Business Communication Notes - Sessions 11 to 20

Session 11 & 12: Letter writing

‘A bad beginning makes a bad ending.’ – Euripides

A well written piece of writing is like a tasty snack. It can be an article or even a business
letter. It should essentially serve the purpose of writing.
Letter writing is essential to many business tasks: it may be for selling a product by mail,
answer queries from potential customers, or just make or accept an offer in clear binding
terms. A well-constructed letter can help you to win new business and to improve and
develop relationship with clients.
All good writing follows the same principles, you must have already finished learning
‘Principles of effective writing.’ Business letters are formal letters unlike personal letters
written to friends or family.
The good advice you can always count on is to ‘be clear, be brief and be human.’
How should you begin your letters?
All of you would have read letters that begin something like – ‘with reference to,’ ‘my letter
dated,’ ‘with respect to ‘and something like – ‘we beg to state,’ ‘I humbly acknowledge.’
You can trace the origins of these beginnings to the times of the British in India. The letters
which begin like this are always on to false starts and waste the time of the readers as these
beginnings add little value.
For example:

Dear Mr.Raj,
We refer to your recent application, in which you requested a substantial rise in remuneration.
We wish to advise that the matter is under consideration.

Notice, how stilted and pompous this reply is and when Mr. Raj receives this letter, he may
have to read it more than once to understand its meaning.
How then should the application be acknowledged?
If it’s a small organization the reply might read like this:

Dear Raj,

Your application for a salary rise is before me now. I will make a decision early next week after
reviewing sales figures and accounts. I will let you know what the decision is as soon as I can.

Yours

Swati
If the organization is a large one, where the applicant and the HR manger don’t know each
other, then the reply may read like this –

Dear Mr. Raj,

Sub: Application for salary increase

The Board of Management, which regularly reviews salaries will be meeting at te end of this month.
Your application will be considered then, and I will let you the Board’s decision as soon as possible. R

Regards

Swati

It is always better to avoid elaborate and meaningless acknowledgements of a letter. The

letter should be reader oriented and get to the point quickly. You may remember here,
many emails and letters you may have skipped because they were too long or the sender
did not stay on the most important message to be conveyed. It is necessary that you
remember, while writing for business, that time is of utmost value and you must prioritize
the reader’s interests always.
This will ensure that your letters will be read every time.
Think before you write
You must know what you want to achieve, before you begin a letter. Some important points
to consider maybe:

 Read more than once, any previous letter received by you and the person you are
writing to. Make a note of all the information like facts and figures.
 The main purpose of the letter- to inform, instruct, clarify or reject a request? Be
firm about the reason to write.
 Is there a secondary purpose too?Should you suggest an alternative, propose a new
idea., etc.?
 Set aside a time to write as it needs good planning and concentration.
 It is a good practice to make notes as you plan. This helps you to think clearly and be
natural while you write the letter.

Plan your letter

The main text of the business letters has three parts which are fixe usually. You can use them
to plan your letter.
 Reasons for writing the letter
 The facts that you are presenting
  What do you expect the reader to do for you?

In some letters there may be an extra part for example if you are following up for payment of
services.
 What would the consequence be in the event of not receiving a response to your letter.

The draft of the letter

Now, you are ready to draft your letter. Get to the point straight away. Say what you have to
say and remember the best letters are the ones which give the most information in the shortest
time and are easy, simple to read.
Opening:
Be clear and get to the subject matter in the first paragraph you write. Convince the reader
why he/she should read your letter.
The body of the letter:
The basic rule is to follow the three parts of the letter given earlier – your reason for writing,
the facts that you are presenting, what you want the other person to do for you. Present the
facts in a logical order.
Keep your sentences and paragraphs short.
It helps to separate out items:
Example-
1.We are launching a new range of skincare products, which are plant based and cruelty free
and we are giving a twenty percent discount to our existing customers in the first two weeks
2.We are excited to announce our new range of skincare products.
 Plant based and cruelty free
 Discount offers for existing customers
 Offer of twenty percent discount in the first two weeks

The letters written to convey bad news have to be written with extra care. Convey the
unpleasant information as early and as directly in the beginning of the letter. Offer your
sincere apologies if required and be willing to suggest options to decrease the discomfort
caused. Use the personal touch by addressing them by their names and be sympathetic and
understanding. Be careful enough to not overdo it and stay firm.
Hope this gives you a good base to start writing letters confidently.
 Sessions 13&14: Claims and responses

You may have to write letters of complaints and adjustments at some point of time in
your workplace. It is always better to speak in person or on the phone in the first place.
However, if you should write then be tactful about it.

A letter sent by a customer to a business or agency to identify a problem with a product or

service is known as a claim letter. It is also known as a letter of complaint.
A claim letter is written to put forward a request for adjustment, such as a refund,
replacement, or payment for damages. A reply to such a claim letter is called an adjustment
letter.

A claim letter should generally contain the following elements-

(i) Give a clear explanation of what has gone wrong. You must give complete
information so that a quick identification of the defective product or faulty
service is possible. In the case of a product, details such as the exact date of
purchase and arrival, the amount paid, order number, colour, size, model
number, make, etc. are helpful in making a re-check by the supplier easier.

(ii) Explain the inconvenience caused or the loss suffered as a result of the
mistake or defect.

(iii) Make an appeal to the reader's sense of fair play, honesty, reputation or
professional pride with a view to motivating him to take necessary action
promptly to rectify the situation. Be wise not to accuse or use bad language or
get aggressive.

(iv) Be willing to suggest what adjustment you would consider fair.

A threat or hinting what you would do in case your claim is not accepted, may lead to
unpleasant situations.

The characteristics of a good claim letter is one where you are clear with unmistakable
language even when they have the best of reasons for you to be not understood. A poorly
written claim letter is likely to be given little consideration.

If you plan to write a claim letter which will definitely receive a response follow the steps
given below-

1.State precisely what is wrong.

2.Make it easy to trace by providing definite dates, invoice numbers, etc.

3.Make an attempt to suggest a remedy, or adjustment.

4.Address the person by name who you think is responsible for attending your claim.

Addressing letters of claim

Dealing with complaints

Needless to say how you answer a complaint depends entirely on whether you think it is
justified or not. If you are not sure, it is better to buy some time.

Some general principles for handling letters of claim are-

Always address the complainants by name.
See to it that is signed by an important person with a good rank, eg; the sales director or
senior manager than a junior executive. This will greatly help to smoothen the ruffled
feathers.
Thank the person for bringing the matter to your attention.
Avoid blaming the complainant or your company.
Be sympathetic and understanding.
Offer a complimentary product or service and make sure the relationship is not strained.
Sometimes it becomes important that a downright apology is given in response. Admit your
mistake, explain the reason compellingly and explain what you action you will take to resolve
the matter.
Look at the following example of a response letter to a claim received. Here the claim is fully
accepted and a favorable situation is created.

Dear Sreeja,
I am writing in answer to your letter of 9th July.
Let me apologize on behalf of Fast &Quick Courier Services, for the delay in the delivery of
your regular monthly parcel. The parcel seemed to have been sent to a different delivery
center by mistake. This became apparent when the parcel wasn’t picked up by the delivery
personnel and remained in the store room for three days.
As a result of this incident, a new sorting procedure has been put in place by us. We hope
that you received your parcel intact.
Please accept our offer to deliver your next monthly parcel at a reduced rate. The details
will be mailed to you. We hope to serve you well and o your satisfaction in the future too.
Best regards
There may be instances when a partial acceptance of the claim is only possible practically.
You would deal with such a situation by answering positively to the claim letter and offer
your sympathies. Promise to settle the damages but firmly state that a total replacement of the
product or service will be against the company policy. End on a positive note and express
genuinely that you value the customer.

There is another rather trying situation wherein the claim is rejected. It is necessary that you
deal such instances with a lot of patience. The letter can be written in a passive tone and
further discourage any communication on the same matter.
The letters of rejection should be written with a lot of tact which convey that you don’t agree
with the complaint.

Dear Ms. Simran,

Thank you for your letter of 8th July, where you have expressed your disapproval of the treatment
given to you and your friends at our restaurant.

I was distressed to know that our loyal customers had been treated in this way. I had ordered an
immediate inquiry. I have spoken to the manager and two of his waiters who were working that
evening. I have to say that their account differs from your report of the incident.

The high spirited behavior of you and your friends celebrating your success is understandable. But
the customers around who had checked in for a quiet evening were not very pleased with the
singing and dancing.

The manager assured me that no more force was applied than necessary to persuade your group to
leave. The waiters have been polite but firm in their behavior and this has been confirmed by the
manager.

I therefore regret that I cannot agree that you were treated badly by our staff. I shall of course be
happy to hear anything else you wish to say on the matter. We hope you continue to choose our
venue in the future too.

Regards

Manish Sharma
 Session 15 : Email writing
Basics of an email
Emailing is the primary method in which you keep in contact with your customers in
business. Though it seems simple, if done incorrectly it can seem very daunting.
Make sure you have a professional sounding email address.
The structure of an email is –
1.Subject line– It should introduce the subject of the email and help to focus the attention of
the reader. It should be as clear and as specific as possible.
Ex: Requesting a product catalogue
Ex: Postponement of the meeting
2. Greeting- Keep it formal and not too familiar. Mind the Mr and Ms always. If you are not
sure then use their work titles like Professor, Director, CEO etc
3.Email Text- This contains all the details. Remember not to make it too long. Long emails
are usually not read in full. The blocks of text discourage the reader to read the email fully.
Include essential details and keep it brief. Divide the text into paragraphs of three to four
sentences long. Keep the requests to one or two. Do not blame or complain and keep it
professional.
4.Closing - Add regards or best regards, nothing more at the end. Sign with just your name in
full, no title. Add any contact details the reader may need to know.
Always proof read before you send the email. If you are in your first job, it is always better
you get your colleague to read some important emails you may have to send.
Be brief in what you write and use your own words and message. Remember, the principles
of effective writing hold good even in email writing. Don’t use flowery language for
professional emails. Do not clutter the email with unnecessary words. Be consistent with your
style.
Be courteous in your messages and read it several times to make sure you are using the tone
and expression you want to use. You have to get familiar with the features of Gmail, Yahoo
or whichever you choose to send emails from.
And last but not the least use the online writing services to practice and improve your email
writing skills. The email is here to stay because it is extremely convenient to share very little
or a huge amount of information. So, train yourselves to write good professional emails that
will be essentially read.
Email writing remains a critical skill today and will continue to be important in the near
future.
 Session 16 & 17 : Agenda and Minutes of a meeting
Meetings are conducted for various reasons. It can be for sharing information, taking
decisions, brainstorming or for reviewing business activities.
There are four main kinds of documentation needed for meetings:
1. The notice of the meeting
2. Agenda of the meeting
3. Any material to be circulated before the meeting that needs to be read like reports
4. Minutes of the meeting

Notice of the meeting

The notice of the meeting has to be sent to all the members who have to attend the meeting. It
is usually sent on email these days. You should ensure each member gets the notice/invitation
of the meeting. The notice contains details like names of the members, the kind of meeting to
be held, date, time and venue of the meeting and the name of the person who has called for
the meeting. The agenda of the meeting is usually enclosed with the notice.
Agenda of the meeting
Meetings are made effective with well planned agendas. It is like a road map which tell the
members where they are going. It is a good practice to cover only that many points which can
be covered with proper attention in the meeting duration planned.
A formal and lengthy meeting may include the following items in the agenda:
1. Election of chairman and officers
2. Secretary’ reading of notice of the meeting
3. Secretary’s reading of minutes of last meeting
4. Matters arising from last meeting
5. Chairman’s opening remarks
6. Matters adjourned from previous meeting
7. Motions- with names of proposers and seconders
8. Any other business
9. Date of next meeting
10. Vote of thanks

The agenda should contain the important and complicated matters at the top of the list.
Structure each category or section of the agenda to ensure a logical order of development.
Long meetings should be essentially planned with a break. The venue should be inspected
ahead of the meeting. Ensure that all the members have received the meeting notice and
arrive well in time at the venue.
Special agendas. The chairman may have special copy of the agenda with a large right hand
margin . This helps to jot down notes and reminders before and during the meeting.
Specimen agenda of a staff training meeting of a large company.

Notice of meeting
A meeting will be held on 10th July,2020 at 3:30 pm in the
board room.

AGENDA

1. Apologies for absence

2. Minutes of meeting held on 1t=st July,2020
3. Matters arising from the minutes
4. Correspondence
5. Report on computer training session
6. Recruitment of language coach
7. Need for admin assistance
8. Any other business
9. Date, time, and place of next meeting

Minutes of the meeting

The minutes are kept for several reasons –
*Minutes serve as a proof of the meeting, the discussions and the decisions reached.
*Serve as a reference to the absentees of the meeting
*The action points taken up by the members become commitments and can be seen
through for completion.

The minutes have to be recorded soon after the meeting. They have to be clear and concise.
The recording should be as it is and not include any analysis or interpretation of the
discussions held.
The minutes are recorded in the same order of the agenda. They have to be proof read by at
least one more person than the one who has written them down. A copy of the minutes has
to be circulated to all the members who were invited to the meeting.
The minutes can be formal or informal in nature.
Find below a template to record the minutes of meeting:

Organization/Committee Name

Meeting Minutes
Date

Opening
The regular meeting of theOrganization/Committee Namewas called to order
attimeondateinlocationbyFacilitator Name.

Present
Attendee names

Approval of Agenda
The agenda was unanimously approved as distributed.

Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously approved as distributed.

Open Issues
Summarize the discussion for each existing issue, state the outcome, and assign any action item.

New Business
Summarize the discussion for new issues, state the next steps, and assign any action item.

Agenda for Next Meeting

List the items to be discussed at the next meeting.

Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned attimebyFacilitator Name. The next general meeting will be attimeondate,
inlocation.
Minutes submitted by: Name
Approved by: Name
 Session 18&19: Report writing

Writing reports

A report can be anything from a two-line handwritten memo or a bound volume with
hundreds of pages. The key principle of report writing is identifying the key facts of a
particular topic and then presenting them in a logical order.
Writing a report involves a lot of research and arranging the information in the most reder
friendly way. The report you write, with its detailed information, its conclusions and
recommendations, provides the basis for decisions The report usually covers certain clearly
defined topics - to investigate a particular product, or an event, company or a proposal. This
dictates the kind of report it should be:
I An investigation or examination report, in which the investigation details and findings are
found
II A recommendatory report, in which the writer suggests course of action based on his/her
findings.
III A progress report, in which the writer investigates the stages of progress, let’s say a long
term coaching programme.
Your report should present and analyse facts and evidence that are relevant to the specific
problem or issue of the report brief. You must acknowledge and reference the resources
throughout, in accordance with the preferred method of your organisation.

Features of a well written report are: 

 You must understand the purpose of the report brief and adhere to its specifications;

 You must gather, evaluate and analyse relevant information;

 You have to structure material in a logical and coherent order;

 You should present your report in a consistent manner according to the instructions of
the report brief;

 You have to make appropriate conclusions that are supported by the evidence and
analysis of the report.
And you are expected to make thoughtful and practical recommendations where required.
If your report is a formal and lengthy one, then it may contain the following components:

 Cover page
 Title (title page)
 Acknowledgements (terms of reference and objectives)
 Abstract/ Executive Summary
 Table of contents
 Table of illustrations
 Introduction
 Main Text
 Findings
 Suggestions/Recommendations
 Conclusion
 Appendices
 References
 Glossary

Cover page

Elements of writing
Some tips to write a report:
Your report has to be reader oriented. Write it from a reader’s perspective keeping in mind
the reader’s background and need for the report. Remember the purpose, i.e., why are you
writing the report- has it addressed everything?
Usually the format of a formal report comes with instructions. The instructions specify the
font size, font, margins and spacing. Make sure you follow all the specific formatting
directions. Otherwise, you may risk the report being rejected and you may have to re-do it
again.
The structure of the report is very important. Make it easy for the reader to find information.
It must have a logical flow. For example: the findings should lead to the recommendations
and not vice versa.
Make sure you explain all technical terms used and avoid abbreviations. The language has to
be simple to understand. Do not add unnecessary information and increase the length of the
report.
Make it brief and concise by using the good writing principles.
The stages of report writing:
Planning your research: Gather the necessary information. You may have to visit libraries,
interview people, conduct experiments, take surveys and browse the particular websites.
Prepare and store notes: As and when you collect information from your research, classify
your information clearly under labels so that you can use it easily and effectively later on.
You could use index cards, note pad, notebooks, or your laptop.
Questionnaires: Some reports may require that you conduct surveys. Reach out subject
experts and quality resources to prepare your questionnaires. Keep the language and
questions simple, put them under proper sections. See that your questionnaire is well
balanced so that you collect quality data.
Drafting: Remember the structure of the report while drafting. Write the sections of the
report as you find it comfortable and logical. For example, the cover page,
acknowledgements, table of contents and illustrations can be done in the very end.
Check the rough draft now and see if you have covered _
 A description of your investigation and the research methodology used
 Your findings
 Interpretation of your findings and explanations
Now you are ready to make a final draft by including all the sections of the report. You may
make one or two drafts and get them reviewed by your friends or colleagues.
When your final draft is reviewed and edited write the report. Jump straight into writing, so
that every bit of information you want to include is fresh in your memory. Follow the format
given.
Use good quality paper if you have to submit a bound copy.
One of the first formal reports you will write, is your Summer Internship Report. Now that
you have a good idea about what and how of a report, continue to look up for more
information on report writing. It is one of important skills you need while working in the
corporate.
 Session 20: Business Proposals

What is a business proposal?

Business proposals are written to bridge the gap between the business and potential clients.
The primary purpose of a business proposal is to get the potential clients to do business with
you. It is a written document sent to a prospective client. It is accompanied by a cover letter.
There are two types of proposals –
Solicited and Unsolicited
Solicited proposals are requested by the prospective client for a particular product or service.
Whereas an unsolicited proposal is sent to a prospective client even when there is no request,
but probably the business knows that the product or service will be of use to the prospective
client.
A Request For Proposal ( RFP) is sent by the prospective client or company asking the
seller to send the business proposal. A company may invite other companies to send a
business proposal when it wants a problem to be solved.
Both solicited and unsolicited proposal follow the same steps to be written effectively. They
contain the statement of problem, the solution and the pricing.

Contents of a business proposal:

1. Title page
2. Table of contents
3. Executive summary
4. Statement of problem
5. Solution
6. Credentials
7. Pricing
8. Terms and conditions

You have to create responsive proposals which means you must do a thorough homework
before writing business proposals. It is not enough if the proposal is visually appealing to the
prospective clients. Do not forget to include all the key points of the client’s needs. You may
have to meet the prospective clients before writing the proposal so that you can ask the right
questions and craft the exact proposal which will clinch the business deal.

Example of a cover letter to go with a business proposal

 Dear Pet – lover,

Taking care of pets is extremely satisfying but comes with its own challenges. There are too
many pet supplies in the market which makes your choice difficult.
And how safe are these treats, ready foods anyway?
Pets Forever has the answers to all your questions. Not just flashy advertisements but real and
safe supplies for your precious pets. Our products are a result of careful research by a team of
experts in pet care.
Please go through our brochure and find out everything you needed, all in one place. We
deliver to your doorstep too.
Place your order and be at peace. Pets Forever is here to take care of all your loving pets’
needs.

Regards
Kira

Business Communication

Session 21

CV and Application

A resume is a persuasive summary of an individual’s qualifications for the purpose of

employment. Resumes commonly contain the applicant’s name, address, mobile number,
education and experience. Activities, honours and references should be included if possible.

Purpose of writing a Resume

A résumé is prepared with the objective of summarizing a description of oneself, as it relates

to the job one is applying for. In a way it represents, the writer in absentia. It is a brief factual
document.

If an individual; is in the job market having a resume makes one look organised and well
prepared. If an individual is employed, having a resume makes it easier for an individual to
take advantage of the opportunities that may come up the way. If it is a student drafting the
dream resume will help set goals and achieve them by the right time.

Different kinds of Resumes

There are two basic kinds of resumes- Chronological and Skill based resumes.

A chronological resume summarises what you did in a time line (starting from the most
recent and going to the backward in reverse chronology). It emphasizes degrees, job titles
and dates. Using a chronological resume shows a steady progression leading to the present.

A skills resume emphasizes the skills (rather than the chronological order of things). While
writing a skill resume, the candidate uses as headings the skills, combine experience from
paid jobs, activities or volunteer work to show experience in that skill e.g. administration,
finance, speaking etc. A list of skills can be written. Within each skill, items are listed in
order of importance, combining different experiences.

Parts of a Resume

 Name; Email; Mobile number

 Objectives
 Education / Qualifications.
 Work experience.
 Summer Internship Program
 Skills/ Accomplishments/ Interests/ Personal values
 Achievements/ Awards/ Service Activities
 Personal information.
 References.

Preparation of a Résumé

Career Objective
Consultants have different opinion on whether a career objective should be included or not.
One could include it, if one has a specific and focused objective. It can be included if one is
focused on a particular type of assignment and/or profile. Sometimes this helps the employer
in identifying the specific areas of the organization where you can contribute. A specific
objective gives focus on the type of organization and the future profile.

On the other hand, being specific may exclude a candidate from other areas.

Either way, a vague and ambiguous objective is certain to be counterproductive, as it would

convey to the employer that you are not sure of what you want. It could also be considered as
an unnecessary padding and irritate the employer.

Some examples of vague objectives are given below:

1. “…To work in a managerial assignment in a thriving organization.”

2. “…To contribute to and grow and develop with the organization by hard work and
diligence.”

Some examples of properly drafted objectives are given below:

1. “…. An entry level management assignment in the marketing of financial products in

banking industry….”

2. “…. An assignment, which involves financial analysis in investment banking…”

Education/ Qualifications

Though there is no standard sequence for laying out the contents of a Résumé, it is advisable
to list them out in the order of priority. Therefore, in the case of students who have no/very
limited work experience, qualifications will be a major selling point and may precede
experience. Qualifications could go beyond academic accomplishments. One should highlight
anything, which furthers the process of achieving the career objective.

Here are some recommendations regarding what to include under the heading Education.

1. Include school names, locations, dates attended, and degrees of certificates earned.
 2. Insert abbreviations for your degreed; most employers or their human resources department
are familiar with major degree citations.
3. Decide whether to include your grade-point average. Certainly if it is high, it should be
included. If your grade-point average is low, omit it.

Work Experience

List your jobs in reverse chronological order; put the present or most recent one first. Keep in mind
the following points:

1. Give the name, locations, and dates of employment for each company.
2. Insert you position and title, if any, beside each company.
3. Use verbs that show your major accomplishments while working for each company; be
precise as to the results of your work experiences.

Follow the rules of parallelism, making two or more elements in a series similar in grammatical word
structure. Manager, representative, salesperson, accountant are all parallels because each is a job title
and a noun. Managing, filing, word processing, planning are parallel.

Most often the verbs are in the past tense when describing activities performed for a company.

Summer Internship Program (SIP)

As students, very few of you have any experience. The only experience/exposure, which you
would be having, would be in the form of Summer Internship Project (SIP) or Management
Research Project (MRP). One should clearly describe the project. While describing the
project one should answer the following questions:

In which company/organization did you undertake the project?

1. What was the aim of the project?

2. What did it involve? (In terms of business function processes/concepts).

3. What were the achievements or how did your project contribute to the company?

4. What skills did it involve and how do they relate to the job for which you have applied?
Know Your Skills

Verbs suggest action; using them to describe your skills gives the impression that you are a dynamic
person. For example

 Enjoyed analyzing financial data

 Prepared consulting proposal in response to tender offers
 Coordinated off-campus internships
 Delighted to speak before groups-both in college and outside.

For List of Action Verbs ( Read End Notes 2)

Know Your Accomplishments

Record accomplishments. What may be trivial to you may be important to the employer

 Winning the scholarship award allowed me to travel to Europe (education)

 Joining the Orators group helped me being elected chairperson (extracurricular activities)
 Winning the outstanding student investor award allowed me to invest new capital into the
market (awards, honors)
 Starting my own business gave me practical experience and introduced me to the fundamental
of entrepreneurial business (business ventures)

Know Your Interests

Analyzing your interests, preferences, and attitudes can help you determine in what type of job you
can use your skills.

 Which jobs have I enjoyed the most? Why?

  Do I prefer to work with figures, machines, people, or ideas?
 What do I like to do with my free time?
 Which hobbies do I enjoy the most?

Know Your Personal Values

Values can also be applied to a job and what you seem to get from them. Look at the following
descriptions; each has a value attached to them

1. A desire to help people, a desire to work with them in a personal manner. A concern to make
the world a better place in which to live.
2. An ability to take risk, I always look forward to exciting tasks.
3. A desire to accomplish much on my own.
4. More than a desk job; I would rather be involved in field jobs.

Achievements, Awards, Service Activities

Receiving any award deserves mention in a resume. Additional items often include offices held,
athletic accomplishments, published materials, fluency in foreign languages, speaking awards (debate,
extemporaneous contests), professional fraternities, student organizations, and community services
that involve working with people.

Personal Data (Optional)

Common inclusions under personal data include health, hobbies, physical skills, travel.

References (Optional)
  Limit your list to two individuals; complete the information about how they may be reached
via phone or E-mail.
 Avoid including relatives as references.
 Choose individuals such a former work supervisors, professors, teachers, colleagues, or
business friends.
 Be sure you have the permission of the individual whose name you use as a reference.

Formatting

There is no standard format. But, the key is to keep it simple. Some of the points to be borne
in mind are as follows:

1. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms.

2. Be careful of spelling mistakes.

3. Word-process your Résumé. Use a standard font. Do not use fancy fonts (unless
applying for jobs which require a high degree of creativity or you are including
graphics). Use of italics should be restricted.

4. Section headings, names may be typed in bold.

5. The layout on the page should be balanced. Leave sufficient margins.

6. Print your Résumé on a laser printer. Use good quality paper.

7. Your Résumé should always be accompanied by an application/ covering letter.

Proof Read the Resume

Employers assume that the resume represents your best work. Proof read carefully to be sure
that the document is perfect. Especially check

 Spelling of your college, your employer and your references

 Parallelism errors (read End Note 1)

 Check all the dates, phone numbers, email addresses and URLs.

Mistakes in Résumé Drafting:

Check resume for following mistakes:

1. Too Lengthy: The Résumé should be brief and concise. For fresh graduates, the length
should not exceed more than one and a half page.

2. Too Short. The Résumé should not be sketchy.

3. Verbosity: The document should not exceed minimum number of words. Therefore,
language skills are important.

4. Too Flashy: The Résumé should be in simple but effective language and should not
appear flashy.

5. Displays Poor Business Knowledge: The jargon used and the knowledge of the
company displayed should be good.

6. Grammar and Spelling Mistakes: There are just not acceptable.

7. Arrogance: The Résumé should not sound boastful. There is a subtle difference
between self-confidence and arrogance.

8. False Statements: This is suicidal. Even by remote implication, false statements will
lead the applicant into trouble.

SOME FACTS AND MYTHS ABOUT THE RÉSUMÉ

S.No. Myths Facts

1 The aim of a Résumé is The aim is to arouse the interest of your

to list all your assets. prospective employer.

2 Your Résumé will be read Not more than 30 seconds will be spent on it.
thoroughly. Your Résumé needs to make an impression within
that time.

3 Good Résumés are written You yourself can write a good resume.
by professionals.
End Notes

1. Parallelism errors

Faulty: I interviewed juniors and seniors and athletes

Parallel: I interviewed juniors and seniors. In each rank I interviewed athletes and
nonathletes.

Faulty: Errors can be checked by reviewing the daily report or note the errors, you observe
when you match the copy and the invoice.

Parallel: Errors can be checked by reviewing the daily report or noting the errors, you observe
when you match the copy and the invoice.

2. Action Verbs

The use of action-oriented verbs conveys an attitude of dynamism on the part of the
candidate. One should get into the habit of using action verbs both in speech and written
form. Some action verbs are listed below..

1. Achieved. 17. Earned. 33. Prepared.

2. Assisted. 18. Halved. 34. Researched.

3. Established. 19. Headed. 35. Recognized.

4. Executed. 20. Implemented. 36. Reported.

5. Formulated. 21. Innovated. 37. Revised.

6. Finance. 22. Invented. 38. Scheduled.

7. Founded. 23. Mastered. 39. Solved.

8. Generated. 24. Mediated. 40. Sorted.

9. Guided. 25. Managed. 41. Supervised.

10. Doubled. 26. Negotiated. 42. Tailored.

 11. Analyzed. 27. Operated. 43. Transformed.

12. Administered. 28. Organized. 44. Trained.

13. Conceived. 29. Participated. 45. Verified.

14. Created. 30. Performed. 46. Wrote.

15. Designed. 31. Planned.

16. Developed. 32. Presented.

Business Communication

Session 22

CV and Applications

Introduction

Almost all of us have sent applications in some form or the other at some point of time. As
students most of you would be doing so on graduating from the school. Even at a later stage,
when switching of jobs is contemplated, one would be required to draft applications.
Applications are normally accompanied by Résumés. The short-listing of applicants in the
initial screening depends to a large extent on the manner in which applications are drafted. A
well-written application accompanied by a judiciously drafted Résumé is most likely to
facilitate your progress to the first stage of the recruiter’s selection process.
Purpose of Applications

All Résumés are sent with a cover letter or an application. Applications clarify the purpose of
sending the Résumé. Applications are written in one’s own individual style, unlike Résumés,
which are in a telegraphic style, without any emphasis on grammar. An application serves the
purpose of arousing enough interest in the employer to read the Résumé. Therefore, one must
use this opportunity to show one’s communication skills and also share about one’s
personality.

Guidelines for Drafting Applications

Some tips for drafting applications are discussed below:

1. Try to include details, which do not appear in the CV.

2. It should be based on facts.

3. It should be addressed by name.

4. The salutation should preferably be e.g. ‘Dear Mr Prasad’ rather than ‘Dear Sir/
Madam’.

This indicates the motivational level of the applicant and the interest taken to research the
company, with the intention of joining it.

5. The application should mention your accomplishments and also your personality traits and
attitudes. For example: Dependable, time management skills, leadership skills.

5. Be short: The application should not be more than one page.

6. Quality: Make sure that you proofread the application thoroughly. There must be no
spelling or grammar mistakes.
7. Paper used: The paper used should be of top quality.

Format of the Application

In the first paragraph, the applicant should gain the employer’s attention. This can be done by
drawing the attention to the key requirements of the job and stating that you meet them. This
should be done in a crisp, emphatic and precise manner. For example, if the employer has
advertised for position, which requires inter-personal skills, then your opening paragraph
could be on the following lines:

“Please refer to the assignment advertised in Times of India dated 11 June 2020, which calls
for good interpersonal skills. I have varied and long experience in handling small teams in
situations which call for excellent inter-personal skills”

Or

“Please consider me for an entry level position, for an assistant team leader in marketing of
mutual funds. I am an MBA with marketing and finance as my dual specialization from IBS
Gurgaon”

Sustaining Interest of the Employer

The middle portion of the application summarizes (not repeats) the skills set, experience, and
personal attributes and draws the employer’s attention to the Résumé. Not repeating the
contents but summarizing them is an art, which must be practiced.

For example, if you have had an excellent academic career and you have mentioned the
grades obtained in your Résumé, then you could interpret the same, in your application, in the
following manner:

“I had a consistently outstanding academic record as mentioned in the Résumé.”

Or
If you have excellent marketing skills and you have mentioned in the CV that you had
undertaken a project in a similar area then you could mention the same in the application in
the following manner: -

“I have made positive contribution to ITC India while I was engaged in a Research Project
with the company, which involved lot of marketing skills both online and on field.”

Closing of the Application

In the final paragraph, the applicant could request for an interview and end the letter on a
positive note, e.g.

“I request for an interview where I can have the opportunity to discuss my suitability for the
job. or

I shall be available for the interview on 30 June 2020.”

Illustrative Examples of Applications

Given below is an example of a poorly written application:

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I hereby apply for the post of Marketing Executive in your company. I am now completing
my MBA in ICFAI Business School. I will complete the same in July 2020. I have taken
Marketing as specialization.

Before joining I had worked as a sales person from June 2017 to May 2018. Please see my
Résumé, which is attached. I feel that I am well qualified and suitable for the position.

I shall be available for an interview on 19 July 2020.

Yours’ Sincerely,

ABC
The weakness in this application

1. The salutation could be better e.g. Dear Mr. Sharma etc.

2. The sentence, “I hereby apply for the post of marketing executive in your company” is
superfluous. It does not spark interest in the mind of the employer.

3. There is nothing new covered, which is not in the Résumé. An application should
interpret/ amplify the qualifications and experience.

4. Too abrupt a closing.

5. Too many ‘I’s. This is likely to irritate the employer. The employer has not been given
any importance. The application sounds egoistic.

Points to be remembered while drafting the application

The following points should be remembered:

1. Does the opening of the application arouse interest?

2. Does the application motivate the employer to refer to the Résumé?

3. Is there adequate interpretation of the likely facts, which could be included in the
Résumé?

4. Is the application brief and concise or too lengthy?

An Example of a Better Application

Dear Mr. Sharma,

I am responding to your advertisement in Times of India dated 22 July 2020, which calls for
Marketing Executives with good communication and interpersonal skills. I believe that my
qualification and experience have imbibed in me these requirements.

During my Summer Internship Project, I had the opportunity to work with L&T. My project
and the recommendations made were accepted. I also had an opportunity to organize a
number of management meets and intra college competitions which enhanced my
organisation and leadership skills.

In addition to my specialization in Marketing, I have also studied Finance, which would give
me a better perspective of my function as a Marketing Executive.

My qualifications and experience have been summarized in my Résumé, which is enclosed.

I would request the opportunity to meet you and discuss my candidature in detail.

Warm regards

ABC

Some positive points in this application are:

1. Salutation is with a name: This gives identity and importance to the employer.

2. It does not repeat what would have been included in the Résumé. It amplifies and
interprets what appears in the Résumé.

3. This letter sounds less egoistic.

4. Good, positive and polite closing.

 Session 27

Cross Cultural Communication

Case Scenario: A large US Corporation faces an impasse within a joint venture with a large Japanese
Corporation. The US team described his Japanese counterpart as weak, incompetent and completely
disinterested in the project. "He never says anything in meetings, he just sits there. Sometimes I think
he is asleep. I do my best to drive the project, but nothing happens. His people can't seem to
understand anything my team sends them- they're always questioning our data, not picking
everything. We're way behind schedule.

The Japanese team had a different view. They revered their manager: He demanded perfection,
thoroughly understood their business, taught them, supported them, and fostered their careers. They
described the American executive delicately: "Headquarters gave him a weak team; he must always
present things himself. He can't rely on his team for any support. We don't believe anything his people
send us, how could we?"

Increasing globalization is a major trend in business. The spread of the Internet, social media and
mobile devices has further fuelled this trend.

It is the medium sector and start ups that are busting borders, discovering unlimited potential for
growth and profit and changing the shape of the world economy.

In this fast changing scenario it is important that individuals are able to present themselves
confidently and are able to communicate clearly with people across the world. Any individual who
wants to communicate effectively and present cross culturally needs to develop a better
understanding of the customers needs, should know how to fulfill these needs and win in the business.
If you are able to work harmoniously with people from other cultures, you are likely to create more
business opportunities for your business house and you will be a more effective employee within your
company.
The first and the most important principle of business communication is – Audience Analysis.
Adapting your message according to your audience is always important and it gains even more
significance when you are communicating across cultures and countries. Clarity, courtesy and
correctness are appreciated across the globe. But how to achieve these goals varies in different
countries. In one country it might be appropriate to state the main points upfront and directly while in
another country they may be implied or stated indirectly. So understanding and learning the way
cultures differ is an important foundation of presenting yourself and your company successfully
across the globe.

Culture

Dutch sociologist Geert Hofstede defines culture as “the collective programming of the mind which
distinguishes the members of one category of people from another” and national culture as “that
component of our mental programming which we share with more of our compatriots as opposed to
most other world citizens”. So a culture is a shared way in which groups of people understand and
interpret the world.

Our dominant culture shapes us as an individual and shapes our presentation style also. Though the
internet has eroded boundaries and a more global culture seems to be emerging. Yet strong cultural
differences can be observed in some parts of the world. Learning about any culture starts with the big
picture. Learn about the influence of topography, history and religion on a particular culture.

Points of difference across cultures:

 Body language and gestures

 Time
 Space
 Odour
 Language equilency
Body Language and Gestures

Body positions and movements vary through out the world. For example squatting when relaxing or
even doing business is common in many countries like Indonesia and Zimbabwe but it is viewed as
primitive in the United States.

Another example is that of people from Asian countries who take fast, short steps which inhabitants
from many other countries find strange as they are used to longer strides.

Besides this movements of the head and hand are a vital form of communication and are important
during any presentation. For example the up and down movement of the head means yes in some
countries and the side-to-side movement of the head means no but in some cultures these head
movements mean nothing.

Hand gestures too can have different meanings. The two fingered sign which means victory or peace
in United States is considered vulgar in Australia.

Eye movements can also differ. In India, we are taught to maintain eye contact while giving
presentations whereas in many countries eye contact is inhibited especially with opposite gender.

The Asian practices of eye contact are less rigorous than those of the British and Germans. Unless one
understands these cultural differences, how one uses eye movement can be interpreted as being
impolite on the one hand or being shy on the other. Receiving a gift or touching with the left hand is a
serious breach of etiquette in some Arab countries.

Body movements- arching the eyebrows, positioning the fingers, raising the arms, and many more
have different meanings in different countries. Though all cultures use body movements in
communicating, but the interpretations vary from one country to another.
Instead of critically judging others because of our different greeting styles and different body
movements, we need to seize the opportunity to gain insight into other cultures. This will help us
present ourselves confidently in varying cultures.

Language Equilency

Language equilency problems are a major cause of miscommunication because some words in a
particular language have no equivalent in other languages.

Languages differ greatly in grammar and syntax. Many words have multiple meanings so there is a
chance of semantic barriers creeping in the communication.

Time

In the United States, people tend to be monochromic. They regard time as something that must be
planned in order be used as efficiently as possible. They strive to meet deadlines, to be punctual, to
conduct business quickly, and to work on a schedule.

In the some other cultures (especially those of the Middle East and some parts of Asia), people are
polychromic, viewing time in a more relaxed way. They see extensive planning as unwise and
unnecessary. Being late to a meeting or a social function is of little consequence to them.

Space

People from different cultures often vary in their attitudes toward space. North Americans tend to
prefer about two feet or so of distance between themselves and those with whom they speak. But in
some cultures (some Arabian and South American cultures), people stand closer to each other, and not
following this practice is considered impolite.
Social Hierarchy

In many cultures, strict social classes exist, and class status determines how intimately people are
addressed and treated during a communication. People from cultures that stress human equality are
apt to take offense at such questioning about class status.

Similarly, how people view superior-subordinate relations can vary by culture. Hofstede calls this
dimension power distance.

Role of Women

The role of women varies widely by culture. In North America, we continue to move toward the
generally shared goal of gender equality. In some Islamic cultures or subcultures, the allowable
behaviors for women are very restricted. To many in our culture, the practices of the people of these
other cultures violate basic human rights. In the view of the people of these cultures, their practices
are in accord with their heritage and religious convictions.

The increasing spread of Western values has made such cultures more hospitable to businesswomen,
but they may still encounter serious barriers.

Many more such differences exist. Some cultures combine business and social pleasure; others do not.
Some expect to engage in aggressive bargaining in business transactions; other prefer straightforward
dealings. Some talk loudly and with emotion; others communicate orally in a subdued manner. Some
communicate with emphasis on economy of expression; others communicate with an abundance of
verbiage.

Some other culture specific attitudes are

  Negotiation methods
 Truth in advertising
 Company- worker loyalty
 Women’s role in society

ADVICE FOR COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES

As the preceding sections make clear, presenting ourselves across boundaries and cross-cultural
communication is fraught with potential barriers and misunderstandings. And even with the best effort
on our part, not every attempt of cross-cultural communication may succeed. Like other kinds of
communication, cross-cultural communication involves people- and people are unpredictable. In
every culture, some persons are uncooperative, deceitful, prejudiced, or insensitive, while others are
respectful, welcoming, sincere, and harmony seeking. You can only make sure that you are as
prepared as possible. Keeping in mind the following points will help.

Do Your Research

Before any international business encounter, be sure you have done your homework. Learn something
about their language-and learn to speak it if you can. Study descriptions of their history, their way of
life, their values, their manners, and even their food and recreation.

Know Yourself and Your Company

Knowing yourself is a good way to anticipate and prevent likely frustrations. For example, if you
know you tend to be a “low-context,” “low power distance,” “individualistic”, “long-term goals” kind
of person, you will be less caught off guard by people at the opposite ends of the spectrum. You can
remind yourself to watch and listen carefully for visual and local cues, to be patient, to show respect
and act with due dignity yourself, and so forth.
It is equally important to understand the business you represent, as a clear understand would help you
communicate it better and adjust your presentation as per the need. Making sure you are able to get
your point across regardless of the situation.

Adapt Your English to Your Audience

The nonnative English speakers you meet will vary widely in their skill. Some may speak better
English than you do, while others may have only the barest grasp of the language. Erring on the side
of simplicity is the best bet for clear communication. Write or talk simply and clearly. Talk slowly
and enunciate each word. Remember that because most nonnative speakers learned English in school,
they are acquainted mainly with primary dictionary meanings and are not likely to understand shades
of difference in the meanings of words. It is important to word your questions carefully. Be sure your
questions are not double questions.

Important points to keep in mind

We should not use our own cultural practices as the standard for evaluating the practices of other
cultures.

In itself culture is too intricate to be measured along just one or two dimensions. And a
common business mistake it to operate on cliches or stereotypes of people from different
cultures on just 1 or two dimensions. We should understand the other culture and adapt our
communication and presentation style accordingly. There are differences within a particular
culture also. The most important thing to always keep in mind is that no culture is right or
wrong. We are just different.
Today, success depends on the ability to navigate the wild variations in the way people from
different societies think, lead and get things done. By sidestepping common stereotypes and
learning to decode the behaviours of other cultures along all the scales, we can better
capitalise on the strengths and opportunities of increased diversity.

Business Communication

Session 23

Public speaking- Effective use of Para-Verbal, Verbal and Non-verbal

Overview of the Chapter

1. Basics of Presentation
2. The Mehrabian Model
a) Words (7%)
b) Tone (38%) and
c) Body Language (55%)

3. Non-Verbal, Verbal and Para-Verbal Skills

Basics of Presentation Skills

To prepare an effective presentation first of all one needs to think about the following:

1. Topic
2. The Audience
3. The reason/occasion
4. The Venue
5. Selection of the Material
6. Organization of the material
7. Finalizing the tools for presentation
8. Rehearsing the presentation
9. Delivering the Presentation
10. Responding to Questions

Deciding the topic of the presentation is dependent on the purpose of the presentation.
There can be either a single purpose or multiple purposes for a presentation. The topic
is chosen based on the purpose. For example if a Marketing Head of an organization
plans to address his sales team a day prior to a mega event in which the plan is to
launch the company’s new product then the purpose is to motivate his team members.
The chances are the venue would be the conference room in the company and the sole
purpose would be to give the team a pep talk. The supposed time period for the talk
would be 20 minutes

Once this part of the presentation is clear to a presenter then he would start collecting
the material to be used for the presentation. For a presenter material availability in this
age of internet is not very difficult, what is difficult is to select the most appropriate
content and then to organize it in such a manner that the audience’s interest can be
captured. To keep the audience’s interest interest interact, the next step for any
presenter is to prepare and finalize the aids that would be used for the presentation.
One of the final step in planning a presentation is to rehearse the organized speech.

The next step in this process is for the presenter to use his ideas and deliver a
presentation. Delivering presentation to the public using effective verbal, para-verbal
and nonverbal communication skills is an art which not everyone possesses.

To become an effective presenter it is important to understand and decipher the role of:

1. Para-Verbal Communication Skills.

2. Verbal Communication Skills
3. Non-verbal Communication Skills

The Mehrabian Model

Albert Mehrabian developed a communication model, in which he demonstrated that only
7% of what we communicate consists of the literal content of the message. The use of one's
voice, such as tone, intonation and volume, take up 38% and as much as 55% of
communication consists of body language.
Mehrabian’s formula of 7%/38%/55% presented in his model provided the basis for the
widely quoted statistics for the effectiveness of spoken communications:
 7% of meaning in the words that are spoken
 38% of meaning is paralinguistic (the way that the words are said)
 55% of meaning is in facial expression
The ‘Mehrabian formula’ (7%/38%/55%) was established in situations where there was
incongruence between words and expression. The model explains that in a presentation the
speaker’s facial expressions have more weightage as per the audience and less to the spoken
word. The difference is noticeable and hence the presenter is required to keep this point in
mind during public speaking.
Mehrabian did not intend the statistic to be used or applied freely to all communications and
meaning, however this is what has happened!
This model is particularly useful in illustrating the importance of factors other than words
alone when trying to convey meaning (as the speaker) or interpret meaning (as the listener),
but care needs to be taken in considering the context of the communication: Style, expression,
tone, facial expression and body language.
 Public Speaking and Verbal and Non-Verbal Skills.
1. Verbal Skills
Some researchers also include certain non-vocal phenomena under the heading
of paralanguage: facial expressions, eye movements, hand gestures, and the like.
Verbal skills reflect a speaker’s general intelligence and every organization looks for
speakers who would be brand images. These speakers are very important for the
organizations and their development guarantees at a great extent the attainment of
organizational goals.

Many speakers have this talent and are born with the ability to have impeccable command
over the verbal skills. The environment at home, the schooling, the peers and friends and
most important the teachers have created great impact on the ability of the verbal skills of
great speakers.

The evaluation of candidate’s verbal skills is an essential part of both the recruitment and
assessment procedures of all the multinational organizations for more than a decade now.

Effective verbal skills indicate that the speaker has good command over usage of words,
sentences, written texts verbs, adjectives, as well as, the extent to which he/she can
comprehend meanings, produce synonyms and antonyms, know the meaning and use of
words, complete sentences with words omitted based on the word context and have a critical
view towards written speech.

The skills to understand the intricacies of the language, vocabulary, sentence formation etc
are skills which are partly inborn in the sense that, each person has the his or her mother
language inside him/her as a living organization and learns it-in a subconscious and non-
systematic way- every moment of his life through the interaction with other people.
This skills can also be partly acquired from the environment, schooling, teachers and the
motivation to learn the language in order to develop a common structure as a base upon
which the language can develop in a dynamic way throughout our lives.

Verbal skills are not always interdependent to a person's educational level or grammatical
knowledge but are a reflection of his/her verbal fluency and deeper comprehension of the
language, the extent of which is each one's personal conquest.

Types of Verbal Communication

Broadly speaking we can classify Verbal Communication into four categories:
 Intrapersonal Communication- In this form the communication is with one self and is
private.
 Interpersonal Communication- This form of communication is one-on-one
conversation and occurs between two individuals.
 Small Group Communication- As the term suggests this form of communication is
between small groups where interaction is in the form of two way communication
 Public Communication- This form of communication is usually in the form of Public
speeches where individual converses with a huge group of audience.

2. Non-Verbal Skills
If you keenly observe the wonderful ways of communication without the influence of verbal
speech you will agree, ‘Silence is golden, speech is silver.’ We are capable of communicating
with most of the parts of the body such as hands, face, feet and can easily live in the world
without voice.

A conductor doesn’t speak to his orchestra; he uses body language in an extreme manner to
ensure that the strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion and keyboards understand when and
how they have to play.

Therefore, non-verbal communication is useful in these things, as it allows people to get in

touch with one another and to understand the piece, speech and music more deeply. The ways
of communicating are vital in the world and Tacconi is keen to raise awareness of this to
those around her.

Non-verbal communication especially body language refers to communication without words

and instead can consist of using posture, gestures, eye contact, facial expressions.

To make any message more appealing the speakers use body language. This helps in
expressing thoughts and the message becomes more appealing to the audience. The interest in
the subject matter enhances manifold if body language is impressive.

Problem occurs when the non-verbal communication and verbal communication do not
match, leaving the audience with mixed messages, and having to decide whether to believe
what you are saying or what your body language is communicating. This is where speakers
need to work hard and rehearse.

It has been observed that an audience mostly chooses body language, because it is natural and
portrays the true feelings and intentions of the speaker. The humans it is believed can think
and talk, but can’t think and act according to their will unless and until they are great actors.

For a speaker it is important to work in a manner that they build upon the trust of the
audience and body language plays a strong role in achieving this goal. The desired effect on
the audience is a result of this trust. The non-verbal communication message with the
verbally communicated message within a speech increases the audiences’ rapport with the
presenter. If a speaker’s non-verbal communication is lacking, then it generates tension and
confusion for the audience.
Non Verbal Communication is the process of presenting meaning which is without the use of
words either written or spoken. In this kind of communication people interact through the use
of facial expressions, hand movements, body language, postures, and gestures is called as
non-verbal communication.

Non-verbalcommunication is used to express emotions and interpersonal attitudes, and use

these forms such as greetings to showcase their personality.

The non-verbal communication forms such as signals, expressions, gestures add meaning to
the verbal communication and help people to communicate more efficiently. Whatever is said
in words gets empowered with the help of non-verbal communication forms, such as people
nod to acknowledge and move their hands to give directions.

Usage of non-verbal communication does not result in positive communication always but
instead these forms might create barrier to communicating effectively. Sometimes the
recipient of the message might misunderstand the message the sender is trying to send
because of the noon-verbal cues.

Non-verbal communication can be divided into visual and non-visual, as shown in the table:

Non-Verbal Communication

Visual Non- Visual

Eye Contact Music

Body Language Tone of Voice

Shapes Pitch

Colors Pace of Speech

Photos and Images Sound

Graphs

Symbols
 Presentations

For public speaking success all types of Non-Verbal communication forms are important and
reason is that connection with the audience enhances with the usage of these forms.

Oral presentation comprise of three main components: Non-verbal communication, spoken

words and the tone of voice. As mentioned in Albert Mehrabian’s Communication Model
audience trust non-verbal communication the most during oral presentations (55%), followed
by tone of voice (38%) and words though considered as most important carry very little
weightage (7%). Overall non-verbal communication is very important to public speaking due
to the fact that, as humans, we trust non-verbal communication over verbal and speech. 

Broadly speaking there are eight types of nonverbal communication to further understand this
challenging aspect of communication:

1. Space

2. Time

3. Physical characteristics

4. Body movements

5. Touch

6. Paralanguage

7. Artifacts

8. Environment

In public speaking over 90% of the effectiveness of your message is created by body
language and non-verbal communication such as body posture, voice, intonation, facial
expressions and eye contact? In order to achieve the desired effect and impact with your
message it is important to master these non-verbal communication skills.

3. Para Verbal Skills

Para verbal  skills that a presenter should focus and practice are accent, pitch, volume,
speech rate, modulation, and fluency. 
Importance of Para verbal Communication
For powerful engagement with the audience the presenter is required to select words careful
and crafting a message that is to be taken away by the audience. But words alone aren’t
enough. The Para verbal communication plays a big role in how the audience sees the
presenter.
Para verbal communication thus is an important facet of a speaker when speaking to the
audience, no matter the size of the audience. Not just what the presenter says, but how it is
said plays a big role in making a successful communication.

Why is Para verbal communication important?

Para verbal communication adds more meaning to the words you say.
It has been noticed that 2 speakers with the same message can make it boring or exciting,
depending on their delivery style.
It’s helpful to consider how valuable Para verbal communication is in many different types of
situations:
Some examples where Para Verbal Communication can create an impact are as follows:
1. When making presentations, to keep listeners more engaged.
2. While telling a story
3. While sharing information about your product has on others
4. When training the employees.

In each of the cases and many more how the presenter delivers words will impac t how the
audience feels when they hear those words. A speaker has the power to create excitement,
worry, sadness, happiness and many more feelings.
All of this is not just with the words alone, but with how you say them.
And if you want to improve how you’re perceived as a leader, Para verbal communication
plays a huge role.

What is Para verbal communication?

Para verbal communication is how you say the words you say. It has 3 key components,
which are broken out below.
Constituents of Para verbal Communication
1. PITCH.
Pitch means that when someone speaks, how high or low the voice goes Different speakers
may speak in a high pitch or a low bass or baritone – or more likely somewhere in between.
A squeaky high pitch sometimes denotes that the speaker is afraid. A low pitch voice
demonstrate that the speaker is calm.It can also show authority or anger, depending on the
context.
2. RATE OF SPEECH
Every individual has a rate of speech, which means how fast or slow one talks. Speaking
quickly can indicate being nervous, or it can show excitement.
While giving a presentation, you need to have an average rate of speech. It should neither be
too fast nor very slow. When someone speaks fast it denotes that the speaker is nervous and
when the rate of speech is very slow then the audience might not believe in you. Hence
average rate of speech should be adopted as that indicates calm and composed attitude.
3. TONE OF VOICE
Speaking in a monotone results in a boring speech and the audience control might diminish
for a presenter. Hence a presenter should use more inflection in the voice rather than speaking
in a monotone. If you’re reading a speech, it may come across as flat if you don’t change
the way the words sound at different times. You may use stronger emphasis in some places,
faster or slower pace, and soft supportive tones.
When you vary the tone, it can keep a listener engaged.
If you speak softly, it can encourage someone to listen to you more closely. If you raise your
voice, it imparts a different feeling.

How to improve your Para verbal Communication

For an impactful presentation presenter needs to focus on not just the words but on the vocal
aspects of the voice as well. One can record and listen to the self-recorded speeches to
improve. Listening to your own pitch, voice and tone will help in understanding the areas of
improvement. If the plan of action is in place then it is only a matter of time.

When you’ve practiced your presentation, you’ll be more prepared and in control.
Information such as room size, acoustics, the seating arrangement will also present important
information about how far you need to project your voice – an important aspect of paraverbal
communication.
And if your communication skills are weak, improving paraverbal communication is valuable
in your day-to-day communication with peers and your team, too.

Chapter 24 Presentation Skills-Technical Presentation

 Learning Objectives

 After studying this chapter you will be able to:

 Understand the role of visuals in business presentation

 Understand the types /variety of visuals commonly used for presentation

 Use the slides and how to create structure for it

 Effectively design visuals,artwork and designs to create effective presentation

 Use navigating through slides and use of handouts

Chapter overview:
Science and technology has come a long way and so in explaining the content to audience
through chalk and board to giving high on the use of sophisticated info-graphics indeed we
have taken a big leap.As it is a famous quote that a picture is worth thousand words,so, to
engage the audience more we use graphics/pictures/images/animation /graphs charts and
designs as per the requirement of content.This not only helps the presenter to present his/her
ideas it also helps the audience to understand the content completely. So in a way we can say
that a presentation slide is architectural presentation of a rather complex and imaginative
idea.Not only this bring the imagination of presenter and audience closer it also removes any
barrier of communication in term of misrepresentation and misunderstanding.
What is a presentation : A presentation is an oral activity that uses some visual medium to
discuss/present idea/concept or information before a specific audience in a persuasive and
convincing manner

Purpose of Giving Presentation:

 To give Information

 To convince/to persuade

 To educate

 To motivate

Salient features of a well designed Presentation:

 It has a clear structure with a proper Introduction followed by discussion and a

conclusion
 The presentation always matches the requirements/needs of the audience there level of
understanding

 Facts and figures are visually presented in graphs/tables/charts to make a lasting impact
on audience

 It always has a logical flow starting from the general to specifics i.e.easy to complex and
main to sub parts,problem to solution etc.

 It always has uniformity in design/colour scheme and in fonts

 It always acts to elucidate the content and help presenter not to replace the presenter

Planning your presentation Visuals

Any presentation has three major elements
 The presenter

 The audience

 Specific content and objectives to be achieved

A trained presenter will always keep all these three aspects in mind while planning for a
presentation.A presentation is not mere speaking before an audience for some time and reflect
the knowledge the presenter has of the subject matter rather a presentation is close
understanding the need and requirements of audience and meeting their expectation or the
expectation the presenter had beforehand.So a presentation requires prior preparation and
planning.
 A presenter should take following steps to prepare for the presentation:

 Identify the purpose and goal of giving presentation(WHY I am giving presentation?)

 Analyse the audience and their needs(WHO I am giving presentation to?)

 Collate the relevant facts/information (WHAT I need to tell ?)

 Design and organization of collated information(HOW I m presenting?)

 Time/duration of presentation( WHEN5 minutes or 30 minutes,morning or evening)

 Decide the medium of presentation(AV/Video/PPT/Info-graphics etc etc) HOW

 Location (WHERE am I presenting?)

After identifying the purpose of presentation and analyzing the needs of audience a presenter
needs to decide upon the content and who that contents needs to be presented.
Choosing the right visuals for your content and your Audience Keeping in mind the audience
ad data that you have you need to critically plan that how will you present this information so
that audience quickly and clearly comprehend the concept and retain it for longer
duration.You should always understand this that a Presentation is an oral form of
communication and the audiences in most of the cases is someone who is aware. If you are
giving a presentation of financial analysis of a company the right way to represent the idea is
in Year on Year comparison in the form of a Graph or table.However, if you are giving a
presentation on a product for its launching before the prospective customers it would require
different features like visuals of product and experience sharing of users. A 3d presentation of
product or a video of product would be more liked by audience a sit will expose the product
in a quasi natural form.Similarly if your objective is to present a complex cycle/idea in simple
form before the audience a flow Chart will be more appropriate a tool to present the idea.

Planning The Visuals

In selecting visuals to represent the idea you should review the information that you want to
present through the visuals.Do remember the rule that visuals are to make you life easy in
presenting not going to replace you.
While planning you should always keep in mind the Size of Visuals,Types of
Visuals(Graph/chart/table/Picture/Word Art/video)

Presentation Software
Microsoft PowerPoint is the dominant software used to create visual aids for presentations. Learn to
use it well, including the special features outside of basic templates that can really bring a presentation
to life. Even if someone else is preparing your slideshow for you, it will help to know how to use the
software in case of last-minute changes.

 Microsoft Office
 Design
 Keynote
 Google Slides
 Prezzie
 Info-graphics
 Adobe Presenter
 Holograms
 Pictographs
 Other visuals like videos and animation

Verifying your Design Plan

After choosing the medium and media as per the content think again critically to verify the planned
medium qualifies all the objectives of presentation once again before starting to create the creatives
for presentation.Always plan what will be your style of presentation and the selected visuals fulfill the
requirement of you presentation style.
When it comes to selecting the designs for visual let simplicity be your guide always.You may get
tempted to experiment with the so called popular software and apps available but be aware that it will
consume lot of you time and it may not always achieve the impact that you really wanted to create on
audience.Always prefer simplicity over complexity and somber over flashy.Choose Structured slide or
free flow slides.Structured slide is where you choose a design and maintain the same design
throughout the presentation.This usually based on the templates built into power points where you
have basic framework and lots of bullet points.
Free form slides does not follow a rigid structure pattern,you have some freedom in changing the
design and pattern of power point.It however does not be understood that you have full liberty and
you can change the theme or design in every slide.An effectively designed slide should be unified in
projecting the theme by choosing the font colour,Size and orientation of graphics.Highlight is we
should engage customer with some element of surprise however it is not the best idea to shock the
every now and then.

Designing Effective Slides: before planning your slides you must understand the agony of
audience who is forced to sitting through all the dull and boring presentations.However the problem is
not with Power Point itself,software is just a tool and should be used effectively by the presenter.Lack
of awareness ,training and practice can lead to ineffective presentations. Sometimes people put too
much information on slides and treat them as standalone document and it often doesn't work.
Overdoing everything also creates disturbance you just imagine that you are viewing a presentation
and every now and then fonts are flying in from different directions and images are zooming in and
out,this will take away your attention from the presenter and content to the animation.Achieving a
balanced approach and consistency is that brings out the best in any presentation.
Designing slides around a key visual can help the audiences understand the key concept of
presentation and also brings out uniformity.Like a cyclic design suggest the process of product line a
where as a pyramid may suggest the hierarchical relationship.
How to select design elements: As we design and create slides we should always keep
audience’s experience in mind.there are some principal elements of
design:Consistency,Contrast,balance,complementary, emphasize and simplicity.Pay a close attention
to all these elements while deciding the design elements for presentation.

Colour:Colour is a critical design element as it immediately grabs the audience’s attention.Some

people may prefer the subtle colour platter while some would choose the most flashy colour in colour
scheme.However it is quite an individual choice still let yourself be guided by the theme of the
content and purpose as well as the Audience.A palette of cool blue and grays would present a somber
professional outlook whereas a palette of warm orange and red and browns will represent something
very creative of passionate outlook of presenter.
We should always keep in mind that how to choose a contrasting or complementary colour scheme for
the background with the Font colour.Always choose a darker font on a lighter background so that font
catches your eyes first than the background,as it increases the. readability.You can always seek help
in choosing complementary and contrasting colour scheme from Microsoft Power point and adobe
this feature is already built in. Do not include too many colours just because you liked it would impact
negatively and create distractions.You can play around with just 2-3 colours in one presentation one
for highlighting or creating emphasis.
Artwork/Graphics while choosing artwork we have to decide upon creating two layers one is for
background and other is for foreground.If we keep background art work minimum and diluted works
best rather let it be on the sides of the slide so that it does not impact the readability.Foreground art
work we can keep as functional or decorative that may include a design a photograph or clip-art.You
can use the inbuilt feature available from Power point and choose from the existing art work design or
can download free clip arts as you require from some free websites like flicker.com.
Typefaces and type Styles
Follow these guidelines when choosing typefaces:
 Use serif typefaces with care
 Limit the no of style of fonts per style
 Avoid all capitals as it reduces readability
 Allow extra white space(your eyes will say thank you)
 Be consistence
 Make sure you have consistency in size,colour and type of font in presentation
 Avoid most italicized
 If using thinner typeface use bolder version of that
Size:when choosing the size of font consider the size of the room in which you will be
presenting.Your purpose is to ensure that the last person on the farthest corner should be able
to read.
Generally you may follow this rule:
Title or heading 36-44 font size
Subtitles: 26-32
Content 24-32
Only 7-9 bullet points per slide and only 7-9 words per bullet point.
Limit each slide to one thought or idea only
Do not shoe a text heavy slide in a row.
Do not use full sentences only keywords
Use active voice and action verbs
Include short informative titles
Creating Charts and Tables
For a professional presentation use of charts and tables is unavoidable,we need to be careful
in designing them and incorporating them in presentation effectively.
Do not assume that your audience will read the chart (you need to explain it)
Reduce too much detail on one chart if you need to explain 3-4 variants through the same
chart use them separately,explain one by one.
Simplify it for your reader
Highlight key points
Adjust the size and design

Adding Animation and multimedia

Adding multimedia to your presentation really complement your presentation such as
recorded messages or customers experiences can bring more life in your presentation.you
need to be careful with the size and duration of multimedia components.it should be
supported with the data and duration should be from 30 seconds to maximum 3 minutes
only.Now a days lot of smart phone applications allow you to create your own multimedia
and animated videos or you can record your own videos by using some of the recording
application like scree cast-o matic ,loom etc etc.You can also broadcast a live presentation
from your smart phone to anywhere in the world.

Checklist of effective Presentation with Visuals

A. Planning
 Your message should get the focus not the visuals
 Select visuals carefully with a balanced approach
 Use your time wisely so that you have time to rehearse your presentation
 Let simplicity be your guiding force
B. Structure
 Structured slide with bullet points are easy to create
 Free form slides give you freedom to be creative
C.Design effective Slides
 Avoid the slides loaded with information less is more beautiful
 Use colours to emphasize not to distract
 Limit colours per presentation 4-5 only choose either complementary or contrasting
palette
 Use decorative artwork judiciously
 Use only relevant pictures and artwork

Create effective slide content:

 Choose appropriate size and type of font that is readable
 Limit the amount of text on a slide 7*7 rule
 Use slide transition which are subtle with minimum distractions
 Use hyperlinks and action buttons to embed the outside files in presentation
 Incorporate multimedia elements that can help you to engage the audience

Exercise:find a business presentation on slide-share and critically analyse it for it design

used.

References:
Business communication today by Bovee and V.Thill
Business communication by Raymond v. lasikar and Fltley
Business communication by P D. Chaturvedi and Mukesh Chaturvedi
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/list-of-presentation-skills-2059695
https://ece.uwaterloo.ca/~dwharder/Presentations/Guidelines/Introduction/

Business Communication

Session 25

Self-Image and Handling PI

1. Self and Self Image
2. Types of Self Image
3. Self Esteem
4. Handling Personal Interview with High Self Esteem
5. High Self Esteem and Confidence

What is self and self-image?

Every individual has a self-image and that is a mental picture of the physical appearance and
the entire individual. When an individual thinks about himself then the image that comes up
is very important. This image may be a very positive one or an extremely negative one
depends on the self-esteem of the person. The idea is for everyone to develop a healthy image
of oneself and love themselves as they are. This is what will create a positive self-image and
a confident personality.

Types of Self Image

It is essential that everyone feels good in their own skin and for that the first thing is to
understand the type of self-images that exists:

1. How an individual sees oneself

2. How others see an individual
3. Perception of individual as to how others see him
4. Perception of the individual on how he sees himself.

Self-Esteem
Creating a positive self-image is essential for the self-esteem of a person. Some of the ways
to create a positive self –image are to give a pep-talk to oneself to begin with and never let
the inner critic take command of the situation and feed negative thoughts. It has been proved
by the psychologists that self-appreciation if conducted genuinely helps in boosting the
morale and it takes no more than 2 minutes to build that into your daily routine. One of the
biggest trap that a human being finds himself is that of comparison with others or being in
company of those who are not supportive in the actions undertaken. Loving yourself for all
the right reasons and having a positive self-image is one of the greatest ways to enhance self-
esteem.
Hence Self-esteem is a thought process in which an individual accepts himself with both
the good and not so good aspects of your inner and outer self. The feeling of respect that
one has for himself helps in providing good treatment and respect to the own self. This
is very important for each individual because only when someone loves and respects
himself wholly, then others frame positive opinion about them.

High Self-Esteem
The best part about having high self-esteem is that you are aware you approve your
own self and do not depend on others for approval. This also means that one does not
have an urge to disrespect or put down others in order to create value from themselves,
because there is no competition with any external factors.

One of the best ways to find out if one has high self-esteem is to look for certain
behavioural patterns such as non-blaming behaviour, self-direction, learning ability and
being aware of their own strengths. People with high self-esteem are cooperative,
trustworthy and take good self-care.

Low Self-Esteem
On the other hand some characteristics of low self-esteem are that people lack
confidence and have a very negative view of life. Such individuals are very critical of
themselves and are never happy in anything they do. A person who has the habit of
blaming others, mistrust others, depend on others for decisions fall into this category.
Usually they would have distorted view of self, others and the world at large.

Self Esteem and Workplace

At workplace employees with high self-esteem are preferred because of their effective
interpersonal skills and high emotional quotient. The promotion of the employees is not just
dependent on the work they do but also the leadership qualities such as decision making,
conflict management, negotiation skills etc. is highly developed.

During the campus level in selection process in a management Institute the recruiters are
looking for candidates with high self-esteem. The reason is to build a team of employees who
work for the development and progress of the organization. The organizations are very clear
that they would rather go for candidates who have less complications related to low self-
esteem and focus on the organizations’ goal rather than berating and training the candidates
after selecting them.

Thus it is important that those with low self-esteem take help and work on their self-image so
that they are able to present themselves in the best possible manner to the recruiters. Despite
of high Intelligent Quotient many candidates are not able to get shortlisted and one of the
most common reasons is Self-Esteem.

Handling Personal Interviews with Confidence and high Self Esteem

Employees always prefer hiring people who are confident in their interview and for this
they have multiple ways to judge. The candidates must know that besides working or
having a positive self-esteem it is also important to showcase that in the personal
interview.

In order to showcase high self-confidence one must know how the recruiters judge the
confidence of an individual.

Some of the ways to establish and showcase confidence in any interview for fresher can be
through:

 Eye Contact
 Body Positioning/ Language
 Expressions
 Gestures
 Rate of Speech
 Listen well
 Research thoroughly.
1. Eye contact

Good eye-contact with the recruiter or the panel of recruiters should be maintained both
while listening to them and also while responding to their questions. It is important that
while answering the candidates look at the selectors rather than sideways. Eye contact is
one of the most important indication of a confident candidate and if one is looking away
from the recruiter it is a clear cut give away.

2. Body Language/Positioning

Sitting and standing tall is a sign of confidence. Especially for personal interviews one
should enter with an erect posture. When seated in front of the recruiter for personal
interviewer the arms should on your sides and not crossed. Sit tall and do not slouch. In
order to look and feel confident one should take space to sit rather than making
themselves smaller. While sitting never cross your arms as that is a sign of defensive
attitude.

3. Don’t fidget

Fidgeting with your fingers or with pen is a sign of nervousness. A little nervousness during
the personal interview is not worrisome but when this nervousness gets displayed through
movements such as tapping of feet or fingers is sign of nervousness.

4. Smile and keep the expressions positive.

Smiling is a sign of confidence. Those who appear super serious mostly have a frown on their
face. It is important to have a relaxed expression and comfortable look on the face. When
asked a question a candidate can take time, think for a moment or two before responding or
deciding what to say but if you look less confident while answering.

5. Practice your handshake

A warm and strong handshake is a sign of confidence. Always make sure that your
handshake should not be like, ‘dead fish’ or limp because this indicates lack of confidence.
A firm handshake which is not too strong nor weak is to be practiced before on appears for
the interview.

6. Rate of Speech
One should neither speak very slowly nor very fast while responding to the interviewer’s
questions. One should keep in mind that once your response is out you can’t make any
changes. So listen carefully, pause to think and then respond in a calm and composed
manner. Using some good connectors to begin your answer such as ‘This is a good
question….’ is also a good strategy to remain in control of your rate of speech. Rephrasing
the interviewer’s question or asking them to repeat the question will help in giving the
appropriate responses and also keep the confidence high.

7. Listen Well
Listening well as an art and also a sign of confident attitude. It is important to remain
comfortable and conversational during an interview. If one is confident then the candidate is
able to listen well and respond after listening to the question. One needs to focus on what the
interviewer is asking so that responses are appropriate.

8. Research Thoroughly

Research well about the company, the sector and the job profile that is being offered by the
company when you go for an interview. Nothing can provide more confidence than the
preparation that one can do before appearing for an interview. Questions such as ‘Why
should we hire you?’ or ‘What do you know about us?’ appear to be very simple questions,
but gives an opportunity to the candidate to show his seriousness and readiness to work for
the organization.

High Self Esteem and Confidence

It is important that everyone should work on their self-esteem. Any symptoms of low
self-esteem would be easily visible to the interviewer. No amount of work during the
interview can help the candidates in hiding the real self.

It is also important that a candidate does his homework well by writing down the value
they can add to the organization as well as the job for which they are interviewing. In
fact the candidate should also know in advance what their ‘Unique Selling Propositions’
is.

During the personal interview the confidence that can be showcased by the candidate
has two aspects to it, one is the high Self Esteem of the candidate, and second is the self
Confidence during the personal interview that is a result of this high self-esteem.

Business Communication
 Session 26

Handling Group Discussion: Brainstorming Process and Technique

1. Brainstorming Process and Benefits

2. Rules of Brainstorming
3. Types of Brainstorming
4. Brainstorming Techniques and Approaches
5. Individual vs Team Brainstorming
6. Presenting Ideas

What is Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a name coined for a situation in which a group or a team uses a certain
technique to find a solution to a problem by participating enthusiastically in sharing as many
ideas as possible. In this method the focus is on quantity and people are motivated to think
freely and suggest as many spontaneous new ideas as possible during the session.

The Benefits of a Group Brainstorm happens from the fact that unrestrained and spontaneous
participation in these discussions lead to creative thinking, emergence of new ideas, sharing
of views and opinions and finally solving specific problems.

This process is very useful in the early stages of a product when having a wide range of views
and opinions are found to be useful. If one is looking for team participation in order to have
exponentially huge number of ideas then Brainstorming is one of the quickest method.

Rules of Brain Storming

Four rules to follow during Brainstorming that one should respect and follow in the group for
ideation are as follows:
1. Focus on Quantity not quality
2. Defer Judgement
3. Welcome farfetched ideas, and
4. Build on ideas.
The idea behind Brainstorming sessions is that when the team sits down to capture ideas
the plan is to look for abundance of ideas. It’s like entering the no holds bar where the
participants should not withhold any ideas because it is easy to pick good, impactful ideas
from a large pool rather than a limited number. The process should be clear to each team
member that no idea small or big is to be shot down in the initial stage so that maximum
 participation is possible. This is a stage where neither is the idea appreciated not is it
rejected.

Brainstorming Techniques
There are a variety of ideation techniques which will equip the teams with tools to
generate fresh and compelling ideas in large quantities and some of them are:
 Brainstorming techniques
 Conducting brainstorming sessions
 Mind mapping ideas
 Forced ranking
 Storyboarding
 Card sorting
 Asking tough questions
 Reverse brainstorming
 Stages of problem-solving

Some of the well-know and often used techniques by the teams are as follows:

Brainstorming methods (Techniques/ Types)

Are you an effective barnstormer? Does the process of brainstorming feel like an opportunity
or more like a chore? Chances are if you don’t enjoy the process of brainstorming, you’ve
probably been using the wrong brainstorming technique. 

That’s right—there are distinct brainstorming methods. 

Just as there are different learning styles and different workflow preferences, each of us has a
method of brainstorming that works best for us. Whether or not you’re a veteran barnstormer,
this article will help you unpack different brainstorming tools, learn the advantages and
shortcomings of each, and select a technique for yourself and your team.

With every method of brainstorming, the most important thing to remember is to follow the
rule of quantity over quality. Brainstorming is aided by accepting all ideas, however
seemingly unrealistic or irrelevant they might be. The goal is to create a large enough pool
from which to pull the best ideas or combine ideas for the best solution or strategy.

Brainwriting

One of the techniques of Brainstorming is ‘Brainwriting’ in which the group members are
asked to anonymously share their ideas by writing on post-it notes or index cards. The benefit
of this technique is that each member can be spared of facing personality bias and his idea
cannot be repeated by others. And another benefit is that those who are introvert also get to
share their ideas. One of the main benefits of Brainwriting is that ideas can be collected and
then later the participants can go for a discussion.

Six Thinking Hats

Edward De Bono’s ‘Six Thinking Hats’ technique is another way of holding a brainstorming
session. The use of different coloured hats helps the participants to think on the same topics
with different perspectives:

Six Thinking Hats:An aid to decision making and problem solving

The Red Hat
What do you feel about the suggestion?
What are your gut reactions?
What intuitions do you have?
Don’t think too long or too hard.
The White Hat
The information seeking hat.
What are the facts?
What information is available? What is relevant?
When wearing the white hat we are neutral in our thinking.
The Yellow Hat
The sunshine hat.
It is positive and constructive.
It is about effectiveness and getting a job done.
What are the benefits, the advantages?
The Black Hat
The caution hat.
In black hat the thinker points out errors or pit-falls.
What are the risks or dangers involved?
Identifies difficulties and problems.
The Green Hat
This is the creative mode of thinking.
Green represents growth and movement.
In green hat we look to new ideas and solutions.
Lateral thinking wears a green hat.
The Blue Hat
The control hat, organising thinking itself.
Sets the focus, calls for the use of other hats.
Monitors and reflects on the thinking processes used. Blue is for planning.

Each teammate takes turns wearing different hats and contributes input from each
perspective. This implies that when the team members don a white hat then all talk about
only the facts mentioned in the given case/problem. Then next time everyone wears a ‘Red
hat’ and that means they all think about the dangers in the solution they are thinking about.
Thus donning of different hat helps the team to discuss various perspectives before they come
to a decision.

3. ‘5 Whys’ analysis

In the ‘Why Analysis’ technique the team members ask why over and over again to get to the
bottom of the problem. This technique of Brainstorming encourages each team member to
have an open dialogue and get answers which help in the ideation process.

4. Star bursting

This technique is all about 5WH process wherein the ideation on a certain topic follows a
sequence of who, what, where, why and how for any new idea under consideration.

Place your main idea at the center of a star diagram, labelling each point of the star with those
5WH questions.

Next, develop a series of questions about your idea for each point. Star bursting is popular
among brainstorming methods because of its exploratory nature: One question triggers
another question, and before you know it, you have the beginnings of a solid strategy within
the answers to those questions.

Mind mapping

Mind maps is a brainstorming techniques in which the ideas are not linear in direction but
non-linear in its nature. The process begins with a topic or an idea in the centre and then all
the team members give inputs regarding the topic so that ideas branch out and a good amount
of thoughts are contributed by all the participants.
Role storming

This is a very strong brainstorming technique in which one decides to play someone else’s
role and comes out with ideas which someone else might present. So one puts himself in
someone else’s shoes while presenting ideas. The central concept behind Role storming is to
promote new ideas by playing someone else’s role.

Conclusion

For ideation and effective discussion adopting a variety of techniques bring out the creative
juices of the team members. In order to get some of the best ideas out a team quantity over
quality gets preference. The process allows each and every one to be brave and contribute
views and ideate efficiently for the sake of reaching the best solutions.

Business Communication

Session 27

Presentation Skills: Presenting Self & Handling Personal interview

Learning Objectives:

1. To understand the idea of “self” in reference to self-concept, self-esteem and

self-efficacy.
2. Tips to prepare and present oneself in a Personal Interview.

Just as our perception of others affects how we communicate, so does our perception
of ourselves. But what influences our self-perception? How much of our self is a
product of our own making and how much of it is constructed based on how others
react to us? How do we present ourselves to others in ways that maintain our sense of
self or challenge how others see us?

Let’s explore self-concept, self-esteem, and their impact on self-presentation.

Self-Concept
Self-concept refers to the overall idea of who a person thinks he or she is. If I said, “Tell me
who you are,” your answers would be clues as to how you see yourself, your self-concept.
Each person has an overall self-concept that might be encapsulated in a short list of
overarching characteristics that he or she finds important. But each person’s self-concept is
also influenced by context, meaning we think differently about ourselves depending on the
situation we are in. In some situations, personal characteristics, such as our abilities,
personality, and other distinguishing features, will best describe who we are. You might
consider yourself laid back, traditional, funny, open minded, or driven, or you might label
yourself a leader or a thrill seeker. In other situations, our self-concept may be tied to group
or cultural membership. For example, you might consider yourself an Indian, Bengali,
Marathi, south Indian etc.

Our self-concept is also formed through our interactions with others and their reactions to us.
The concept of the looking glass self explains that we see ourselves reflected in other
people’s reactions to us and then form our self-concept based on how we believe other people
see us. Charles Cooley, Human Nature and the Social Order  (New York, NY: Scribner,
1902). This reflective process of building our self-concept is based on what other people have
actually said, such as “You’re a good listener,” and other people’s actions, such as coming to
you for advice. These thoughts evoke emotional responses that feed into our self-concept. For
example, you may think, “I’m glad that people can count on me to listen to their problems.”

We also develop our self-concept through comparisons to other people. Social comparison

theory states that we describe and evaluate ourselves in terms of how we compare to other
people.

Self-Esteem

Self-esteem refers to the judgments and evaluations we make about our self-concept. While
self-concept is a broad description of the self, self-esteem is a more specifically an evaluation
of the self. If I again prompted you to “Tell me who you are,” and then asked you to evaluate
(label as good/bad, positive/negative, desirable/undesirable) each of the things you listed
about yourself, I would get clues about your self-esteem. Like self-concept, self-esteem has
general and specific elements. Generally, some people are more likely to evaluate themselves
positively while others are more likely to evaluate themselves negatively.
Self-Efficacy

It refers to the judgments people make about their ability to perform a task within a specific

context.

A small Case:Pedro did a good job on his first college speech. During a meeting with his
professor, Pedro indicates that he is confident going into the next speech and thinks he will
do well. This skill-based assessment is an indication that Pedro has a high level of self-
efficacy related to public speaking. If he does well on the speech, the praise from his
classmates and professor will reinforce his self-efficacy and lead him to positively evaluate
his speaking skills, which will contribute to his self-esteem. By the end of the class, Pedro
likely thinks of himself as a good public speaker, which may then become an important part
of his self-concept. Throughout these points of connection, it’s important to remember that
self-perception affects how we communicate, behave, and perceive other things. Pedro’s
increased feeling of self-efficacy may give him more confidence in his delivery, which will
likely result in positive feedback that reinforces his self-perception. He may start to perceive
his professor more positively since they share an interest in public speaking, and he may
begin to notice other people’s speaking skills more during class presentations and public
lectures. Over time, he may even start to think about changing his major to communication
or pursuing career options that incorporate public speaking, which would further integrate
being “a good public speaker” into his self-concept. You can hopefully see that these
interconnections can create powerful positive or negative cycles. While some of this process
is under our control, much of it is also shaped by the people in our lives. The verbal and
nonverbal feedback we get from people affect our feelings of self-efficacy and our self-
esteem. As we saw in Pedro’s example, being given positive feedback can increase our self-
efficacy, which may make us more likely to engage in a similar task in the future.

Presenting the self successfully in an interview situation is a byproduct of the Self Concept,
Self Esteem and Self Efficacy. Be it the first interview one is appearing for or the 10th in the
career span there would always be a few do’s & don’ts to be followed to crack it successfully.
Some of them are given below:

1. Learn to introduce yourself

You have to train before the interview and conduct a little research on how your speech
sounds. Introducing yourself is an essential part of it and you have to prepare very well to
make the first impression. You have to start with your name and make a recruiter remember
it. Besides, you must find some personal information about an interviewer. Learn his or her
name too and repeat it for a few times at the meeting. You can even mention it when you’ll
introduce yourself. For example, the recruiter says: Hello, my name is Peter. And you’ll have
to answer: Hi, Peter. I’m glad to meet you. My name is Georgia. Psychologists say that the
most desired word a person likes to hear is the name. Use this rule but don’t overdose with it.

2. Appropriate dressing
Your clothes shouldn’t take the entire attention and make a bigger impression than a
conversation. Don’t choose too bright accessories, dresses, suits, etc. Select something
neutral to wear. Women shouldn’t put too short skirts on or show their décolleté©, and men
shouldn’t choose shorts and sleeveless shirts. Your shoes have to be closed sandals and flip
flops aren’t the type of footwear a candidate has to select for the interview.

Your cloth is the part of your personalization and you have to emphasize your individuality
excellently. But step aside from extravagant dressing because you can make a wrong
impression. It will be good to find out more about the corporate culture of the company and
put on something that fits it.
3. Prepare to impress with words
Learn some power words that include win, develop, communicate€, manage€, produce, etc.
Use them to tell about your former position and prepare to support them with facts. You will
have to impress an employer with your achievements and brilliant experience. Don’t be too
shy to tell about what you’ve done and how you increased the production level of your
department, for example. Remember that there’re candidates who are ready to show their
results and be proud of them. Tell everything about your achievements.

4. Ask questions
Employers like when candidates ask questions about the company. It is the signal you’re
interested in this job and you really want to become a member of their team. Ask about the
company, your duties, time-table, corporate life, study, etc.

5. Body language
You have to be open and friendly but not shy. Don’t demonstrate closed positions like
crossed arms or legs during the interview. You also shouldn’t invade into someone’s space.
The best way is to relax and be confident.

6. Previous job
Don’t provide negative comments about your former employer or colleagues. Even if they are
true, a recruiter will pay attention to your attitude and behavior. It’s not a good ton to tell
about some annoying situations or conversations. Don’t give too much information and you
won’t let it play a cruel joke with you.

Now the day has come and you’ve been waiting for this invitation for so long and here it is!
Finally, recruiters from a company you want to be hired at paid attention at your resume and
desire to see you. So remove the thoughts related to failures, ask someone to train you before
the meeting and check if you are ready for it. Dress up appropriately, use the right phrases,
watch your body language, and reduce negative comments about a previous job and you are
all set to impress a recruiter.
 Business Communication

Session 28

Team Presentation Skills

Session Sub-Topics:

 Presentation Goals
 Tips for Preparing & Delivering the Presentation
 Managing Q & A

What is the goal of a presentation?

It is to persuade, to inform, to inspire – fundamentally it is a way to communicate.

Presenting ideas in a persuasive manner to the key stakeholders of your business is a

challenging task. To be an effective and credible presenter, one must be able to explain
concepts clearly, in simple language and emphasize key points that make a difference to the
decision-making process. The way in which the recommendations/issues are presented can
make or break a presentation.

Very few people are successfully able to master the art of delivering skillful presentations. It
takes practice, practice, and even more practice to start feeling comfortable with everyone’s
eyes focused on you so you can effectively get your point across

One of the most important aspects of preparing and delivering presentations is shaping both
content and style to fit your audience.

The perception of the audience hinges on:

 Proper comprehension and grasp of the subject.

 Proper understanding of research findings, analysis and conclusions.
 Insights into the core benefits of the suggestions
 Originality and creativity in innovative approaches
 Credibility of the information and the feeling that the presenter knows his or her facts

A good presenter should be able to do the following:

 The presenter has to explain clearly

 The presenter must be confident
 The presenter should inspire and grab attention; boredom can set in otherwise
 The presenter must be able to convince the audience
 The presenter should be able to clarify doubts and concerns
 Proper presentation aids have to be employed, go high tech if possible. The world
today is all about high-tech solutions and multi-media. Using animation, audio, video
footage and graphics, is more the norm rather than the exception.

In certain academic and business situations, the situation may require a group presentation rather
than a solo one.

Some people also prefer group presentations because there is less pressure on one individual.
There are however unique challenges as well, such as having to ensure multiple individuals having
to work together to create a cohesive piece of work.

Key elements to be kept in mind whilst preparing for a team presentation:

 Does your team presentation present your company as a whole in a beneficial way?
 Is there a balance of speaking assignments, expertise, and seniority?
 Do prospects and clients get the sense that working with this team is going to be a
productive and enjoyable experience?
 Most important of all how do you come across as a team to the audience?

Here are some basic pointers to keep in mind while preparing team presentations and coming
across as a cohesive team which presents with maximum impact and influence, rather than
giving the impression that your team hasn't taken the time to prepare and think strategically.
1. Team Selection for a Great Performance. When choosing a team for a presentation,
it is important to think how the group will fit together in terms of styles, personalities,
expertise and speaking ability.

2. Focus on your Purpose: Mediocre teams deliver content; great teams zero in on
their purpose. Know how to stay fully focused when speaking on the audience and
your subject.

3. Give your presentation a narrative, a theme: Just imparting information is rarely

interesting. Think in terms of the concept or insight that needs to be communicated.
For instance, think of the "headline" that will appear in tomorrow's (imaginary)
newspaper. Your team's job is now to put together a presentation that makes that
headline possible.

4. Tell Your Organization's Story. From an ordinary presentation to a wow

presentation what better way than to tell a great story. What can that story entail? It
could be related to your customer, your industry, the product or service, even your
understanding of your client’s needs. Understand how to use stories to effectively
engage your audience. It's a great way for your team to add drama to your speeches
and presentations.
 5. Body Language and Nonverbal Communication. Content is only the tip of the
iceberg in your team's presentation. Audiences are most likely to respond positively to
open, dynamic speakers who convey the feeling of being at ease with their bodies.
The setting, combined with audience expectations, will give a range of movement.
Record your practice sessions to see how you speak and what does your body
language convey. Organise a dummy audience to asses reading the audience's body
language so you can adjust your approach.

6. Rehearse!Rehearse! Rehearse!Nothing is more unprofessional than delivering an

unrehearsed, unprepared presentation. Rehearse your delivery, your content
structure, your handover, your body language, practice answering questions from
the audience. Rehearse it all. Practice makes perfect. Rehearsing how the team
looks, sounds, and presents themselves as a team will go enable you to achieve the
impact you are looking for with stakeholders.

7. Handovers- It is especially important to rehearse handovers from one presenter to

another. These are the things that demonstrate to the audience that you are well
organised, confident and truly a team – not just a group of individuals.

8. Structure your content and assign roles: Plan and structure your content and
delivery in such a way that the audience benefits from contrast and variety. For
example, if one speaker presents a lot of facts and figures; the next could follow
with some colourful images. This helps keep your audience engaged.

9. The First Person: Have a strong leader to kick off the presentation effectively and to
move things along.

10. Be clued up and fully informed: Everybody on the team has to make it his or her
business to totally understand what is being presented and not just their respective
slides.

11. The Team: When they are not presenting, the rest of the team should support their
colleague by paying attention and looking involved in what is being said. Show
appropriate reactions e.g. nodding or smiling at relevant points!
12. Be supportive and encouraging towards colleagues who are particularly nervous
about presenting. There is nothing more unprofessional and disturbing for the audience
than a team that starts arguing with one another at the presentation.

13. Remember the impression you create with the audience counts for a great deal.

14. Interact with the audience- Glance at the audience now and again to show you are in
touch with them. You might pick up on some reactions or vibes too.

15. Handling the Q&A -Demonstrate a united front and back each other up throughout
and especially at question time.
a) Anticipate the likely questions and decide in advance which team member will
respond.
b) Carry documentation and relevant support reports to the presentation
c) Every team member has to be prepared for the presentation and willing to
contribute to the discussion that is likely to unfold at the end.

A team presentation can be a highly rewarding experience. It’s a great opportunity to

collaborate and work together as a team. A good presentation is more likely to impress
stakeholders and enable the team to achieve their goals. If you want the thrill of team success,
then the actual presentation needs careful planning and execution.

Business Communication
Session 29
Giving and receiving Feedback

Learning objectives: after studying this chapter you will be able to

 Explain and adapt to your audience and develop an authentic rapport with the audience
 Learn to establish credibility and handle difficult situation during presentation.

Presentation Skills
Presentation is a complex communication that involve so many aspects of communication process like
content, communication, nonverbalspontaneity in handling a live audience along with technical know
how’s of delivering an effective presentation. We need to keep a sketch of our audience in our mind at
all the stages like planning, designing and delivering a presentation.
In planning phase we need to define the purpose and draft a profile of the audience including their
likely emotional state,reaction,and cultural background,flexibility to accept a new concept or idea
along with the preferred language.All these are capable to make or mar any presentation
independently or in combination. .If everything goes well the presenter win over the trust of the
audience and gain lot of acceptability and credibility.

While in designing phase we need to address the needs and expectations of audience in the content,
design and delivery. Be sensitive to them and develop a “You” attitude a polite and positive
disposition along with unbiased language references will help you in gaining confidence.

In Delivery phase you need to verify your presumptions with audience they may surprise you at times.
Evaluate and resonate your content with them in person set their expectation .Choose you delivery
mode, pace and style as demanded by the audience.
Post-delivery Phase is very sensitive where you allow the audience to ask you questions and give you
feedback. This phase require you to be open minded and control your reactions you may receive some
of the strange feedback and may have to field awkward questions.
Planning for various audience mindset:
Try to access the emotional state of your audience ahead of time so that you can plan your
presentation appropriately.
Supportive Audience: Take them with you use them to build rapport with larger audience, call them
by name and reward their goodwill with a presentation with a clear, concise and upbeat manner.
Interested but neutral audience: build your credibility by solving their issues, address the potential
objections and a willingness to answer questions and concerns.
Uninterested audience: Use all the techniques to win over them and work hard to hold it throughout,
find ways to connect your message with their personal or professional interests.
Worried audience: Don’t dismiss their fears (be empathetic) if your message will calm them use direct
or indirect approach which ever fulfills the requirements of situation.

Hostile audience: Recognize their need for attention they do deeply care but not open to listening,
consider the indirect approach to find a common ground and to diffuse the anger before sharing the
message.
Follow up of Presentation or Feedback
All good speakers involve their audience as much as possible including the handling question answer
and giving and receiving feedback.

Follow-up includes properly breaking down and storing any equipment, contacting any
audience members with whom you agreed to communicate further, and soliciting, collecting,
and analyzing feedback. In some presentations, you may collect information from audience
members—such as names and contact information or completed surveys—that you also must
organize and store.

Skills related to follow-up include:

 Creating an evaluation form to solicit feedback from attendees

 Interpreting feedback from evaluations and modifying content and/or delivery for future
presentations
 Organizing a database of attendees for future presentations
 Interviewing key attendees to gain additional feedback
While fielding questions you may ask audience to ask you clarifying questions.When you ask
question genuinely show them that you are ready to listen real concerns of your audiences the solution
that you offer is to reinforce your main message however you can generalize to address the dire need
of situation.
Practice some of the following strategies to make Q/A session effective
Pause before answering:This gives you time to reflect and quickly evaluate the best response, along
with creating an impression of thoughtful presenter.
Be Honest: Admit when you do not know the answer and do not oversell your own idea it may
backfire. Explain that you would like to get back to them and get an opportunity for after-talk.
Show appreciation: this allows you to create an emotional bond with your audience.You can do so by
sincerely appreciating the importance of question, and validating the question
Be concise and re frame the question to match your agenda: when your listener ask you a question
that can derail you from agenda, find ways to tactfully redirect the conversation on the main agenda.
Usually employees and managers across the world dread over giving and receiving the feedback
though we have tried to coin it as constructive criticism still it sound as stingy. No wonder that the
process is often considered biased and fear provoking because it is often given and received in a
hostile environment. When it is practiced in right way and with right intentions feedback can lead to
outstanding performance. Giving and receiving feedback is a skill and like any other skill it needs to
be developed and practiced. Since we often know that what to say but what we do not know how to
say and achieve desired impact on listener.

Using following framework /models of giving feedback will provide you with an easy
structure to follow for giving constructive feedback which is widely accepted and adopted by
the listener. Not only is feedback essential for professional growth but it also provides
direction and increases the confidence, motivation and self-esteem of the individual (Matua et
al. 2014; Rose & Best 2005).

When delivered effectively, feedback can:

 Improve performance;
  Aid in learning;
 Help individuals understand their strengths and deficits;
 Allow learners to implement strategies to strengthen and improve their practice; and
 Ultimately improve patient care and outcomes.

Given the potential positives, it is important that giving feedback becomes a priority in our
practices. Feedback in academic setting, however, remains a challenge for many. We can all
remember a time when we have given or received some poorly delivered feedback.

New graduates in particular not only need constructive feedback; they also need positive
feedback to know when and what they are doing well. By understanding how well they are
progressing, students can determine what new responsibilities they are ready to take on and
what further learning should come next. Quality feedback helps the individual to realistically
rate their performance and help minimize any weaknesses (Chang & Daly 2012; Matua et al.
2014).

However, giving feedback can be difficult.

You may be worried that the recipient will take your feedback the wrong way, or perhaps you
feel you don’t have enough time to deliver feedback as constructively as you would like.

Additionally, when feedback is only given to focus on areas of improvement, without the
mention of areas where the learner is excelling, the learner can feel demotivated and devalued
– especially in the case of a new graduate or staff member (Duffy 2013).

Learners and professionals need to take responsibility for their own behaviors and must be
proactive in both seeking and offering feedback rather than feedback only being given in
reaction to an adverse event or performance (Chang & Daly 2012).

The incidence of feedback can be encouraged by the recipient receiving it in a professional

manner. This can then encourage and create a positive work environment where everyone
gives and receives feedback openly.

Giving Feedback
Would not it be great if a student could peep inside the mind of a teacher and see exactly what is
expected out of them in order to get an A or A+ on a particular assignment and project? If faculties
use Rubrics(a structured defined pattern of evaluation) that is pre- informed to students it can actually
bring students more closely to achieving it.The use of several different sources of information will
add credibility to feedback that is being given, whether it is positive or negative (Chang & Daly 2012;
Rose & Best 2005).

New staff should also be encouraged to reflect on their practices and behaviors themselves, to
determine their strengths and weaknesses. This will help identify areas in which they need
continuing education and allow them to reach their full potential (Chang & Daly 2012).

Feedback Models

There are many different feedback models available, and there is no ‘right way’ to give
effective feedback. Which model you choose to utilize will depend on the feedback recipient
and the situation.
1. The Feedback Sandwich

This feedback tool consists of three components:

1. Begin with positive feedback;

2. Then, introduce constructive or negative feedback; and
3. Close with specific feedback that builds up the learner’s trust and comfort.

The feedback sandwich aims to minimize any detrimental effect the negative feedback may
have on the individual and ensures that the learner is not discouraged (Matua et al 2014).

2. Situation, Behavior, Impact Feedback Tool

This tool allows the learner to reflect more on their actions whilst understanding precisely
what you are commenting on and why, as well as what needs to change.

1. Begin by identifying the situation the feedback refers to;

2. Then define the specific behaviors you want to address; and
3. End by describing how their behaviors impacted you or others.

The situation, behavior, impact tool offers the learner a chance to reflect on the situation from
another perspective, and an opportunity to discuss with you strategies for improvement (Mind
Tools 2017).

3. Pendleton’s Model of Feedback

Pendleton’s model of feedback helps make the learning experience constructive by:

1. Highlighting positive behaviours;

2. Reinforcing these behaviours and including a discussion of skills to achieve them; and
3. Discussing what the person could have been done differently.

Areas of improvement are first identified by the learner and then followed up with a
discussion about strategies to improve their performance (Chowdhury & Kalu 2004).

Characteristics of Effective Feedback

Any of the above models can be used to deliver feedback, however, to be effective, the
feedback must display certain characteristics.

 Specific: Feedback should contain specific examples rather than generalizations.

 Accurate: Feedback should be factual and clear.
 Objective: Feedback should be unbiased and unprejudiced.
 Timely: Feedback should be given as soon as possible after the completion of a task (when
appropriate).
 Usable: Relate the feedback to goals and strategies so the individual can improve their
performance.
 Desired by the receiver: Feedback can still be effective even in those who don’t actively seek
it, however, those who are seeking feedback will often be more motivated to improve
performance.
  Checked for understanding: Clarify understanding with the individual to ensure they are
getting the most out of their feedback.(Matua et al. 2014; Rose & Best 2005)

Effective feedback that is clear, focused and given regularly, even when it is negative in
nature, often will still allow the individual to be comfortable with the person giving the
feedback, providing it displays these characteristics.

Feedback should also mention specific strategies the individual can use to improve their
learning and performance, and also guide their next steps (Matua et al. 2014).

Timely and effective constructive feedback is especially essential in the case of a staff
member who is under performing. It gives the learner a chance to rectify the situation, which
could potentially leave them failing if they are a student, or causing harm and potential
dismissal if they are a new graduate (Duffy 2013).

Receiving Feedback

Learners need to have an active role in their own feedback conversation. If a learner doesn’t
implement feedback provided by an educator, the educator should consider the following.

 How was the feedback delivered?

 Was the learner able to contribute their perspective?
 Were they able to have a hand in devising goals that will enable them to enact the feedback
and improve their performance?

Remember: Enabling the learner to have an active role in their feedback conversation
encourages investment in the process, providing further motivation to change. (Chang & Daly
2015; Cox 2016; Delany & Malloy 2018).

Negative Feedback

When receiving negative feedback, there can be a tendency for some learners to become
defensive.

Feedback can challenge the learner’s views about themselves: it can create a sense of
discomfort, which can then cause them to become defensive, and not only challenge the
feedback provided, but also the credibility of the individual providing the feedback.

In this situation, the relationship between the two individuals is pivotal in ensuring the
feedback is understood and the emotional state of the learner is protected (Delany & Malloy
2018).

It should be noted that negative feedback can also be perceived as criticism, even though the
feedback may have been given with the intention of assisting the learner to improve. This can
trigger feelings of shame and guilt.

Past Feedback
It is important to remember that learners also bring their prior experiences with feedback
situations to their current feedback conversation. This can impact on how they respond
depending on the circumstances, their knowledge levels, and their prior experience.

For example, if the learner has had an experience receiving feedback that left them feeling
demoralised, then this can have an effect on their emotional state when receiving feedback in
the future (Delany & Malloy 2018).

The Feedback Environment

As a presenter, it is important to build a safe feedback environment within which listeners

feel comfortable and supported. It needs to be an environment where feelings can be
discussed, especially when mistakes are made and there are feelings of shame or guilt (Cox
2016; Van Der Leeuw 2014).

Some of the tips to give and receive feedback effectively

 Build trust if you are giving feedback

 Make good eye contact with receiver
 Serious voice tone
 Be empathetic and show genuine concerns with the welfare of receiver
 Choose to give negative feedback personally in a personal space and congenial
environment
 Choose to publicly admire people for their positives
 Sound just fair and logical with evidences and proof
 Use humour and indirect method to give negative message

Receiving Feedback

 Be calm and exercise great listening abilities

 Try to understand different view point
 Be open minded
 Do not react immediately and do not become overprotective of your idea or stance
 Do not sound passive and defensive
 Accept and critically apply what is being said with cool mind and move on, retain what
benefits you most.

References
 Business communication today by Bovee and V.Thill
 Business communication by Raymond v. lasikar and Fltley
 Business communication by P D. Chaturvedi and Mukesh Chaturvedi
 https://www.thebalancecareers.com/list-of-presentation-skills-2059695
 https://ece.uwaterloo.ca/~dwharder/Presentations/Guidelines/Introduction/
 Chang, E & Daly, J 2012, Transitions in Nursing: Preparing for Professional Practice, 3rd edn,
Elsevier, Sydney.
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Obstetrician and Gynecologist, vol. 6, pp. 243-7.
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impact-feedback.htm
 Rose, M & Best, D (eds) 2005, Transforming Practice Through Clinical Education,
Professional Supervision and Mentoring, Elsevier, Sydney.
 Sodeify, R, Vanaki, Z & Mohammadi, E 2013, ‘Nurses’ Experiences of Perceived Support
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https://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/Fulltext/2016/05000/Give_the_gift_of_feedbac
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 C. & Molloy, E. (2018). Learning and Teaching in Clinical Contexts. Elsevier. Chatswood
 Hardavella, G., Aamli-Gaagnat, A., Saad, N., Rousalova, I. & Sreter, K.B. (2017). How to
give and receive feedback effectively. Breathe, 13(4), 327-333. Online. Available:
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 Van Der Leeuw, R.M. (2014). Sharing is caring: Dealing with feedback and difficult feelings.
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com.epworth.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1111/medu.12545
 https://www.ausmed.com/cpd/articles/giving-feedback


Business Communication
Session 30
Technology Enabled Communication

Overview: Only a few hundred years ago the mode of communication was direct
communication or by sending letters then came telegrams and telephones as an urgent need to
communicate with people who are far off was felt strongly. This very need of communicating
with people who are spread across the world and in space as well is urging people to invent
newer methods of connecting with people on so many different platforms. We can say that
last 20 years have offered myriad platforms to people to communicate .Not only individuals
even businesses have this earnest desire to be connected with customer 24*7 and this has
been made possible by the technology today. Today condition is such that the businesses that
have embraced to internet have boomed while others have started to disappear
Following are some modern communication methods that businesses are using to connect
with their customers

Dedicated Hashtags on Social Channels.

If you receive a high volume of social media communication from fans and customers,
offering suggested hashtags is a great way to sort the messages for quick response. If you
have some recurring post or follow-up questions request users to flag it with request hashtag.
This way the right person at your business will find it quickly and be able to respond. We
must understand that speed of communication and timely reply will hold on to your
customers. This is a great advertising tool to showcase your customer service efficiency.
Turning the catchphrase from your latest marketing campaign into a hashtag can help you
spread your message with a viral speed.

Live Chat on Website

Pop up chat box, kahoot on your website are perfect way to engage your customer for
marketing complex product and services. Consumers visit your website as they are looking
for some quick information about price and features, but get confused due to variety of
options available. That is why some of the financial service providers use chat option as
solution and to give the customer a feel of visiting a live store. This feature lets the customer
clear his doubts and make a decision along with giving your sales staff free contact and
background of the customer.

Live Video Call

Video chat is a great option to build relationships with your customers as it offers a sense of
immediacy. It is easy to tune on a phone call because our eyes are picking information that
are otherwise impossible over a phone call noticing all the verbal and non-verbal clues.

Opt-in Text messaging Notification

Bombarding your customer with text messages and unwanted phone calls is a sure way to
frustrate and eventually loose them. However, if used judiciously text messages can be a
great way to break big news or reminding your customer.

Auto call back option during Long Hold

People absolutely despise waiting on hold on a phone call this is again very easy way to shoo
them off your business. If you make an option of automated callback feature which allows the
customer to hang up the phone and they will be reached back by Customer care department in
a while. This is no brainer can easily be solved by PBX Solution.

24 hour customer/tech Support

Giving your customers a 24*7 number which is active so that they can call to reach you is a
huge value addition to the business. It is a big differentiator and show your dedication
towards the customers. Customers do value the human connect.
Post Sales Follow-up mails:
Technology has maid it quite easy and cost saving to follow up with customers after sales.
The follow up does not have to be too much just show the customer that you care and open an
avenue for future sales. A mail or message with their name that just wanted to make sure that
new product is working as per the expectation of customer. And are you happy with your
purchase? A message like this will help you in sustaining your customers and help building
your brand and relationship.

Social media Personality

Virtually every company has understood the importance of social media presence but only
few have really taken advantage of such platforms like Facebook, twitter, Instagram and You
tube.
These platforms are not the place for sanitized corporate language-these are a place to express
your company’s personality. We see that now a days companies have created a virtual
personality to resonate with youth joining social campaign and poking a celebrity and even
hold social media campaign and give away free samples or create real life brand
representatives by promoting their stories online.

Skype:
Skype is a down loadable software that enables users to make free calls and send messages
via internet. The service also provides video calling allowing users to interact face to face .

Instant Messaging: Instant messaging is a great tool for communicating within team via
internet by short messages, audio messages delivered immediately. Some of companies are
adopting IMs as a tool for official communication in place of e- mail as this is less
cumbersome. MSN, Yahoo, Facebook and so many others are offering Instant messaging
tools for their users.

Twitter:
Witter is a popular social media platform, twitter is unique in that users can tweet from any
device. Twitter revolves about the idea that people stay updated and express in limited text
space. Now a days we see twitter has emerged as battleground for so many issues be it
trolling celebrities or raising the concerns of the exploited. We see even the government
bodies and official do keep a tab on what is trending on twitter and solve the issues is some
concerns are raised.

Conclusion
Technology has empowered people in reaching out to customers and we almost can reach out
to anyone and anywhere in the world. All these tools if used effectively can make the create
an image of a brand/celebrity. These are new battlefields and you need to sharpen your
weapons to fight and win this war.

References:
https://www.resourcetechniques.co.uk/news/web-design/types-of-modern-communication-
100244
https://www.techwalla.com/articles/modern-types-of-communication
https://www.reference.com/business-finance/advantages-modern-communication-
b3080624d2e8f61