tool for corporations, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations,
advocacy groups, political parties, and governments

TECHNICAL REPORTS WRITING

7.1

Procedures

A procedure is an established method of accomplishing a task, usually with steps that are performed in a
prescribed order.

What Does Procedure Mean?

What is the definition of procedure? These systems are basically sequential actions that are designed to
complete a task. In the business world, all company operations can be broken down into categories called
processes. These processes are the building blocks for company procedures.

Procedures don’t typically change and are performed in the same order to provide standardized and
consistent end results. Guides, trainings, and tutorials are typical methods of communicating processes to
the employees of an organization, so they can implement the procedures to achieve the company’s goals.

Let’s look at an example.

In a business setting procedures should be very clear and leave little grey-area to staff interpretation. The
characteristics of a clear procedure would be fact-driven, concise, concrete, instructional, and relevant.
Officials and executives often provide procedures for actions that require documentation or have negative
effects if certain actions aren’t performed correctly.

Jennifer is given a new employee guide that gives her thorough steps on how to register a customer and
input their information. There are key processes she must do in a specific order. Certain paper work must
be submitted within strict time periods. Not submitting the documents on time may cause a loss of profit
for the business and a loss of service to the customer.
The instructional guide showing her the way to properly complete the process is a procedure; it gives her
definite times to perform the duties and doesn’t leave much room for interpretations. It can’t be too
specific because some situations will require judgement. All procedures should be conducive to the
business objective and should be approved by officials before being deemed as “standard”.

Many issues and complications with customer service and business processes occur in the misuse or
misinterpretation of procedures and areas left to assumption. This is may also be a source of confusion to
end-user and customers.

Summary Definition

Define Procedures: Procedure means a group of tasks typically done in a standard order to achieve a
task.

7.2

Writting Technies

English writing techniques

You can use several different writing techniques to make your writing more engaging and exciting and
keep your audiences reading until the end of your pieces. The list below includes just a few literary and
narrative techniques you can try the next time you’re writing and you want to try something new.

Alliteration and assonance

To tell a tale that tantalizes the throngs, try alliteration, which refers to using the same sound, usually a
consonant, at the beginnings of words near each other in a sentence. Conversely, assonance is the use
of vowel sounds within words near each other in a sentence, such as the long ‘e’ and ‘i’ sounds in ‘The
Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe: ‘Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…’

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is the best, most exciting literary technique authors can use. Well, not really. It involves using
exaggeration to make a point or get an idea across to your reader. Have you ever heard someone say
they had to ‘wait forever’ for something to happen? They were using hyperbole. We can find an example
of hyperbole in W.H. Auden’s ‘As I Walked One Evening’: ‘I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you / Till China and
Africa meet’. China and Africa would never meet in the narrator’s lifetime; thus, he’s using exaggeration to
show that he will love the person he’s speaking to for his entire lifetime.

Metaphors

For writers, finding a way to compare two things is sometimes a battle. Luckily, they can use metaphors,
which are figures of speech in which writers describe or refer to something by mentioning something else.
The connection between the two things referred to in the metaphor might not be readily apparent. Writers
have been using metaphors to compare things to each other for a very long time; for example,
Shakespeare wrote the famous metaphor ‘All the world’s a stage’. The world isn’t literally a stage; he’s
comparing the world to a stage on which men and women are actors, making the line a metaphor.

Similes

Similes are like metaphors, except similes must include a connecting word such as ‘like’ or ‘as’ (you can
remember this rule by remembering that ‘simile’ and ‘as’ both have the letter ‘s’ in them); a metaphor, on
the other hand, just says that one thing is another thing. A famous example of a simile is from the poem
‘A Red, Red Rose’ by Robert Burns: ‘O my luve’s like a red, red rose, / That’s newly sprung in June’.

Personification

Engaging text jumps off the page and ensnares readers. Using personification, which involves giving a
thing, idea, animal, or anything else that isn’t human qualities that are normally associated with people
(e.g. text can’t jump). A famous example of personification comes from E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web:
‘“You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte, “That in itself is a tremendous thing.”’ In this book,
Charlotte, a spider, is given the human ability to speak; note that the personification of animals is
sometimes referred to as anthropomorphism.

Foreshadowing

Many great authors have used foreshadowing, a technique in which a writer includes hints in the text
letting readers know what will happen at the end of the story. These hints can be very clear and forthright,
or they can be exceedingly subtle. In an example of very clear foreshadowing, JRR Tolkien included this
text in his book The Hobbit, when Gandalf tells Bilbo Baggins and his party: ‘Be good, take care of
yourselves—and DON’T LEAVE THE PATH’. Of course, Bilbo and his companions leave the path, which
readers can see coming due to the emphasis Tolkien used in the original warning. Shakespeare’s Romeo
and Juliet includes numerous instances of foreshadowing; as one example, we can refer to Romeo’s line,
‘My life were better ended by their hate, than death prorogued, wanting of thy love’. This subtly references
the end of the play, in which Romeo and Juliet both end their lives due to their family’s efforts to keep
them apart.

7.3

Written Technical Reports

A technical report (also scientific report) is a document that describes the process, progress, or results
of technical or scientific research or the state of a technical or scientific research problem.[1][2] It might
also include recommendations and conclusions of the research. Unlike other scientific literature, such as
scientific journals and the proceedings of some academic conferences, technical reports rarely undergo
comprehensive independent peer review before publication. They may be considered as grey literature.
Where there is a review process, it is often limited to within the originating organization. Similarly, there
are no formal publishing procedures for such reports, except where established locally.