SJB Institute of Technology: (Theory)

Business Communication 22MBA16
II Jai Sri Gurudev II

Sri Adichunchanagiri Shikshana Trust ®
SJB Institute of Technology

(A Constituent of BGS & SJB Group of Institutions & Hospitals)
BGS Health & Education City, Dr. Vish nuva rdhan Road, Kengeri, Bengalu ru-560 060
Affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi. Approved by AICTE, New Delhi.
Accredited by NAAC, New Delhi with ‘A’ Grade. Recognized by UGC, New Delhi with 2(f) and 12(B).
Certified by ISO 9001-2015
Phone No: +91-6366041109,+ 91-80-28612445/46, Fax No.: +91-80-28612651. Email:principal@sjbit.edu.in
www.sjbit.edu.in
Department of Management Studies (MBA)
COURSE
Business Communication
22MBA16 – 1st SEMESTER
{THEORY}
Study Material for the year 2022-23
COMPILED BY
Dr. MAMATHA J
Professor & HOD
Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 1

Module 3
Written Communication: Meaning & Definition, Purpose of writing, Clarity in writing,

Principles of effective writing, Approaching the writing process systematically: The 3X3 writing
process for business communication – Pre writing, Writing, Revising. Audience Analysis,
Writing Positive, Neutral, Persuasive and Bad-news messages.
Types of Written Communication in Business: Business Letters: Introduction to Business Letters,

Types of Business Letters, Writing Routine and Persuasive Letters, Positive and Negative
Messages writing, Employee Reviews, Recommendation Letters, Thank You Letters.
Introduction:
Written communication is defined as any type of message that utilizes written words. It is the
most common form of business communication and has become increasingly important
throughout the information age. Written communications can take place traditionally on paper or
more modernly on an electronic device, such as by email or electronic memo.
Written Communication implies transmission of message is black and white. It includes
diagrams, picture, graphs etc. reports, polices, rules, procedures, orders instruction, agreements
etc, have to be transmitted in writing for efficient running of the organization. Written
communication ensures that everyone concerned has the same information. It provides a
permanent record of communication for future reference written instructions are essential when
the action called for vital and complicated. To be effective, written communication should be
clear, concise, cornet and completed. It may take the following terms
a) Reports
b) Circulars
c) Magazines
d) Memoranda
e) Newspapers
f) Pictures, diagram, graphs etc.

g) Instructions
h) Agreements
i) Notice board etc.
Advantages of written communication:

➢ It ensures transmission of information of uniform manner i.e. everyone concerned has the
same information.
➢ It is an ideal way of transmitting lengthy message.
➢ It ensures little risk of authorized alteration in the messages.
➢ It is the only means of exchanging informations at all places even beyond telephonic range.
➢ It tends to be complete, clear, precise and correct
➢ It less be quoted as a legal evidence in case of any disputes
➢ It is suited to convey messages to a large number of persons at one and the same time.
Disadvantages of written communication

➢ It is expensive
➢ It is time consuming
➢ It becomes difficult to maintain secrecy about a written communication
➢ It is rigid and does not provide any scope for making alterations for in accuracies that might
have crept in.
➢ It encourages red 'tapism' and involves so many
➢ It may be interpreted in a different manner by different people.
➢ It often becomes too lengthy, when message are conveyed in writing.
Purpose of Writing:
1) To Inform
2) To Persuade

Clarity in writing:
Writer has to follow the principles of unity and coherence that binds words into sentences,
sentences into units or paragraphs, and paragraphs into essays. Whenever this information of
thought into language is not effected under the guiding principles of language, the muddy clutter
hides the meaning and makes it difficult to understand.
Writing with clarity means providing enough context that the reader can make sense of the
message. Avoid the widespread tendency to capitalize nouns arbitrarily. Not everything deserves
special treatment. People routinely uppercase names of committees, projects, titles, departments
and assorted other things, usually for one of these three reasons. They copy what everyone else
does, without looking it up. Writers with expertise on a particular topic often are blind to the fact
that their audience is not as knowledgeable. When a person has extensive knowledge about a
particular topic, she becomes consumed by the details and nuances of the subject, which can lead
to what is called the curse of knowledge.
Seven simple rules for clear writing
1. State a fact or an idea directly.
2. Use concrete rather than abstract words.
3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
4. Use the active voice rather than the passive voice. The active voice is action-oriented.
5. Avoid wordy sentences.
6. Use appropriate language.
7. Use verbs rather than nouns. Verbs are dynamic and action-oriented.
Principles of effective writing:
Accuracy: The writer should check & double-check all facts & figures, the choice of words, the
language & tone.
• Facts, figures, and words

• Language and tone
• Correctness of words
• Technical accuracy of language
• Concord- the rule of agreement between words in gender, number, case or person
• This means that if the subject is singular, the verb should be singular and if the subject is
plural, the verb should also be plural
• He plays football. (SINGULAR)
• They play football. (PLURAL)
• One of the glasses is empty. (Here, since the subject is ‘one’, the verb should be ‘is’).
• Radha and Meera are coming home
• Neither the shoes nor the bag matches the dress
Dangling modifier:
Is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly mentioned in the sentence
Eg
Having completed the homework, the radio was switched on
Doer of the action is missing
Rewrite
Mary having completed the homework, switched on the radio
It is generally used at the beginning of the sentences ‘ing’ word
Expecting a big audience, a large number of chairs were ordered
Unnecessary shift in tenses:

 Tense should be consistent within the sentence and from sentence to sentence
 Eg
 Alex saw the woman with the red umbrella as she hails a cab. He approaches her and
asked for a date. At first, she is unsure about accepting but quickly changed her mind
and says yes.
 The passage must be revised to make all the verbs either present or past tense, depending
on the writer's preference.
 Present tense makes the action more immediate:
 Alex sees the woman with the red umbrella as she hails a cab. He approaches her and
asks for a date. At first, she is unsure about accepting but quickly changes her mind
andsays yes.
Prepositions:
Wrong prepositions change the meaning of the sentences
To express time
To express place
To express time-
“At” eg- the meeting begins at 9 am
“on” eg- On Diwali night..
“in” eg – I shall complete my work in few minutes
To express place-
 I live at Faridabad in Haryana

Punctuation:
 It determines the meaning of the sentence and paragraph. Meaning of the sentence gets
changed with the punctuation mark
 Eg
 It is necessary to keep practising ones communication skills
 It is necessary to keep practising one’s communication skills
 It is necessary to keep practising one’s communication skills
Brevity: It is bad manners to waste [the reader's] time. Therefore brevity first, then, clarity.
• Leave out unnecessary details

• Not at the cost of clarity
• Language and Tone
• Standard English
• Tone-feelings created by words used to communicate a message
Clarity: One has to be clear and specific in their letter. The words used should be unambiguous
and not vague. Avoid giving abstract information.
• Friendly, interesting, persuasive

• Flavor of easy conversation
• no complex construction
Eg. Instead of ‘visualize’, use ‘see’. Instead of ‘at the present time’, write ‘now’. Instead of using
‘the website is now fully operational with the e-commerce functionality setup’, write ‘the
company has launched its website’.
Approaching the writing process systematically:

1. First like any project one must have plan.

2. Then one must gather information, relevant to the topic they are working on.
3. Most people don’t always have time to read long text; therefore they must be
straightforward while keeping it simple this method is referred to as economical. Let the
writing process be precise & simple.
4. Keep the text short, simple and gather the appropriate information. This is called
purposeful.
5. The writing style wont be the same if they are giving to their boss or sending a friendly
email, therefore it must be reader-oriented.
The Three-Step Writing Process in Business communication:
1. Prewriting ( Planning)
2. Writing
3. Revising (Completing)
Pre-writing
Team members work closely to determine purpose, audience, content, organization
• Analyze: Ask what the purpose of the message is and how the message is to be delivered
(i.e. via email, letter, memo, presentation, etc.).
• Anticipate: Determine what type of audience will be receiving the message and how they
are likely to react to it in order to determine the tone of the message. For example, if a
message is being sent to a supervisor of some sort, the tone one one's writing will
necessarily be more formal than a message being sent to a fellow worker.
• Adapt: This step combines the analysis and anticipation stages. Guffey explains that
"adaptation is the process of creating a message that suits your audience" . When adapting
the message to a specific audience, try to imagine how the receiver will most likely react
to the message. By keeping the needs and interests of the receiver in mind, business writers
can help cultivate an empathetic relationship with the reader and, in turn, are more likely
to achieve their purpose.
Writing
Team members work separately
• Research: This stage allows the writer to gather any information, data, and facts that are
needed to write the message. Research can involve search engines, books, personal surveys
and interviews, among other methods.
• Organize: Use diagrams and outlines to help group similar ideas together and narrow the
focus of the message. A good rule of thumb is to combine information into groups of three
to five categories which will ultimately become the main ideas or headings of the message.
Direct pattern for receptive audiences. Indirect pattern for unreceptive audiences.
• Compose: First drafts are often written quickly and are in no way perfect, but they serve
as a way to initially lay thoughts down on paper for future refinement.
Revising
• Revise: Guffey describes revision as the stage where writers can "edit the message to be
sure it is clear, conversational, concise, and readable. Look for ways to highlight important
information" . Here, you'll want to read and re-read drafts to eliminate wordiness and
redundancies and find places where bulleted lists, bold fonts, and other visual aids would
be helpful and appropriate.
• Proofread: Always check for spelling or grammatical errors. The sense of credibility and
professionalism could be quickly lost with a single mechanical error.
• Evaluate: Ask if the final product ended up suiting both the purpose and the needs of the
audience. Writers will often have to go through the revision stage quite a few times before

feeling comfortable enough to actually send the message, so writers are encouraged to do
so.
Specific Writing features:
Focus
Focus is the topic/subject established by the writer in response to the writing task. The
writer must clearly establish a focus as he/she fulfills the assignment of the prompt. If the
writer retreats from the subject matter presented in the prompt or addresses it too broadly,
the focus is weakened. The writer may effectively use an inductive organizational plan
which does not actually identify the subject matter at the beginning and may not literally
identify the subject matter at all. The presence, therefore, of a focus must be determined in
light of the method of development chosen by the writer. If the reader is confused about
the subject matter, the writer has not effectively established a focus. If the reader is engaged
and not confused, the writer probably has been effective in establishing a focus.
Organization
Organization is the progression, relatedness, and completeness of ideas. The writer
establishes for the reader a well-organized composition, which exhibits a constancy of
purpose through the development of elements forming an effective beginning, middle, and
end. The response demonstrates a clear progression of related ideas and/or events and is
unified and complete.
Support and Elaboration

Support and Elaboration is the extension and development of the topic/subject. The writer
provides sufficient elaboration to present the ideas and/or events clearly. Two important
concepts in determining whether details are supportive are the concepts of relatedness and
sufficiency. To be supportive of the subject matter, details must be related to the focus of
the response. Relatedness has to do with the directness of the relationship that the writer
establishes between the information and the subject matter. Supporting details should be
relevant and clear. The writer must present his/her ideas with enough power and clarity to
cause the support to be sufficient. Effective use of concrete, specific details strengthens the
power of the response. Insufficiency is often characterized by undeveloped details,
redundancy, and the repetitious paraphrasing of the same point. Sufficiency has less to do
with amount than with the weight or power of the information that is provided.
Style
Style is the control of language that is appropriate to the purpose, audience, and context of
the writing task. The writer’s style is evident through word choice and sentence fluency.
Skillful use of precise, purposeful vocabulary enhances the effectiveness of the
composition through the use of appropriate words, phrases and descriptions that engage
the audience. Sentence fluency involves using a variety of sentence styles to establish
effective relationships between and among ideas, causes, and/or statements appropriate to
the task.
Conventions
Conventions involve correctness in sentence formation, usage, and mechanics. The writer
has control of grammatical conventions that are appropriate to the writing task. Errors, if
present, do not impede the reader’s understanding of the ideas conveyed.
Audience analysis
Audience analysis involves identifying the audience and adapting a speech to their interests, level
of understanding, attitudes, and beliefs. Taking an audience-centered approach is important
because a speaker’s effectiveness will be improved if the presentation is created and delivered in
an appropriate manner. Identifying the audience through extensive research is often difficult, so
audience adaptation often relies on the healthy use of imagination.

Writing Positive, Neutral, Persuasive and Bad-news Messages:

Positive messages include messages where the audience is expected to react in
a neutral to positive manner.
Positive Messages
1. The receiver likes or expects this news (product shipped on time)
2. The receiver needs little education or background to understand the news (travel arrangement for
the conference)
Positive messages are often the easiest to write because the audience is expected to be fairly
receptive of the presented information, thus they tend to follow the direct pattern by stating the
idea at the very beginning following with the explanation. In the explanation, writers will once
again want to consider using various highlighting tools to improve readability. Writers will
conclude the message courteously and with a request for action by a given date, if necessary.
While all positive writing messages follow a similar format, there are different types of positive
messages:
Requests for Information/Action
Requests for information or action do just that. Because they are a routine part of business
practices, Guffey offers a few helpful words of advice that summarize the most important
characteristics of request letters: "Maintain a courteous tone, spell out what needs to be
done, suggest reader benefits, and make it easy for the reader to respond" (208). If there is
a deadline, include the date in the closing to ensure that it sticks in the reader's mind.
Claims
Claims are letters sent with the intention of correcting something that went wrong
(a common occurrence in the business world).
The format of claim letters follow the protocol of other positive messages, but
because they are intended to correct mistakes, it is important to maintain a calm tone

and refrain from making accusations or placing blame, and to avoid harsh language
that will only impede the effectiveness of the letter and may be regretted later on.
Replies
Begin by telling the reader what they want to hear and avoid long, drawn out
openings. If there is both good and bad news in a reply letter, always begin with the
good, but refrain from misleading the reader if you're intentions don't entirely meet
their expectations. For example, don't respond by saying "We think your request for
donations is a great idea!" if you have no intention of actually donating.
Writers should organize the information they are providing in a clear, coherent manner
followed by a courteous closing that refers back to the enclosed information.
A neutral message is one that does not provoke emotion. To clarify, good news might be
a job offer. Neutral news might be that the company you applied to confirmed the receipt
of your resume.
Persuasive Writing
Persuasion is a critical tool one should master to achieve professional success in the business
world, but it is also one of the more challenging. Whether writers are aiming to persuade
customers, potential donors, or those working within the same corporation, they will want to
focus their attention on four main things:
Grabbing the Reader's Attention

Engage the reader quickly and at the beginning so they are immediately interested. A few ways
of doing this are to use a startling statistic, an intriguing story, or by telling the reader how they
will benefit and what they can gain.
Building and Maintaining Reader Interest

Readers can easily disregard letters when they are being asked to do something, so it is essential
that writers know how to not only grab the reader's attention, but how to maintain their interest.
Keep the reader invested in what they are reading by providing examples that make any requests
sound reasonable, appeal to reader emotions, or emphasize indirect benefits the reader may
receive such as feeling good about themselves. Writers ultimately want to provide the reader with
incentives to do as they ask.
Reducing Reader Resistance

Be prepared for readers to be reluctant and to ask questions. Anticipate this reaction by presenting
counter-arguments to whatever objections the reader might raise and as always, stress the benefits
and focus on the positive.
Motivating the Reader to Act

Encourage the reader to respond or act by a certain time. Writers will want to sound confident
that they have achieved their goals without sounding arrogant or pushy. A good closing might
sound something like this: You will see decided improvement in the communication skills of
your employees. Please call me at 555-555-5555 by May 1 to give your approval so that training
sessions may start in June, as we discussed.
Bad news messages

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 (Bovee & Thill, 2010). 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.

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:
1. Be clear and concise to minimize the chances of confusion or back-and-forth communication.

2. Help the receiver understand and accept the news.
3. Maintain trust and respect for the business or organization and for the receiver.
4. Avoid legal liability or erroneous admission of guilt or culpability.
5. Maintain the relationship, even if a formal association is being terminated.
6. Reduce the anxiety associated with the negative news to increase comprehension.
7. Achieve the designated business outcome.
Types of Written Communication in Business:
Business Letters, Employee Reviews

Encompassing business letters, emails and memoranda, correspondence is intra-business
communication.
Business letter writing is one of the oldest forms of business correspondence, but it's still an
important skill to master. It's vital to balance the engaging tone of a letter with the formal
expectations of a business setting.
A common review system, also known as a scheduled or focal review system, requires
management to evaluate all employees within the same time period, such as quarterly,
semiannually or annually. Management chooses a review cycle based on what works best for the
evaluation of the employee goals and objectives in place.

Correspondence
That is, it's communication generally intended to be read by coworkers, not customers. We have
written extensively about the various forms of business communication and how to make each
one great.
• When you need to convey basic information to a group of recipients, nothing does the job
better than an old-fashioned memorandum. Getting a memo right is all about clarity and
concision. Get right to the point, make it clear what is required of the reader, and thank
them for their cooperation.
• Writing a good email is harder than it sounds. Emails are less formal than letters, but should
still show a degree of professionalism. They also need to pack as much information into as
little text as possible.
Proposals
Proposals are a unique type of formal business communication. Of all the common kinds of
business writing, proposals are probably the most dependent on form. Getting that form right and
using it to achieve your goal are vital skills in modern business.
• Start with our basic guide on how to write proposals. If you need help, and especially if
your employer or your customer hasn't given you a template to work with, consult our
resource for guidance. We have you covered.
• At first, an informal proposal might seem like a bit of a contradiction in terms. But while
even an informal proposal is more structured than a casual email, many proposals are
simply a way of writing down a suggestion and passing it along. Here's our guide on how
to tackle an informal proposal.
• Formal proposals aren't limited to the business world. Research proposals in academic
settings follow their own rules. We've broken them down for your convenience.

Reports
Reports are more formal than other forms of written business communication. Your employer
may have a set structure for a given report. Even if they don't, it's important to be rigorous and
detailed, while simultaneously keeping things as to the point as possible.
• Clear, achievable performance objectives are crucial for measuring how an employee is
doing. Indeed, a good objective can drive employee performance, getting them invested in
hitting their marks. A lot of that buy-in comes down to quality of writing.
• If you are an executive or work closely with an executive, you may need to provide a high-
quality briefing document for other employees.
• If your employer doesn't provide a specific format for a report, you'll need to find one
yourself. Adapt this report template to suit all your needs for written communication in
business.
• Self-evaluation is a delicate task. Writing a good self-evaluation is all about
evenhandedness: you don't want to be so laudatory that your work is ignored, but don't run
yourself down either! Use our tips to strike that crucial balance.
• Writing an employee evaluation is always a challenge. Incorporating positive, negative
and neutral elements, while simultaneously coming to a definitive conclusion, is a
balancing act.
• Whether advocating for an approach or simply providing information, white papers are
important tools. And knowing how to write one is a vital skill. Follow our advice for
success.

Module-4
Business Reports: Purpose, Kinds and Objectives of reports – Organization & Preparing reports,
short and long reports Writing proposals: Structure and Preparation, Writing Memos, Media
Management.
The Press Release, Press Conference, Media Interviews.
Group Communication: Meetings, Planning Meetings, Objectives, Participants, Timing, Venue

of Meetings.
Meeting Documentation: Notice, Agenda, and Resolution & Minutes
Reports:
Assigned communication for a purpose and for a specific reader or /receiver to give information.
Reports are documents designed to record and convey information to the reader. Reports are part
of any business or organization; from credit reports to police reports, they serve to document
specific information for specific audiences, goals, or functions.
“A business report conveys information to assist in business decision-making. The business

report is the medium in which to present this information. Some reports might present the actual
solution to solve a business problem; other reports might record past information that is used
toward future business planning. More traditional reports, such as Business Plans, serve to
communicate the Business Concept, business management model, commercial objectives,
operational procedures and the perceived viability of the enterprise. Many people consider
business reports as dry, uninteresting documents which take a great deal of time and effort to
prepare. The reality is that they are an essential part of doing business and one’s ability to be
proficient in this area is critical to the ability to pursue commercial success.

The Purpose of Reports
The purpose of business reports is to enable management to have timely, factual information at
hand for planning and decision making.
 To make sound decisions and find effective solutions

 To provide a formal, verifiable link between people, places, and times
 To serve as permanent records
 To solve immediate problems
 To provide complete, accurate, objective information
 Information about company’s activities, progress, plans, problems
 Specific Action
 Justify and Persuade
 Present facts
Business Reports:
Reports are the tools of key communication in an organization used to retain for future reuse.
Types:
1. Informal
2. Formal
Informal Formal
Shorter in Length Longer
An informal report usually has the topic of the report or the policy
specific topics grouped in of the company it’s being written for
paragraphs, and these topics tend to determines which sections, labels,
have simple headings. content, and purpose should be used
as the basis for the report.

Don’t have required headings Requires formal headings
Address simpler topics that don’t Address complex topics that require
require substantial description of substantial description of
background background
Objectives:
• To provide critical analysis of the business running

• Tool to guide decision making
• Helps owners to investigate and solve any identified issues
• To communicate the changes
• To inform about the progress
• To analyze the inputs against the outputs
• To share the lesson learns
• To inform others what you did against what you planned
• Analyze the recommendations
• Risk reduction preparation
• To plan accordingly for up-coming period
Report writing
Informal Report Writing Process
1. Define the problem.

2. Cite sources of information.
3. Establish a work plan.
4. Collect and organize data.
5. Analyze data.

Writing a formal report:
1. Organize material: stating problem, design, findings and recommendations

2. Prepare draft report: major heading, side heading, paragraph heading
3. Prepare final report: objectivewise information presentation, vocabulary, technical
language, simple and short sentences, spacing and grammer
Components of a Business Report are:
• Title Page
Letter of authorization
Letter of transmittal
Table of contents
Synopsis or summary
• Introduction
Body of the report
Conclusions
Recommendations
• Bibliography
• Appendices
• Brief Guidelines for Sections

Kinds of Reports: The type of report is often identified by its primary purpose or function, as in
an accident report, a laboratory report, a sales report, or even a book report. Reports are often
analytical, or involve the rational analysis of information. Sometimes they simply “report the
facts” with no analysis at all, but still need to communicate the information in a clear and concise
format. Other reports summarize past events, present current data, and forecast future trends.
While a report may have conclusions, propositions, or even a call to action, the demonstration of
the analysis is the primary function. A sales report, for example, is not designed to make an
individual sale. It is, however, supposed to report sales to date, and may forecast future sales
based on previous trends.
Formal Reports
Formal reports follow a methodical structure and communicate knowledge, results and findings
to a range of internal and external readers. Most formal reports contain a title page, cover letter,
table of contents, list of tables and illustrations, executive summary, an extensive body and
references. The title page lists the name of the report, date of completion and name of author or
company. The cover letter summarizes the purpose of the report, its importance and any required
follow-up action needed. The table of contents lists the major topics in the report along with their
page numbers. The executive summary highlights the report's main points, the report body also
may include conclusions and recommendations, and the references page notes the sources cited
in the report.
Semi-Formal Reports
A semi-formal report, also called a titled document, is a shorter, less complex version of a formal
report. Semi-formal reports typically have multiple pages including a title page, introduction
page, a body and references.

Memos
A memo, short for memorandum, is a type of routine report an organization prepares for internal
communication purposes. It is impersonal and objective in its tone, and its length ranges between
a sentence or two to several pages. Most memos begin with background information, including
information on the sender, receiver, the date, subject and location in case the memo refers to an
event. A memo is the most informal type of report format.
Letters
Letter reports are usually one-page documents used for external communication purposes. They
are in block form and include standard features of letters, such as the sender’s address, receiver’s
name and address, date, salutation, body, acknowledgment and sender’s signature. Letter reports
normally are typed on a company letterhead.
Monthly Reports
Monthly Financial reports shall comprise one comprehensive statement. This statement is called
“Monthly Financial Statement” broken up into three parts in the standard statement, Parts “A”,
“B” and “C”.
Informational or Analytical Report?
There are two main categories for reports, regardless of their specific function or type. An
informational report informs or instructs and presents details of events, activities, individuals, or
conditions without analysis. An example of this type of “just the facts” report is a police accident
report. The report will note the time, date, place, contributing factors like weather, and
identification information for the drivers involved in an automobile accident. It does not establish
fault or include judgmental statements. You should not see “Driver was falling down drunk” in a
police accident report. Instead, you would see “Driver failed sobriety tests and breathalyzer test
and was transported to the station for a blood sample.” The police officer is not a trained medical
doctor and is therefore not licensed to make definitive diagnoses, but can collect and present
relevant information that may contribute to that diagnosis.
The second type of report is called an analytical report. An analytical report presents information
with a comprehensive analysis to solve problems, demonstrate relationships, or make
recommendations. An example of this report may be a field report by a Center for Disease Control
(CDC) physician from the site of an outbreak of the H1N1 virus, noting symptoms, disease
progression, steps taken to arrest the spread of the disease, and to make recommendations on the
treatment and quarantine of subjects.
Routine Reports: reports made by filling in a printed form
Progress Reports: reports on the progress & status of the project
Types of Reports and Their Functions
Type Function
1. Laboratory Report Communicate the procedures and results of laboratory activities
2. Research Report Study problems scientifically by developing hypotheses, collecting
data, analyzing data, and indicating findings or conclusions
3. Field Study Report Describe one-time events, such as trips, conferences, seminars, as
well as reports from branch offices, industrial and manufacturing
plants
4. Progress Report Monitor and control production, sales, shipping, service, or related
business process
5. Technical Report Communication process and product from a technical perspective
6. Financial Report Communication status and trends from a finance perspective
7. Case Study Represent, analyze, and present lessons learned from a specific case
or example
8. Needs Assessment Assess the need for a service or product
Report

9.Comparative Discuss competing products or services with an analysis of relative

Advantage Report advantages and disadvantages
10. Feasibility Study Analyze problems and predict whether current solutions or
alternatives will be practical, advisable, or produced the desired
outcome(s)
11.Instruction Manuals Communicate step-by-step instructions on the use of a product or
service
12.Compliance Report Document and indicate the extent to which a product or service is
within established compliance parameters or standards
13.Cost-Benefit Communicate costs and benefits of products or services.
Analysis Report
14. Decision Report Make recommendations to management and become tools to solve
problems and make decisions
15. Benchmark Report Establish criteria and evaluate alternatives by measuring against the
establish benchmark criteria
16.Examination Report Report or record data obtained from an examination of an item or
conditions, including accidents and natural disasters
17.Physical Describe the physical characteristics of a machine, a device, or object
Description report
18. Literature Review Present summaries of the information available on a given subject

Organising& Preparing Reports:
Begin with aproblemstatement
Limit your scope
Outline issues toinvestigate
Develop a statementofpurpose
Prepare work plan
Planning Research Organization Presentation
The elements of full report, in the order of their sequence:
1. Cover
2. Title Page
3. Acknowledgements
4. Table of Contents
5. Executive Summary
6. Introduction
7. Discussion/Description
8. Conclusion
9. Recommendation
10. Appendix
11. List of references
12. Bibliography
13. Glossary
14. Index

The first five elements constitute the front matter, the next four elements form the main body and
the last five elements constitute the back matter.
Revising Formal Reports and Proposals
 Revise by evaluating both content and organization.
 Review for style and readability.
 Edit and rewrite your message clearly and concisely.
Short & Long Reports:
A short report is also called informal report while a long report is sometimes referred to as formal
report. A short report is often no more than a single page of statement containing facts and figures
in the most concise manner. A short report is like a memorandum and does not need a cover. This
style of report is often casual and relaxed. The style of writing includes use of first person such
as I and We in sharp contrast to long report where full names of people are used.
A long report always has a title, introduction, body, and then conclusion. It is always more than
one page in length. It sometimes contains a covering letter that mentions all the details that are
included in the long report. At the end of the long report, there is bibliography and appendix. It
is common to have a long report printed and bound with hard cover. The tone in a long report is
restrained and somber in contrast to a short letter. The report is always a long one and consists of
all or only some of these parts: cover, title page, contents page, and letter of transmittal (covering
letter), summary, introduction, and the body of report, conclusion with or without
recommendations, appendix, bibliography, and index. It is even printed sometime and bound in
hard covers like a book. When it happens to be very long, a summary of its main points is given
after the introduction. In style, the long or formal report is impersonal and restrained in tone. The
writer or writers generally do not use the first person (I or WE), but used third-person reference
in some such ways. "It was found" and "the writers are of the opinion" etc.

Major differences
 Shorter reports most common
 Four major differences
 Short Reports- less need for introductory material
 Begin directly with conclusions and recommendations( predominance of direct order)
 More personal writing style
 Less need for a long formal coherence plan
Writing Proposals: Structure & preparation:
A business proposal is a written offer from a seller to a prospective buyer. Business proposals
are often a key step in the complex sales process i.e., whenever a buyer considers more than price
in a purchase.
A proposal puts the buyer's requirements in a context that favors the sellers products and services,
and educates the buyer about the capabilities of the seller in satisfying their needs. A successful
proposal results in a sale, where both parties get what they want, a win-win situation
A proposal is a special type of analytical report that gets products, plans, or projects
accepted by outsiders.Proposals are legally binding and often compete for a client’s
business. Clients request solicited proposals. Unsolicited proposals are initiated by
organizations to obtain business or funding.

Writing memos:
A memo is intended to inform a group of people about a specific issue, such as an event, policy,
or resource, and encourages them to take action. The word “memorandum” means something that
should be remembered or kept in mind. Here’s a guide to writing readable, effective memos.
A memo is:
• a hard-copy (sent on paper) document

• used for communicating inside an organisation
• usually short
• contains To, From, Date, Subject Headings and Message sections
• does not need to be signed, but sometimes has the sender's name at the bottom to be more
friendly, or the sender's full name to be more formal.
Example for MEMO
To: Katherine Chu, Regional Manager

From: Stephen Yu, Sales
Date: 3 July 2015
Subject: Notification of My Resignation
I am writing to inform you of my intention to resign from G & S Holdings.
I have appreciated very much my four years working for the company. The training has
been excellent and I have gained valuable experience working within an efficient and
professional team environment. In particular, I have appreciated your personal guidance
during these first years of my career.
I feel now that it is time to further develop my knowledge and skills base in a different
environment.
I would like to leave, if possible, in a month's time on Saturday, 1 August. This will allow
me to complete my current workload. I hope that this suggested arrangement is acceptable
to the company.

Once again, thank you for your support.

Memos should have the following sections and content:
1. A 'To' section containing the name of the receiver. For informal memos, the receiver's
given name; e.g. 'To: Andy' is enough. For more formal memos, use the receiver's full
name. If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department
name. It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very
formal.
2. A 'From' section containing the name of the sender. For informal memos, the sender's other
name; e.g. 'From: Bill' is enough. For more formal memos, use the sender's full name. If
the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name. It is
usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal.
3. A 'Date' section. To avoid confusion between the British and American date systems, write
the month as a word or an abbreviation; e.g. 'January' or 'Jan'.
4. A Subject Heading.
5. The message.
6. Unless the memo is a brief note, a well-organised memo message should contain the
following sections:
a. Situation - an Introduction or the purpose of the memo
b. Problem (optional) - for example: "Since the move to the new office in Kowloon
Bay, staff have difficulty in finding a nearby place to buy lunch."
c. Solution (optional) - for example: "Providing a microwave oven in the pantry would
enable staff to bring in their own lunchboxes and reheat their food."
d. Action - this may be the same as the solution, or be the part of the solution that the
receiver needs to carry out; e.g. "we would appreciate it if you could authorise up to
$3,000"

e. Politeness - to avoid the receiver refusing to take the action you want, it is important
to end with a polite expression; e.g. "Once again, thank you for your support.", or
more informally "Thanks".
7. Signature
Media management: The press release
Media management is a term used for several related tasks throughout post-production. In
general, any task that relates to processing your media is considered to be media management,
such as capturing, compressing, copying, moving, or deleting media files.
The press release:
A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a written or
recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing
something ostensibly newsworthy.
Press releases should also include the following key components:
1. Letterhead/Logo
It’s a good idea to place your organization’s logo or letterhead at the top of your press release.
This makes it easy for press staff to identify where the press release is coming from and it lends
credibility to your news. Press release format is something you should consider when developing
your brand standards. You will need to decide where and how big your logo should be placed,
what size and type of font to use, margin widths, and line spacing to avoid variation in the way
your press releases look.

2. Contact Information
Once the press staff read your release, they may want to reach out to you or your organization for
further information. Include contact information of the person on your team who can most
effectively field media calls and emails.
3. “For Immediate Release”
Most of the time, you’ll want your news to go public as soon as possible. In this case, you should
include “For immediate release” toward the top of your document. This indicates to the press that
there is no holding period for publication. If you decide to embargo, or request a stay of
publication until a specific date, you must also indicate that as well.
4. Headline and sub-headline
A headline is the opportunity to grab the reader’s attention. It should summarize what your news
is about and encourage the reader keep reading. The sub-headline should describe the headline
in more detail. Both are typically written in the subject-verb-object format and should be around
70 characters at most. For example:
Headline: County Health Department Launches Childhood Obesity Program
Subhead: Community grant keeps kids on playgrounds, off couches
5. Dateline
The dateline includes the date as well as the city and state (see AP Style guide) where the press
release is being issued, and it precedes the first paragraph of the release.
6. Body
The body is where the news story is written. The first paragraph should succinctly summarize the
entire story, clearly articulating who, what, when, where, why, and how the story happened (or
will happen). Subsequent paragraphs describe those same elements in further detail. Though there
are ways to frame these details to provide a certain angle to the story, it is important to write facts
only. The body is not a place for inserting opinions on an issue—this portion should be easy for
media to publish directly.
7. Quote
Press releases should be fact-driven, but you will often want to include some formal opinion
about the issues from your organization. A quote from an organizational representative (usually
a director or lead on a project) is a good way to achieve this editorial edge. You may also consider
including a quote from a third party who can add credibility to your story. This may be a content
expert, a community leader, or a constituent affected by your story. Make sure your titles are
formatted properly, and don’t let quotes overshadow the facts—instead use them to highlight and
support the narrative you’ve written.
8. Boilerplate
The boilerplate is a few sentences at the end of your press release that describes your organization.
This should be used consistently on press materials and written strategically, to properly reflect
your organization.
9. ###
This indicates the end of the press release so that the journalist or editor doesn’t miss any
information. If your release is longer than one page, insert “--more--” at the bottom of each page
preceding the last.
To better understand what the pieces of a press release look like altogether, check out these
examples from the CDC, Public Health - Seattle & King County, and Whatcom County Health
Department.
It’s a good idea to have an approval process in place for media relations and press release
distribution. All quotes need to be approved by the person being quoted, and all facts should be

checked. You may also consider preparing your release for ethnic media, which may require
translation. This involves extra work on the front-end, but can be essential to spreading a message
within specific communities.
Characteristics of successful press releases:
1. It’s nimble. Successful messages are built to fit multiple formats. They feature tweetable
headlines and factoids, search engine-friendly elements (e.g. keywords, links, etc.), compelling
visuals, and an easy-to-share landing page that renders nicely across LinkedIn, Facebook,
Google+, and other networks.
2. It’s atomized. Your audience doesn’t live in one place, and neither should your press releases
and other content. Derive one piece of content from another, such as turning a webinar into a
series of blog posts, a podcast or video, a PowerPoint presentation or pdf, an infographic – and
distribute each accordingly. Likewise, a simple press release can be similarly atomized. You can
tweet a variety of key points, upload accompanying multimedia to YouTube, Flickr, Tumblr,
Slide Share, and any number of other sites, and you can offer an insider, engineering, or customer
perspective on the company blog. In this case, more is truly more.
3. It’s useful. Content needs to interest, inform, or entertain the audience...period. When
determining how to communicate with your audiences and what vehicles to employ, take into
account the outcomes you need to generate, the actions you want to encourage, and where your
intended audiences live. As you do so, be willing to re-think press releases and other content.
You may find some unusual opportunities.
4. It Should be newsworthy.
5. It should be brief & precise.
6. Simple language, suitable for publication.

Press Conference:
A news conference or press conference is a media event in which newsmakers invite journalists
to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions. A joint press conference instead is held
between two or more talking sides.
Advantages
The main advantage of a press conference to the person calling it is that they do not have to repeat
themselves to several different reporters at separate interviews. It also means that their
announcement will have maximum impact by being in all the media at the same time (assuming
that all the reporters think it is newsworthy).
The main advantage to the journalist is that it reduces the chance of individual newspapers or
broadcast stations missing the story. It also allows them to share the workload of questioning the
interviewee. If one reporter forgets or overlooks something, another reporter will probably think
of it.
Disadvantages
There are disadvantages to the media in press conference, the major of which is that it is more
difficult to get an exclusive story from press conferences. When every reporter hears the same
words from the interviewee, they cannot keep secrets from each other. There are ways of getting
round this problem which we will discuss later.
Press conferences can also give false importance to the topic being promoted. Promoters try to
convince journalists that by getting them all in the same place at the same time the topic is of
great importance, when often it is nothing more than free publicity or advertising.
Why should you hold a press conference?
Press releases, interviews, and informal media contacts are excellent ways of getting your
message across. They are the bread and butter of your media relations, and often of your entire

outreach effort. A press conference is an additional media technique, for special occasions, when
you really want to make an impression. More specifically, why hold a press conference? Because:
• You can give more information than in a press release.

• A press conference is interactive; you can answer questions from the press, and emphasize
points you might not otherwise have a chance to make.
• You can announce an important development, and explain its significant local and wider
implications.
• You can set the record straight if your group received negative publicity.
• You can often generate the kind of notice or publicity – a spot on the 6:00 TV news, for
instance – that you’d otherwise have to pay a large amount for.
• When many media representatives are present, it makes your conference seem really
newsworthy -- the media presence itself adds to the importance.
• A successful media conference can not only generate news, but can also boost the morale
of your own group -- that is, your group can take pride in knowing that the press will really
turn out to hear what you have to say.
How do you hold a press conference?
Before the press conference:
As we’ve discussed, you may have to schedule a press conference on short notice. If you do have
lead time, however, you and your group will want to start planning at least a week or two before
the press conference is to take place. The following steps should help you plan for your press
conference:
Define the message.
Define the key message(s) that you and your group are trying to get out to the community. Your
goal may be to introduce or shed more light on your issue, to announce a new program or event,
to react to a news story or to a criticism of or attack on your effort, or to draw attention to an
honor or award your effort has earned. Whatever the message, it should be summarized in clear
3-5 key points to the press. If a date, a time, an address or phone number, or other specific
information is part of the message – if the purpose of the press conference is to announce an
upcoming event, for example – make sure to give it more than once, and to have it displayed
prominently in your press kit. Double- or triple-check any such information to make sure you
have it right, both in speech and in print.
Schedule the date and time.
You and your group will need to determine a date and time for the press conference, and make
sure it doesn't conflict with other press events or media deadlines. One way to find this out is to
check with the local media and the wire services, who will know if your press conference conflicts
with another. Here are some other tips for scheduling your press conference:
• Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days for press conferences, as they are
considered slower news days. Try to have your press conference on one of these days if at
all possible.
• The best time to schedule your press conference is between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m, to
ensure maximum coverage by the media. If you schedule it later, you risk missing the
afternoon paper or evening news.
• Remember, you are competing with all the other news of the day; so don't be too worried
if everyone doesn't show up.
Pick the site.
Make sure you pick a location for the press conference that has adequate parking and is not too
far away for reporters to travel. Also, pick a site that provides visual interest and relationship to
each topic--such as the state capitol building, city courthouse, or a local clinic or other site where
the activities you’re talking about are actually going on. Other considerations include picking a
location relatively free from high levels of background noise (e.g., traffic, telephones, aircraft),
and one which has adequate electrical outlets and extension cords for lighting, etc.

Select and train your participants.
At this stage of your planning process, you probably won't want to have just anyone from your
group participate in the press conference. You will want your participants to be knowledgeable
and articulate about the issue. They should be able to handle press questioning and scrutiny as
well. People with high credibility, such as local politicians, the director of a local health
promotion organization, or a physician may make effective spokespeople. Firsthand testimony
from people from the community affected by the issue can be extremely powerful and
convincing.
Here are a few tips for participants:
• Be clear and concise – avoid using jargon, rhetoric, or inflammatory language, and stifle
"ums" and "ahs." You want to draw attention to the issue, not distract the audience with
your words.
• Assume the audience is intelligent – avoid sounding patronizing.
• Don't fiddle with or clutch anything -- it's distracting and makes you appear nervous.
• Appearance counts – participants should be dressed neatly and appropriately for the
occasion.
• Always tell the truth. If you don't know the answer to a question, say so. Don’t exaggerate
or give figures that aren’t backed up by evidence, and don’t state opinions as fact, or make
charges that can’t be proven.
In addition to the press conference participants, you will need to find a moderator who is
experienced with the press and the issue. He or she will be in charge of convening the press
conference by introducing the issue and participants. The moderator also answers questions or
directs them to the appropriate participants.
If you and your group are new at this, you may want to attend at least one other press conference
to get a feeling for what they are like. Even if you are very experienced in this area, it may be a
good idea to conduct a dress rehearsal. Speakers should have scripts to memorize the 3-5 key

points, and to make sure to speak no longer than 3-5 minutes each. A dress rehearsal is very
helpful in training new participants, and a good time to try to anticipate tough or hostile questions.
Have someone from your group play devil's advocate and see how participants respond.
For example, a suitable response to a tough or misguided question might be, "That's a good
question, but it is not within the scope of this press conference. Our focus today is on...” If the
question is legitimate but you don't know the answer to it, it's okay to call on someone else from
your group who might know, or check out the answer and get back to that reporter later.
Contact the media.
The first step in contacting the media is to create a comprehensive mailing list of assignment
editors at television stations, news directors at radio stations, and at major newspapers, and
editors at weekly newspapers. You may even want to include the wire services (AP, UPI). Others
you'll want to be sure to include on your list are reporters you have worked with before, contacts
in the media you may have, and reporters who may have covered the issue in recent months.
If your organization has had occasion to work with the media before, you should have personal
contacts with a number of media people. If you haven’t made those contacts, this is a good time
to start. The media aren’t things – they’re made up of human beings doing their jobs. If you can
make human contact with those folks, and especially if you can make their jobs easier, they’ll
return the favor.
You will also want to have a press advisory prepared and mailed about one week ahead of time
to inform the media about the press conference. A press advisory is similar to a press release,
with the difference being that press advisories can be used for background information to your
media contacts. The format is basically the same as that of a press release. For an example of a
press advisory, see the Tools section.

Follow up with the media.
After you and your group have mailed the press advisories to the media, you will want to follow
up your press advisory with phone contact to the major media outlets. Give your press advisory
three days to arrive, then begin your telephone follow-ups with the people you sent your press
advisory to (if they say they never got one, offer to bring or FAX one to them). Also, follow up
a second time the morning of the press conference.
Develop a press kit.
A press kit is a folder of information to give reporters background information about your issue
or program. Press kits are very useful, if your group can afford it. If a press kit is beyond your
budget, a press advisory will do. Your press kit should contain the following:
• A list of press conference participants.

• A press release, which should state your group's position on the issue, highlights of the
press conference, and a few quotes from participants (for more, see Preparing Press
Releases).
• Background information about the issue (i.e., statistics, historical background, case
histories, or reprints of news stories).
• A few black & white glossy photographs (action photos are most interesting).
• Short (less than a page) biographies of participants.
• Related news stories from prestigious national publications (e.g., New York Times, Wall
Street Journal, etc.).
Putting the kit together: The press release goes in the right side of the folder, and the other
information goes in the left side of the folder.
Prepare the room.
There are a number of things you can do to prepare the room you're holding the press conference
in. Here are some tips:

• Check the location of electrical outlets for microphones and lights.

• Set up the room with a table long enough to seat all your spokespeople, with name cards.
• Provide enough seating in the room for reporters, and enough room for their supporting
equipment (e.g., cameras, microphone).
• Display visuals as a backdrop to your speaker's table: charts, posters, etc.
• Have a sign-in pad for attendance.
• Provide a podium for the moderator, perhaps with your organization's logo on it.
• Have coffee, tea, water, and any other refreshments set up.
At the Press Conference:
When the big day finally arrives, there are a number of things you and your group can do to help
your press conference run as smoothly as possible. We will go through these, step by step:
• Welcome members of the press as they arrive.

• Have members of the press sign in, with their affiliation, and give each of them a press kit.
• Seat the press conference participants behind the table facing the seated reporters.
• Check the sign in pad to see which media outlets are represented. You may also want to
make personal contact with major media representatives before or after the press
conference.
• Start approximately on time -- no later than 5 minutes after the scheduled time.
• Tape record the event, for your own records, and for possible media use.
• Have the moderator welcome the press, and introduce the issue and participants.
• Each participant should present for no more than 3-5 minutes, making his/her 3-5 key
points.
• After all the presentations, the moderator should entertain any questions from the press,
and direct questions to the appropriate participants.
• After about 45 minutes, bring the formal conference to an end. Thank the participants for
presenting, and the media for attending. In many cases, you may want to encourage the
media to stay for further informal conversation with the participants.

After the Press Conference
To the extent that you can, make personal contact with representatives at least of the major media
outlets represented. In a small town, this could mean one or two people; in a big city, there might
be 20 or more. If you can have a short, pleasant conversation with these folks and make a good
impression, they’ll remember you when they need information or a story about your issue, and
they’ll respond when you contact them.
By looking through your attendance register, you should be able to determine which major media
were not represented. Not everyone may arrive, as your conference may be preempted by some
late breaking news story elsewhere. You may want to hand deliver a press release and press
packet to these people, send a tape feed, or, try to schedule an interview with a reporter and one
of the press conference participants.
You might also review the press conference with others from your organization that
attended. What went well? What could you have done better? And how will you improve the
next press conference you hold?
Media interviews:
It is a recorded conversation, usually conducted by a reporter, in which an individual provides
information & expertise on a certain subject for use in the reporter’s article. Media interviews
provide an effective way to promote products, services, organizations, personalities and causes.
However, effective interviews require careful planning and preparation. Interviewees also should
adhere to commonly accepted (best) practices
Print Media Interviews. If you are doing an interview in person with a reporter from the print
media, wear what you normally would to work. If the interview is over the phone, you may find
it helpful to jot down a few notes before you begin, but don't read off your responses.
Radio Interviews. For a radio interview, listeners will know you only by your voice, so avoid
speaking in a monotone. Professionals recommend smiling to animate the voice. You may be
interviewed over the phone or a mobile device, in the studio at a radio station, or in UD’s studio
at University Media Services. In a studio situation, the sound engineer will do a voice check
before the interview begins. Be sure to maintain the same distance from the microphone
throughout the interview to keep the volume consistent.
TV Interviews. For a TV interview, the crew might want to interview you in your lab, in the
field, or in their studio. TV crews typically film several stories in a day, so they likely will be
moving quickly to set up cameras and prepare you with a microphone that can be threaded
underneath your shirt or blouse.
Group Communication:
Communication in small groups is interpersonal communication within groups of between 3

and 20 individuals. Groups generally work in a context that is both relational and social. Quality
communication such as helping behaviors and information-sharing causes groups to be superior
to the average individual in terms of the quality of decisions and effectiveness of decisions made
or actions taken. However, quality decision-making requires that members both identify with the
group and have an attitude of commitment to participation in interaction.
Meeting
Meeting is a gathering of two or more people that has been convened for the purpose of achieving
a common goal through verbal interaction, such as sharing information or reaching agreement.
Meetings may occur face to face or virtually, as mediated by communications technology, such
as a telephone conference call, a skyped conference call or a videoconference.
Thus, a meeting may be distinguished from other gatherings, such as a chance encounter (not
convened), a sports game or a concert (verbal interaction is incidental), a party or the company
of friends (no common goal is to be achieved) and a demonstration (whose common goal is
achieved mainly through the number of demonstrators present, not verbal interaction).

Meeting purposes include:
• giving information
• training
• discussion (leading to an objective)
• generating ideas
• planning
• workshops
• consulting and getting feedback
• finding solutions/solving problems
• crisis management
• performance reporting/assessment
• setting targets and objectives
• setting tasks and delegating
• making decisions
• conveying /clarifying policy issues
• team building
• motivating
• special subjects - guest speakers
• inter-departmental - process improvement
Meeting Documentation: Notice, Agenda, and Resolution & Minutes
Business meetings refers to corporate meetings of highest degree where all the associated
stakeholders meet. It’s combination of employee representatives, board of directors, key
company personnel.
Notice: before the commencement of the board meeting, every member should be informed
formally through notice. The idea of sending notice of meeting is to ensure that all the participants

are informed of the meeting well in advance. Otherwise half of the board members might meet
behind the others’ backs and make decisions unknown to others.
The chairperson is usually responsible for the practical arrangements of sending a notice meeting.
The responsibility can be shared, but ultimately it belongs to the chairperson.
Notice means an invitation in writing to the concerned persons for attending in the meeting.
Preparing and serving notice is an essential requirement of a valid meeting. If the authority fails
to serve notice to any one of the eligible members, the meeting will be invalid. It is a written or
an oral statement that contains the particulars of holding a meeting. ... It is a letter of
invitation which carries the request to the members to attend a meeting. A notice includes time,
place, date and agenda of a meeting.
Notice of a Meeting:
It should be under proper authority.
It should state the name of the organisation.
It should state the day, date, time, and place. ...
It should be well in advance. ...
It should state the purpose and, if possible, the agenda.
It should carry the date of circulation and convener's/secretary's signature.
The following items should be included in notice of a meeting:
1. Association calling the meeting

2. Meeting type: a general or a board meeting.
3. Meeting time
4. Meeting place
5. Reference to the purpose of the meeting
6. Person calling the meeting

7. Preferably the matters that will be discussed in the meeting.

Agenda: agenda is the discussion topic of the meeting. Only the topic under discussion is
considered for meeting and the board adheres to it. It is a list of meeting activities in the order in
which they are to be taken up, beginning with the call to order and ending with adjournment. It
usually includes one or more specific items of business to be considered. It may, but it is not
required to include specific times for one or more activities. It may also be called as a docket.
In its simplest form, an agenda sets out the list of items to be discussed at a meeting. It should
include: The purpose of the meeting; and. The order in which items are to be discussed, so that
the meeting achieves its purpose.
Template of agenda
Objective: To brainstorm a name of our newest product
Attendees: Junaid, Faisal, Steve, Adam and Shah rukh
Date, Time and Duration: Tuesday, November 10, 2021 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm
Location: Main Boardroom, Head Office.
What to Bring: A thesaurus, a dictionary, the creative thinking caps and anything else that gives
you creative inspiration.
Agenda Presenter: Shah rukh will lead the brainstorming session and record the session notes.
Topic: He’s prepared brain-tweaking questions to help us discover that perfect name for our
product.
Allocated Time: 12 minutes each.
Board meetings should be held within 30 days of formation of the board and the gap between
conduction of 2 meetings cannot be more than 120 days.

Resolution & Minutes
A minute of the meeting is the overall record of what transpired in the meeting, including the
name of the attendees. Resolution of a meeting is when a complaint is solved, done. A minute is
a written record of what has happened at a meeting. A resolution is a record of any decisions
made at the meeting. A resolution is a written document that describes the actions taken by the
board of directors of the corporation.
Minutes include the following:
1. Date, time and place of the meeting

2. Names of those in attendance
3. Proxies tabled
4. The wording of each question decided
5. Votes for and against
6. Details of correspondence, reports, notices or other documents tabled
7. Tome the meeting is closed.
How to Write a Resolution
Format the resolution by putting the date and resolution number at the top. If it’s the board’s first
resolution, you can number it whatever you want. Consider using something like 0001 and then
giving all future resolutions a consecutive number.
Form a title of the resolution that speaks to the issue that you want to document. For example,
“Resolution to Designate Funds of the 2016 Gala Fundraiser to the Marketing Fund.”
Use formal language in the body of the resolution, beginning each new paragraph with the word,
whereas. The first sentence should reference the board’s responsibility. For example, “Whereas
it is the responsibility of the Board to designate funds for a specific purpose.”
Continue writing out each important statement of the resolution, beginning each paragraph with
whereas.
The last statement of the resolution should state the final resolution, which is the action that the
board took. For example, “Now, therefore be it resolved to designate the funds of the 2016 Gala
Fundraiser to the Marketing Fund.”
The bottom of the resolution should list the names of the board members voting on the resolution
and spaces adjacent to their names where they can indicate a “yes” or “no” vote. Obviously, the
resolution is approved when the majority of the board members vote “yes.”
There should also be a place for the board president to sign and date the resolution.

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Business Communication 22MBA16

II Jai Sri Gurudev II

SJB Institute of Technology

Department of Management Studies (MBA)

Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 1

Written Communication: Meaning & Definition, Purpose of writing, Clarity in writing,

Types of Written Communication in Business: Business Letters: Introduction to Business Letters,

Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 2

Advantages of written communication:

Disadvantages of written communication

Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 3

Seven simple rules for clear writing

1. State a fact or an idea directly.

2. Use concrete rather than abstract words.

3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.

5. Avoid wordy sentences.

6. Use appropriate language.

Principles of effective writing:

• Facts, figures, and words

• He plays football. (SINGULAR)

• They play football. (PLURAL)

• Radha and Meera are coming home

• Neither the shoes nor the bag matches the dress

Having completed the homework, the radio was switched on

Doer of the action is missing

Mary having completed the homework, switched on the radio

It is generally used at the beginning of the sentences ‘ing’ word

Expecting a big audience, a large number of chairs were ordered

Unnecessary shift in tenses:

Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 5

 Present tense makes the action more immediate:

Wrong prepositions change the meaning of the sentences

“At” eg- the meeting begins at 9 am

“on” eg- On Diwali night..

“in” eg – I shall complete my work in few minutes

 I live at Faridabad in Haryana

Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 6

 It is necessary to keep practising ones communication skills

 It is necessary to keep practising one’s communication skills

 It is necessary to keep practising one’s communication skills

• Leave out unnecessary details

• Friendly, interesting, persuasive

Approaching the writing process systematically:

Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 7

The Three-Step Writing Process in Business communication:

Team members work closely to determine purpose, audience, content, organization

Team members work separately

Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 9

Specific Writing features:

Support and Elaboration

Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 11

Writing Positive, Neutral, Persuasive and Bad-news Messages:

Requests for Information/Action

Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 12

Grabbing the Reader's Attention

Building and Maintaining Reader Interest

Reducing Reader Resistance

Motivating the Reader to Act

Bad news messages

Department of Management Studies(MBA), SJBIT Page 14

1. Be clear and concise to minimize the chances of confusion or back-and-forth communication.

Types of Written Communication in Business:

Business Letters, Employee Reviews