Question: 1

Define in business communication? What is its nature and importance in

modern business organization?
Answer:
Business Communication
Business communication is used to promote a product, service, or organization; relay
information within a business or deal with legal and similar issues. It encompasses a variety of
topics including: consumer behavior, advertising, public relations, corporate communication,
research and measurement, reputation management, and event management. Business
communication may also refer to internal communication: a communications director will
typically manage internal communication and craft messages sent to employees. It is vital that
internal communications are managed properly because a poorly crafted message could foster
distrust or hostility among employees.
Failures of human communication can become amplified in professional settings. In business
transactions, especially those involving large amounts of money, a small miscommunication can
have devastating effects. For this reason, clarity is absolutely essential. Communication must be
consistent, concise, and honest in order to ensure the intended message is received.

 Business communication is used to promote a product, service, or organization; to relay

information within the business; or to deal with legal and similar issues.
 Failures of human communication can become amplified in professional settings. In
business transactions, especially those involving large amounts of money, a small
miscommunication can have devastating effects.
 Customer relationship management (CRM) is a widely implemented model for managing
a company’s interactions with customers, clients, and sales prospects. It is needed
because there are often multiple business associates that come into contact with a
client.
 Barriers to clarity in communication include: complex messages, the withholding of
information, ineffective communication throughout the chain of command, and lack of
trust due to competition.
Basic elements of Business communication

 Sender
 Business information
 Receiver
 Feedback

The above elements indicate business communication as a process in which information or

news related to business is exchanged between different business parties like customers,
suppliers, business clients, employees, etc. for the purpose of effective administration of
the business.
Moreover, it involves a regular flow of information and feedback is considered as a crucial
and important aspect of business communication. Due to different levels of hierarchy and
involvement of a huge number of people, business communication plays an important role
in different management functions i.e. planning, coordinating, organizing, directing, and
controlling.

Importance of Business Communication

Importance of business communication in an organization can be seen in the below points:
1. Helps in increasing productivity:
Effective business communication increases the productivity of staff by boosting up
teamwork. It creates a trustworthy and understanding environment among employers
and employees. Effective communication is related to cooperating with employees and
understanding their needs and desires. By doing so, employees are able to accomplish
their tasks more effectively and efficiently. Also, the scope of doing mistakes or errors
during their work minimizes due to effective communication.

2. Helps in increasing customers:

Customers are an important part of any business and effective business communication
can facilitate in attracting new customers and retain the current customers. A well-
defined marketing strategy and public relations campaign run by an organization
generates the interest of customers in its goods or services and helps in building the
corporate image in customers.

3. Enhances business partnerships:

Business Communication also improves partnerships in business. It plays a significant
role in dealing with external business clients or vendors. Vendors may be required to
communicate on products regularly for improvements. Also, an effective and
harmonious relationship with other businesses determines the further success of an
organization. A business unit that has developed its image as an entity for easy
partnership through its effective communication can attract other business units for
forming business relationships with them.

4. Facilitates innovations in business:

Effective business communication helps in business innovations as well as it facilitates
employees to convey their ideas and suggestions openly. Similarly, at the time of
launching any new product in the market, effective communication ensures the
 performance of the sales team, market acceptance of the product, fast delivery of
products in the market, etc.

5. Information exchange:
Business communication is required by an organization for exchanging information with
internal and external stakeholders. This helps in achieving its goals effectively.

6. Preparation of plans and policies:

Through effective business communication, organizations can make their plans and
policies properly. Relevant information is required for preparing these plans and
policies. Through communication, different managers source information through
reliable channels.

7. Execution or implementation of plans and policies:

To implement or execute the prepared policies and plans in a timely manner, managers
are supposed to communicate these throughout the organization. Through effective
communication, they are able to disseminate plans and policies to the internal and
external stakeholders.

8. Boost the efficiency of employees:

Effective business communication plays a key role in increasing the efficiency of staff.
Through communication, different plans and policies, critical issues, goals of an
organization, etc. are described to employees that enhance their knowledge and make
them efficient to do their tasks effectively.

9. Goals achievement:
Through effective business communication employees become attentive and productive
in doing their jobs that result in the timely accomplishment of their tasks and easy goals
attainment.

10. Helps in solving problems or issues:

Through different communication channels, managers get information about different
routine and non-routine issues and based upon that they can take required actions to
sort out those issues.

11. Facilitates decision-making:

Effective decisions require up-to-date information. Using effective communication,
managers can acquire information from different sources and can utilize it for making
correct decisions.

12. Improves worker-management industrial relations:

 In the workplace, workers and management have an industrial relation. The success of
any business depends upon the healthy industrial relation. Business communication
plays a significant role in maintaining harmony in this.

13. Helps in brand and product/service promotions:

In today’s competitive business environment, lots of companies offer similar kinds of
products or services. To sell their products in a good manner, businesses need better
communication to promote products and services in an effective way.

14. Reduces chances of conflicts:

Through effective communication different business parties can exchange information in
a smooth way. This results in fewer conflicts, controversies, arguments between them.

15. Increases employee satisfaction level:

Effective communication which is fair and smooth creates better mutual bonding and
the understanding between employees and management. This helps in increasing the
satisfaction level among employees who put their maximum efforts to achieve the goals.

16. Increases employee loyalty:

Through effective business communication, employees are well informed about their
performance from time to time. Also, employees get appreciation, rewards in both
monetary and non-monetary terms for their better performance. This enhances their
loyalty towards the organization.

17. Enhances efficiency of managers and leads to effective leadership:

Effective business communication leads to an increase in the operational efficiency of
managers. With the help of fair communication, managers can perform different
managerial functions like planning, directing, organizing, controlling, etc. smoothly.
Moreover, if communication is effective then only effective leadership can be taken
place. For qualitative leadership activities, a proper and smooth system of
communication in business is essential.

18. Proper functioning of different departments:

If information is shared smoothly and effectively in inter-departments and intra-
departments then different departments of any business like accounts, finance,
purchase, operations, HR, IT, and production, etc. can do their tasks more accurately
and timely.

Business Communication Methods

Different methods of communicating in a business are as below:
1- In-person (Face-to-Face) Business Communication: In person communication is the
most common and preferred method of business communication. As it is generally in
the form of meetings or conferences which is face to face communication format. This
requires refined in-person skills. This method also includes non-verbal communication
i.e. body language. While having a conversation between two or more people in
business, body language like gestures, facial expression, etc. also play a vital role in
communicating a person’s attitude towards others. Good listening skills are also an
element in better in-person communication. Most of the business communication
includes listening skills to understand fast discussions.

2- Communication by email system: An e-mail has become the most widely used
communication system in any business. Due to its feature of sending and receiving mass
or multiple messages at a time, email is considered as one of the preferred methods in
business communication. It also increases efficiency as emails can be sent and
responded in fast mode. The conversation through email can be among two or more
than two people and is the best substitute for formal face to face meetings as
discussions can be done in an email system

3- Web conferencing: In the web conferencing method of business communication, the

internet is being used for communication in meetings, conferences, presentations,
seminars, and imparting training. It includes features like sharing of files, screens, real-
time chatting, recording, etc. This can be considered as the most effective way of
interacting with people sitting at different locations. Web conferencing is done by using
the phone (teleconferencing) or video equipment (videoconferencing).
Workplaces also opt for the teleconferencing method of business communication. If it’s
not feasible for people of an organization or business to attend a physical meeting or
conference then communicating through telephone conferencing is an effective
method. This also saves travel expenses as people who often require extensive traveling
for business purposes so they can communicate through teleconference by sitting in
their office.
Videoconferencing is also similar to teleconferencing except in videoconferencing one
can see the people whom to communicate with. This requires video conferencing
equipment that is arranged by the IT department of a business.

4- Written communication: Written business communication is a formal and detailed form

of communication than other methods. Different written communication tools include
formal letters, brochures, posters, etc.
 5- Other methods: There are other business communication methods like an instant
messaging system. This technology is easy to use as one can easily connect with people
while working offsite and have conversations without waiting so long.

Question: 2
What are the Seven C’s of Communication? Explain.
Answer:
The 7 C’s of Communication
The seven C’s of communication is a list of principles that you should ensure all of your
communications adhere to. Their purpose is to help ensure that the person you’re
communicating with hears what you’re trying to say. The seven C’s are:
Clear, correct, complete, concrete, concise, considered and courteous.

Clear
There are several stages to clarity.
Firstly, it’s important to be clear about the purpose of the message you’re delivering. The
recipient should be made aware of why they are receiving the message and what you’re trying
to achieve by delivering it. If there are multiple goals, each should be laid out separately.
Secondly, it’s essential that the content of the communication is itself clear. You should avoid
jargon, use simple language, use simple structures and focus on the core points of your
message.
Correct
It’s essential that both the factual information and the language and grammar you use are
correct. If your audience spots errors in either, they will be distracted and your credibility will
be greatly reduced. This will reduce the effectiveness of your communication.
Complete
Completeness is often one of the most important of the 7 Cs of communication.
When creating a message, it’s important to give the recipient all of the information they need
to follow your line of reasoning and to reach the same conclusions you have. This level of detail
will be different in different situations, and you should adjust your communications accordingly.
In addition, you should make things as easy as possible for the recipient. For example, if you are
issuing a “call to action”, provide explicit guidance on that action. Increasingly it’s common to
include things like hyperlinks in written communications or to attach FAQs, both of which help
audiences access a complete set of information while also ensuring that core communications
focus on core messages.
Concrete
When shaping your communication you must ensure that you are specific and that the logic
and messages that you’re using fit together, build on each other and support each other. Your
arguments should be based on solid facts and opinions from credible sources and you should
share irrefutable data to support your argument.
It may be important to help bring the solid nature of what you’ve created to life for your
audience through examples that show the relevance of your messages for them as individuals.
Concise
When communicating messages of this nature it’s important to stick to the point and keep your
messages short and simple. Don’t use 10 words if you can use five. Don’t repeat your messages.
The more you say, the more risk there is of confusion. Avoid that risk by focusing solely on the
key points you need to deliver.
Courteous
You can increase the effectiveness of your communications by being polite and showing your
audience that you respect them. Your messages should be friendly, professional, considerate,
respectful, open and honest.
To help ensure you are courteous, you should always use some empathy and consider your
messages from the point of view of the audience.
Coherent
The last of the 7 Cs of communication is coherence. If your communications are not coherent
they will not be effective. To help make sure your communications are coherent you should
have a logical flow and your style, tone and language should be consistent throughout. In
addition to making sure that each communication you issue is coherent within itself, you should
also ensure consistency of message when delivering multiple communications.

Question: 3
Describe some variables of individual culture?
Answer:
Individual Cultural Variables

 The individual cultural variables are following

 Time
 Space
 Food
 Acceptable dress
 Manners
 Decision making
 Verbal & Nonverbal Communication
Time:
Time is also an important factor in communication. For example Germans are time- precise
rarely do you wait for an appointment in Germany. In Latin America cultures- you may wait an
hour your host is not showing disrespect thereby, same is the example here in Pakistan. Just
reflecting a different concept of time arriving late is socially accepted custom here our country.
Space:
How close May stranger stand to you?
What does it feel like when you are in a crowded? For example most Americans feel
uncomfortable if a stranger comes closer than 18 inches.
So body languages depend in communications in which cultural you are.
Food:
It may be a good idea prior to visiting your host country to visit various ethnic restaurants in
your home country.
Then you’ll have an initial idea as to the kinds of foods available how they are served, fixed, or
eaten.
Acceptable Dress:
Dress also has value in communication. When u have good dress then sound will be clear. So it’s
very important when you are communicating in front of gathering, your dress should be
perfect.
Manners:
Manners also have value in communication. So you should be aware of manners of cultural to
whom you are communicating.
You bring a gift when visiting most homes in Europe. If you bring flowers you avoid gifts of Red
Roses in Germany France, Belgium and Japan. In Saudi Arabia, you will learn that the junior
prince is silent when a senior enters.
Decision Making:
Patience above all is needed in intercultural communication, in doing business with other
countries.
American are typecast as moving too quickly in asking for a decision. Give more thought to
communication.
Americans are accused of blame being quick, we wish to get to the point fast.
When one reaches Japan, decision time is held back as group consensus compromise moves
toward a decision.
As you can imagine much time is spent in reaching an answer. Thus patience-and your
understanding of the decision process-add to your success in dealing with a foreign
environment.
Verbal & Nonverbal Communication
Verbal Communication:
Regardless of culture, a kind of verbal communication body language occurs when strangers
meet, each seeking to determine which topics are acceptable and non-controversial not in.
Additionally, tone of voice of one’s initial words can influence your initial perception of whether
the meeting is positive or negative.
We judge people to a great extent by their voice.
Some native languages demand many tonal variations, giving the impression to a non-native of
loudness, even superiority.
Non-verbal Communication:
Many nonverbal symbols exists for every culture, even in subcultures. Knowing the major
desirable and undesirable cues signs helps knowing both intended and unintended
communication errors. For example a handshake is a traditional form of greeting in the west.

Question 4
How do personal ethics influence business communication?

Answer:
Business Communication
In business organizations, communicating concisely, ethically, and appropriately are all
necessary so a business can operate effectively and efficiently. Operating according to a
communication-based code of ethics is important for both small and large scale person-to-
person conversations. For larger audiences it is often important for business members to
employ additional values to their communication principles, such as Choosing the right place or
time to Speaking about a particular topic in a business often requires choosing the most
pertinent and appropriate time and place in order for the message to be most effective. This
requires knowing the recipients and having tact, along with utilizing strategy and planning.
Knowing one’s Audience: Certain audiences may prefer different verbiage or jargon, or may
prefer one communication channel over another. Being an effective communicator means
knowing your audience in order to communicate in the way that he/she will understand the
best.
Business communication requires ethical values to form the foundation of all of its
relationships, which ensures that all enterprise workflows, short term projects, and long term
projects are effectively managed and carried out. Any lapse in efficient and ethical
communication can result in misunderstandings, conflicts, delays with projects, and the
creation of an ineffective working environment.
Principles of Personal Ethical Business Communication
There are a myriad of core principles associated with ethical communication, starting with the
core value of honesty that all other values are connected to. However, it can be said that there
is a value underlying honesty (with regard to ethical communication) and that is emotional
intelligence/empathy as the precursor of all soft skills, which allows all personnel to be
understood, and to effectively communicate with others. Emotional intelligence, within the
framework of ethical communication, allows one to understand the needs of others, and meet
those needs in the most efficient manner possible as if you were in their shoes.
1. Be Truthful and Honest
Being honest means communicating what is known to be true (only 100 percent the facts) to a
listener, with no intent to deceive or present only parts of the truth. It also means being as
objective as possible, that is, not tailoring the story based on what the speaker wants the
listener to believe. Letting the listener take the data that is objectively presented and believe
what they choose to believe is a core goal of ethical communication. Ethical communication
should be based on accurate information and facts - in a word, do not lie.
2. Active Listening
Hearing someone and listening to them are two different things. In order for ethical
communication to be effective, it is necessary for the recipient to pro-actively listen to the
speaker, and to not just hear what they want to hear, or to hear only parts of the conversation.
This also means asking questions when any point is not completely understood, for the sake of
clarification.
3. Speak Non-Judgmentally
Ethically and concisely communicating means speaking in a non-judgmental manner with every
recipient, negating unnecessary conflict, which typically creates a breakdown in communication
and causes misunderstandings. Unnecessary conflict is never good for any business, and such
conflicts usually result from unethical communications, with judgmental, accusatory, and
overly-critical comments often being the catalyst for such breakdowns in communication.
4. Speak From Your Own Experience
Bringing your personal experience into a dialogue with business listeners is important,
providing backup for your arguments with something more tangible. Such a communication
method (experiential communication) paints a complete picture for your audience and helps to
prove your points so that the listeners have a better understanding of what is being said.
5. Consider the Receiver’s Preferred Communication Channel
You risk losing an audience if you use a communication channel that is not preferred by your
intended receiver. To effectively communicate with your listeners, use the most preferred
communication channel, whether that be face-to-face, email, conference call, phone call,
messenger app, etc. Also, when presenting data to a business audience, be aware of the
preferred method of presentation for that business, whether it be graphs, slides, PowerPoint
presentations, etc. Additionally, since body language is very important, it is often preferred to
meet business clients face-to-face.
6. Strive To Understand
While it is important to be proactive in listening, it is important for listeners to also strive to
fully understand what is being said before responding. While asking for clarification or
confirmation of a point is fine, many times questions that listeners pose have already been
answered. Listeners should think about what has been said before constructing a reply. Reading
“in between the lines” is also an important skill that allows for understanding what isn’t said,
but was implicitly said or implied.
7. Avoid a Negative Tone
Ethically communicating assumes the speaker will avoid rudeness, be polite and professional,
and have tact. The ethical communicator knows that it’s not only important what you say, but
how you say it. Tone is one of the most critical facets of communication. A listener may miss
the meaning altogether if the tone is wrong, which can lead to unnecessary confrontations that
decrease business productivity.
Controlling one’s tone goes along with self-control, a soft skill that allows one to know how they
wish to reply to a terse business message for instance versus the most effective manner for
replying. Essentially, keeping the tone positive or neutral is best, as the tone of a written
message or of one’s voice is always picked up by the receiver, and can alter how the message is
received and/or understood.
Additionally, while it is acceptable to be honest and open, tact - and professional maturity -
means knowing when it is inappropriate to speak up, and when it is crucial to. Tact also means
knowing that being completely honest does not equate with being rude or negative - it is
possible to be completely honest and open with one’s thoughts and feelings while still
remaining polite and respectful.
8. Do Not Interrupt Others
Allowing others to speak is important for the creation of a civil, effective working environment.
Interrupting others results in misunderstandings and unnecessary conflicts and a breakdown in
workplace communications, which only hinders corporate progress and creates problems.
Interrupting others not only shows a lack of respect, but does not allow the listener to fully
grasp what is being said, which often results in incorrect assumptions being made.
9. Respect Privacy and Confidentiality
Most businesses should include a clause in their code of ethics defining what is appropriate
when it comes to honoring client and employee confidentiality and privacy. This can have a
wide range of implications, including minimizing workplace gossip, and mitigating toxic
conversations about the private lives of clients and/or personnel.
10. Accept Responsibility
As noted before, a core tenant within any ethical communication framework is taking
responsibility for the actions that result from one’s words, whether it be good or bad. This
includes both short term and long term consequences of one’s communications. Owning one’s
words reinforces the importance of being conscientious about ethical communication.

Within a corporation, top-down support is critical. If senior management does not act ethically
and support others who do, an organization’s ethical code will have little meaning. It is critical
for managers and executives to act consistently with the company’s ethical standards apply
those standards in dealing with employees
Acknowledging and rewarding those whose behaviors are consistent with a company’s code of
ethics proclaims to all that ethical behavior is truly valued. On the other hand, promoting and
providing bonuses to employees whose successes are due in part to unethical behavior sends
an unwanted message.
Remaining ethical is not a static issue. It requires review and evaluation. Companies need to
periodically review their priorities and make necessary adjustments. Otherwise, their standards
and training become outdated.
Ethics are the principles and values an individual uses to govern his activities and decisions. In
an organization, a code of ethics is a set of principles that guide the organization in its
programs, policies and decisions for the business. The ethical philosophy an organization uses
to conduct business can affect the reputation, productivity and bottom line of the business.

Question 5
Describe the five planning steps of preparing effective messages?

Answer:
Five Planning steps In order to make a written or an oral message effective, the following
planning steps should be kept in view.
1) Identify your purpose.
2) Analyze your Audience/reader.
3) Choose your ideas.
4) Collect data to support your ideas.
5) Organize your message.

1) Identify your purpose.

The Objective of a message is twofold, the reason or purpose of the message and the creation
of good will. All messages have an underlining “relational” purpose to create good will.
2) Analyze your audience/reader.
Before preparing a message, analyze your receiver whether he is local, national or foreigner. His
interests, educational level, age etc. Must be keep in view, you should try to picture the person
you are sending a message, whether he is your boss, subordinate, colleagues, young's, middle
aged or elder persons. You should also kept in view the receiver of your message your longtime
customer or new one.
3) Choose your Ideas
The idea you include depend on the type of message you are sending, the situation,
background and the location of your receiver.
4) Collect data to support your Idea.
After you have decided what ideas to include, you must determine whether you need specific
facts, figures or other form of evidence to support your points. simply in order to support your
idea you should need data.
5) Organize your message.
Before write you’re first Draft, outline your message (mentally or on paper). The order in which
you present your ideas is as important as the idea themselves. Disorganized, rambling messages
often seem careless, confusing, and unimportant.
Basic Organizational plans
a) Direct (Deductive) approach
b) Indirect (inductive) approach
Basic Organizational plain your choice of Organization plain depend on a number of factors,
how you expect your reader or listener to react to your message.
a) Direct (Deductive) approach Use the direct approach when the audience is receptive to your
message. When your reader or listener will have a favorable or neutral reaction to your
message, you can use direct approach. You begin with the main idea or best news, you include
all necessary explanatory details in one or several paragraphs and end with an appropriate,
friendly closing.
b) Indirect (inductive) approach If you think your reader or listeners might react negatively to
your message, generally you should not present the main idea in the first paragraph. OR When
you except resistance to your message, choose the indirect approach, such as in a bad news
message.
Beginnings and Endings Two of the most important positions in any business message are the
openings and closing paragraphs. You have probably heard the old saying “First impressions are
lasting” and “we remember best we read last.” Whenever possible, place the main favorable
ideas at the beginning and ending of a message.
Openings Paragraphs the opening of a message determines whether the reader continues
reading, put the message aside, or discards it. The following points should be kept in view while
writing opening.
I.Choose opening appropriate for message purpose and for the reader. The main idea or good
news subject should be given first in direct request, while buffer and getting statements be
given first in bad news letter.
II.Make the opening considerate, courteous, concise and clear. Keep in mind your reader’s
desires also keeping in view whether the message is good or bad news.
III.The opening should be complete. E.g. sentence structure.
Closing Paragraph Closing should be strong, clear, and polite they should leave a sense of
closure and goodwill with the receiver. The following points should be kept in view while
closing paragraph. if End on a positive courteous thought, like be friendly show appreciation
etc. and also keep the last paragraph concise.
Composing the message drafting your message. Your first draft is often the most difficult to
write. The important thing is to get the most important information in your message on paper
early.
Revising the message Revision means add necessary and deleting unnecessary information,
making sure your points are adequately supported, checking your organizational approach, and
reviewing your language in the terms of the seven C’S. Revision is the key to good writing.
Editing and proof reading your message editing and proof reading are important to ensure that
your document has no mistake in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or word choice.
 Question 6
Define and explain the following?
A) Voice Mail B) Teleconference C) Groupware
Answer:
A) Voice mail
Electronic system for recording oral messages sent by telephone. Typically, the caller hears
a prerecorded message and then has an opportunity to leave a message in return. The
person called can then retrieve the message at a later time by entering specific codes on his
or her telephone. Voice mail is distinguished from an answering machine by its ability to
provide service to multiple phone lines and by the more sophisticated functions that it
offers in addition to recording messages.
A voicemail system is a centralized system used in businesses for sending, storing and
retrieving audio messages, just like an answering machine would do at home. Voicemail
systems make a Phone System more flexible and powerful by allowing information and
messages to pass between users even when one of them is not present.
Voicemail is a basic feature of most modern cellular telephones, digital phones and
corporate PBX systems. More advanced forms of voicemail like visual voicemail add a visual
interface and in some cases e-mail- and/or text-based transcript capabilities to standard
voicemail services.
B) Teleconference
A teleconference is a telephone meeting among two or more participants involving
technology more sophisticated than a simple two-way phone connection. At its simplest, a
teleconference can be an audio conference with one or both ends of the conference sharing
a speaker phone. With considerably more equipment and special arrangements, a
teleconference can be a conference, called a videoconference, in which the participants can
see still or motion video images of each other. Because of the high bandwidth of video and
the opportunity for larger and multiple display screens, a videoconference requires special
telecommunication arrangements and a special room at each end. As equipment and high-
bandwidth cabling become more commonplace, it's possible that videoconferences can be
held from your own computer or even in a mobile setting. One of the special projects of
Internet is to explore the possibility of having teleconferences in which all participants
actually appear to be in the same room together. Today's audio teleconferences are
sometimes arranged over dial-up phone lines using bridging services that provide the
necessary equipment for the call.
Types of Teleconferencing
In the part above, we have introduced you the teleconference definition. In the following
part, we'd like to share you the different types of teleconferencing to get you better
understood.
Video Teleconferencing
This mode of teleconference is a combination of video and audio for providing video
communications. There can be various modes like one-way video or two-way audio and
two-way video or two-way audio. It displays anything captured by TV camera and mainly
used for displaying moving images. Since the bandwidth of video is high and there is
opportunity for multiple, large display screens, video teleconferencing will need special
telecommunication arrangements made with a special room at each end. High-bandwidth
cabling or equipment has become more commonplace, so video teleconferencing may be
done from one's own mobile setting and also on the computer. There're various video
teleconferencing solutions for you to keep communicate and connect with colleagues,
customers and others. Among all ezTalks Meetings stands out. It's versatile and reliable,
which provides you with high-definition audio and video, meeting scheduling, screen
sharing and content sharing, meeting recording and playback and more to simplify your
teleconferencing services.
Audio Teleconferencing
Audio teleconferencing is also called Voice-only or known as conference calling sometimes.
It can interactively link people at remote locations through telephone lines. Audio bridges
basically tie every line together. Meetings may be conducted through audio conferencing
where preplanning is required. Activities like chair naming, setting of the agenda, along with
offering printed materials for participants are done earlier so that it can be reviewed.
Distance learning is also one application of audio conference, which is a cost effective
solution
Audio graphics Teleconferencing
Here narrowband telecommunications channels are used for transmission of visual
information like alpha-numeric, graphics, documents, or video pictures like adjunct for voice
communication. Also called as enhanced audio or desktop computer conferencing. Devices
like electronic tablets, freeze-frame video terminals, remote-access microfiche, Fax,
integrated graphics systems, slide projectors uses this teleconferencing mode.
Web Teleconferencing
As for web teleconferencing, telephone lines are used for connecting two or more modems
and computers. Any program done on the computer may be sent through lines, and it may
asynchronous or synchronous. An asynchronous mode example is electronic mail. Web
conferencing is also very helpful in distance education. Now some institutions are offering
credit programs by computer completely and students get texts trough mail for education.
C) Groupware
Groupware is a class of computer programs that enables individuals to collaborate on
projects with a common goal from geographically dispersed locations through shared
Internet interfaces as a means to communicate within the group. Groupware may also
include remote access storage systems to archive frequently used data files. These can be
altered, accessed and retrieved by workgroup members. Groupware is also known as
collaborative software.
The first commercial groupware products emerged in early 1990s when international giants
such as IBM and Boeing began using electronic meeting systems for their internal projects.
Further, Lotus Notes appeared as a major product of this category, further enhancing
remote group collaborations.
Groupware systems are classified based on functions, specifically Computer mediated
communication supporting direct participant communication Meeting and decision support
systems capturing the common understanding of participants Shared applications Artifacts
supporting the interaction of participants through shared work objects.
Groupware is either synchronous or asynchronous in nature. Synchronous groupware is a
class of applications that allows a group of individuals who are physically separated to
interact with each other using shared computational objects in real time. The fundamental
requirement of synchronous groupware is real-time coordination among clients. The user
interfaces advocate a feeling of togetherness. They require shared audio channels for
communication.
Asynchronous groupware uses email, structured messages, agents, workflow, computer
conferencing agents, file sharing systems and collaborative writing systems, among others.
Asynchronous collaborations between users are well maintained only if they are allowed to
perform their contributions without any restrictions. This can be accomplished through
replicated data management systems with read any or write any data access. Users can
execute concurrent updates.
The extensive use of groupware on the Internet helped contribute to the development of
Web 2.0, which uses instant messaging, Web conferencing, group calendars, document
sharing, etc.

Question 7
Difference between memorandum and a letter in term of their design and
appearance?
Answer:
What is a memorandum?
The short form for memorandum is memo. You can either call it memorandum or memo,
but the latter is more commonly used. The plural is memos or memoranda/memorandums.
A memo can be simply defined as a short official note that is given to a person or group of
persons within the same business organization in order to inform them about something
important.
What is a letter?
We have two types of letter. We have the formal and informal letter. In this discussion, we
are going to focus on the formal letter which can also be called the business letter. A
business letter can be defined as an official message which is addressed and put in an
envelope and sent by mail to the recipient. A business letter can either be handwritten or
printed. These days with the advent of technology, business letters are generally printed.
Now that we have taken a look at the different definitions of both memos and letters, let us
now see the differences that lie between them.
Memorandum
A memo (or memorandum, meaning “reminder”) is normally used for communicating
policies, procedures, or related official business within an organization. It is often written
from a one-to-all perspective (like mass communication), broadcasting a message to an
audience, rather than a one-on-one, interpersonal communication. It may also be used to
update a team on activities for a given project, or to inform a specific group within a
company of an event, action, or observance.
Memo Purpose
A memo’s purpose is often to inform, but it occasionally includes an element of persuasion
or a call to action. All organizations have informal and formal communication networks. The
unofficial, informal communication network within an organization is often called the
grapevine, and it is often characterized by rumor, gossip, and innuendo. On the grapevine,
one person may hear that someone else is going to be laid off and start passing the news
around. Rumors change and transform as they are passed from person to person, and
before you know it, the word is that they are shutting down your entire department.
One effective way to address informal, unofficial speculation is to spell out clearly for all
employees what is going on with a particular issue. If budget cuts are a concern, then it may
be wise to send a memo explaining the changes that are imminent. If a company wants
employees to take action, they may also issue a memorandum. For example, on February
13, 2009, upper management at the Panasonic Corporation issued a declaration that all
employees should buy at least $1,600 worth of Panasonic products. The company president
noted that if everyone supported the company with purchases, it would benefit all.
While memos do not normally include a call to action that requires personal spending, they
often represent the business or organization’s interests. They may also include statements
that align business and employee interest, and underscore common ground and benefit.
Letters
Letters are brief messages sent to recipients that are often outside the organization. They
are often printed on letterhead paper, and represent the business or organization in one or
two pages. Shorter messages may include e-mails or memos, either hard copy or electronic,
while reports tend to be three or more pages in length.
While e-mail and text messages may be used more frequently today, the effective business
letter remains a common form of written communication. It can serve to introduce you to a
potential employer, announce a product or service, or even serve to communicate feelings
and emotions. We’ll examine the basic outline of a letter and then focus on specific
products or writing assignments.
All writing assignments have expectations in terms of language and format. The audience or
reader may have their own idea of what constitutes a specific type of letter, and your
organization may have its own format and requirements. This chapter outlines common
elements across letters, and attention should be directed to the expectations associated
with your particular writing assignment. There are many types of letters, and many
adaptations in terms of form and content, but in this chapter, we discuss the fifteen
elements of a traditional block-style letter.
Letters may serve to introduce your skills and qualifications to prospective employers,
deliver important or specific information, or serve as documentation of an event or
decision. Regardless of the type of letter you need to write, it can contain up to fifteen
elements in five areas.
Differences between memorandum and a letter

 Memos are never sent out of the company or organization, but letters can be both
sent to recipients within the organization or outside the organization.
 The information in a memo is concise and straight to the point. A memo will only
focus on the most pertinent issues. But letters on the other hand are more detailed
and often elaborate more on the important issues to be done or addressed.
 Memos are very short letters are generally lengthier than memos.
 Memos are normally sent to the recipients by the organization’s messenger, but
letters are normally put in envelopes and posted via mail.
 Memos do not contain addresses, but business letters must contain addresses. In a
business letter both the sender’s address and the recipient’s address must be put.
 A letter can be more private than a memo.
 Last but not least, the features of memos are massively different from the features
of business letters.
 Memos are brief business documents usually used internally to inform or persuade
employees concerning business decisions on policy, procedure, or actions.
 Letters are brief, print messages often used externally to inform or persuade
customers, vendors, or the public.
 A letter has fifteen parts, each fulfilling a specific function.

Question 8
Describe the two situations where you will follow an organizational plan
of a neutral message?

Answer:
Good-News and Neutral Messages Good-News and Neutral Messages What is Good-
News and Neutral Message. A message that will receive favorable response or neutral
reaction message that will receive favorable response or neutral reaction from your
reader is usually easy to write because such messages from your reader is usually easy
to write because such messages tell your reader something pleasant or offer usual
information. Tells your reader something pleasant or offer usual information. These
messages are generally organized by the direct approach-These messages are generally
organized by the direct approach- also known as good-news plan also known as good-
news plan
3. Good-News and Neutral Messages Good-News and Neutral Messages Objectives of
this suggests an effective organizational plans for favorable replies and The chapter
suggests an effective organizational plans for favorable replies and neutral messages
and discuss the following kinds of letters and memoranda you can neutral messages and
discuss the following kinds of letters and memoranda you can organize with this plan:
organize with this plan: Favorable Replies Favorable Replies Answering inquiries
Answering inquiries Granting requests for adjustment Granting requests for adjustment
Approving Credit Approving Credit Acknowledging orders Acknowledging orders
Granting favors and other requests Granting favors and other requests Job acceptance
letters Job acceptance letters Goodwill messages: appreciation, congratulation, and
condolence letters Goodwill messages: appreciation, congratulation, and condolence
letters Neutral Messages Neutral Messages Announcements about Sales and events
Sales and events Procedures, policies, and responsibilities Procedures, policies, and
responsibilities Honors and activities of people Honors and activities of people
Transmittals.
Good-News and Neutral Messages Good-News and Neutral Messages Organizational
Plan for Good-News and Neutral Message Organizational Plan for Good-News and
Neutral Message First: Best news or main idea Best news or main idea Middle
Explanation, with one or more following, when Explanation, with one or more following,
when appropriate: all necessary details, educational informattion, appropriate all
necessary details, educational information, resale, sales promotion. Resale, sales
promotion. Last Positive, friendly ending, with a clear statement of action Positive,
friendly ending, with a clear statement of action desired, motivation to action,
willingness to help further, desired, motivation to action, willingness to help further,
appreciation.
Good-News and Neutral Messages Good-News and Neutral Messages Favorable Replies:
Favorable Replies: To help build goodwill, a progressive organization replies to all
reasonable To help build goodwill, a progressive organization replies to all reasonable
requests courteously, hopefully, and promptly. The different type of requests
courteously, hopefully, and promptly. The different type of favorable replies are as
follows: favorable replies are as follows Answering inquiries: Among most frequent non-
sales-related Among most frequent non-sales-related inquiries are requests for
information about personal and credit inquiries are requests for information about
personal and credit applicants. Applicants. Granting Requests for Adjustment: Granting
Requests for Adjustment: An adjustment letter is the adjustment letter is the reply to a
complaint called a claim letter reply to a complaint called a claim letter Approving
Credit: Approving Credit The message telling the customer that you are The message
telling the customer that you are granting often includes all parts of the basic news plan-
best news granting often includes all parts of the basic news plan-best news first and
then terms, resale, sales promotion and appreciation. First and then terms, resale, sales
promotion and appreciation.
Good-News and Neutral Messages Good-News and Neutral Messages Acknowledging
Orders Acknowledging Orders An acknowledgement performs several An
acknowledgement performs several important function. It let buyers know that the
order has been important function. It let buyers know that the order has been received,
is appreciated, and is given attention. Received, is appreciated, and is given attention.
5.5. Granting Favors and Other Requests Granting Favors and Other Requests: A letter
showing your letter showing your granting favor by serving a committee, speaking at a
convention, granting favor by serving a committee, speaking at a convention, donating
money, or lending your firm’s equipment without charge, donating money, or lending
your firm’s equipment without charge, good news plan is best to use. Good news plan is
best to use. 6.6. Job Acceptance Letters: A job acceptance letter is generally a Job
Acceptance Letters: A job acceptance letter is generally a short and expresses your
enthusiasm for the position offered. Short and expresses your enthusiasm for the
position offered.
Good-News and Neutral Messages Good-News and Neutral Messages Goodwill
Messages: Goodwill messages are different from the Goodwill Messages: Goodwill
messages are different from the usual business documents in that they express feelings
rather usual business documents in that they express feelings rather than information or
persuasion, and therefore are little bit different than information or persuasion, and
therefore are little bit different in writing.in writing. it is always more ( Although it may
be tempting to send printed cards, it is always more personal and meaningful to
recipients to send a written note of personal and meaningful to recipients to send a
written note of appreciation, congratulations, or sympathy)appreciation,
congratulations, or sympathy Types of Goodwill Messages Types of Goodwill Messages
Letter of Appreciation Letter of Appreciation Letter of Congratulation Letter of
Congratulation Letter of Condolence Letter of Condolence
Good-News and Neutral Messages Good-News and Neutral Messages Letter of
Appreciation Letter of Appreciation: Thank you notes should be written whenever Thank
you notes should be written whenever someone does a favor or when an action
deserves praise. These notes may someone does a favor or when an action deserves
praise. These notes may be written to customers for their orders, to colleagues for their
support, and be written to customers for their orders, to colleagues for their support,
and to individuals for any special favor they have done for you or for your to individuals
for any special favor they have done for you or for your company. Company. Letter of
Congratulation Letter of Congratulation: Congratulatory notes should be sent for
business Congratulatory notes should be sent for business and personal achievements
and milestones. As in letters of appreciation, and personal achievements and
milestones. As in letters of appreciation, they should use the good-news organizational
plan and focus on reader. They should use the good-news organizational plan and focus
on reader. Letter of Condolence Letter of Condolence: Expression of sympathy to
someone who has Expression of sympathy to someone who has experienced grief or
misfortune are difficult to write and demand special experienced grief or misfortune are
difficult to write and demand special sensitivity on the part of writer. Sensitivity on the
part of writer.
Good-News and Neutral Messages Good-News and Neutral Messages Neutral Messages:
Neutral Messages: The neutral messages are The neutral messages are unsolicited
messages. The are either announcements or unsolicited messages. The are either
announcements or transmittals. Announcing Sales and Events: Announcing Sales and
Events: Luncheon, conference, Luncheon, conference, celebration, meeting, or other
function about which you need celebration, meeting, or other function about which you
need merely to inform you reader. Merely to inform you reader. Announcing Procedure,
Policies, and Responsibilities Announcing Procedure, Policies, and Responsibilities:
Some: Some businesses use “directives” to announce to employees official businesses
use “directives” to announce to employees official statements of company policies,
procedures and employees statements of company policies, procedures and employees
responsibilities. They may cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from assigned They
may cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from assigned parking spaces and office
hours to policies about salary increases, parking spaces and office hours to policies
about salary increases, retirement benefits, overtime and treatment of customers.
Retirement benefits, overtime and treatment of customers.
Good-News and Neutral Messages Good-News and Neutral Messages Announcing
Honors and Activities of People Announcing Honors and Activities of People: To inform
To inform employees and customers about promotions, awards, honors, employees and
customers about promotions, awards, honors, new appointments, retirements, and
other recognition-deserving new appointments, retirements, and other recognition-
deserving activities of various persons, it is recommended to send activities of various
persons, it is recommended to send announcements.
Good-News and Neutral Messages Good-News and Neutral Messages Transmittal A
transmittal is a letter or a memo that simply sends a transmittal is a letter or a memo
that simply sends a document to the reader. Document to the reader.  Transmittals are
also called “covering letters” have many uses. Transmittals are also called “covering
letters” have many uses. They range from 5- to 10-line notes to lengthy official letters
that They range from 5- to 10-line notes to lengthy official letters that accompany,
explain, or justify documents accompany, explain, or justify documents For routine
business to consumers, employees, or other persons, a For routine business to
consumers, employees, or other persons, a cordial short note is sufficient to transmit
one or more items such as cordial short note is sufficient to transmit one or more items
such as check, policy, passbook, warranty deed, or map. Check, policy, passbook,
warranty deed, or map. Transmittal that accompany official documents, bid,
applications, Transmittal that accompany official documents, bid, applications,
proposals, or formal reports should be carefully worded letters. Proposals, or formal
reports should be carefully worded letters.

Question 9
Describe the two situations where you will adopt an organizational plan
of a bad message?
Answer:
A bad news message or negative news message delivers news that the audience does
not want to hear, read, or receive. Delivering negative news is never easy. Whether you
are informing someone they are being laid off or providing constructive criticism on
their job performance, how you choose to deliver the message can influence its
response. Some people prefer their bad news to be direct and concise. Others may
prefer a less direct approach. Regardless whether you determine a direct or indirect
approach is warranted, your job is to deliver news that you anticipate will be
unwelcome, unwanted, and possibly dismissed.
In this section we will examine several scenarios that can be communicated internally
within the organization and externally outside the organization, but recognize that the
lines can be blurred as communication flows outside and through an organization or
business. Internal and external communication environments often have a degree of
overlap. The rumor of anticipated layoffs may surface in the local media, and you may
be called upon to address the concern within the organization. In a similar way, a
product that has failed internal quality control tests will require several more tests and
improvements before it is ready for market, but if that information leaves the
organization, it can hurt the business reputation, prospects for future contracts, and the
company’s ability to secure financing.

Goals of bad news messages

Your ability to manage, clarify, and guide understanding is key to addressing challenges
while maintaining trust and integrity with your employees, stakeholders, and the public.
There are seven goals to keep in mind when delivering negative news, in person or in
written form:

 Be clear and concise to minimize the chances of confusion or back-and-forth

communication.
 Help the receiver understand and accept the news.
 Maintain trust and respect for the business or organization and for the receiver.
 Avoid legal liability or erroneous admission of guilt or culpability.
 Maintain the relationship, even if a formal association is being terminated.
 Reduce the anxiety associated with the negative news to increase
comprehension.
 Achieve the designated business outcome.
Scenarios
Let’s go through some scenarios. Let’s say you’re a supervisor and have been given the
task of discussing repeated lateness with an employee called Brian. Brian has frequently
been late for work, and the problem has grown worse over the last two weeks. The
lateness is impairing not only Brian’s performance, but also that of the entire work
team. Your manager has instructed you to put an end to it. The desired result is for Brian
to stop being late and to improve his performance.
You can stop by Brian’s cubicle and simply say, “Get to work on time or you are out
“invite Brian out to a nice lunch and let him have it write Brian a stern e-mail asks Brian
to come to your office and discuss the behavior with him in private While there are
many other ways you could choose to address the situation, let’s examine each of these
four alternatives in light of the goals to keep in mind when presenting negative news.
Scenario 1
First, you could approach Brian in his work space and speak to him directly. Advantages
to this approach include the ability to get right to the point right away. However, this
approach could strain your supervisor-employee relationship as a result of the public
display of criticism, Brian may not understand you, there is a lack of a formal discussion
you can document, and there is a risk that your actions may not bring about the desired
results.
The goals of delivering a negative message include the desire to be clear and concise in
order to avoid having a back-and-forth conversation where you’re continually providing
clarification. The approach described above does not provide the opportunity for
discussion, feedback, or confirmation that Brian has clearly understood your concern. It
fails to address the performance concern and it limits the correction to the lateness.
Overall, it fails to demonstrate respect for all parties. The lack of tact apparent in the
approach may reflect negatively on you as the supervisor and your supervisors or
managers.
When you need to speak to an employee about a personnel concern, it is always best to
do it in private. Give thought and concern to the conversation before it occurs, and
make a list of points to cover with specific information, including grievances. Like any
other speech, you may need to rehearse, particularly if this type of meeting is new to
you. When it comes time to have the discussion, issue the warning, back it up in writing
with documentation, and don’t give the impression that you might change your
decision. Whether the issue at hand is a simple caution about tardiness or a more
serious conversation, you need to be fair and respectful, even if the other person has
been less than professional. Let’s examine the next alternative.
Scenario 2
Let’s say you invite Brian to lunch at a nice restaurant. There is linen on the table,
silverware is present for more than the main course, and the water glasses have stems.
The environment says “good job” in its uniqueness, presentation, and luxury. Your
words will contradict this nonverbal message. The juxtaposition between the
environment and the verbal message will cause tension and confusion, which will
probably be an obstacle to the receiver’s ability to listen. If Brian doesn’t understand the
message, and the message requires clarification, your approach has failed. The contrast
between the restaurant setting and the negative message does not promote
understanding and acceptance of the bad news or correction. Furthermore, it does not
build trust in the relationship, as the restaurant invitation might be interpreted as a
“trap” or a betrayal.

Question 10
Produce a letter in which you request your sub subordinate to improve
efficiency level?
Answer:
Date: <The date when the letter was generated>

Name: <Full Name of employee>

Address: <Address of office location>
Re: Warning for Disciplinary Incident

Dear <First name of the Employee>,

This letter is to serve an official warning to you for the incident that happened on <Date
of Incident>. We were informed about <Describe in brief the Incident>. This kind of
misconduct is not expected in the workplace and is against Company Policy <mention
the name of policy, page number, section no, para number, or serial number in the
company policy document>.
Our policy and guidelines are designed with a goal to make the work environment and
company culture open and safe for all employees at all levels. We expect every
employee to respect and follow these guidelines in order to encourage a collaborative
and performance oriented work culture.
Since you have been found to be violating the rules, we are hereby putting you on a
warning period <Mention the duration of warning Period>. During this period, your
behavior will be monitored.

Any re-occurrence of the violation will ensure strict action against you that may be
followed by
(a) Suspension without pay or
(b) Termination without prior notice.
We continue to believe that you are a valuable part of our organization and expect you
to show immediate improvements. Looking forward to seeing positive outcomes of this
discussion.
If you need of my assistance or have queries, please feel free to reach out to me
anytime. You are requested to sign a copy of this letter to indicate your
acknowledgement of the discussion.

Sincerely,

<Your Name> <Employee Name>

<Title> <Employee Title and Department>
<Date> <Date>
<Signature> <Employee Signature>
<Any notes and follow up action>