MODULE 6

SYLLABUS
➢ Employment communication: Introduction – Composing Application,Messages - Writing
CVs – Group discussions – Interview skills
➢ Impact of Technological Advancement on Business Communication -Technology-enabled
Communication
➢ Communication networks – Intranet- Internet – e mails – SMS – teleconferencing –
videoconferencing

JOB APPLICATION LETTER

➢ An application letter is merely another name for a cover letter, the official business letter
often included with a job application and/or resume and sent to a prospective employer.
Although application letters are generally considered optional components of applying for a job,
more and more frequently

COVER LETTER
➢ A cover letter typically provides detailed information on why you are qualified for the job
you are applying for. Effective cover letters explain the reasons for your interest in the
specific organization and identify your most relevant skills or experiences.

RESUME /CV WRITING

➢ CV stands for curriculum vitae. It is know by several names such as resume, personal data
sheet, qualification sheet etc. It is a written statement of your personal history – biographical
details, educational qualification, work experience, achievements that make you suitable
candidate for a job.

SEQUENCE OF THE CV
➢ Heading: the heading should include name, address, date of birth and telephone number.
➢ Objective: state clearly your objective in practical terms.
➢ Education: both education and professional education is to be included in this. Begin with
your most recent degree. You must include short term training course, special certificate
programmes, related course work attended in addition to course work.
➢ Work experience: mention your experience in reverse chronological order, your job
experience as trainee or in any other form. Give the details as follows – job title, company’s
name, place and duration of work. Briefly describe your role, responsibility and what you
have done for each job.
➢ Awards, achievement and honours: mention all scholarship received, prizes and awards in
college. Fresher's can list school awards to show that they have been meritorious students.
You can include your professional prizes. Those who are more experienced need to mention
their achievement in previous job.
➢ Activities and skills: under this section, mention your college activities or other activities /
hobbies you have indulged in, which you think have helped you acquire specific skills. Write
about your hobbies if any as playing guitar, or tennis/ cricket/ or any other games/indoor /
outdoor.
➢ Personal information: any other personal information, besides that included here. Strengths
and personality traits may be mentioned here.
➢ Reference: under references, mention 3 names of those persons who know you personally
and can verify facts about you.
o Educational references: teacher, who can respond to questions like scholarly achievements.
o Professional reference: employer, who can speak about the professional competence of the
candidate.

SEQUENCE OF PERSONAL DETAILS

• Name: name is written in the order of first name, middle name and surname.
• Address: house number, street number and name, area, city, state along with pin code
number.
• Telephone number: number along with STD code.
• E- Mail ID: in recent times, everyone prefers to keep in touch through mails.
• Date of birth: must give date, month spelt fully, year in full as in 8th august, 2006.
• Marital status: single / married
• Languages known
• Interest and hobbies

DOS OF WRITING A CV
➢ Indicate a specific job objective or summary of qualification.
➢ Highlight accomplishments.
➢ Emphasize any education/training/experience related to your job objective.
➢ Give details of your professional activities supportive of your career objective.
DON’TS OF WRITING A CV
➢ Do not use an uncommon CV format.
➢ Do not mention salary you expect.
➢ Do not leave any gap in your experience.
➢ Do not give reasons for changing your earlier jobs.
➢ Do not use colored paper.
➢ Do not send a hand written resume.
➢ Do not mention personal details such as number of children or any other thing about
yourself that is not relevant to job consideration.
➢ Do not be too brief or too lengthy.
SOME DON’TS FOR YOU AS A WRITER OF APPLICATION LETTER
➢ Don’t use your present employer’s stationery.
➢ Don’t beg or ask for a favor.
➢ Don’t be unduly humble.
➢ Don’t write too many ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’.
➢ Don’t sound casual.
➢ Don’t boast about yourself.
➢ Don’t criticize your present employer.
➢ Don’t repeats resume information.
➢ Don’t use vague or general terms.
➢ Don’t say you are qualified for the job/position; instead give evidence.
 ➢ Don’t copy a letter written by any other applicant.

GROUP DISCUSSION
➢ The Group Discussion is a personality test, most popular with public, private sector
undertakings, and other organizations, used to screen candidates, after the written test. It
is a part of oral communication.

What does a GD evaluate?

It primarily evaluates one’s ability to interact in a group on a given topic. One’s group behavior
means so much for one’s success as a manager or an executive, responsible for co-ordination and
organization of activities of groups of individuals. The GD evaluators, therefore, focus on group
dynamics rather than contents of the discussion.

QUALITIES LOOKED FOR IN GROUP DISCUSSIONS

1. LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

➢ Taking initiative – In GDs leadership qualities necessitates that the individuals have the
capacity to take initiative during the course of the interaction.
➢ Ability to give direction – It follows naturally that the interaction should have the power
and ability to sum up all that is being said in a manner which is conducive to the growth
of the discussion.
➢ Taking the group along – The ability to sum up discussion not only at the end but also
in between is a major quality of the interaction.
➢ Listening – Individual should possess capabilities of listening to what the other
interaction are saying.
➢ Goal to fulfillment – The topic has been thoroughly discussed by all the participants
with appropriate input from the leader and all of them have been able to perform the
important task of bringing into focus the main points related to the topic.
2. KNOWLEDGE OF SUBJECT MATTER:
➢ The individual should also be well read about the issues under discussion. He should
have the knowledge of quantitative as well as qualitative aspects of the topic.
➢ Analytical ability – There should be an analyzed presentation of the data in GD.
➢ Clarity of thought – Distillation of the essentials and abandonment of the peripherals.
3. Conviction and flexibility
➢ Conviction – Whatever ideas you are communicating in a group, you should also believe
in them.
➢ Flexibility – Flexible in approach and ability to appreciate the viewpoint of the other
person.
Do’s of GD

➢ Keep your statement short and simple.

➢ Follow principles of oral communication.
➢ Make even contributions.
➢ Make periodical conclusions.
➢ Be deliberate and slow in Delivering the points.
 ➢ Adhere to principles of politeness.
➢ Substantiate your point with examples.

Don’ts of GD
➢ Don’t speak loudly.
➢ Avoid taking a negative stance against any participant.
➢ Don’t provide opportunities for others to talk, at your own cost.
➢ Don’t give the look of a casual approach.
Body Position at the time of GD
Body Position and significance-

➢ Push your body to the back of the chair – Keeps you alert.
➢ Keep your hands on your lap – Indicates that you are a logical person.
➢ Keep your legs stationed firmly on the ground, right and left leg intertwined
beneath the chair – Keeps you firmly positioned.
➢ Hand movements should be restricted – Indicates that you do not need hands as props
when speaking.
DISCUSSION TECHNIQUES
1. How to join the discussion –
 I’d like to raise the subject of…
 What I think is..
 In my opinion…
 If I had to say a word about it…
 I feel strongly that…
 May I make a point about…
2. To support what some other participant has said –
 I’d like to support the view point of Mr. A about…
 I completely agree with Mr. B about the point..
3. To support disagreement –
 I would like to offer a different viewpoint..
 Please allow me to differ here..
 I think differently on this issue..
 I do no agree here, in my opinion…
4. To make a point very strongly –
 I am convinced that…
 You can’t deny that…
 Anybody can see that..
 It is quite obvious that..
5. To bring a discussion back to the point –
 Perhaps, we could go back to the point.
 Could we stick to the subject, please..
 I am afraid; we are drifting away from the point.

INTERVIEW
 ➢ An interview can be defined as an oral tool to test a candidate’s traits for employment or
admission to a premiere institution of learning. Being an oral test, it calls for your skills
of oral and non-verbal communication to support your performance before a panel of
experts.
TYPES OF INTERVIEW

➢ Selection interview: conducted by an organization or institution to employ persons for

specific purpose. This interview helps the employer to hire right person for right job. This
type of interview is also called as job interview.
➢ Promotion interview: are conducted by organization for their own eligible employees who
are desirous of moving up in the hierarchy.
➢ Exit interview: are conducted for employees who are resigning or retiring from
organization. The objective of interview is to know reason for employee leaving the
organization, obtain feedback from employees, in frank way so as to bring about
improvements.
➢ Reprimand interview: is usually done in private, where misbehaving employee is called by
supervisor or the person in authority and advised to improve his or her behavior.
➢ Grievance interview : relates to any dissatisfaction, distress or resistance to something that
may or may not have happened and has made the person concerned carry a grievance.
➢ Stress interview : is conducted assessing the ability of the interviewee to face high levels of
strain or mental pressure.
➢ Orientation interview : is aimed at orientating the candidate towards the organization or the
task. Orientation interviews are conducted after the selection interviews and are in nature of
briefing sessions.
➢ Admission interview : is conducted by authorities of school, college to select candidates for
admission. The purpose is to assess the candidates eligibility for admission into particular
course.
➢ Appraisal interview : for appraising the performance of employees, performance appraisals
interviews are conducted. The feedback of this interview is provided to the management as
well as employees.
➢ Mock interview : educational institutions or academics bodies conduct imaginary interviews
for preparing the candidate mentally for actual interview.
➢ Panel interview : in this interview panel of experts or interviewers ask question to a
candidate, based on the purpose and panel of interview.
➢ Telephonic Interview : Consider it as a face to face interview. Use proper modulation of
voice to reflect the way you feel. Keep your voice clear, steady and audible.
➢ Personality interview : Evaluates you as an individual in terms of your response to certain
situations set before you. The whole range of non-verbal communication skills are brought
into play to demonstrate you as an “all round personality”.
WHAT DOES A JOB INTERVIEW ASSESS ?
➢ Clarity – On previous academic subjects, your career objective, why a career in
management, your life’s goals, national global issues, environment and so on.
➢ Depth – Depth of knowledge and understanding across a wide range of subjects and issues.
➢ Personality – Self awareness.
➢ Self-Awareness – Sense of personal strengths what you value most.
➢ General Awareness – The level of general awareness about current issues of national and
international concerns as part of your personality.
➢ Application of concepts to real life problems – Your power of initiative is judged by
asking you application based questions to see how far you have on your own moved beyond
the class room learning.
STAGES IN INTERVIEW PROCESS
1. Preparation – This involves-
• Establishing the objectives of the interview and determining the areas and specific
questions to be covered.
• Reviewing the candidate’s application and resume, noting areas that are vague or that
may show candidate’s strengths and weaknesses on which questions could be asked.
• Keeping the test scores ready, along with interview assessment forms.
• Selecting the interview method to be followed.
• Choosing the panel of experts who would interview the candidates .
• Identifying a comfortable, private room preferably away from noise and interruptions
where the interview could be held.
2. Reception – The candidate should be properly received and led into the interview room.
Greet the candidate with a warm, friendly, greeting smile. Tell the applicant what to call
you and then ask the applicant for his preferred form of address. Tell briefly about
yourself and put the applicant at ease so that he may reciprocate with personal
information. Ask the applicant about hobbies, activities or some other topic so as to break
the ice.
3. Information Exchange –
• State the purpose of the interview, how the qualifications are going to be matched
with skills needed to handle the job. Give information about the job for which the
interviewee is applying.
• Begin with open-ended questions where the candidate gets enough freedom to
express himself freely instead of yes or no type of responses.
• Do not use difficult words to confuse the applicant.
• Do not telegraph the desired answer by nodding or smiling when the right answer is
given.
• Do not interrogate the applicant as if the person is a prisoner.
• Focus on the applicant’s education, training, work experience etc.
• Listen to the applicant’s answers attentively and patiently.
4. Termination – End the interview as happily as it began without creating any awkward
situation for the interviewee. Avoid communication through unpleasant gestures such as
sitting erect, turning towards the door, glancing at watch or clock.
5. Evaluation – After the interview is over, summarize and record your observations
carefully, constructing the report based on responses given by the applicant, his behavior,
your own observations and the opinions of other experts present during the interview.

IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT

POSITIVE IMPACT
 ➢ Shortening distance : the importance of personal contact between people has been
replaced with face to face communication which is become easy with help of technology.
➢ Streamlining organizational structure : the organizational structure has become more
streamlined as managers have increased direct contact with subordinates. Since this also
means fewer transfer stations the organization is more flattened.
➢ Changed role of managers : more people in an organization have access to more
information. This reduces the information float – rate of information flow and tends to
change the traditional role of managers.
➢ Time saving : the time required to make decision has decreased because managers have
access to increased information resources.
➢ Access to more information : the timeliness and quality of information are increasingly
important as more people have access to source more information.

NEGATIVE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY

➢ Reliance on technology – people don’t bother learning to spell because they use spell-
checker etc…
➢ Loss of face-to-face may mean loss of some communication skills and loss of the
personal touch.
➢ There are risks attached to the unknown / hidden elements on the internet (you don’t
necessarily know who you are talking to).
➢ Reliability of information – everyone’s posting so just because something’s on the web
doesn’t mean it’s reliable.
➢ Viruses, fraud and identity theft are all risks for people using the internet.
➢ There are costs associated with maintaining equipment and keeping equipment up with
contemporary software.
➢ Addiction – some people get addicted to web / games etc.. which increases their social
isolation and can cause health problems.

COMMUNICATION NETWORK

➢ Intranet: is a private computer network that uses internet protocols and network connectivity
to securely share any part of an organization information or operational system with its
employees.
➢ Increasingly, intranets are being used to deliver tools and applications, e.g., collaboration (to
facilitate working in groups and teleconferencing) or sophisticated corporate directories,
sales and customer relationship management tools, project management etc., to advance
productivity.

CHARACTERISTICS OF INTRANET

➢ Controlled Scalable: intranet can serve its constituents as long as network bandwidth
suffices to meet users demands.
➢ Open: web technology is based on open standards and is available for almost all leading
operating systems .
➢ Standard based: intranet and web technologies are based on open system technology
standards and have two basic promises : ensure the viability of internet network and be
scalable on global basis.
➢ Access: intranet should be password protected. It should allow different level of access.
Controlled access makes intranet more flexible and greatly widens the range of users.
➢ Shared access to documents: main purpose of implementing intranet in company is to
ensure easy sharing of information in company.
➢ Centralized scheduling system: ensures that every one stays on the same page. It allows
meetings and events to be scheduled from company.
➢ Individualization: the idea of intranet should be comfortable and convenient for variety of
employees with varying responsibilities.

APPLICATIONS OF INTRANETS

➢ Inter office emailing : intra net application is inter office e mail. This capability allows the
employees of a company to communicate with each other swiftly and easily.
➢ Web publishing : intranet has various applications that can be utilized by a company. These
include the web publishing of corporate documents, web forms and web to database.
➢ Form filling : intranet services can be equipped with programs that allow of forms to be
filled online. They can also be downloaded and printed by users themselves.
➢ Making manuals : organizational policy and procedure are also handy to have on intranet.
Unlike printed hard copies, online manuals can be easily accessed by all employees at any
time.
➢ Phone directories : intranets reduces paper cost as various employees as well as
organizational details such as employee name , titles, duties, departments , phone and fax
number E mail, address and even photographs can be stored in online directory.
➢ Making organizational chart : intranet helps company to draft organizational chart which
can be easily modified and effectively presented through graphic or text formats.
➢ Employee communication : intranet application helps in employee communication as
individuals in organization can communicate about various updates relating to operation and
activities happening in company from time to time which ensures timely completion of work.

ADVANTAGES OF INTRANET

➢ Workforce productivity : intranet helps employees in organization to have quick access to

information which reduces level of misunderstanding and ensures good quality of work and
increases productivity of company.
➢ Time : as intranet is a centralized system it reduced the burden of management to provide
information to employees to on continuous basis as individuals working in company will
have easy access to information through centralized system.
➢ Communication : from communication standpoints, intranets are useful to communicate
strategic initiatives that have global reach though out the organization.
➢ Document handling : web publishing allows cumbersome corporate knowledge to be
maintained and easily accessed throughout the company using hypermedia and web
technologies.
➢ Business operations and management : internets are also being used as platform for
developing and deploying applications to support business operations and decisions across
internet worked enterprise.
➢ Cost effective : users can view information and data via web browser rather than maintaining
physical document such as procedure manuals, internal phone list which requires paper work.
➢ Enhance collaboration : with information easily accessible by all authorised users,
teamwork is enabled.

DISADVANTAGES

➢ Performance limitations : some applications that have been well optimized for convectional
and proprietary system create a heavy system workload when migrating them to an internet
platform or merging them with intranet presentation.
➢ Presentation issues : people whose experience is rooted in paper presentation want web
pages to look like printed equivalents and burden the systems and their users with
unnecessary graphics which often get in the way of the information rather than making it
more accessible and attractive.

INTERNET

➢ The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard
Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of
networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government
networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic and optical
networking technologies.

APPLICATIONS OF INTERNET

➢ Online communication : the electronic mail service on internet is extensively used today by
computer users around the world to communicate with each other. With this facility internet
has proved to be a rapid and productive communication tool for millions of people.
➢ Software sharing : internet provides access to large number of shareware software
development tools and utilities. Few examples for the same are compilers, code libraries,
mail servers etc.
➢ Exchange of views on topics of common interest : the internet has number of news groups.
Each news group allows a groups of users to exchange their views on some topic of common
interest.
➢ Product information : several commercial organization are effectively using internet for
promoting their products and events happening in organization such as corporate ftp , WWW
sever etc.
➢ Feedback about the products : in addition to product promotion, commercial organizations
are also using internet to gather information about user satisfaction of existing products make
opportunities for new products in market.
➢ Customer support service : many software organizations are also using internet to provide
qualitative and continuous timely customer support.
➢ Online journal and magazine : the internet now has literally thousands of electronic
subscription that can be found both for free and low cost. Which is of great help in the area of
research and development.
➢ Online shopping : internet has also facilitated the introduction of new market concept that
consists of virtual shops. These shops remain open 24 hours all the year around and are
accessible to purchasers all around the world.

ADVANTAGES OF INTERNET

➢ Access to information : the internet makes a vast amount of information available, from
plurality of information sources and makes it continuously available more or less
independent of time and place.
➢ Information spreading : internet makes it possible for anyone to quickly, easily and
inexpensively post and disseminate information and make this information available to a
large audience.
➢ Communication : internet facilitates one to one, one to many communication and enables
users to communicate easily and inexpensively with a wide variety of individuals.
➢ Production and commerce : internet enables new models for production by enabling
coordination and partial automation a productive process that span time and space.
➢ Learning and cognitive development : the internet has been claimed to have beneficial
effects on learning and cognitive development.

LIMITATION OF INTERNET

➢ Information overload : it has been claimed that the internet contributes to information
overload, by stimulating the consumption of information and exposing users to an abundance
of irrelevant, unclear and inaccurate information.
➢ False information : it is often noticed that internet contains much of false and unreliable
information as it is impossible to evaluate the correctness of information found on the
internet.
➢ Cultural fragmentation : internet promotes cultural fragmentation by stimulating the
formation of virtual communities and groups organized around specialized interests.
➢ Loss of privacy and private public boundaries : it has been argued that there is little
privacy on the internet and that it is difficult to maintain clear boundaries between public
and private spaces on the internet.

E- MAIL

➢ Electronic mail, commonly called email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital

messages across the Internet or other computer networks . Originally, email was transmitted
directly from one user to another computer. This required both computers to be online at the
same time, a la instant messaging. Today's email systems are based on a store-and-forward
model. Email servers accept, forward, deliver and store messages. Users no longer need be
online simultaneously and need only connect briefly, typically to an email server, for as long
as it takes to send or receive messages.
➢ An email message consists of two components, the message header, and the message body,
which is the email's content. The message header contains control information, including,
 minimally, an originator's email address and one or more recipient addresses. Usually
additional information is added, such as a subject header field.
➢ Originally a text only communications medium, email was extended to carry multi-media
content attachments.

ELEMENTS OF E MAIL

➢ Sender : a person who composes and sends E mail messages.

➢ Mail agent : a program the sender uses to send E mail.
➢ Message : a computer representation of what the sender wanted to say.
➢ Mail transport sub system : a system that delivers the message.
➢ Recipient : a person who receives the E mail.
➢ Recipient’s mail agent : it may be different program from that of the sender.
➢ E mail address : a text string used to identify sender and recipient’s.

EMAIL ETIQUETTES

➢ Respond to E –mail in a timely manner.

➢ Provide clearly worded subject lines for all messages.
➢ Use shorter lines and shorter paragraphs than in regular word processing documents.
➢ Be complete and concise and avoid rambling.
➢ Use text editors and spell checkers when available.
➢ Use jargons carefully
➢ Avoid in appropriate and offensive language.
➢ Avoid sending junk mails.
➢ Avoid adding too many attachments to your mail.

ADVANTAGES OF E- MAIL

➢ Managing E mail is easy: you can manage all your correspondence on screen and so can
your customers. Your proposal can be answered, revised, stored and sent to others.
➢ E mail is faster: mail is delivered instantly from office to any person who is associated with
task or work to be accomplished.
➢ E mail is inexpensive: compared to telephone calls, faxes or overnight courier service E
mail is less expensive.
➢ E mail is easy to filter: the subject line on e mail makes it easy to prioritize messages. The
reader can identify critical correspondence quickly.
➢ In contact: through E mail individuals can be in contact with many people simultaneously.

LIMITATIONS OF E MAIL
➢ E mail does not guarantee secrecy.
➢ E mail messages may be taken less seriously compare to that of written letters.
➢ Senders of the message have no assurance that the intended receivers will check mail box
and respond to the messages.
➢ Incompatibility of electronic mail system prevents the sending and receiving of messages
between these systems.
SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE (SMS)

➢ SMS is the text communication service component of phone, web or mobile

communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the
exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices. SMS text
messaging is the most widely used data application in the world, with 2.4 billion active
users, or 74% of all mobile phone subscribers. The term SMS is used as a synonym for
all types of short text messaging as well as the user activity itself in many parts of the
world.

➢ SMS as used on modern handsets was originated from radio telegraphy in radio memo
pagers using standardized phone protocols and later defined as part of the Global System
for Mobile Communications (GSM). Most SMS messages are mobile-to-mobile text
messages though the standard supports other types of broadcast messaging as well.

FEATURES OF SMS

➢ SMS supports several input mechanisms that allow interconnections with different sources
and destination of messages.
➢ Additional services like E mail, fax, paging integration, interactive banking etc.
➢ Additional facilities like instant messaging, gaming and chatting.
➢ It’s out of band packet delivery and low band width message transfer, results in highly
efficient means for transmitting short bursts of data.

ADVANTAGES OF SMS

➢ Reliable and cost effective communication device for concise information.

➢ Delivery of message to multiple subscribers at a time.
➢ Ability to receive diverse information.
➢ Convenient to use.
➢ Wireless data for corporate users.

LIMITATIONS OF SMS

➢ They are limited up to 160 words only.

➢ Provides limited text based experience.

TELECONFERENCING

➢ A teleconference or tele- seminar is the live exchange and mass articulation of information
among several persons and machines remote from one another but linked by a
telecommunications system. Terms such as audio conferencing, telephone conferencing and
phone conferencing are also sometimes used to refer to teleconferencing.
➢ The telecommunications system may support the teleconference by providing one or more of
the following: audio, video, and/or data services by one or more means, such as telephone,
computer, telegraph, radio, and television.
TYPES OF TELECONFERENCES

➢ Audio conferencing : the oldest form of teleconferencing, called as audio conferencing

which is done through the means of telephone. Through audio conferencing, participants
communicate by telephone through what is called a conference call were three or more
people at a time can interact and share information.
➢ Computer teleconferencing : this involves conducting all conference activities through
computer terminals . Their dialogue is stored in the memory and even question and
answering session can be carried during the same.
➢ Video conferencing : using this technology, a meeting is conducted through television
displays of the participants with the sounds of their voice. Thus the participants can see
on another on television monitors and can hear one another.
ADVANTAGES OF TELECONFERENCING
➢ Reduce cost of group meeting is one of the major advantage of teleconferencing.
➢ Teleconferencing allows people to participate in regional, national or worldwide
meetings without leaving their local office.
➢ Meeting is more flexible as participants can join the conference whenever it is necessary.
LIMITATIONS OF TELECONFERENCING
➢ Occurrence of technical failure when trying to establish a conference or during
conference creates a problem.
➢ Difficult for complex interpersonal communication, such as negotiation or bargaining.
➢ Impersonal in nature due to which it is difficult to create an atmosphere of group rapport.
➢ Lack of participant familiarity with the equipment may bring down the efficiency of
discussion.
APPLICATIONS OF TELECONFERENCING
➢ Sales meetings : a teleconference provides an instant interactive forum where sales
representatives can exchange ideas and discuss sales method and approaches that have
prove to be effective for them .
➢ Employment training : it provides cost effective means for corporate training. Training
sessions conducted by teleconference have proven to be very efficient, effective and
productive.
➢ Company announcement : teleconference can broadcast company announcement to
give every staff member information about changing strategies of company.
➢ Press conference : holding a press conference via teleconference speeds up the process
disseminating information. A teleconference held in a place of live conference saves time
and money by eliminating need for travelling.
➢ Board of director meetings : a teleconference can instantly bring board members
together. This facilitates the process of addressing important issues and solving problem
at speed of sound.
VIDEOCONFERENCING
➢ A videoconference or video conference (also known as a video teleconference) is a set
of interactive telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to
interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. It has also been
called 'visual collaboration' and is a type of groupware.
 ➢ Videoconferencing differs from videophone calls in that it's designed to serve a
conference rather than individuals. It is an intermediate form of video telephony.
➢ The other components required for a videoconferencing system include:
➢ Video input : video camera or webcam
➢ Video output: computer monitor , television or projector
➢ Audio input: microphones, CD/DVD player, cassette player, or any other source of
Preamp audio outlet.
➢ Audio output: usually loudspeakers associated with the display device or telephone
➢ Data transfer: analog or digital telephone network, LAN or Internet
TYPES OF VIDEO CONFERENCING
➢ Personal videoconferencing : in this communication takes place between two people
through means of video conferencing. Example MSN messenger, Skype, I chat AV etc.
➢ Business video conferencing : business meetings conducted through the means of
videoconferencing are called as business video conferencing. Business video
conferencing includes most of the basic features as in personal videoconferencing, but
offers addition resources such as :
o Collaboration features
o Document sharing capabilities
o Enhanced presentation capabilities
o Additional bandwidth capabilities
➢ Web video-conferencing : is specifically used over the internet for the purpose of live
meetings or presentation inside a webpage or a class room environment between the
presenter and the audience.
ADVANTAGES OF VIDEOCONFERENCING
➢ substitute for face to face communication.
➢ Video conferencing allows people and individuals in different locations to hold
interactive meetings.
➢ Communication in real time.
➢ Transcending barriers of distance.
➢ Rapid expansion of knowledge of people sitting at different places is possible.
LIMITATIONS OF VIDEO CONFERENCING
➢ Blockage of space
➢ Heavy capital costs
➢ Not affordable by business houses of small size and scale.

Employment related letters

Employment related letters can be described as formal communications which happens between
Employer and Employee in course of seeking employment, during employment and after
termination of employment.

Though the letters have now slightly become outdated and mail communication is most sought after
method of communication, still the rules and guidelines for the communication remains the same.

The letters can be briefly classified into two categories

 Employment Letters

Employer to Employee Employee to Employer

A. Employee to Employer letters:

Employee needs to communicate with employer on various occasions. The various letters he
can write may be as follows:

1. Job Application letter

2. Follow-up Letter
3. Acceptance Letter
4. Resignation Letter

Before we go and see this letters in detail, lets first understand the general guidelines to be
followed by employees while communicating with their employer:

i. Use of standard formats, fonts and colours – It is very important to use formal and
standard formats, fonts and colours.
ii. Clear and concise subject line – The subject line shall be precise and shall make create
idea in his mind relating to the matter of
iii. Professional Greetings (Salutation) and Closings
iv. Use of polite language
v. Precise and to the point matter
vi. Positive outlook

Once we understand general guidelines we can study each kind of letter in detail:

1. Job application letter:

Job application letter usually accompanies resume. The purpose of this letter is to make
the prospective employer aware of the purpose for your application and the kind of job
you are looking at.

The Job applications are usually made in response to any vacancy advertisement or it can
be made on own by prospective employee in search of job.

Important attributes of job letter includes showing positive attitude and readiness to work
in organization as part of unit / team. One also needs to showcase his skills and
 experience, if any in brief so that the prospective employer will take more interest and
study you resume in greater detail.
Model structure of Job Application Letter:

◦ 1st Para – Introducing yourself and purpose of writing

◦ 2nd Para – your skills, abilities and knowledge suitable for position applied
◦ 3rd Para – certain details of company you know and why you want to join
organization (your compatibility with values of company)
◦ Contact details

2. Follow-up Letter:

This letter is required to be written only in case the prospective employer has not reverted
within mentioned time after sending your resume or after your round of interviews.

Usually in large organization the approvals required before hiring can be required to
follow various hierarchy. So there can be delay in informing result of your interview.
Also, your resume might just have been collected but not actively perceived. In these
cases, a follow-up letter helps us greatly as it makes the organization aware of our
eagerness in the job-profile they can offer.

However, it shall be taken into consideration that the follow-up letter shall not be
premature i.e. it shall not be written before the time by the organization for the response.
In case no time is specified the letter can be written after reasonable period of time has
lapsed, which requires our judgment.

Model structure of Follow-up Letter:

◦ 1st Para – reference to application made / interview given and thanking them for
that opportunity
◦ 2nd Para – showing your continued interest for position and seeking their reply at
earliest convenience

3. Acceptance Letter:

This is written when you have been offered a job in organization after the round of
interviews and selection process. It has to be written and delivered within prescribed time
limit, if any mentioned. Else within reasonable time limit the acceptance shall be
communicated.

If your acceptance is conditional or if you have any queries in the offer, the same shall be
asked upfront in this letter and that your acceptance is conditional one or is subject to
answering of certain query shall be specifically mentioned.

Model structure of Acceptance Letter:

 ◦ 1st Para – Thanks for the offer made
◦ 2nd Para - Confirm the date of joining, reporting time, salary offered and other
terms, if any mentioned
◦ 3rd Para - Ask any doubts in offer letter

4. Resignation Letter:

Resignation letter is given when you want to give up your job in existing organization.
This letter is very important and can be tricky letter. Usually no employer wants to leave
good employees because he has already invested and trained him very well to work on
his systems. However, as a part of your career aspirations you may need to move on.

It is always better and mostly preferred thing to speak to your manager / boss about your
plans to put papers. This will make the contents of your resignation letter short and
simple. You also need to agree upon reliving date and other important deadlines you
might need to meet if you are going for new job / further education. We also need to take
care that after resignation mostly everyone has to serve notice period. So your relation
with your employer shall end on good note.

Model structure of Resignation Letter:

◦ 1st Para – Thanking for opportunity and support during your tenure with
organization
◦ 2nd Para – mention reason for resignation, if possible, justify the same
◦ 3rd Para – mention the reliving date and other important deadlines you need to
follow

B. Employer to Employee letters:

The communication from Employer to Employee can be also important as it creates impression
in minds of your prospective employees about the Company. So, one should not under emphasis
the importance of employer – employee communication.

Various kinds of letters that can be written by employer to employee are as follows:

1. Offer Letter
2. Employment Contract
3. Reference Letter

Let us see each of this in detail now:

1. Offer Letter:
 This letter follows the detail round of interviews with candidate and after decision to hire
that person. The offer letter shall contain the details such as Salary package, expected date
of joining, person to whom and time of communication of acceptance of offer letter.

Employer needs to think about the employment relationship and the priorities he wants to
communicate. A good offer letter is one that accurately captures the intentions of the company
and clearly expresses them to the prospective employee. If the company will reimburse or
provide funds for moving expenses, include that information here and make your language
precise.

Model Structure of Offer Letter:

◦ 1st Para – reference to interview

◦ 2nd Para – clear offer terms – pay, designation, joining date and job description
◦ 3rd Para – looking forward to meet and contact details of person to reach in case of
queries

2. Employment Contract:

This is a detail employment contract which is entered into with the employer once he
decides to join your organization. It’s a detailed employment contract which follows once
employee accepts the offer
It contains information about pay, leaves, rules to be followed, etc.

It contains agreement on important clauses as confidentiality clause, indemnity clause, etc.

It’s always better to get it vetted from Advocate / subject expert. The Contract shall be
signed by both the parties.

3. Reference Letter:

This letter is to be issued by employer on request of past employee who has left the
organization. It might be required for submission to new employer or for further studies. It
is simple letter which states period of association of employee with employer and his
designations.

It can also contain information about pay while in job with earlier company and remark on
performance of employee.

***********THANK YOU***********