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TERM I, UNIT 1 : THEORY OF COMMUNICATION, , 1, THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNICATION, Learning Objectives:, To enable students to apply the skills of communication, To clarify the meaning, process and elements of, communication, To convey the need and importance of communication, To present the communication process and the elements, involved in varied communication situations., , Introduction:, Human beings communicate. So do animals, birds and even, insects. We have examples of such communication in the chirping, of birds, their warning calls at the approach of danger; apes‘ cries, expressing anger, pleasure, fear; honey bee communication, such, as the queen bee‘s figure 8 type dance inside the hive to teach the, rest of the bees about the direction and distance of the nectar; a, dog‘s response to the ringing of the door bell at different times., However, the special qualities specific to human beings, separate the human world from the animal kingdom. That is why, human communication differs from animal communication., For our purpose of study we will restrict ourselves to human, communication and the technical means used. A good starting, point is recognition of the fact that man is a social animal who, prefers to live in society. He is, in fact, born with the capacity to, communicate – he simply cannot isolate himself. He feels the need, all the time to express himself and share his ideas with others. And, this attempt we see even in the case of an infant who, communicates his needs by cooing, crying, smiling etc. Man‘s very, survival depends on communication. This is because, as a member
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2, of society, a human being is dependent on others and has to take, help from others., So essential is communication to mankind that life without, communication is unimaginable. Absence of opportunities to, communicate would constitute a kind of punishment. That is why, punishment of solitary confinement is given to criminals. They, experience all the related mental tortures and agonies and are, inclined to repent for their misdeeds., Is communication a new phenomenon? Definitely not., Communication is as old as man himself. Man felt the need to, communicate right from the beginning of human history when, in, the absence of language, signs, symbols, and sounds were the, only means of communication at his disposal., With progress, man‘s needs and communication, requirements also increased, which led to the invention of more, advanced means of communication. Thus the evolution of, communication can be traced from the prehistoric period to our, present times., Cave paintings, drawings, pictorial representations etc. stand, testimony of early man‘s attempts at communicating over space, and time. The use of these was gradually replaced by language., Invention of languages gave rise to oral communication, which was the sole means of communication in society at one time., Gradually, the written script came to be used and propagated, thus, giving communication a more lasting value. In those days, dried, leaves, marble, stone, papyrus, etc. were used as writing materials., Books, in ancient times, were in the form of manuscripts,, which obviously had a very limited circulation. Also, as the means, of transportation had not developed, the spread of knowledge and, information was very restricted., Then, in 1437, came Johann Guttenberg‘s invention of the, process of printing, as a result of which communication took a, quantum leap. The discovery of electricity gave a further boost to, communication, and extended its sphere of influence., And with the development of science and technology in the, 20th century, electronic devices provided a further spurt. The, advent of radio, television, telephone, Fax, computer, Internet have, changed the face of communication altogether.
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3, A communication revolution has, indeed, taken place. While,, earlier, man had very limited facilities and access to knowledge and, information, modern man faces the problem of an Information, Explosion – there is so much available that he has to sift through, and select what he wants from the mass of information available., But what exactly is ―communication‖? It is both interesting, and informative to consider the origin and meaning of the word, ‗communication‘., I. The Word ‗Communication‘: Its Origin and Meaning:, The English word ‗communication‘ comes from the Latin, word, ‗Communicare‘ which means to impart or participate or to, transmit. The word ‗Communicare‘ is derived from the root, ‗Communis‘ which means to make common or to share., So, communication is i) the activity or process of sharing or, exchanging ideas, feelings, information, experience between two or, more persons; ii) an act or instance of transmitting; iii) the, information actually communicated by some means., Communication occurs all the time. In fact, it is an ongoing, activity. For example, interaction between the members of a family,, friends, relatives; communication through letters, telegrams,, telephone; stopping one‘s vehicle at the red signal and starting it at, the green signal; response given to the ringing of the bell by the, students in a school. It is clear, then that communication may be, either verbal or nonverbal., The interpretation of the word communication can be quite, complex. Consider the following cases:, If one person talks to another, and there is ―common, understanding‖, which, is,, however,, expressed, through, unsatisfactory action, then it is difficult to say whether such a, situation is an instance of, poor communication or of no, communication at all., In another situation, a person who may not speak anything,, but, nevertheless, gives a certain impression to the other person —, can this be considered communication?, If someone eavesdrops on a conversation taking place, between two friends, is that someone receiving communication?, Can we call Hamlet‘s soliloquy ‗To be or not to be/ That‘s the, question‘ in Shakespeare‘s Hamlet a communication situation?
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4, In another situation where a Tamilian speaks in Tamil to a, Marathi speaker who does not know Tamil, communication would, not result due to lack of a common language., , Definitions of Communication :, Is communication an art, a science or a practical skill?, This question is thought-provoking as it makes us consider, the concept of communication more seriously., The term ―communication‖ is ambiguous, despite the fact, that it is a daily phenomenon. Definitions of communication vary, widely. Besides human communication, some definitions cover, animal communication with members of the species, as well as with, human beings., Some selected definitions of communication are presented, here to facilitate the understanding of the concept of, communication. They cover different aspects of communication, not, necessarily unified., The Oxford English Dictionary defines communication as, ―the action of conveying or exchanging information and ideas.‖, Peter Little in his book Oral and Written Communication, defines communication as ―the process by which information is, transmitted between individuals and or organisations so that an, understanding response results‖., In this definition, the stress is on i) communication as a, changing or dynamic process, ii) transmission of information, between individuals and or organizations, and iii) the receiver‘s, understanding response., Here, the communication process involves systematic, activity which leads to proper communication of information, creating understanding of the message and the receiver‘s expected, action. The word ‗information‘ here implies news, knowledge, as, well as the sender‘s attitude or frame of mind., In the Journal of Communication (November, 1953), F.A., Cartier and K.A. Harwood define communication as ―a process for, conducting the attention of another person for the purpose of, replicating memories‖., The emphasis here is on replicating memories. To illustrate,, the receiver, while interpreting or perceiving the message, refers to
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5, his own past experience which may be pleasant or unpleasant. For, example, the word, ‗childhood‘ may take someone to the inspiring,, lovely childhood days, while, at the same time, it may bring, depression and frustration to others due to their ugly, dark, childhood memories. This happens because communication and, perception go hand in hand. Both reception and perception are, equally important, as they cannot be separated., According to Allen Lui (Louis), ―Communication is the sum, of all the things one person does when he wants to create, understanding in the mind of another. It is a bridge of meaning. It, involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening,, understanding and responding‖., This definition gives importance to communication as a, systematic and continuous two- way process, which links the, sender of the message and the receiver who understands the, message as is expected by the sender. Thus the process of, communication includes transmission, reception, perception, and, understanding., Keith Davies‘ definition of communication as given in, Business and Industrial Communication, ―Communication is, involved in all human relations. It is the nervous system of an, organised group, providing the information and understanding, necessary for productivity and morale‖., ―Communication is the transfer of information, understanding from one person to another.‖ (Keith Davis), , and, , This definition lays emphasis on interaction, sharing of, information and understanding between the sender and the, receiver., II. What is Business Communication?, As Business Communication plays an important role in any, business organization, it is necessary to focus on its meaning., Business Communication is the sharing of information related to, business activities and their results., The following definition is more concerned with, organisational communication. Therefore, it can be considered as a, more satisfying and comprehensive definition of Business, Communication., ―Administrative communication is a process which involves, the transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by
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6, feedback for the purpose of eliciting actions which will accomplish, organisational goals.‖ (William G. Scott, Organisation Theory), This definition lays emphasis on i) the sender‘s or receiver‘s, capability of accurate transmission or reception of ideas ii), feedback, iii) eliciting action which will accomplish goals. According, to this definition, transmission and reception of ideas should match., For example, if the sender recalls the happy experiences of the, past, the receiver should relate and recall similar experiences., All the above mentioned definitions may vary in scope; but, they familiarise us with important elements like interaction,, interchange, dialogue, sharing, communion, commonness and so, on. They, no doubt, enhance our understanding of the concept of, communication, which comprises speaking, reading, writing,, expressing ideas and opinions, and exchange of ideas, response to, signs, signals, symbols and gestures. We may, thus, define, communication as ―a process of sharing facts, ideas, opinions,, thoughts and information through speech, writing, gestures or, symbols, between two or more persons.‖, Such an analysis and consideration of the varied aspects of, communication is essential for effective communication. Because,, unless one understands and appreciates, fully, its nature, scope,, and range of possibilities, one will not be able to master the art of, communication, which is a matter of prime importance today., , The Process of Communication:, Communication is a remarkable process in which we are all, involved. It is complex which is why it distinguishes us from the, members of the animal kingdom. Being a two- way transactional, process, it occurs between two or more persons. Since this is an, on-going, creative, dynamic developmental process, it comprises a, varied set of processes, a series of actions involving a sender, a, receiver, a message. It is more than a single act. It spills into all, areas of life. It may take place verbally or non-verbally, for the, purpose of sharing ideas or messages., All communication has some purpose which should be, known to both the sender and the receiver. Communication does, not take place haphazardly in an organization as it is not a random, exchange of information. It requires a vast repertoire of, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills involving listening, observing,, speaking, questioning, analyzing and evaluating.
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7, The components or elements of the Process of, Communication :, , The Sender or Communicator : This is the WHO of the, process. The sender plays an important role since he is the, source of the message. The process begins with him. He, initiates communication using a variety of speech acts, some, of which are:, expressing ideas, feelings, thoughts, opinions, directing the participants to do something, persuading, providing information, sharing something, receiver), , with, , someone, , (i.e., , the, , making the receiver take the action expected of, him or her., The sender controls the communication process in the sense, that he, firstly, decides to put across some idea, and selects the, medium or channel which he thinks will be most suitable to the, receiver and the situation., The Message : This is the WHAT of the process, and is an, essential element in the communication process because,, unless there is some thought or idea to share, there would, be no communication., Encoding : The ‗message‘ has to be formulated in some, way to make it possible for it to be put across. This process, is called ‗encoding‘, which involves selecting, organizing, information in a suitable way. Often, language, which is itself, a kind of code, is regarded as a suitable means of conveying, the message. By ‗code‘ is meant a set of words acting as, symbols, agreed upon by all speakers of that particular, language, to stand for, or represent certain entities. This is, ‗verbal‘ communication. However, non-verbal means of, communication may also be used, and would be encoded in, other ways. Telegrams use Morse code, the language of, dots and dashes for sending the message., The Medium / Channel: Since human beings cannot, communicate telepathically, they need to use some ‗channel‘, or ‗medium‘ to put across the message. The terms ‗channel‘
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8, or ‗medium‘ would imply the physical form that the message, takes. A ‗message‘ must necessarily travel through a specific, channel. Of course, a choice of channels is available to the, communicator. He may use the verbal (oral or written), method, or may use non-verbal ways (e.g. body language,, facial expressions, gestures, silence etc); or he may use the, visual means (e.g. pictures, maps, graphs, computer, graphics); or he may use audio-visual devices like Radio,, T.V., Computer. Selecting an appropriate medium or channel, (taking into account the receiver‘s age, background,, education, gender etc.) is of paramount importance. A, wrong choice could actually prevent communication from, taking place, or may result in an unintended message going, across to the receiver., The Receiver : The receiver is also an important component, in the process of communication because, unless there is, someone to ‗receive‘ the message, it cannot be said that, communication has taken place. The receiver is the person, or group of persons to WHOM the ‗message‘ is directed., Decoding : As the sender has to encode the message, that, is, put it into some form to facilitate communication, the, receiver has to ‗decode‘ the message, that is, interpret the, symbols, understand the meaning of the message. This he, does against the background of his age, gender, past, experiences, culture, attitudes etc., Feedback: After getting the meaning of the ‗message‘, the, receiver provides ‗feedback‘ which he ‗encodes‘ in the form, of a response/reaction/reply to the message. Feedback, plays an important part in the communication process,, because it is desired and expected by both the ‗sender‘ and, the ‗receiver‘. The ‗sender‘ wants to know whether and how, his ‗message‘ has been received, and the ‗receiver‘, either, consciously or unconsciously, usually provides a sign, indicating that he has received the message., It should be noted that feedback may be positive or negative., Positive feedback indicates to the sender the fact that his, message has been received, understood, and accepted; and, that he can proceed to the next point. Negative feedback, tells the sender that his message has not been properly
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9, understood. It, therefore, functions as a corrective, as it, makes the ‗sender‘ realize the defects or flaws in his manner, of encoding. He will, therefore, have to encode the same, message in a different way, so as to enable the ‗receiver‘ to, understand it., Feedback may be immediate or delayed. In the case of, interpersonal communication it is quick, as the sender is able, to observe the response/reaction (e.g. a smile, nod, frown, etc.) when he is conveying the message. He can also guess, whether the ‗receiver‘ agrees or disagrees with him., However, in the case of a letter, feedback may be delayed, as the ‗receiver‘ will take time to reply., Sometimes, feedback is obtained indirectly, by observing the, subsequent change of behaviour on the part of the ‗receiver‘., Feedback is very important in business. It is important for the, businessperson to know whether his/her clients and, customers are satisfied with the products and services, or, whether s/he needs to make changes. Feedback from, employees is also necessary to improve the performance of, an organization., The process of communication involves a series of stages:, , , An idea arises in the mind of the sender, which he wants to, share., , , , The sender encodes the idea in the form of a ‗message‘., , , , The sender chooses some channel/medium to put across, his message., , , , The receiver receives the message., , , , The receiver decodes – absorbs, understands, interprets, the message., , , , The receiver sends feedback or his response., , From the above, it is clear that in a communication situation,, a connection is formed between the ‗sender‘ and the ‗receiver‘. The, first three steps are initiated by the ‗sender‘ while the next three, involve the ‗receiver‘.
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10, Diagrammatically,, represented thus:, , the, , communication, , process, , SENDER, , may, , be, , RECEIVER, , Channel/, Medium, , STAGE I, Idea, arises, , STAGE VI, Sending, Feedback, Barriers, , STAGE II, Encoding of, Idea, , STAGE V, Decoding, Message, Barriers, , STAGE III, Transmission of, Message, , Channel/, Medium, , STAGE IV, Receiving, Message, , The process of communication may be elaborated as follows:, The communication begins with an idea that arises in the, mind of a person (the sender), which he wants to share. But, since, human beings cannot communicate telepathically, the sender has, to put the idea into some form (that is using some channel/medium), by using signs, signals, words. Words are, in fact, symbols which, stand for ideas or objects. When a set of symbols is agreed upon, by two or more people, it is called a code. Each language is a code, which people unfamiliar with that language will not understand., When a message is sent out in such a code, the process is called, ‗encoding‘. When this set of symbols and signs is interpreted and, understood by the receiver, the process is called ‗decoding‘. After, this, the receiver provides some ‗feedback‘ in the form of a, response/reaction/reply to the message, which the sender must, note. With this, a round of communication is completed. Usually,, the whole process repeats itself several times over, with the sender, initiating the process each time, till he finishes expressing all that, was in his mind at the time. We, therefore, talk in terms of a, Communication Cycle.
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11, The Communication Cycle may, represented in the following way :, , be, , diagrammatically, , MESSAGE, MEDIUM, , ENCODING, , DECODING, , Barriers, , ENCODER, , COMMUNICATION, CYCLE, , DECODER, , Barriers, ENCODING, , DECODING, FEEDBACK, , A ‗barrier‘ means a hurdle, a disturbance , or an obstacle, in, fact, anything which interferes with or blocks the smooth flow of, communication. Due to some form of interference, a speech act, may not achieve its desired effect, and the communication cycle is, disrupted. It is, therefore, necessary to control the influence of the, barriers, if not overcome them completely. Since the nature and, types of barriers are dealt with elsewhere in this book, they are not, being discussed here., , Need for Communication:, ―A man is as alive as he can communicate.‖ (L. Ron Hubbard), This quotation emphasizes the importance of communication, and its corresponding need., Communication plays a significant role in our lives at all, levels. It is, in fact, an integral part or facet of our life., Communication is the only activity which is performed or indulged, in all the time, and not occasionally or sporadically., The list of its benefits is endless. A glance at just a few of, them will, however, suffice to underscore the importance and need, for effective communication.
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12, Effective communication and success go together, for an, individual as well as for an organization. It facilitates human, endeavor and enhances all aspects of human life., Healthy working human relationships are the result of, effective communication, as it influences and moulds human, thinking, beliefs, frame of mind and value systems. It decides good, human behaviour as well as social behaviour. In a way it helps to, develop an effective democratic and multicultural society. It will not, be an exaggeration to say that our personal, professional and civic, lives revolve around communication., Communication has a definite role to play in business, as a, business person spends 75-90% of his work-time in, communication, whether it be speaking, reading, writing, or, listening. Today, technological development, globalization and, team-based organizational structures have given rise to a culturally, diverse workforce in an organization. This, again, intensifies the, need to communicate effectively. Higher administrative jobs require, effective communication to a greater extent. It resolves conflicts, between organizational complexity and individual needs. It, encourages people to think in new ways. It boosts morale;, motivates people; produces greater efficiency, leading to higher, productivity; creates a healthy atmosphere, bringing about unity;, maintains smooth functioning; promotes the control of factors, necessary for successfully, achieving the final goal of the, organization; and so on. It helps quick decision-making. Reaching, the final goal ensuring profitability is possible only with effective, communication., Conversely, inability to communicate effectively will weaken, the administration. It will result in problems like miscommunication,, low morale, lack of motivation, inefficiency, chaos, lack of control,, reduced productivity, lack of unity, and non-achievement of the final, goal, and perhaps total failure., That is why effective communication is a must. Neglecting, communication or underestimating its value and importance will, take us back to the dark ages and will deprive us of all the latest, developments. Good communication is today‘s need. Its absence, would make success unattainable.
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13, The following diagram focuses on the benefits of effective, communication:, , Communication in the Global Context:, Marshall McLuhan‘s prophecy is now a reality. ―The global, village is shaping its own language. The global market, the, corporate world, science and technology are all using this handy, lingua–franca, which is not the language of Shakespeare or, Churchill, nor that of R. K. Narayan …‖ ( Arun Sadhu, The Times, of India, January 17, 2007), This quotation is very relevant in today‘s context. It should, always be remembered that communication is the kind of word that, changes in scope according to the demands of the person and, situation, and it is as elusive as the Unicorn as pointed out by Peter, Little and Peter Drucker., The technological development of the 21st century has, brought about development in communication. Its evolutionary, process can be traced from prehistoric modes of communication, like sounds and symbols, to conventional modes, and then to the, modern modes like electronics, IT, and the computer. We are now, experiencing a ‗communication revolution‘, which has totally, transformed the face of this century. Devices like computer,, internet, fax, have brought the whole world under their spell. Gone, are the days of slow means of transport affecting the speed of
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14, communication. Today, communication travels at superfast speed., That is why there is an Information Explosion. The traditional, concept of communication is completely replaced by the latest,, wider, contemporary, modern approach to communication, which, has influenced every sphere of life, and business in particular., Wieklein aptly describes what is taking place in the field of, communication. ―All modes of communication we humans have, devised since the beginning of humanity are coming together into a, single electronic system, driven by computers.‖ There is a, noticeable shift from print media to electronic media, satellite and, internet. The traditional basic communication skills like listening,, speaking, writing and reading are converted into multi-tasking. A, variety of latest concepts such as a paperless office, and video, conferencing, have come into use in business organizations the, world over., Thus, today, thanks to scientific and technological, advancement, communication has developed to such a large, extent, that our world can be said to have become a global village., Globalisation has taken place., ―Globalisation is a process of increasing integration between, units around the world, including nation–states, households /, individuals, corporations and other organizations.‖ Progress in the, field of communication has accelerated this process of, globalization, which is bringing people all over the world under one, roof by forming one interdependent community‖., Today we live in an age of global communication; therefore,, communication, today, knows no national boundaries. It has a, significant role to play everywhere. Its importance is increasing day, by day, as it is a key to success. An ability to communicate, effectively with all types of people guarantees success. Effective, communication skills are helpful not only at the organizational but, also at the individual level. For efficient management, the modern, organizations need to think globally. Professionals need to sharpen, their communication skills to communicate major economic, and, other related issues. The employment market demands good, communicators who can communicate with people of varied, backgrounds. In the absence of the relevant communication skills,, a person is left behind., Over the last few decades, an ability to communicate, effectively with people of a variety of cultures, internationally and, domestically, has gained attention and importance. Internationally,, we communicate and work with people from different cultures,, national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, because of new, technology (internet, communication satellites etc.) There is an
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15, increase in intercultural conversations all over the world, as quick, and constant contact can easily be established. People have, realized the importance and need to work together. Economic, development has accelerated market globalization and, as a result,, people are doing business with, working for, or sharing work space, with someone from another culture. Companies producing and, selling goods are no more restricted to local patronage, but have, worldwide markets. Numerous job opportunities are available,, bringing together people of different national, ethnic, and religious, backgrounds. People can work from wherever they are. Thus,, market globalization has wiped out all national, natural borders, and, has contributed to the importance of intercultural business, communication., Cultural diversity and a multicultural work force have created, the need for, intercultural business communication. The global, market today needs successful intercultural communicators who, are sensitive to cultural differences and possess good intercultural, skills. Therefore, companies give special training to their employees, to make them understand cultural differences, so that they are able, to communicate successfully with people in the organisation and all, over the world., However, communication across cultures is a challenge to, many multinational companies, as there is the possibility of, miscommunication and misunderstanding. People from different, cultural backgrounds may misinterpret verbal / nonverbal cues., The greater the difference between cultures, the greater the, chances of misunderstanding., For example, an employee of a multinational company used, to ask questions about hairstyle and nose piercing, which made a, lady employee uncomfortable. This happened because the, employee was ignorant of cultural differences in assessing what, was regarded as ―personal.‖, Here is another example. At a trade fair, sales personnel, were asked to give away green hats to passers by, in the hope of, attracting customers to their stall, generating interest in their, products, and, of course, effecting and promoting sales. However,, it was observed that the Chinese visitors did not stop at their stall., Later it was discovered that, to the Chinese, a green hat represents, infidelity. The Chinese expression ―He wears a green hat‖ means a, man‘s wife has been cheating on him. The practice of distributing
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16, green hats was soon stopped. Here again, cultural differences, were responsible for creating misunderstanding and, perhaps,, giving offence where none was intended., The above-mentioned examples clearly indicate that to be, successful in the global market place, cultural, linguistic and other, barriers need to be minimized. The use of custom-designed, international websites to recognize and accommodate cultural, differences is an attempt in this direction. People‘s cultural, differences need to be recognized and respected., Another problem of global communication is that developing, nations are unable to benefit fully from it, as they lack technology, and suffer from financial constraints. Similarly, the expansion of, modern electronic communication systems may be a threat to their, national, regional, local / tribal heritage. Though the technological, or communication means are a boon to development, they can, prove to be a curse, if not used properly. We should be able to, handle different barriers to avoid related problems. The available, resources should be carefully and tactfully utilized, so that we can, rule this global communication world., , Communication in the Context of Technology:, In these early years of the third millennium, we find, ourselves ‗real‘ inhabitants of the global village that Marshall, McLuhan had envisaged over thirty years ago. Advances in, technology have facilitated the process of market globalization., New technology has permeated every sphere of life, especially the, corporate world. Business today has widened its horizon and, overstepped its former boundaries, and so has communication. The, old scene has been replaced by a new landscape: the modern, world is buzzing with activity, and the face of Business, Communication has also changed as a result., In the 21st century, following in the footsteps of the, revolution in Business and Commerce, the Communication, Revolution has assumed greater significance. The electronic, means of communication have evolved from the printing press,, which was invented some 500 years ago. A few years ago, terms, like RAM, MODEM, DISC would have carried other connotations., But today, even if people do not understand their exact meaning,, they are, at least, able to associate them with technology of some, sort. Technological developments have thus contributed towards
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17, revolution of digital electronics. This revolution has influenced, information transmission since World War II. A new approach to, communication is taking the place of the conventional approach,, so that, what was unimaginable earlier is a reality today. No, wonder that this revolution has entered the business scene, and, in, turn, the business world has taken hold of it and exploited it for its, expansion. Electronic means of communication have brought, about a radical change not only in organizational working but also, in communication. More sophisticated means of communication, have mushroomed over the last few years. A study of Business, Communication without a proper understanding and cognisance of, this fact would be unimaginable., Information Technology including the Internet (intranet and, extranet), e-mail, voice mail, fax, tele (audio and video), conferencing, desktop computing, wireless devices, instant, message have electronified commerce and thereby revolutionalised, the way we communicate., Consequently, the old, telecommunication devices like telegraph, telex are now outdated,, just as are letters and other such forms. Availability of a variety of, electronic media has increased the options open to us as, communicators., Gone are the days of what could be called ‗snail mail‘: the, traditional, cumbersome,, time-consuming, method, of, communication. Today, with electronic means, communication can, be effected in the blink of an eye and at the stroke of a key. The, electronic media have facilitated communication among people all, over the world, enabling them to reach widely dispersed publics, personally. The electronic media‘s ability to overcome time zone, barriers, their speed, frequency, multi-tasking and efficiency are, simply laudable. Advanced means like earth and environmental, service allow people from opposite ends of the world to collaborate, with each other, work together, seamlessly as it were, thus bringing, the resultant benefits to numerous other people. This collaborative, group effort ensures quick decision-making, which is of great, importance for success in the global competitive market. This, enables companies to promote the sales of their products / services, in a quicker and more economical way, thus facilitating commercial, operations and activities., The Modern Era is becoming an officeless world as the, concept of workplace and method of working are changing. Now, when an employee says, ―I ‗m at work‖, s/he is referring to what
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18, s/he is doing and not to the place. The line between home and, office is now blurred. This is because people need not confine, themselves to traditional workspaces for working. They can work, from home and, at the same time, they can maintain contacts with, their colleagues. Thus, a constant attempt is being made to bring all, aspects of the office under one umbrella. Henceforth, technology,, and not the traditional glass-box office layout, will bring the, employees together., Thus, flexi-time/place, mobility, adjustability, miniaturization,, paperless, automated, horizontal, democratic organization are the, order of the day. Direct one-to-one and one- to-many transfer of, information, storing data, retrieving it at any time and anywhere are, all the miracles of this digitalized / electronic communication. That, is why, on-line trading, banking, e-recruiting, cyber recruiting are, gaining popularity. In short, ―telecommunicating‖ has become the, norm. All this has made today‘s professional more of an infocrat,, rather than an autocrat/ technocrat / bureaucrat. In fact, the driving, force behind the business world is, no doubt, technology., However, new technologies have given rise to, communication challenges. In addition, the growing global access, to electronic means has magnified these challenges. Though, electronic means have come as a blessing, they are not devoid of, problems and disadvantages. They are afflicted by problems such, as viruses, worms, theft, information overload, lack of privacy,, reduced productivity, and waste of time. They are responsible for, some of the tension of in the workplace. With them, confidentiality, is endangered. Yet the benefits of electronic means of, communication usually outweigh the disadvantages. They are,, therefore, preferred to the conventional ones., If we want to reap the full benefit from the potential of, Communication and Technology, we have to train people to be, proficient in the art of electronic communication. As the need is for, an effective, rather than a nominal communicator, the selection of a, suitable tool, and its effective, appropriate and judicious use, should, be insisted upon. Furthermore, it is important to realize that, technology showcases a person‘s communication and presentation, skills as far as speaking and writing are concerned, and facilitates, the listening process; it can never be a substitute for the person, himself. The person needs to develop his/her basic communicative, competence which goes beyond aspects of clarity and, circumvention of barriers to include a consideration of the reader‘s
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19, or listener‘s viewpoint, and a sensitivity to cultural differences and, their potential areas of misunderstanding. For example, in some, countries, video conferencing is not accepted in business dealings., So, we may say that the best method of handling matters and, problems related to communication would be one wherein effective, skills are coupled with, and enhanced by, the use of modern, technological devices., Of course, this approach is not without its difficulties and, challenges. However, the corporate world attempts to face these by, developing global leaders, supporting global teams, being aware of, changes, and taking timely action; besides training their personnel, to be effective inter-cultural communicators. Indeed, the modern, world is tossed between the positivity and, negativity of, Communication Technology., The following quotation from Charles Dickens‘s A Tale of, Two Cities (1859) describes this situation very aptly:, ―It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the, age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of, belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it, was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the, winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing, before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going, direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the, present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its, being received, for good and for evil, in the superlative degree of, comparison only‖., , Conclusion:, We may conclude by asserting that, for survival in this hightech global world, a mastery over communication in general and, business communication in particular, is of prime importance. It is, the key to success at both personal/individual as well as, organizational levels as it makes for all-round development by, promoting co-operation, co-ordination, unity, high morale,, motivation, good image, better performance, and general efficiency.
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20, Tasks :, 1. Define the word ‗communication‘ . (Give any four definitions, with examples)., 2. Analyse briefly the communication process involved during a, lecture period, and that of a tutorial period., 3. Read the following communication situations and state, whether they can be called communication situations? If yes,, explain the process and the elements of communication with, the help of the communication cycle. If no, explain in detail, why it cannot be considered a communication situation:, a. You are reading a book., b. A madman is talking to himself., c. A speaker is delivering a speech to an audience that, appears to be disinterested., 4. ―To be an effective communicator is the order of the day‖., Explain., 5. How is technology responsible for changing communication, in the workplace?, 6. ―Technological developments and globalization are, intensifying the need to communicate effectively.‖ Discuss., 7. Fill In the Blanks:, i., , Sharing of information regarding business activities, and their results is known as ____________., , ii., , Business communication helps in providing, information to customers regarding, _______________., , iii., , A person who encodes the message is, called_____________., , iv., , A receiver‘s response to the message is, called_________., , v., , Subject matter of communication may, contain_________., , vi., , The word communication originates from the, _______language., , vii., , A person who decodes is called a________.
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21, 11. Answer in one sentence:, i., , What is communication?, , ii., , What is the origin of the word ‗communication‘?, , iii., , Give the components of the communication process., , iv., , Give any one example of a communication situation., , v., , Define business communication., , vi., , What is the special feature of human communication, that separates it from animal communication?, ,
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22, , 2, CHANNELS AND OBJECTIVES OF, COMMUNICATION, Learning Objectives:, To enable the students to understand the role of, communication in the corporate world, To see the directions that transmission of communication, takes within an organisation, To identify the nature and purpose of the messages, within the organization, , A. Channels of Communication:, ―Administrative communication is a process which involves the, transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback, for the purpose of eliciting actions which will accomplish, organizational goals‖., — William Scott., Communication transmits a thought, an idea, or a concept of, the sender, which is replicated in the mind of the receiver. The aim, of communication within an organisation is to lead to actions that, fulfill organisational goals. Organisations are concerned with two, types of communication: external and internal. This chapter will, focus on the nature and purpose of internal communication., According to Peter Drucker ―Objectives are needed in every, area where performance and results directly and vitally affect the, survival and prosperity of a business‖., Organisational communication, broadly speaking, is to, facilitate achieving the objectives of an organisation. The primary, goal of any organisation is to grow, which can only happen when, the organisation produces quality output. Managements must, communicate effectively with the workforce to ensure that the, quality of output is maintained. The workforce should understand
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23, that survival of an organisation depends on efficiency of individuals, and groups, and produce actions that will achieve these goals., These goals may range from completing a task or mission, to, creating and maintaining satisfying human relationships., Most organisations have a hierarchy, levels of authority and, power within the ranks. Communication is perhaps the unique link, that runs through the structure and holds these levels together., Organisations transmit messages with the help of formal and, informal networks that exist within its structure. There are normally, four communication directions: downward, upward, diagonal and, horizontal. The effectiveness, functions and limitations of the, various patterns of communication need to be examined., I. Formal Communication, Messages that move along predefined and regulated, pathways comprise formal communication. Formal communication, may be verbal or written, and may be in the form of letters,, telephone calls, computer messages or memos. At times, a gesture, may communicate as effectively as writing or speaking. Messages, convey decisions and can be transmitted personally, or in writing,, or by machines. From the sender, the messages move along, designated routes to designated receiver/s, who must act on these, messages., As a general rule, all formal communication is recorded and, filed and becomes a part of the organization‘s record. File copies, are retained by the sender and the receiver. Some examples of, formal communication include work orders, notices, accounting, records and reports, inventory and sales reports, policy statements,, job descriptions, work-method protocols., Communication in an organization serves several purposes., It provides a road map for senders and receivers who must know, about the planned action, work in progress, and work results. Next,, it provides a place for storage of information that may be required, for planning, operations and control., Formal Channels of communication that constitute the formal, network of communication in an organisation.
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24, Diagramatic Illustration of formal networks., , CEO, , Marketing, Manager, , Marketing, , Finance, Manager, , Product, Manager, , Purchase, , HR, , HR, Manager, , Product, , PR, Manager, , Marketing, , Purchase, Manager, , Sales, , Purchase, , i) Downward Communication:, In Downward Communication, top management of an, organization transmits decisions taken by it, along with its intended, goals, vision, culture and ethics through various levels of authority., All decisions taken by the top management are passed down the, ladder of authority for their implementation., The messages that flow though this channel are orders,, memos, rules, practices, procedures, circulars, regulations. Written, orders, bulletins, bulletin-boards, posters, house-journals are, commonly used modes of this communication. As it proceeds from, superiors to the subordinates, this communication is also called, ‗Top-Down‘ communication., Downward Communication is needed, to get the work done, to prepare the workforce for challenges, to tackle misinformation and suspicion arising out of it, to create a feeling of pride and confidence in the workforce, in order to motivate it and to boost its morale., to transmit work ethics and the organisation‘s culture, , Sales, Manager, , PR
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25, Advantages:, This type of communication demands complete obedience, and ensures disciplined, orderly implementation of orders. It leads, to efficient functioning of the organisation and eliminates dissent., Tasks and positions of authority are well defined. This brings clarity, in the minds of people who are responsible for taking action, thus, avoiding confusion. It helps in uniting different levels of authority, and brings in team spirit., [For example, an American or British crisis management, team in action, or the NSG commandos in action in Mumbai during, the terror attack, illustrate how downward communication ensures, effective implementation of ideas. Many family–run business, houses, too, work efficiently for this reason.], Requirements:, It is important that the decisions are taken after due, deliberation. The vision of the authority must be effectively, percolated, so that it correctly and completely reaches the last, person in the chain. The authority must set a good example so as, to inspire confidence in the subordinates and win their co-operation., Disadvantages:, Being one-way communication, it can have some glaring, disadvantages., Lack of vision and arbitrary decision-making can prove, detrimental and harmful to the organisation. Balance in sharing, information is important, so is judicious use of discretion., Unnecessary information leaks can jeopardise organisational goals., A reticent authority, unable to share necessary details with, subordinates, could prove equally harmful., A hierarchical transmission of information delays, implementation of decisions. Similarly, oral communication leads to, information loss, distortion and lack of accountability., Absence of a feedback mechanism at the subordinate level leads to, frustration. As a result, subordinates develop lack of trust in the, authority, and feel exploited, leading to a tense relationship., ii) Upward Communication:, Communication from lower levels of an organization to the, top is called upward communication. An organization needs, suggestions and feedback from its employees on its routine work,
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26, and this system of obtaining employee reactions is known as, upward communication., Upward communication is needed, to forward employee-feedback, to report on official matters, to give voice to the difficulties, grievances, dissatisfaction, and work-related demands of employees, to invite suggestions, creativity and participation in problemsolving, to create a sense of belonging through participation, , Suggestion schemes, complaints, grievance-procedures,, counselling, open door policy, exit interviews are some of the, common modes of this communication., Advantages:, It completes the communication chain, as it is essentially a, two-way process. Employees feel valued as part of organisational, decision-making, and their participation becomes constructive., There is trust, and emotional bonding between management and, employees, along with understanding and co-operation. When, managements invite employees to play their specific roles in, achieving the larger organisational goals, they respond with, enthusiasm., The authority earns subordinates‘ cooperation. It benefits, from the suggestions and feedback on the decisions taken, helps in, evaluating the decisions and modifying them wherever necessary., Requirements:, If an organisation wants upward communication to be, effective, it has to cut down the lines of authority and allow, subordinates an easy access to the top management. It has to, make the atmosphere in the organisation conducive for upward, communication. This involves training executives to listen to, communication from employees with empathy and respond to the, communication promptly., [Emergence of the Business Processing Units (BPOs) to address, customer complaints and queries is precisely for this purpose. Such, mechanisms are needed within the organisation as well.]
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27, Disadvantages:, It must be admitted that no mode of communication is fool, proof, and this mode, too, is no exception., Upward communication may not fetch results if subordinates, fail to take initiative and participate in the decision making. Long, lines of authority, inability of the seniors to listen or to act, create, further barriers. Delays due to slow transmission, distortion of, communication further hamper the process., Employees often fail to understand and handle upward, communication. For instance, if the employees feel that the, management is incapable of taking decisions without their help, or, that it is lenient, it might lead to indiscipline and an attitude of noncooperation in the organisation., iii) Vertical Communication:, Most organisations follow a vertical pattern of, communication — a healthy mix of Downward and Upward, Communication. While decisions are finally taken by the top, management, there is room for employee feedback., Communication, wherein the management interacts with, employees, invites their participation in decision making, creates, mechanisms to address their concerns without compromising on its, measures of control, is called vertical communication., Such a model of communication avoids the disadvantages of, both downward as well as upward communication, and tries to gain, from the advantages of both., iv) Horizontal / Lateral Communication: , Since an organisation is not an arrangement of vertical, levels of authority alone, and the nature of work requires team, effort, it is imperative that employees at the same level of authority, exchange official information., Horizontal communication is communication that takes place, between employees belonging to the same or comparable status., Communication between two marketing managers, or between two, directors, is horizontal communication., Meetings, seminars, inter-office-memos, e-mails are some of, the modes of this communication., Horizontal Communication is needed, to exchange official information, to create understanding and team-spirit among members
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28, to solve difficulties, to seek and extend co-operation, to save time when quick decisions have to be made., Advantages:, Horizontal communication helps in clarifying doubts, taking, quick decisions and eliminating mistrust that may hamper the pace, of work in an organisation. It brings about better coordination,, builds team spirit and ensures faster implementation of decisions. It, also checks the grapevine., Requirements:, For horizontal communication to be successful, employees, must learn to extend cooperation and work towards achieving, collective goals. The authority should delegate responsibilities to, subordinates in order to quicken the pace of work. Horizontal, communication, however, needs to be monitored, as its, uncontrolled transmission can invite problems for the organisation., Disadvantages:, Ungoverned horizontal communication disrupts the lines of, vertical communication, which in turn leads to indiscipline., Employees also tend to waste precious time arguing and debating, over issues and decisions., v) Diagonal / Crosswise: , Diagonal or crosswise communication takes place when, individuals from different levels interact with one another, outside, their reporting relationships. An example of diagonal, communication is when a purchase manager, instead of, communicating with the assistant purchase manager, or the sales, manager, communicates directly with the assistant sales manager., In a complex and multilayered organisation diagonal, communication, speeds up the flow of information, creates healthy work relationships, brings in proper co-ordination among different sections, makes problem-solving easy, controls distortion and dilution of message because of direct,, inter-level communication., Requirements:, For diagonal communication to be effective, the organisation, needs to create an atmosphere of trust and transparency. Proper
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29, training or orientation to employees to handle this system of, communication can lead to their wholehearted participation in the, communication process without any reservation or resistance., Disadvantages:, It is likely to bypass the vertical chain of commands. This, may create doubts in the minds of by-passed superiors. For, example, an Area Marketing Manager taking a report from the, assistant production manager, or sales, or purchase manager, will, make their immediate heads/bosses suspicious, It may be seen as interference, It may create doubts about the superior‘s accountability and, co-operation, Decisions thus taken may be resisted by the by-passed, authority, and could vitiate the atmosphere of the organisation, Thus, diagonal communication could lead to a break down of, vertical lines of communication and cause complete chaos, or, anarchy in the organisation, Diagonal communication, though useful, has the basic, disadvantages of psychological resistance and leakage of, information, II. Informal Communication:, While formal communication channels provide structural, direction for transmission and storage of messages required in, operations of an organization, it is often unable to meet entire, organizational requirements. This gap between the needs of the, formal system and that of the total system is bridged by an informal, communication system. This system exists along with the formal, system and comprises messages, bits of information, opinions, and, expressions chosen for convenience and necessity rather than for, propriety, or conformity with formal communication patterns., Without these informal pathways it would be difficult to accomplish, work. Similarly, meeting the technological, social, economic and, psychological needs would be difficult in the absence of this, alternative system of communication., Leon, Festinger,, [Informal, Social, Communication,, Psychological Review] in reporting the results of a number of, studies on social communication, found that there are three
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30, general sources of pressure that generate informal communication, in human groups, 1. People need to share and agree on important opinions and, attitudes to feel that they belong to a group. Hence, much, information is exchanged unofficially within an organization, and among members of subgroups, which satisfies the need, to conform and to share positions on various issues, 2. People need to share their hopes and ambitions with, superiors. These communications arise from forces to, ―locomote‖ within a group., 3. People need to express emotions such as joy, anger,, hostility, and the like as a means of ―blowing off steam.‖, A fourth source of informal communication could be added and, is related to the rigidity of the formal bureaucratic structure: the, need to bypass ―official channels‖ for the sake of expediency in, getting and giving information about performance on the job., The different patterns of informal communication network are:, Chain, , Wheel, , Star, , Grapevine:, This is a major informal channel of communication network, found in any organisation. This is personal communication which is, transmitted between individuals or groups and comprises personal, interpretations, opinions, gossip, reactions, hearsay, half-truths. It is, an unofficial circulation that makes the rounds in an organisation, and, though it lacks credence, the receiver finds it hard to resist., This kind of communication travels the fastest and has a, vast reach. The contents, because of its immense personal appeal,, are readily believable., Since, more often than not, negative information, half-truths,, personalized accounts of events, gross distortions are passed on, by the sender and taken as true by the receiver, this kind of
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31, communication poses a big challenge to any organisation. It often, leads to lack of motivation and morale of employees. Management, could face greater challenges to maintain trust and factual positions, between itself and its employees., Managements must be fully aware about the potential power, of the grapevine. This can often fail formal communication, as it is, difficult to trace its origin and is difficult to control or stop, completely., How does management tackle the grapevine? Since it, becomes active in the absence of correct and complete information,, the grapevine takes over when official channels fail to function, properly,. Therefore, management must circulate information that is, accurate and strengthen upward channels of communication., To avoid unnecessary grapevine, the organisation must take, prompt note of communication from employees. Moreover, if, employees feel confident about the management, instances of, grapevine will reduce. Management, therefore, must delegate, responsibility and entrust employees with specific responsibilities to, strengthen trust between itself and its employees. Some measures, to control the grapevine are inviting suggestions, forming grievance, and redressal cells, publishing house journals, making effective use, of bulletins, notice-boards and an array of employee welfare, schemes., Finally, the management has to be alert and take note when, the grapevine becomes active. It has to cut the grapevine with, official communication. Or, use the grapevine itself to circulate, official information., 2. Objectives of Communication:, Having understood the official and unofficial directions in, which communication flows in an organisation, the next step is to, understand what is communicated, the nature of official messages,, the reasons for their circulation, and their objectives., According to Keith Davis, ―Communication is involved in all, human relations. It is the ‗nervous system‘ of any organised group,, providing the information and understanding necessary for, productivity and morale.‖, It can be claimed that the two fundamental objectives of, communication are ‗to survive and to prosper‘. The next step is to
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32, understand how management uses messages to boost productivity, and morale. The following are the objectives of communication :–, 1. Information: Keeping employees informed about various, developments within the organisation and the milieu in which it, operates is the key objective of organisational communication., Equipping employees with the right kind of information helps to, empower them., Employees need to know many things about the, organisation. They need to know its culture, its rules and, regulations. They need to know about the decisions that require, action, about the job, about the prospects, about how the, organisation is faring in the market, about their own performance., Management must provide, employees understand these issues., , information, , that, , helps, , To achieve this, both verbal and non-verbal means of, communication must be used, and the information circulated should, be adequate, correct and complete,., 2. Advice-Counselling: Providing guidance is yet another, objective of downward communication. Apart from information,, employees also need guidance to effectively handle various, assignments. Seniors, experts, experienced persons need to help, employees with troubleshooting and crisis management, assisting, them in solving problems can forge bonds between employees and, the management., At times, difficulties in work or on the personal front, may, interfere with the performance of employees. Providing counseling, by a professional who can help the employee handle such, problems is the responsibility of management., 3. Order and Instructions: Another objective of downward, communication is giving directions to the workforce. Any, authoritative communication issued by a superior in order to, monitor/govern the behaviour of a junior is known as an ‗order.‘, When an order is split further to meet specific issues, it becomes an, instruction. Orders and instructions are directives that spell out the, expected behaviour of an employee. These act as measures of, discipline and control in the organisation., While orders are broad, instructions are detailed and, specific. Efficacy of this communication depends on how it is spelt, out. It should be precise and easily comprehensible, so that it, answers all the questions that may arise in the mind of the receiver.
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33, 4. Suggestion: To suggest is to put forth an idea as a possibility or, an alternative. Instead of communicating to inform or advise,, management could choose to make suggestions to its employees., This can help in reducing the distance with the employees,, especially because orders and instruction create distance., Suggestion, however, is used as an objective of mobilising, upward instead of downward communication. In order to bring in, employees‘ constructive participation, their involvement in the, organisation,, managements, implement, programmes, like, suggestion schemes. Under this programme, employees are invited, to put forth their suggestions on the systems of governance and, processes within the organisation. Suggestion boxes are installed, at various places. Employees are invited to forward their, suggestions in writing. They can choose other means, like e-mails,, to forward their ideas. These suggestions are scrutinised, tested, and, if found practical, the suggester is given a reward in cash or, kind., What is the advantage of such a programme? Besides, employee- participation and involvement, such programmes, encourage creative thinking and give an exposure to employee, talent. Employees feel valued and develop a sense of belonging, as, well as responsibility towards the organisation. Managements, benefit by being able to pool in ideas that help in the strengthening, of its functioning. Such schemes also help in bringing management, and employees closer to enable them to work as a team., 5. Persuasion: This is yet another objective of downward, communication. Persuasion is an effort to influence the mind, belief, system or attitude of a person and to bring about the desired, change in his behaviour. Forcing people to accept change does not, help. Change has to come from within. Managements have to, persuade the public to buy their products and services. They also, have to persuade their workforce to adapt itself to the changing, demands of the work., It is a cliché that the only thing which is constant is change., Pace of change is tremendous in today‘s world. Technology,, knowledge is changing constantly, and therefore it becomes, imperative for managements to persuade their employees to accept, change., However, changing people is very challenging. People are, reluctant to accept changes. They feel threatened and become, defensive when their accepted ways are challenged.
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34, A management has to adopt a strategy while introducing, any change. To start with, it has to prepare the mind of the, employees. This has to be done subtly by winning their confidence, and demonstrating how the change will ultimately serve their own, interest. Persuasion works only when it appeals to the receiver‘s, sense of reason, and when he is convinced of the sender‘s, sincerity. A sincere appeal to self-interest impels people to perceive, things differently. Finally, management can adopt gentle tactics,, instead of using hard reasoning to bring about the desired outcome., 6. Education and Training: Training the personnel and educating, them to take up the responsibilities of a given job becomes one of, the major objectives of downward communication., Educating employees is a continuous process in an, organisation and is meant for all the levels of authority. Discarding, outdated techniques, technologies and installing more efficient, systems has become imperative in the current age. Training the, workforce to update their knowledge and skills is a challenge to, every management. Organising workshops, demonstration, lecturers, film-shows, and seminars are done on regular basis to, meet this objective., Apart from the work-front, education on the personal front –, on grooming, manners, and etiquettes – is imparted to employees, to enhance the image of the organisation., 7. Motivation: Inducing employees to give their best is one of the, major objectives of downward communication. Management has to, motivate its employees to ensure highest levels of quality., Motive is a powerful force, an inner drive that energises an, individual to make a focused effort to achieve her/his goal. To, motivate is to appeal to this force, so that dedication towards a, particular job is at the highest level. It is not possible to achieve this, by either coaxing or commanding. Motivation means ―that inner, state that energises, activates, or moves and which directs or, channels behaviour towards certain goals.‖, Self-motivation, involves drive and effort on the part of an employee., An employee takes up a job to earn her/his livelihood, to, win recognition, to reach the peak of her/his/ abilities, to achieve, excellence, to establish satisfying relationships, to earn job, satisfaction. If management could appeal to this strong aspirational, force and channelise it to fulfill organisational goals, it can achieve
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35, wonders. Motivating employees by creating conditions so that their, potential is maximised becomes one of the major strategies of, downward communication., An employee feels demotivated when his effort goes, unnoticed and unrewarded, when s/he is unable to fulfill personal, goals, when there is no support from the management, when there, is a lack of communication between her/him and the management., Such a worker discharges her/his duties in a listless manner, and is, not particularly bothered about the quality of her/his output. The, corporate world cannot afford to work with a bunch of demotivated, employees., Motivating employees is a continuous process. The first, task of management is to help employees set goals [personal as, well as organisational] and create conditions that will help them to, reach these. Setting up the right kind of justice and reward system, and inviting the employee‘s participation in decision-making is yet, another way of motivating the employees. While managements, have to work towards creating external conditions for motivating, employees, they also have to work towards creating conditions that, self-motivate the employees. It can work towards creating the right, kind of emotional environment, where there is clear communication, between itself and the employees, and where employees feel free,, trusted and secure., 8. Raising the Morale of Employees : The dictionary meaning of, the word morale is confidence, determination. Morale, as commonly, seen, is the mental strength of an individual. The state of morale, impacts work performance of the individual. If morale is high,, quality of work is high. If morale is low, the quality of work is poor., Morale is that factor which gives the individual confidence., Employee confidence is high when there is adequate infrastructural, support, facilities for training, opportunities for growth; where, systems of rewards and punishment are in place, and there is a, strong leadership that generates a sense of direction and control. In, such an atmosphere employees learn to view their work positively., Poor morale results from distrust in management on, account of its failure to provide basic work standards, such as lack, of facilities for training, absence of prospects, absence of systems, of governance, lack of direction on the part of top leadership, and
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36, lack of trust in management on account of its poor communicating, skills., In the field of sports, one can see the difference in the, morale of the Indian hockey and cricket teams. Indian hockey, or, any other sport, is not able to produce the kind of result that is, produced by cricket, because the morale of the hockey team/ other, sports persons is low., Since the state of morale adversely affects the work, performance of the organisation, boosting the morale of the, employees is one of the most important objectives of downward, communication., Management can boost the morale of its employees by, giving basic infra-structural support, creating systems that reward, effort, strengthening its official channels of communication,, encouraging upward communication, controlling the grapevine, and, taking measures to earn the trust of the employees., 9. Warning and Reprimand: Management, at times, has to issue a, warning to an erring employee. To warn is to inform a person of, unpleasant consequences. When all other alternatives fail, warning, the erring employee becomes imperative. Management uses this, form of communication sparingly, and only when it desperately, needs to control, or modify certain behaviour that interferes with the, organizational norms and discipline., Management begins by bringing a misdemeanour to the, notice of the employee concerned. S/he is asked to change her/his, behaviour; but if the employee fails to do so, the management, issues a soft, oral warning. From reprimands to warning is how, managements proceed to discipline an employee. This gives the, erring employee an opportunity to correct himself. If the employee, ignores this opportunity and keeps repeating the improper, behaviour, he is given a warning in writing. This written warning is, called a memo in Indian parlance. The employee can always, answer a memo and explain. Normally, after two such memos are, issued, the service of the employee is terminated. A written memo, makes the employee aware of the seriousness of his offence, and, he can choose to correct his ways. A written communication gives, the management an opportunity to build a case or charge-sheet, against such an employee. This facilitates taking any subsequent, legal action against him at a later stage.
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37, Summing Up:, An organisation uses official and unofficial channels of, communication to circulate messages. The purpose of such, communication is to build a healthy partnership with its employees,, which leads to enhanced performance individually, and better, results collectively., Organisations communicate information, advice and, counseling, orders and instructions to equip the employees with, necessary skills. It also educates employees, imparts training so, that they can better understand the organisational demands made, on them, and are able to carry out specific, assigned tasks., Persuasion, inviting suggestions, motivation help employees to, have the right attitude and willingness to work so that output is, maximised., Let us consider the following situation:, 1. Suppose Western Railways local train services develop a, system failure at 4:00 p.m. in Bandra, just before the peak, traffic hour. What kind of communication plan will the Station, Master at Bandra have to devise?, Inform superiors : Upward Communication, Inform and instruct juniors : Downward communication, Inform other station masters : Horizontal Communication, Inform commuters: Horizontal Communication, Inform Police, Other Emergency services, News channels:, Horizontal Communication., Think of the Objectives of Communication:, To instruct concerned personnel to attend to repairs, make, announcements, draw up a contingency plan., To report to higher authorities about action taken, To provide information to commuters, 2. Consider the emergency measures the Railways had to, adopt after the serial blasts that took place on July 11., Deal efficiently with an unexpected emergency situation, Restore rail-services within the shortest possible time, Regain the confidence of the public., These situations demonstrate how communication weaves a, close web of messages which are necessary if the action, plan has to work and produce results; they also demonstrate
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38, how objectives and channels of communication function in, routine as well as emergency situations., Tasks:, 1., , XYZ organisation wishes to introduce computerized services, for its customers. Before introducing the new decision,, management will have to chalk out a communication plan., What would it communicate to its employees? Which of these, objectives, namely, Warning, Information, Education and, Training, Persuasion would help?, , 2., , Explain which of the channels of communication should be, used in the following situation:, (a) The Welcome Committee discussing the forthcoming, intercollegiate festival., (b) The Principal informing the Admissions Committee on, various modalities of the admission procedure., (c) The Captain of a Cricket Team strategising with, teammates while preparing for the final match, (d) Commuters on the railway platform when they hear a loud, burst of firecrackers and panic, thinking it‘s a bomb blast., , 3., , What objective of communication will work best in the, following situations:, (a) Kingfisher‘s CEO addressing the employees of Air, Deccan, which he has planned to take over., (b) The Manager of Bank of Maharashtra addressing his, staff to inform them about the management‘s decision to, extend work hours from 8.30a.m. to 7.45p.m., in order to, survive competition from private banks., (c) Captain of an IPL team communicating with teammates, before the match., , 4., , An average family uses vertical mode of communication while, communicating with its members. Illustrate, with examples,, how this is done. Do you think it is an effective pattern of, communication?, , 5., , Imagine you live in an extended (joint) family. What are the, levels of authority? How is a decision reached?
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39, 6., , There are newspaper reports about the merger of ABC, Company Ltd with Pro Ltd. Employees at ABC are worried as, they have not been given any official information about the, merger. They are concerned about their future. What do you, think will happen in such a situation? How will this situation, affect the employees?, , 7., , Explain / define in one sentence :, Order, Morale, Motivation, Warning, Persuasion, Information,, Counselling., Formal and Informal communication., Vertical, Diagonal, Horizontal Communication., , 8., , Compare the formal and informal networks of communication, in the organisation., , , , ,
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40, , 3, METHODS AND MODES OF, COMMUNICATION, Learning Objectives:, To enable students to understand the application and, effectiveness of various methods and modes of, communication., I. Methods of Communication, , Introduction :, In the process of communication, the ideas that we wish to, express need a device through which they can be sent. Thus any, message must necessarily have a medium. The selection of the, medium is determined by a variety of factors like context, purpose, of communication, the needs of the receiver, the speed and cost of, the message, time taken in the transmission and the urgency of the, message. A businessman may need to use different methods or, media in different situations to suit his needs. The choice of the, right medium will increase the effectiveness of the message., There are two methods of communication: verbal and nonverbal. A message, when expressed in words, either spoken or, written, is an example of verbal communication. A message can, also be expressed non-verbally, using gestures or signs , where no, words are used. Today, transmission of messages is speeded up, with the advent of the electronic media. Thus electronic media has, become a major mode of communication.
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41, (I) VERBAL, , (II) NON-VERBAL, , (III) ELECTRONIC, , Oral, Written, , Body language, Silence, , Fax, , Face-to face, Letters, , Facial expressions, Signs, , Computers, , Telephone, Memos, , Gestures, Visuals,, Postures,, , Internet, , Notices, , Poster Colours, , E-mail, , Circulars, , Dress & Grooming, Maps, , Reports, , Proxemics, Graphs,, Charts, , i). Verbal Communication:, Verbal Communication uses language to communicate, messages. Language uses spoken and written words; therefore, verbal communication includes oral and written communication., A. Oral communication:, Oral communication is communication by means of the, spoken word. It can take place as a face-to face meeting or over, the telephone. It could be a personal and informal communication,, or a formal interview, business meeting, a conference or a speech, before an audience., Principles of effective oral communication:, Oral communication is a very effective and powerful, medium. Effective oral communication depends on the speaker, following certain principles. These principles are as follows :, Know your objective:, You must know what you want your message to do –, you may need to inform, to entertain, to convince, to, express an opinion, or to explain., , , Know your audience:, Consider carefully the nature of your audience – their, age, level of understanding, their occupations and, their level of interest in your message., , , , Know your subject:, Prepare your message thoroughly. See that you, know your main ideas and key points. You must also, know your facts and figures., , , , Know (how to use) your voice:
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42, A good speaker uses his voice to maximum, advantage. Attention must be paid to volume, pitch,, speed of speaking and correct pronunciation of, words. Your voice must be clear, pleasing; and, varied in volume, pitch and speed, to be interesting., Good delivery depends on using your voice well., , , Know when to stop:, The length of the oral message has a lot to do with its, success. The message must aim for just the right, length, neither too short nor too long. All points must, be covered and yet there should be no repetitions or, unnecessary elaboration., , Advantages of oral communication:, Oral communication is generally more preferred, as, compared to written communication. Its popularity is due to its, several advantages., 1. It is direct and time-saving. The listener understands, the words as soon as they are spoken., Oral, communication is the best way to transmit messages, quickly and to save time., 2., , It saves money. It is economical as it does not require, costly equipment or stationery., , 3., , It conveys the exact meaning of words. A great, advantage of oral communication is its use of nonverbal, elements, like, body, language, and, paralanguage., Body language includes facial, expressions and posture. Paralanguage includes, features like voice volume, pitch and speed of, speaking; it also includes the sounds we make while, speaking, like sighing or clearing the throat. These, non-verbal elements allow the speaker to express, his/her meaning more accurately., , 4., , It provides immediate feedback from the receiver. The, sender gets the receiver‘s response immediately,, even on the telephone. This also explains why oral, communication is so effective in teaching and, coaching., , 5., , It is more persuasive in nature. Oral communication is, more useful when arguments and reasons have to be, given to convince someone, as in sales and, marketing, or in a court of law.
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43, 6., , On-the-spot additions and corrections are possible., The speaker has the scope to change, improve and, add to her/his message as s/he is speaking., , 7., , Confidential messages can be communicated. When, subjects of a delicate and confidential nature cannot, be written, one can take recourse to oral, communication., , 8., , It is informal and friendlier. It can build friendly, relations with people and develop social contacts., , Disadvantages of oral communication:, Oral communication, however, has several drawbacks., 1. It lacks legal validity. Oral messages have no legal, proof., 2., , It lacks accountability. In oral messages, we cannot, fix responsibility. The speaker can deny that he said, something., , 3., , Possibility of misunderstanding. This happens when, the listener is not attentive to the message., , 4., , Problem of retention. People do not remember oral, messages for a long time. Or, they may retain only, a part of the message., , 5., , Not always effective. Oral communication is not, effective when the distances are great or when the, message is very lengthy., , 6., , The need for good speaking skills. Oral, communication cannot be effective, if the speaker, does not have the necessary skills., , B. Face-to-face communication takes place when two or more, people meet personally., Advantages of face-to-face communication, 1. It is a combination of verbal and non-verbal factors., This makes the message more effective, due to the, use of paralanguage and body language., 2., , Immediate feedback is possible., , 3., , The speaker can modify his message immediately if, the receiver‘s response tells him it is necessary. The, receiver can also ask questions and clear his doubts, immediately.
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44, Disadvantages of face-to-face communication:, 1. Face-to-face communication is difficult to practise in, large organisations where there are many people in, different departments, and in different places., 2. It is not effective when the receiver does not pay, attention to the message., 3. It is not effective when the gathering consists of too, many people., C. Written Communication:, Written communication is the expression of language by, means of visible signs. Despite the far wider use of oral, communication, modern civilisation cannot function without, the written form. Business organisations need it to run, their systems efficiently and effectively. It should be noted, that written communication is not merely oral, communication written down. It has its own dynamics. Its, importance is mainly in organising and documenting, knowledge., Advantages of written communication:, 1., , Reference: Written communication provides a, permanent record. It can be filed and stored for future, reference whenever needed., , 2., , Legal validity: It provides legal proof. Documents of, importance are always stored in written form., , 3., , It aids memory and retention: the reader can go to the, written matter again and again., This aids, understanding as well as retention., , 4., , It is more accurate and organised. Written messages, are drafted with greater time at our disposal; they are, more accurate. The writer can edit and alter his, message to make it as perfect as possible, and add, the details needed. Words are chosen carefully to, convey the exact meaning and matter is organised, properly., This makes written communication an, essential part of every business organisation., , 5., , Fixing responsibility: Written documents are always, signed; hence it is possible to fix responsibility on a, certain person or group of persons., , 6., , Wider reach: Written messages have a wider reach, than oral messages, as printing and photocopying
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45, make it possible to transmit messages easily to a very, large number of people., 7., , Goodwill: Good written communication can create a, good impression and generate goodwill for a business, organisation., , Disadvantages of written communication:, 1. Time, trouble, expense: A written message needs, more time and care to prepare. It is also costlier as it, needs machinery and stationery., 2., , Feedback is slow: Feedback is slow and often, delayed in written messages – sometimes it may even, be absent., Getting answers to queries and, clarifications may become difficult., , 3., , Written communication can create problems of, storage: The number of documents is almost always, far greater than the space and means available for, storage., , 4., , Lacks friendliness: Written communication is, essentially formal in nature. It cannot have the, warmth and personal touch of oral communication., , 5., , Unsuited to countries where there is a great degree of, illiteracy: Written communication is a literate skill., The lack of literacy makes it impossible to use written, communication., , ii). NON – VERBAL COMMUNICATION:, Non-Verbal communication is communication without words., It has been defined as ―any message you give other than the literal, interpretation of your words – the way you move, speak, appear‖., Non-verbal elements form an important part of oral communication., The major forms of non-verbal communication are as follows:, 1. Kinesics or Body Language, 2. Dress and Grooming, 3. Proxemics, 4. Paralanguage, 5. Silence, 6. Visual and Auditory Signs and signals, 7. Posters
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46, 8. Colours, 9. Maps,Graphs and Charts, 1. Body Language or Kinesics:Body language or kinesics is a vital part of communication. It, includes several factors like facial expressions, eye contact,, gestures, posture and even dress and grooming., Facial Expressions: The face of the person mirrors the emotions, and conveys a host of different messages. Facial expressions also, include eye contact. Smiling, frowning, widening the eyes, raising, the eyebrows, pursing the lips are all examples of facial, expressions. Such expressions communicate in one of two ways., Sometimes, they act as a complement to the words used and add, to their meaning. They can also act as a substitute for the words., Facial expressions often reveal the true feelings of a person, even, when his words are saying something else., Gestures: A gesture is an action of the hand, head or body, which, conveys a message. Gestures can convey a greeting, such as, folding one‘s hands in a ‗Namaste‘; it can pass information, such as, holding up your hand to indicate ―wait‖, or nodding your head to say, ―yes‖ and shaking it to say ―no‖; gestures can also show emotion, with a clenched, raised fist which indicates anger., Posture: Posture is an important part of body language. It means, the manner in which we carry ourselves, i.e. the way we walk, sit, and stand. Posture says a lot about a person‘s personality, her/his, mood and general nature. Hunched shoulders, slouching in a chair, can mean lack of self - confidence and low energy levels, or, shyness; an erect stance shows positivity and confidence; standing, with hands on the hips and head thrust forward shows aggression, and anger., 2., , Dress and Grooming: The clothes we wear and the level of, our grooming play an important role in giving people an, impression about us. Our choice of clothes on different, occasions and in different places, our attention to neatness, and to details like well – combed hair and clean nails, all, provide important clues to others about our personality. It is, said that ‗clothes maketh a man‘; how we wear clothes and, how we carry them is what makes the real impact. Thus,, dress and grooming play a vital role in providing a clue to the, man behind the appearance., , 3., , Proxemics: Proxemics can be called the language of space., It is the study of space and how we use it in communication., The manner in which we use space, in personal as well as in
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47, group communication, creates different kinds of meaning and, sends different messages to others. Experts have identified, different kinds of areas or zones of space: Intimate space, for, immediate family members and close friends. Personal space,, for friends and colleagues. Social space, for one‘s senior or, junior colleagues. Formal or Public space, for meetings and, gatherings. The ‗closer‘ the relationship, the closer the space, we allow the individual., 4., , Paralanguage: Paralanguage includes pitch, volume,, intonation, and such non-verbal elements of communication, which modify meaning and convey emotion. e.g. the vocal, sounds ‗ hmmm‘ or ‗ah‘ . The study of paralanguage focuses, on how you say what you say .The tone of voice, rate of, speech, pause, accent can not only communicate but alter the, meaning significantly., , 5., , Silence: Silence is a powerful form of communication. We, convey our ideas and emotions very clearly and eloquently, when we remain silent in certain situations. Silence can be, used to convey agreement or disagreement, approval or, disapproval, anger, shyness, sympathy or respect., , 6., , Visual and Auditory Signs and Signals:, The word ―Sign‖ is derived from the Latin word signum which, means a mark. Both signs and signals are symbols, which are, given some meaning .Signs are fixed and static symbols, while, signals are dynamic and have an element of change or, movement. Signs are used in Chemistry, Mathematics, Music, and in Road signs to guide motorists. Signals use colour, light, or sound for communication, as in traffic signals, or the school, bell or the ambulance siren., , 7., , Posters: Posters are a combination of verbal and non-verbal, factors, because they consist of pictures as well as words., However, they are considered a form of non-verbal, communication because it is the visual or non-verbal part, which plays a key role in posters., Posters are used in advertising or for educational purposes, to, spread awareness on subjects of public interest like literacy, programmes, importance of protecting the environment, and, other such issues e.g. Save the Environment or ―Say No to, Drugs‖ etc.
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48, Posters use visual appeal to make their message effective., A well-designed poster consists of 3 parts:, a) Headline: This is the short but catchy slogan which, conveys the main message., b) Illustration: This is the visual part consisting of, pictures or photographs. It must be striking enough, to catch the attention of the viewer., c), , Copy: This is the written matter, which gives, necessary details. Copy can sometimes be avoided., , 8., , Colours: It is impossible to imagine life without colours. They, are an unavoidable part of our lives. Colours can convey, direct messages, such as the traffic signal, or the red flag that, workers carry to indicate that they are on strike. Colours also, have an important symbolic role. The symbolism of colours, finds a place in every aspect of our lives; the colours of flags, of various nations stand for different qualities; in most, countries, the colour red symbolizes something good and, auspicious, white symbolizes peace, and green stands for, prosperity, and so on. Being symbolic, the same colour may, mean different things in different cultures. For example, an, Indian bride wears red, but a bride in a western country wears, white, which represents purity. Colours also have an important, psychological role in our lives. There is scientific evidence to, show that bright colours excite and soft, light colours soothe, and calm the mind, and dark, dull colours can be depressing., , 9., , Maps, Graphs and Charts:, Maps : A map is a drawing on paper that shows the location,, size and other features of countries, towns, as well as natural, features like rivers and mountains. Maps use a scale and a, key to give us information about places, and even stars and, planets., Line-Graphs: A graph is a diagram consisting of lines which, display the variation of two quantities. Graphs are used to, show variations of temperature, production and sales, prices, and profits etc., Charts: A chart is used for displaying maps and graphs, for, better visual effect. A chart can be pasted on cardboard or, drawn directly on chart – paper. Charts are widely used in, schools.
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49, iii), , ELECTRONIC MEDIA, COMMUNICATION:, , OR, , TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED, , Man has always strived to achieve better means and ways of, communicating with others. The telegraph and the telephone, marked the beginning of what became the age of information, technology., The last century has seen a revolution in, communication technology, especially due to electronics and, electronic media. Computers, E-mail, Internet and Fax machines, are not only used in business houses, they are equally popular with, individuals for their personal use. This information technology, revolution has changed the way we do business, the way we work,, play and live. There is a dramatic increase in the amount of, information available to us, as also an increase in the speed and, ease of receiving and sending the information. One‘s physical, location is now not as important as before in doing business; one, can do it from one‘s home. Computer literacy is now a basic, requirement in almost all fields, and business organizations need to, change their structures and systems to incorporate these new, methods., The major media and modes to be considered are :–, A. Telephone:, Telephone is a device that transmits speech at a distance, through the medium of electro-magnetic waves. The first telephone, was invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell. Today‘s, telephone is a very sophisticated instrument with different, applications and services. We also have different types of, telephones., 1. Landline or standard telephones: These phones, operate through a network of cables controlled by, telephone exchanges. Variations of this phone are the, ‗cordless‘ phone which allows more mobility to the, speaker within a limited space, and answering machines,, which record messages and the names and phone, numbers of callers when the receiver is not able to take, the call., 2. Cellular or Mobile Phones: These are wireless devices, that use radio waves to transmit sounds. The cellular, system divides a particular geographical area into, sections called cells; the purpose is that maximum, number of people can make maximum use of a limited
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50, number of radio frequencies., The cellular system, allocates a set number of frequencies for each call., Thus, two ‗cells‘ can use the same frequencies for, different conversations. The two main cellular systems in, operation are GSM – Global System for Mobile, Communications, and CDMA – Code-Division Multiple, Access. Cellular phones provide voice communication,, SMS (Short Messaging Service), MMS (Multimedia, Messaging Service) and also Internet services such as EMail and Web surfing. While SMS can transmit textual, messages, MMS can transmit images, audio and video, clips in addition to text., 3. Satellite phones: These are used to enable, communication for large international firms, ships and, disaster relief work in areas where communication links, are absent or destroyed., 4. Ethernet Phones: These are digital phones which, connect directly to a computer network. They allow, phone calls to be placed over the Internet and save, money., 5. Multimedia phones: These are phones which add video, facilities to the telephone network., , Telephone Services:, Modem telephones provide different kinds of services:, 1. Networking: A telephone network is a connection of two or, more stations that wish to communicate. Networking is a, service which allows us to establish contact with more than, one user at a time. The telephone network also becomes a, base for computer networks and Fax transmissions., 2. Teleconferencing and Videoconferencing: These are the, modern – day alternatives to traditional face-to-face, meetings. Sounds and video are transmitted via phone lines, or satellites, so that people in different places and different, countries can communicate with one another at the same, time. Videoconferencing involves both viewing and speaking, and teleconferencing only involves speaking – however, both, terms are used interchangeably. Video-conferencing and, Teleconferencing are a form of electronically enabled group, communication.
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51, Telephone etiquette: The only tool of communication in a, telephonic conversation is our voice. It is therefore important, to create a good impression on the listener by using our, voice correctly., We must speak clearly, politely and, pleasantly, with a smile in our voice. Our speech must be, precise. We must also listen carefully and politely to the, other person. Before making a call, we must mentally, prepare the message we want to convey. When we answer, a call, we must first announce ourselves – our company‘s, name, department and so on, then greet the caller with a, ―Good Morning‖ or ―Good day‖. To sum up, our voice must, make a good impact on the listener., Advantages of the telephone:, 1. It saves time., 2. We can communicate without leaving our seat., 3. It provides immediate feedback., 4. It provides immediate proof to the caller that his message, has been received., 5. It provides a large range of services to its subscribers –, such as STD and ISD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling and, International Subscriber Dialing respectively); call-waiting, and call-forwarding, morning alarm etc., Disadvantages of the Telephone:, 1. It may not always save time, e.g. When there are wrong, numbers or mechanical disturbances., 2. It does not have legal validity – a telephonic talk cannot, be used as legal proof., 3. Facial, expressions, and, gestures, communicated over the telephone., , cannot, , be, , 4. A telephone call can be made at a wrong or inconvenient, time for the receiver., B. Fax:, Fax is the popular name given to the facsimile machine., (Facsimile means copy). It is like a copying machine linked to a, telephone. It is used to transmit written material, visual material like
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52, photographs, charts, drawings, and diagrams, artwork, documents, and certificates. A facsimile machine scans a printed page,, converts it into a signal and transmits this signal over a telephone, line to the receiving Fax machine., The receiving machine, reproduces an exact copy of the original document on its in-built, printer. Thus, the fax acts like a long distance Xerox machine. The, received copy contains the date, time and the sender‘s fax number., The sender also receives a printout confirming the date, time, and, receiver‘s number. The latest digital fax machines allow, communication through computers and are much faster. Fax, machines can transmit documents across the world through, satellite networks. The Fax machine is the fastest method of, transmitting documents and technical data. Its main drawbacks are, its cost and, at times, the quality of print on the fax paper., C. Computers:, A computer is an electronic device used to gather, organize,, modify and generate information. It processes the information, given to it and gives the desired results., Computers perform several functions. They can enter data;, calculate; store data for later use; retrieve the stored data; compare, data and display data in the desired format. A computer comprises, Hardware and Software. Hardware is the general name for all the, equipment including both the computer and its parts, such as the, printer, keyboard, monitor and disk – drives. Software is the name, used to describe all the programs which can be used on the, computer. A program is a set of instructions written in the language, of the computer., A computer consists of certain essential devices., 1. The input devices, which include the electronic keyboard and, the compact disks (CDs) and microfloppy disks. Input, devices feed data into the computer., 2. The output devices, through which processed information, can be received and seen. These are the monitor screen, and the printer., 3. The processing device, which is called the central, processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the computer. It, performs the main functions of the computer., 4. The storage devices, which consist of the hard disk, which, forms the main storage, and the floppy disks , compact discs
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53, and pen drives which store less information than the hard, disk., Computers Networks:, Computers connect with one another through a telephone, network. But the job of transmitting the digital information of the, computer over a telephone network is done by a device called a, Modem. Thus, a modem is a device which helps computers to, connect with each other., Computer connections are called, Networks. There are several kinds of networks, large and small,, such as:, a) LAN (Local Area Network), as the name suggests,, connects a number of computers spread over a relatively, small area. LAN is used in companies to connect several, offices within one building, or to connect several buildings in, one complex, LAN is typically used in colleges, libraries etc., b) WAN (Wide Area Network) are networks that cover entire, states, and countries., c) THE INTERNET is the largest network of computers in the, world, connecting individuals and groups to information and, to services all over the world. The computers are connected, through servers; a server being a central computer that, contains shared information., The Internet originally began as a part of the military, research department of U.S.A. in the 1960s. Today the Internet is, open to the public at large. It came to India in the 1990s, and from, 1995, Internet services in India are offered through VSNL, (Videsh, Sanchar Nigam Limited) on a commercial basis for a fee. Currently, there are private service providers too who offer this facility., Normally, the telephone line links you, but for faster linkage, the, use of a cable connection or a digital subscriber line is made., The Uses of the Internet:, The Internet helps us to access information on almost any, subject from anywhere in the world. It gives us factual information,, enables us to research topics, do distance learning, network with, friends and business associates, and conduct business. The net, can put us on an ‗Information Superhighway‘, where we can study, for a degree or diploma, advertise goods and services, conduct, meetings online, watch films, read books, shop, and get the latest, news. It also has other important uses, such as E-Commerce,, Videoconferencing and E-mail. E-commerce or E-Business may be
Page 54 : 54, described as using electronic methods and means to conduct, business activities. The Internet has made E-Commerce possible, where the web-sites of the Net can be used to make enquiries,, place orders, market and advertise goods and services, in short, to, buy and sell. The Net has thus created a new international, community which is electronically connected. It is claimed that, each day, throughout the world, more than one trillion U.S. dollars, are transferred electronically, and more than 300 billion U.S. dollars, by foreign exchange transactions. E-commerce is here to stay,, thanks to the Net., Videoconferencing is done through the Internet. It is a, mode of communication where people use their computers and, web cameras (webcams) and conduct meetings where they can, speak with one another and see one another. Videoconferences, enable face-to-face communication between people who are far, away from each other. It can be used to make presentations, for, on-line teaching, and to enable colleagues to work on a shared, project. It can also be used to communicate with family and, friends., E-Mail is one of the most significant uses of the Internet. Email or electronic mail is available free of cost to all Internet users., It has an address and the format of a letter, although the address is, more compact. An E-mail address is a combination of the sender‘s, or receiver‘s name and the site address., E.g.
[email protected]., E-mail is the fastest way of transmitting messages with quick, feedback. Messages can be filed, deleted or trashed. Text, messages can be accompanied by photos, graphics, and sounds,, e.g. sending ―animated‖ greeting cards with sound and graphics., E-mail messages may also contain emoticons. An emoticon is a, representation of an emotion using keyboard characters., E.g. A smiley face is denoted as, E-mail also uses abbreviations and acronyms to convey messages., E.g. BTW means by the way; ITA means thanks in advance – and, so on. E-mail has become extremely popular as a mode of, communication due to its many advantages. Internet Messenger, (IM) enables members to chat with one another, discuss important, matters, send photographs, and transfer files.
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55, The World Wide Web is a part of the Internet. It provides a, great deal of varied information. From the World Wide Web the, user can get information from different locations or web-sites., The Internet also makes communication within an, organization and outside the organization more efficient and easy,, using either the intranet or the extranet., D) Intranet is a private internal network within an organization,, meant only for its own employees. It uses the same technology as, the Internet, but the information provided is accessed only by the, people in the organization. Outsiders using the Internet cannot, access the intranets., E) Extranet is just an external intranet, which allows certain, authorized people from outside the organization to enter the, network by using a password. Such people include suppliers,, customers, financiers etc., Intranet and extranet make internal and, communication easier and save time, effort and money., , external, , In conclusion one can say that the sender has a variety of, options to choose from when he wishes to communicate. He has to, evaluate his needs and select the best method or mode of, communication., Mary Allen Guffey in Business Communication : Process and, Product (pg.107) gives a succinct overview of choosing, communication channels., Channel, , Best Use, , 1., , Face, to, Face when you want to be persuasive, deliver bad, news, or share a personal message, Communication, , 2., , Telephone Cell, , When you need to deliver or gather, information quickly, when non-verbal cues, are unimportant, and when you cannot meet, in person, , 3., , Voce mail, Messages, , When you wish to leave important or routine, messages that the receiver can respond to,, when convenient, , 4., , Fax, , When your message must cross time zones, or international boundaries, when written, record is significant, or when speed is, important.
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56, 5., , E-mail, , When you need feedback, but not, immediately. Effective for communicating, with a large, dispersed audience. However, insecurity makes it problematic for personal,, emotional, or private messages., , 6., , Face-to-face, group meetings, , When group decisions and consensus are, important., , 7., , Video, or When group consensus and interaction are, Teleconference, important,, but, when, members, are, geographically dispersed., , 8., , Memo, , When you want a written record to clearly, explain policies, discuss procedures or, collect information within an organization., , 9., , Letter, , When you need a written record of, correspondence, with, customers,, the, government, suppliers, or other outside, organizations., , 10. Report or proposal When you are delivering considerable data, internally or externally., Tasks :, 1., , What method or mode of communication would you choose in, the following situations? Give reasons for your answer., (a), , When you wish to check with the telephone, department why your telephone line was, disconnected., , (b), , When you wish to inform your project group that you, will not be able to attend a scheduled meeting., , (c), , When you wish to send your testimonial to an, overseas university., , 2., , Ms. Patil has been recently appointed as Customer Relations, Officer at a BPO. What are the things that she should, remember while interacting with clients on the telephone?, , 3., , Answer the following questions in one sentence., (a), , What is an intranet?, , (b), , What is an extranet?
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57, , 4., , (c), , What is verbal communication?, , (d), , What is non-verbal communication?, , (e), , Explain the term/s, kinesics., , paralanguage / proxemics /, , Write short notes on :, (a) Silence, (b) Use of posters, (c) Advantages/Disadvantages of oral communication, /written/non-verbal communication, (d) Telephone/Fax/ Computer, communication., , , , as, , a, , means, , of
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58, , 4, BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION, Learning Objectives :, To learn about the various hurdles that block the process, of effective communication, To understand how to overcome these barriers., , Introduction:, The word ‗barrier‖ means an obstacle, a hindrance or simply, a problem that comes in the way of transmission of a message and, blocks the process, either completely or partially. In the process of, communication, it is necessary that the sender‘s message is not, only received but also understood, because it ensures proper, feedback. However, sometimes the message is not sent properly, or received properly, or it is not fully or correctly understood., When any such thing happens, we say that a barrier has arisen in, the process. A barrier, therefore, is any factor which interrupts the, process of communication., Barriers may arise at any point in the process of, communication from the sender or the receiver, in the message, the, medium, or the feedback. A barrier can even arise outside the, process and still cause an interruption. This means that there are, different kinds of barriers. These can be divided into four main, groups., 1. Physical or environmental barriers., 2. Language or semantic barriers, 3. Psychological barriers, 4. Cross – cultural barriers, 1. Physical or Environmental barriers:, Physical barriers can be caused by environmental factors, like noise, time and distance. The noise created by external factors, like traffic, playing of loud music, trains and aeroplanes, or by, crowds of people, affects our communication. Time becomes a
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59, physical barrier when people have to communicate across different, time zones in different countries. The physical distance between, people who need to communicate can also cause problems, because it does not allow oral or face-to-face communication., Physiological defects and limitations like stammering,, hearing defects, mumbling while speaking, are examples of, physical barriers. Mechanical problems and defects in instruments, of communication also create physical barriers, as in a faulty fax, machine or typewriter. Similarly, a computer that ―hangs‖, or a, ―dead‖ telephone line can lead to non-transmission of messages., 2. Language or Semantic Barriers:, Language is the main medium of communication and words, are its tools. Language proves to be a barrier at diferent levels,, such as semantic (meaning), syntactic (grammar), phonological, (pronunciation, intonation, pitch etc.) and finally linguistic (across, languages) Thus, language barriers can arise in different ways:, (a), , Words are of two kinds: extensional and intentional, words. Extensional words are clear in their meaning and, therefore do not create barriers – such as words like boy,, chair, garden etc. Intentional words are words that, describe and they can be understood differently by, different people, according to the meaning that a person, gives to the word. Thus, ―good‖ ―bad‖ ―beautiful‖ are, intentional words, and a simple sentence like ―she is a, good girl‖ can create confusion because the meaning of, the word ―good‖ is unclear., , (b), , Sometimes, the same word is used in different contexts,, giving rise totally different meanings. A word like ‗hard‘,, for example can be used in different ways: hard chair,, hard-hearted, hard drink, having a hard time – all these, use the same word but the meanings are different., , (c), , Barriers can be created when we come across words,, which have the same sound when pronounced, but which, mean very different things. Examples: words like fair and, fare; bear and bare; council and counsel., , (d), , Unfamiliar language becomes a barrier when people do, not know each other‘s language. This barrier can be, overcome by using a common medium of
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60, communication, as in a classroom. Translation is also an, important way of overcoming this barrier., (e), , Jargon or Unfamiliar Terminology: There are some, special terms or technical words used by people, belonging to a certain group or field of work such as, doctors, lawyers, computer software engineers or college, students., They use words which are their own,, specialised ―jargon‖ which cannot be understood by, anyone outside their group., , 3. Psychological Barriers :, Psyche means mind. Psychological barriers are created in the, mind. Communication is a mental activity and its aim is to create, understanding. But the human mind is complex and not all, communication can result in understanding. There are several, kinds of psychological barriers which can come in the way of, understanding., (a) Emotions: Emotions are among the most common, psychological barriers to communication. The emotion, may be connected to the communication received or it, may be present in the sender‘s or receiver‘s mind, even, before the communication takes place. In both cases, it, acts as a barrier., Emotions can be positive, like, happiness and joy, or negative, like fear, anger, mistrust, etc. Both positive and negative emotions act as barriers,, if they are not kept in check., (b), , Prejudice: A prejudice is an opinion held by a person for, which there is no rational basis or valid reason. It can be, against something or someone, or in favour of it, but it, becomes a barrier to a meaningful communication., Prejudices are based on ignorance and lack of, information, e.g., prejudices about certain communities or, groups of people., , (c), , Halo effect: Sometimes our reactions to people are not, balanced or objective; they are of an extreme nature., Either we like a person so much that we can find no, shortcomings in her/him, or we dislike someone so much, that we can see nothing good in her/him. In both cases,, we commit errors of judgment and fail to understand the, person.
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61, (d), , Self-image or different perceptions: Every person has in, her/his mind a certain image of herself/himself. S/he, thinks of herself/himself in a certain way. This is their, perception of themselves, their self-image. One‘s selfimage is the product of one‘s heredity, one‘s environment, and one‘s experiences, and thus every person‘s selfimage is unique and different from the others. Self-image, can create a barrier because we accept communication, which is compatible with our self-image. We avoid or, reject communication, which goes against our perception, of ourselves., , (e), , Closed Mind: A closed mind is one which refuses to, accept an idea or opinion on a subject, because it is, different from his idea. Such persons form their opinion, on a subject, and then refuse to listen to anyone who has, something different to say about it. A closed mind may, be the result of some past experience or just habit. It is, very difficult to remove this psychological barrier., , (f), , Status: Status refers to rank or position. It could be, economic, social or professional status., In any, organisation, hierarchy creates differences in rank, and, this is a normal situation. Thus, status by itself does not, cause barriers; but when a person becomes too, conscious of his status, whether high or low, then status, becomes a barrier., For instance, in a business, organisation, a senior executive who is unduly conscious, of his seniority will not communicate properly with his, juniors, and will refrain from giving them the required, information. Similarly, if a junior is acutely conscious of, his junior status, he will avoid communicating with his, seniors, even when it is necessary, , (g), , Inattentiveness and Impatience: Sometimes the, receiver may not pay attention to the sender‘s message,, or he may be too impatient to hear the message fully and, properly., Such barriers are common in oral, communication., , 4. Cross – Cultural Barriers :, Mary Allen Guffey defines culture as ―the complex system, of values, traits, morals and customs shared by a society‖., [Business Comunication : Process and Product , pg. 120]
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62, Cultural diversity within a country, and cultural differences, between people from different countries, are a major cause of, barriers. This is because people are conditioned by their cultures,, and they develop certain habits of working, communicating, eating,, dressing etc. according to their cultural conditioning. They find it, difficult to get through to people who come from an alien culture,, and who have different habits. A simple thing like a greeting to, welcome a person is vastly different in India from a greeting in, for, example, an Arab country, or in Japan. Food and dress habits of a, different culture can make a person uncomfortable. Concepts of, space and time are also different across cultures; for example,, Indians do not mind sitting close to each other and sharing space in, offices or in public places. However, a European would not be able, to tolerate such intrusive behaviour. Similarly, people who come, from a culture where time is very valuable will be impatient with, those who come from a culture with an easygoing attitude towards, time, where everything is done in a slow, unhurried way., II. Overcoming Barriers :, Barriers disrupt communication and interfere with, understanding. They must be overcome if communication has to, be effective., Physical barriers are comparatively easier to overcome. The, use of loudspeakers and microphones can remove the barriers of, noise and distance in crowded places like railway stations. Traffic, signals and non-verbal gestures of the traffic policeman remove, physical barriers on the roads. Technological advancement has, helped in reducing the communication gap arising due to time and, distance .It is possible to make an alternative arrangement, should, the technological instruments fail. A back-up plan helps in tidying, over any snag., Language or Semantic Barriers can be overcome if the, sender and the receiver choose a language which both of them, understand very well. Help from a translator or an interpreter also, helps in overcoming the language barrier. Exposure to the target, language and training oneself in the acquisition of skills of the given, language too help in overcoming the language barrier. Language, barriers can be avoided by careful study and accurate use of, language. Clarity should be the main objective when using, language. Jargon should be avoided.
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63, Psychological barriers, as also cross-cultural barriers are, difficult to overcome, as they are difficult to identify and even more, difficult to address. Even these can be avoided or reduced by, adopting a flexible and open-minded attitude. The ultimate aim is, to build bridges of understanding between people – that is the main, aim of communication. Training oneself to listen to different views ,, exposing oneself to different environments help in broadening one‘s, outlook and cultivating tolerance to multiple views. Teaching, oneself to listen with empathy helps in making oneself more open, to others‘ perceptions., While dealing with psychological or cross-cultural barriers the, sender should make it a point to–, (i) use language that is politically neutral and correct., (ii) present views in simple and objective manner, (iii) focus on the objective of communication, Tasks :, 1. Explain, with two examples each, the following concepts:, a) Physical barriers, b) Language barriers, c) Cross-cultural barriers, d) Closed mind as a barrier., e) Halo effect, f) Emotions as a barrier., 2. How does language become a barrier? Explain with examples., 3. What is self-image? How does it act as a barrier?, 4. How can we overcome the various barriers to communication?, 5. Define culture. How do cultural differences create barriers to, communication?, , ,
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64, , 5, LISTENING, Learning objectives :, To make students realize the importance of listening, skills., To develop effective listening skills in students in order to, improve their comprehension skills., To provide the students with strategies for effective, listening., , Introduction:, I. The Importance Of Listening Skills:, Listening and speaking are inextricably linked, as they are, complementary elements in the communication process. For all, practical purposes, one cannot take place without the other: we, speak only when there is someone to receive our message – and, we cannot listen unless someone has said something or provided, some aural stimulus. Listening has been defined in a rather lighthearted vein as ―what you do while awaiting your time to talk‖., However, listening is far from being a passive activity. It must be, pointed out that there is a difference between hearing and listening., Whereas ―hearing‖ is merely being aware of some sound impinging, on our ears, ―listening‖ is a conscious effort involving mental activity, to make sense of, and interpret the ―message‖, often against a, particular background or within a certain perspective. As Nikki, Giovanni, an American poet, has said, ―I‘m glad I understand that, while language is a gift, listening is a responsibility.‖, It is interesting to note that we spend 40 to 50% of our total, communication time, and one third of our working time, receiving, information rather than transmitting it. The following bar-graph, shows the percentage of communication time people spend on, various communication skills :
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65, , But, despite the fact that listening is a fundamental and, significant human activity, most people are not very good at it., They seem to lack the necessary skills, perhaps because,, knowingly or unknowingly, they have neglected the cultivation and, acquisition of these skills. This is borne out by the following facts:, our intake is at or below 25%, that is about half of what is said, during a ten-minute conversation. We forget half of that within 48, hours. We jumble up information, if called upon to reproduce it., Living as we do in an era of communication, we are faced, with additional challenges in the workplace where intercultural, communication has become the norm. Improving and developing, our listening skills thus assumes greater importance. In this, context, it is well to bear in mind Plutarch‘s advice: ―Know how to, listen and you will profit even from those who talk badly‖. Indeed,, countless benefits accrue from listening effectively., It may be recalled that listening is the first means of, acquiring information in the case of very small children. Also,, Second Language Acquisition researchers recognize the, significance of the ‗silent period‘: the initial stage in the process of, language acquisition, when the learner confines himself to listening, in order to obtain and assimilate information about the language. It, is only at a later stage that there is a spurt in his languageproducing activity., Listening also protects us against the wiles of an, unscrupulous speaker who presents matters of an unethical nature
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66, in a convincing and attractive manner., The mass media,, particularly, use such strategies to mould thinking, tastes, styles,, and opinions of the general public according to a predetermined, pattern. A Spanish proverb effectively cautions us against such a, thing: ―Though the speaker be a fool, let the hearer be wise‖. The, process or act of listening encourages a person to use his, discretion and judgment, and thus make a sensible decision, rather, than passively accept whatever is forcibly thrust upon him., It must be realised that much time and money can be lost as, a result of poor listening habits., Also, strife, conflict,, misunderstanding in interpersonal relationships are often due to, faulty listening practices., In the absence of fluency on the part of the speaker, the use, of effective listening techniques on the part of the listener can help, the communication situation. Of course, when faced with a fluent, speaker, a good listener is likely to find the ‗message‘ more, interesting and informative, as he plumbs the deeper levels of, meaning and significance and forms new associations and ideas., The listener is thus less prone to distraction, and more involved in, reflection and critical analysis., The practice of attentive listening thus brings with it a wealth, of potential material that can be helpful at some time or other., Much of this can also be successfully employed in the business, environment, where problems can be solved, suitable policies can, be framed, and experiences shared. A good listener is definitely an, asset to an organization. At the managerial level, being a good, listener is even more important, since managers need to, understand the emotional impact of a situation as much as the, technical details, and take the necessary steps to promote the, general interests of the employees. This, in turn, will lead to a, smooth, harmonious functioning of the organization. Profits will, inevitably follow, and the image of the organization will definitely go, up in the public estimation., In personal life, too, a good listener gets on better with, people; her/his personality is appealing, her/his manner easy and, friendly, and s/he tends to be accepted more readily in company., Thus, developing effective listening skills ensures success at, various levels. Interestingly, no monetary investment is necessary., All that is required is determination coupled with practice and, perseverance. To be beneficial, however, efforts must be in the, right direction. In this connection, it is well to understand the nature, of listening, in the first place
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67, II. Understanding the nature of the listening process:, Listening is such a routine activity that most people do not, even realize that they are poor listeners, and are, therefore, in need, of developing their listening skills. Others may feel that listening is, a very difficult task, perhaps, next to impossible to achieve. But the, truth is that good listening habits can be cultivated, and with, practice, much can be achieved. Initially, the person may find it, difficult, but it is well to bear in mind that ―He that would have the, fruit must climb the tree.‖, Understanding the complex process of listening, itself, may, help people become good listeners., Listening involves the, following inter-related steps in sequential order:, Receiving, Attending, Interpreting, Evaluating, Responding., , Remembering, , , , Receiving: This is a kind of physiological process. The, sounds impinge on the listener‘s ear. It is only when he, takes these in that he can go further in the process of, getting at the meaning., , , , Attending: The listener has to focus his attention on the, ―message‖ to the exclusion of all other sounds that may be, present in the immediate surroundings., , , , Interpreting: The ―sounds‖ have to be interpreted, that is,, the listener tries to understand the message that is being, put across against the background of his own values,, beliefs, ideas, expectations, needs, experience and, background — and, of course, taking into account the, speaker‘s viewpoint., , , , Remembering: This involves storing the ―message‖ for, future reference., , , , Evaluating: The listener makes a critical analysis of the, information received, judging whether the ―message‖, makes sense while separating fact from opinion., , , , Responding: Then the listener gives a verbal or nonverbal, response, and takes action accordingly.
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68, Having considered the above six steps, it becomes clear, that effective listening is an active process which requires full, concentration, attention, and conscientious / conscious effort., It is possible for every one of us to improve our listening, skills. However, becoming a good listener is not a simple matter,, as effective listening can be obstructed by a number of personal or, environmental influences. The person should be aware of, and,, more importantly, alert to potential distractions. Often, bad listening, behaviors are habitual., III. Impediments/ Barriers to listening, 1. Distractions: These distractions are:, Semantic distraction: The listener is confused about the, actual meaning of a word, as the word has different, meanings., Physical distraction: This occurs when, for example,, the air-conditioning system or microphones fail; or there, is noise in the surroundings; or, someone is constantly, tapping on the table with his fingers., Mental distraction: This occurs when the listener makes, himself the central character of his daydreams and, forgets the speaker., 2. Faking attention or pretending to listen: This usually, happens when the ―message‖ consists of material of a, difficult or uninteresting nature. The listener may not want to, bother to understand the message. Sometimes this may, happen when he is critical of the speaker‘s looks, style of, speaking, or mannerisms., 3. Defensive listening: This kind of listening takes place when, the speaker‘s views challenge the listener‘s beliefs., 4. Prejudice: The listener‘s bias, negative attitude,, preconceived notions, fears, or stress adversely affect, listening., 5. Constant focus on self: A person‘s ego may also adversely, affect his listening. The Roman playwright, Terence, reveals, this aspect of human nature when he says: ―My closest, relation is myself.‖ A person may believe that he knows, everything that the speaker is talking about and, therefore,, does not need to listen.
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69, 6. Information overload: The listener may be exposed to too, many words or points and, therefore, be unable to take in, everything. He should learn how to pick up the important, ones, and discard the rest., 7. The thinking – speaking rate: The speaking rate is 125 –, 150 words per minute, whereas the thinking rate is 400, words per minute. So the listener‘s mind is moving much, faster than the speaker is able to speak. The extra,, intervening time, before the speaker arrives at his next point,, is usually spent in shifting one‘s mental focus, or in day, dreaming., 8. Short attention span: The natural attention span for human, beings is short. This is not easy to rectify, except for making, a special effort to concentrate and prolong one‘s attention, span., Although all the above-mentioned factors could cause the, listener to get distracted, s/he can consciously adopt certain, strategies that will make her/him a good listener., IV. Listening Strategies:, While listening is an innate ability, it can be developed into a, skill by a conscious and deliberate application of certain strategies, which greatly enhance its effectiveness. From childhood itself,, good listening habits could be inculcated through listening to a, story, to music, or to a song. The child will then be more receptive,, and later, respond effectively to training in more advanced listening, strategies. A few of these strategies are considered here:, 1. Preparation for listening: The environment must be made, conducive to listening. Noise and disturbance can be kept, out by closing doors, or using a soundproof room. Suitable, arrangements for microphones and stationery should be, made in advance. Interruptions must be prevented. By, these means, the physical barriers can be eliminated, and, the listener can focus his attention on the speaker., 2. Background knowledge: The listener should train himself, to listen intelligently, bearing in mind the speaker, the topic, and the situation.
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70, 3. Re-organize the material in his mind: The listener should, be able to recognize patterns used by the speaker, and, should be able to identify the main / central point, and, supporting points; s/he should re-organize the material in his, mind according to certain headings so as to facilitate recall., 4. Focusing on the speaker‘s matter rather than manner:, The listener should not be prejudiced by the personal or, behavioural traits of the speaker or his style, but should, focus on the content, intent, and argument of the ‗message‘., 5. Listening actively: Listening actively also involves being, considerate to the speaker and empathising with him. By, adopting an alert listening pose, the listener puts the speaker, at his ease and places him in a better position to formulate, and express his ideas. The listener should have a positive, attitude towards a talk, believing that in every talk there is, always at least one point or idea that will be of value and, special significance to him., 6. Listen with complete concentration: The listener should, learn to differentiate between argument and evidence; idea, and example; fact and opinion. He should attempt to pick out, and paraphrase the important points while disregarding, unimportant ones., 7. Interaction: Interaction and participation in a discussion, no, doubt render the listening process more fruitful; but the, following points must be observed:, , , Allow the speaker to finish what he is saying before, you begin to talk. Do not interrupt., , , , Do not disturb the speaker by indulging in some, undesirable form of activity, like talking to the, person next to you, looking at your watch, or, walking out, or appearing uninterested or distracted., , , , Do not contradict the speaker., , , , Do not let your mind move on to anticipate what is, going to be said next – just listen carefully to what, the speaker is actually saying. If you are busy, planning your replies, you are likely to miss, important points, and make irrelevant or stupid, statements.
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71, , , Avoid passing comments or making remarks while, the speaker is speaking., , , , Only one person should speak at a time., , , , Be open to new ideas, ask questions, seeking, clarification of meaning, ideas, and thoughts; or to, gather additional information, or to direct the flow of, the conversation., , 8. Patience: Do not get restless or impatient. Be careful not to, lose your temper., 9., , Motivation: The experience of listening is more rewarding if, the listener is motivated and interested. Confidence and, trust in the speaker are necessary., , 10. Introspection: The listener must honestly examine his, existing listening habits, and consider whether he can, improve upon them., 11. Provide positive feedback: By maintaining eye contact,, using proper facial expressions, nodding from time to time,, leaning forward, and so on, you put the speaker at his ease,, encourage him and thus enable him to give of his best., 12. Listen for vocal or non-verbal cues: By noting the, speaker‘s tone of voice or facial expressions, it is possible to, get at his meaning more effectively. Pay attention to what, the speaker says as much as to what he leaves unsaid., 13. Make good use of the time-gap between speaking and, thinking: Spend this ‗extra‘ time reflecting on what the, speaker is saying. You could even jot down points or make, brief notes on selected topics. Make a kind of mental, summary, and evaluate what is being said. You may, anticipate what the speaker is going to say next, but it is, necessary to listen carefully to find out whether it is exactly, what you expected or whether there is some difference. If, there is a difference, it is important to consider what the, difference is, and the reason for it., 14. Practice your listening skills: Train yourself to use your, listening skills every time you have occasion to listen. Do not, abandon the task of listening, especially if you find it difficult., Listening is an act of the will as much as a matter of habit. It
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72, depends on mental conditioning. Willingness to make an, effort, therefore, matters., 15. Adapting to different communication events: Effective, listening includes the ability to adapt to several, communication events, involving intercultural communication, situations. The listener must be aware of factors like culture,, gender, race, status, etc., and not allow them to adversely, affect his listening. In this connection, tolerance, patience,, and empathy are important., V. Styles of Listening:, The following are the different styles of listening available for, the listener to choose from:, 1. Empathic listening: In this case we empathize with the, speaker, and understand things from her/his point of view,, allowing her/him the freedom to express her/his emotions., 2. Informational listening: Here, the aim is to receive, information. So the listener pays attention to the content,, and makes decisions regarding the taking of notes; s/he also, watches for related non-verbal cues, asks questions, and, focuses on the replies. All this helps her/ him to assimilate, the information., 3. Evaluative listening: We are exposed to a great deal of, material intended to persuade us to accept the speaker‘s, point of view; we need to evaluate what we hear, and note, only certain points that are of interest or use to us., 4. Appreciative Listening: We use this form of listening when, we listen to our favourite music or watch an enjoyable, television programme. In these instances, careful listening, greatly enhances pleasure and appreciation., 5. Critical listening: This is when we listen critically and, analytically, carefully considering the topic of the argument,, the intentions of the speaker, his omissions, his point of, view; his credibility and so on., , Conclusion:, We may conclude by observing that effective listening is a, positive, intellectual, emotional, and active process, and to improve
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73, its effectiveness, it is necessary to set one‘s mind to the task. Poor, listening habits can be changed through conscious effort, hard, work, self-discipline, attention, a positive attitude, and, determination. So, there is no excuse, really, for being a bad, listener!, The following diagram provides, in, characteristic features of a Good Listener:, , a, , nutshell,, , the, , Are active and, interested, have, integrity, self, discipline, , plan, ahead;, are prepared, , do not interrupt, the, speaker, , have positive, attitude, , Good, , have, determination, , Listeners, are motivated, and attentive, do not get, distracted, / prejudiced, , Tasks :, 1) ―Though the speaker be a fool, let the hearer be wise‖., Explain the importance of listening in the light of this, statement., 2) How can you improve your listening skills?, 3) While attending a lecture, what distractions do you, experience in your attempt to listen to the lecturer?, 4) What are the responsibilities of a listener in a speech, situation?, 5) What are the barriers to effective listening? How can we, overcome them?
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74, 6) Identify your own listening style., 7) Explain the complexity of the listening process., 8) Fill in the blanks:, (a) Listening is _________ activity, whereas hearing is, ___________activity., (b) Listener can provide _________with non verbal/ verbal, cues., (c) The causes of ineffective listening are:, a.________ b_______ c._____________., (d) The qualities of a good listener are: a.___ b.____ c.___., (e) The listener who takes down selective, brief notes, can be termed as a _________listener., ,
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75, , UNIT 2 : BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE, , 6, THEORY OF BUSINESS LETTER, WRITING, Learning Objectives:, To revise the basics of drafting business letters, To revise the drafting of business messages, This will include revision of, Components/ Parts/Structure of a Business Letter, Formats/ Layouts of a Business Letter, Principles of Business Letter Writing, Importance of Appearance of a Business Letter, Some useful tips for Business Letter Writing, Transmission of messages with business letters is a, preferred way of communication. Despite the popularity of e-mail, communication for internal and external communication, business, letters have maintained their importance in commercial, communication. A business letter has all the advantages of written, communication in that it is a permanent legal document, it can be, stored and referred to when required., A business letter is different from a personal letter in its, structure. Since a business letter represents the organisation, this, chapter proposes to revise for students the basics of business letter, writing., I. Components / Parts of a Business Letter:, A business letter has the following components:, i) The Basic/Obligatory Parts:, 1. The address of the Sender/ Letter Head/ The Head, address, 2. Date
Page 76 : 76, 3. Inside Address/ Receiver‘s Address, 4. Salutation, 5. Body of the letter, 6. Complimentary Close, 7. Signature, 1. The Address of the Sender/ Letter Head or The Head, Address, This is the address of the sender. It is printed at the top of, the letter., It includes, i. the name of the sender— an individual or the organisation, ii. the postal , web, e-mail address, iii. contact details such as telephone, telex, fax numbers, iv. logo or emblem of the sender, The Head address is prominently displayed and is the first to, catch the receiver‘s attention. Therefore, a lot of effort is taken by, the sender, especially organizations, to aesthetically design it., While writing the sender‘s address one should keep in mind that it, should look neat, uncluttered and the should include only, necessary details. For Example:, Mr. Ashsish Awasthi,, Marketing Manager,, Career Watch, 7, Ahuja Gardens,, Andheri [W], Mumbai 600085, Ph. 266664320. Mob. 9823342405., Email
[email protected]., , Wappinger‘s Falls, New York-12590, Phone : (866) 528-9151 - Ext 22, Fax : (866) 849 6857, Mail:
[email protected], Websites: www.vindhyaglobal.com; www.vindhya.us
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77, 2. Date: A business letter must contain the date, month and the, year on which it is written. This gives the letter its legal validity and, lets the receiver know when it was written. It is essential for the, purpose of filing and sorting of letters. It also helps in tracing a, letter., Various ways of writing the date:, a. The American Way :, September 9, 2008 [Month is written first, followed by the date,, which is followed by the year], b. The British Way :, 9th September, 2008 [Date is followed by the month and the year], c. The Indian Way, 09/09/2008 [Day and month are both written in figures. This could, cause, confusion., So, it, is, best, to, avoid, this, way of writing the date], 3. Inside Address: This is the address of the receiver of the letter., It contains the details of the receiver. In official correspondence,, normally this address includes the designation of the receiver, and, his address for correspondence., Example:, Mr.H.R.Nahta,, Personnel Manager,, Bayer India Ltd.,, Express Towers, Nariman Point,, Mumbai 400001, , The Personnel Manager,, Bayer India Ltd.,, ExpressTowers, Nariman Point,, Mumbai 400001, , It may comprise the full name and designation of the, receiver as well as the name and address of the company he works, for. The letter could be addressed to the company itself. In the case, of partnership concerns ‗Messrs‘ or ‗M/s‘ can be placed before the, name., 4. Salutation: This is the mode of addressing or greeting the, receiver. Salutation indicates the relationship between the sender, and the receiver., Some of the formal modes of addressing the receiver:, i. Sir /Madam, , [Subordinate addressing the superior, very, formal], , ii. Dear Sir/Dear Mada, , [Most commonly used form], , iii. Sirs or Dear Sirs, , [To be used when one is writing to a, company and not to an individual]
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78, iv Respected Sir, , [no longer being used, avoid using it while, applying for a job], , v. Dear Mr. So and So, , [When one knows the receiver], , 5. Message: This forms the core of a business letter. Planning a, business message involves deciding about the purpose of the, letter, how to communicate to the receiver to meet that purpose,, who the receiver is, and what the sender wishes to achieve by, sending it., The next step is that of structuring the business message. A, business message must have an opening that gives the required, information, a middle that gives the required details, and a close, that suggests the expected action., 6. The Complimentary Close [Subscription]: This is a, conventional way of signalling a polite end of the letter. One must, not end the letter abruptly. Salutations and complimentary closes, that go together:, ‗Sir‘ or ―Dear Sir, ‗Dear Mr. ……‘, , ‗Yours faithfully,‘ or ‗Yours truly,‘., ‗Yours sincerely,‘ or ‗Yours cordially,‘., , Things to remember while writing the complimentary close:, Ending with participle phrases like ‗thanking you‘,, ‗awaiting your reply‘, must add words like ‗We are‘, or ‗I, am‘, just before the complimentary close to complete, the syntax. Endings such as ‗Thanking you in, anticipation‘, have become obsolete and are very rarely, used in commercial correspondence of the day., While writing the complimentary close, please note that, ‗ Y‘ in ‗Yours‘ is capital., ‗ s‘ in sincerely [the first letter of the second word, is lower case.], The word Yours does not have an apostrophe. It, should not be written in the following manner:, Your‘s [This is incorrect], 7. Signature: A letter is incomplete if it is not signed. The, signature of the sender must be followed by his full name and, designation. The signature authenticates a letter. It is the signature
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79, that makes the letter a legally binding entity, both on the sender as, well as the receiver. However, in many electronically generated, letters, signatures are not required, or an electronic signature is, used., Various ways of signing a letter :, i. Sd/M Ahuja, Mrs. Mona Ahuja,, Manager., ii. A person holding special power or power of, attorney signing on behalf of the firm. Per pro S4, Solutions, Sd/, Ashish Awasthi, iii. A person signing in place of a senior authority in, his absence, For the Principal, Sd/Mrs. Job, Vice-Principal., ii). Optional Parts of a Business Letter:, 1. Reference number: Business letters possess a reference, number which normally comprises of the typist‘s initials, the date on, which the letter was received and the serial number of the letter., However, this coding may differ from organization to organization., A reference number helps in maintaining the record. At the, receiver‘s end it serves as a context in which the messages get, exchanged. For instance,, The receiver who is responding to a letter of complaint received, writes, This is in reference to your letter no………., The reference number may contain two numbers and could be, written in the following manner:, Your Reference :, Our reference :, 2. Attention Line : Attention line is inserted when the sender wants, to focus the attention of the receiver to whom the letter is, addressed. It is written in the following manner:, For your kind attention:
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80, 3. Subject/ The Caption Line: The subject line tells the receiver, at, a glance, what the letter is about. It highlights its main purpose., The letterwriter must determine beforehand what s/he wants the, receiver to understand from the letter. The subject line should be, written in as few words as possible, and should capture the, essence of the letter. Caption also helps while sorting letters by the, subject and storing them accordingly., For Example:, i., , Subject: Excuse Note., , ii. At times, instead of subject, ref: or re: is used to, refer to correspondence., For instance:, Re: Your letter dated Sept 9, 2008., iii. However, nowadays, letters may not carry either, the subject or the ref. They may simply have a, caption that captures the essence of the letter., For example;, Billing Statement for the period 01/02/2008 to, 01/05/2008., 4. Enclosures/ [Encl:] This section contains the attachments,, additional papers that one sends along with the letter. It could be, the copies, photographs or any other supplementary documents., Previously, attached and stapled papers were labeled separately as, attachment/s. But nowadays, anything that is sent along with the, main document is considered as enclosure. The items enclosed, must be listed in a serial order. This helps the receiving or the filing, clerk., 5 c.c : These are carbon copy notations that tell the receiver who, the other receivers of the letter are. For example:, i., , ii., , c.c., , Chairperson, Students’ Council, Chairperson, Gymkhana, , When, instead of a carbon copy, a fresh copy is sent to more, than one receiver, it is sent with a caption: Copy to, Chairperson, Students‘ Council., , iii. When a copy is sent to another receiver without the knowledge, of the original receiver, then the copy is marked b.c. which, means ‗blind copy‘.
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81, 6. P.S. [Post Script]: This part of the letter has almost become, redundant in the era of computers where pasting messages,, inserting any bit of information into the main body of the letter is, possible. Earlier, P.S. or post scriptum made possible inclusion of, any piece of information, which the writer had forgotten to include in, the main message and which was important from the writer‘s point, of view. However, insertion of P.S. implied carelessness on the part, of the writer who had not planned his message properly., II. Positioning of the Components and Layouts /Formats of a, Business Letter:, Layout refers to the systematic arrangement of the, components of a business letter, in order to have better readability., There are many layouts of business letters, namely, Block, Modified, Block, Semi-Block, Hanging Indention, Norma Dorma, DemiOfficial, etc. It would suffice to study the most frequently used, formats of the letter. These are 1. Full Block Form, 1, , Sender’s Address, ……………….., ……………….., , 2., , Date, ……………….., , 3., , The Inside Address, ……………….., ……………….., , 4., , Salutation, ……………….., , 5., , Subject, ………………..………………..……………….., , 6., , Message, ………………..…………………..………..………………., ……………………..………………..………..………………., , 7., , Complimentary Close, ………………..………, , 8., , Signature, ……………….., ……………….., , 9., , Encl :, ………………..
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82, This is a much used format for business letters. In this, format all the components are arranged close to the left hand, margin. It follows two-line spacing between the paragraphs. It uses, ‗open punctuation‘ while writing the sender‘s and receiver‘s, addresses, which means that it does not use commas while writing, these. There is no comma after the complimentary close as well., This gives the letter a neat and uncluttered appearance. It is a, convenient form for the typist, as all the components are flushed to, the left margin. Some people, however, find it imbalanced for this, reason., 2. Modified Block Form : This is a much prevalent layout in, modern Indian commercial correspondence. It modifies the Full, Block Form in order to break its monotony. It shifts two of the, components – the date and the complimentary close to the right, hand margin. Other features are similar to that of the full block, form., 1., , Sender‘s Address, ……………….., 2. Date : ………………, , 3., , Inside Address, ……………., , 4., , Salutation, …………., , 5., , Subject, ………………..………………..……………….., , 6., , Message, ..............…………………………………………………………….., ………………………………………………………………………, 7. Complimentary Close, ....….....……………., 8. Signature, ………………………, , 9., , Encl:
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83, 3. Semi-Block Form, Sender’s Address, …….....………….. ,, …….....………….. ,, 2. Date …………., The Inside Address, ……………….............,, ……………….............,, 1., , 3., , 4., , Subject : ……………….............., , 5., , Salutation, ……………….............., Message, .....................……………….................., .......………..............…………..................................………, ......……..............…………..................................…………., , 6., , ., 7. Complimentary Close, ………………..............,, 8. Signature, ………………..............., 9., , Encl:, ………………...., , 3. Semi-Block Form, This is a traditional format of letter writing. The space is, evenly divided to give the letter a balanced appearance. The, sender‘s address is written at the centre top of the page, date to the, right, inside address to the left, salutation to the left and, complimentary close to the right-hand side. While the subject line is, written close to the left hand margin, paragraphs begin five spaces, away from the margin. The addresses are closely punctuated,, which means that all the lines are punctuated., III. Principles of Business Letter Writing: Cs of Business Letter, Writing:, A business letter either on paper [physical or hard copy], or, on the Internet [soft copy] is the most used form of communication., Business letters are written for making and answering enquiries,
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84, making and answering complaints, handling customer relations,, advertising products, making credit enquiries, collecting dues,, earning the goodwill of the customer. The letter must produce the, desired action; it must ensure the desired feedback. Therefore, the, sender must plan the message of the letter properly., A letter writer, besides acquainting himself with an, organisation‘s procedure and policies, must also possess, knowledge of the language of correspondence. He should also, cultivate a clear and precise manner, along with a sincere tone,, while writing the letter., Planning the message involves two elements:, Planning of Content, or ‗the what‘, which a sender wants to, communicate to the receiver., Planning of Expression, or ‗the how‘ of the message, which, involves the language, the choice of vocabulary, the tone, etc., The letter writer must set the letter in a proper context. S/He, must pay attention to the following principles or essentials of, business letter writing, which are often referred to as the Cs of, business letter writing., 1. Completeness: A business message must be complete. It must, not leave out any piece of information. It must answer all the, questions that arise in the mind of the receiver. Consider the, following letter :, April 15, 2009, , Ms. Solana Sahi, xxxxxxxxxx, , Miss. Neeta Rane, ……………………, Dear Madam,, I wish to enquire about my insurance policy which I had acquired last, year. I was informed that I had failed to pay the monthly installment of, Rs…..,, although I have paid all the installments promptly on time., …………………………………………………………………………., Yours sincerely,, –––––––––––––
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85, The letter writer has left out important details like the policy, number, type of policy, its name, since when the policy became, operational and so on without which action on the part of the, receiver will be delayed., While handling correspondence with a bank, or a ticket, inquiry, for example, one must write the account numbers,, customer ID numbers, and the PNR number, the date of purchase, of ticket, the date of travel and such relevant details that complete, the business message., While planning the message, it is advisable for the sender to, list all the relevant points on a separate piece of paper. S/He should, then check if these are included in the body of the message. S/He, should find out if his letter comprehensively answers all the, questions that are likely arise in the mind of the receiver., 2. Correctness: This is the second principle of business message, writing. First, the writer must ensure that the content is correct. He, must check the facts and figures. He must verify the information, before putting it on paper. Secondly, at the level of conventions of, letter writing, he must not make any mistake. Thirdly, he must, check the message for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors,, unnecessary repetitions, or any mistakes in punctuation. SMS and, E-writing have brought in short forms and telegraphic writing, which, should be avoided while writing a letter., Inaccurate statements, incorrect information, inappropriate, tone not only create a bad impression on the receiver, but also spoil, the reputation and credibility of the organization that one, represents., 3. Clarity: A business message must be clear at the first reading., The sender must try to anticipate what the receiver will want to, know, and must communicate his message in such a way that the, receiver will understand it without any difficulty. The sender must be, clear about the purpose of his letter, and his objective in sending it., The language must be simple, and the content self-explanatory, so, as to avoid confusion or misunderstanding.
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86, Consider the following example—, …………….,, ……………,, I do not know how you collected this information stated in the, first sentence of your recent letter that we have announced 20%, discount and the offer is open till July 1st, is absolutely incorrect., This can be rephrased as Your information about our company‘s offer of 20 per cent, discount till 1st July is not correct/ is unfortunately incorrect., Long winding sentences, incorrect choice of words, and an, angry tone mar the intent of the letter. Deciding on the purpose,, using short sentences, choosing the words carefully help in bringing, clarity in any communication., 4. Conciseness: The letter writer must be precise. S/He must, work towards expressing more in the least possible words. The, sender must revise the first draft by replacing low information words, with high content words, and replacing loose constructions with, compact ones. For example --Keeping your interest in mind, I am authorized to make this, offer, so that we serve our valued customer in the best possible, way., This can be rephrased as We are offering this to our valued customers with their best, interests in mind., The sender must avoid being wordy and repetitive;, ambiguous expressions and words must be replaced with specific, ones; one word for a phrase and a sentence instead of two will, bring in brevity. Brevity can be inculcated with training., 5. Consideration [You Attitude] and Courtesy: Businesses aim, at developing good relationships founded on consideration and, courtesy, and this can be achieved through interpersonal, interaction. By focussing on ‗you‘ instead of ‗I‘ or ‗we‘ and, emphasizing the pleasant and the positive, the writer can establish, a personal rapport with the receiver. Politeness costs nothing, but, pays much. The overall tone of the letter must be gentle and
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87, considerate. It may vary and become demanding or aggressive, if, the situation demands. But it is best to avoid being insulting or rude., Courtesy: By conveying one‘s message politely one earns the, respect of the receiver. A courteous tone speaks of the decency of, the sender and helps to get a positive response from the receiver. It, also creates a favourable image about the sender—individual or, organization. One must learn to be tactful, thoughtful and, appreciative. The letter must contain polite expressions that show, respect., For example,, Dear Sir,, You have sent a T.V. set which is bad. It is defective. How could, you cheat an old customer like me ?, .........................., , [The letter communicates the legitimate feelings of a customer who, feels cheated. But it also accuses the sender of having a deliberate, plan to cheat customers. The letter sounds offensive and may not, bring appropriate action.], , It could be reformulated in the following way:, Dear Sir,, The T.V. set [Videocon , model______], which I purchased from, your shop on _______ under bill no._________ is not working, properly., [List the problems], Since it was purchased just two days ago, as a valued customer, I, request you to replace this defective piece with a fresh one., …………………., One of the functions of a business letter is to earn the, goodwill of the receiver. By being considerate and courteous, the, business letter fulfills this objective.
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88, IV. Appearance of the Business Letter, Creating the right kind of visual impact is just as essential as, the planning of the message. A well drafted letter, when presented, badly, fails to achieve its purpose. A letter writer cannot afford to, overlook the following points:, a. good stationery., b. proper allocation of space, business letter., , for the components of a, , c. neat appearance with proper formatting, d. typed, as far as possible, e. if handwritten, then legible, and observing all the basic, rules of writing, f., , correct use of punctuation, spelling and grammar, , g. clean foolscap paper, h. appropriate font choice, if computer-generated, i., , neatly and appropriately folded, , j., , appropriate envelope., , k. neatly addressed, preferably in the centre of the envelope., V. Here are some of strategies that could be adopted while, writing a business letter:, 1. Careful planning, Before writing the letter, list all the points needed to be, covered. This will eliminate the need to rewrite the letter., 2. Short and to the Point, preferably limited to one Page, Business letters should be concise, factual, and focused. Try, not to exceed one page, or the letter could lose the attention, of the receiver. Studies have revealed that busy executives, or businessmen do not have either the time or the inclination, to read long letters that run into two to three pages A typical, letter page will hold 350 to 450 words., 3. Short Sentences and Paragraphs, Keep sentences as short as possible, and break the content, into brief paragraphs. Ideally, a paragraph should not exceed, two to three sentences. This will make the letter more, readable., 4. Clear, Concise, And Logical, The logical blocks of the letter should consist of, a) Introduction/Purpose b) Background /Explanation c), Summary/Conclusion
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89, d) Expected action from the receiver. This outline is useful, for organizing ideas, and eliminating repetition., 5. Focus on Receiver‘s Needs, While writing the letter, focus on the information, requirements of the intended receiver. One must ask what, he would want from the letter. Has this been addressed?, The sender should put himself in the shoes of the receiver, and check his own reaction to the message., 6. Simple and Appropriate Language, The letter should use simple and straightforward language, and terminology that the receiver is familiar with. Avoid, technical terms and acronyms without explaining them. Do, not assume that the receiver will know them., 7. Review and Revision, Make a first draft, and then carefully review and revise it., Double-check all facts and figures and make sure all future, dates specified are realistic and reasonable. A letter is a, direct reflection of the person sending it, and by extension,, the organization that the person works for. Finally, grammar, and spellings need to be checked., 8. Relegate Technical Details to Attachments, Often, it is necessary to include detailed technical, information as part of a business letter package. In such, cases, use the main letter as a one-page cover letter that, lists and briefly explains the attached (or enclosed), documents., 9. Formal, Objective and Factual, The tone and content of a business letter should be formal, and factual. Keep a professional tone. Sentiments do not, have a place in business letters. In other words, avoid ―I feel, that‖; instead, use ―I believe that‖ or ―I think that‖., 10. Handle negatives carefully:, Positivism engenders positive response. At times, however,, saying no becomes unavoidable, as one cannot grant all the, requests or demands. But negative messages can be put in, positive terms. For instance,, We cannot dispatch the goods on time because you have, not given us the correct address., This could be rephrased as, We shall dispatch the goods as soon as you provide us with, the correct address., 11. Use Non-Discriminatory Language, Make sure that the letter avoids language that is specific to, gender, caste, race, class or religion. For example, use
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90, ―workforce‖ instead of ―manpower‖, or ―chairperson‖ rather, than ―chairman‖. Most style-guides contain detailed lists of, such offensive terms and suggest substitutes. Become, acquainted with politically correct vocabulary., VI. Example of a well written Business letter, This is an ideal letter in terms of appearance, content, and, conventions of letter writing. The content of the letter and the style, will naturally differ from subject to subject and from letter writer to, letter writer., ……….Bank, E 18 Express Towers, Nariman Point, Mumbai400021., Ph. (022) 228766564/65/66, Telefax. (022) 228766569, 11 thJanuary 2008, Mr. N.R.Rana, 23, Alok , V.M.Marg, Kanjurmarg,Mumbai., Dear Customer,, Thank you for being a valued customer of ……. Bank., It has been our continuous effort to offer you the best banking, products and services. As part of this endeavour, we offer Email, Statements to our Savings and Current Accounts customers, absolutely FREE., Now, you can look forward to a world of convenience. Not only, will you be able to do away with paper clutter, but also maintain, the statements in your mailbox or on a CD, and take printouts, whenever needed., If you have a Savings Account, you will get monthly statements, by Email. If you have a Current Account, you can opt for, Daily/Weekly/Monthly statements by Email., We assure you of our best services at all times., Sincerely, ………, Akhila Shrivastav, Head, Payments
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91, Tasks :, 1. Write the following letters in Full Block /Modified Block/ Semi, Block form:, a) An Excuse Note., b) Letter seeking exemption from required percentage of, attendance on account a function in the family., c) Letter seeking exemption from taking the term end exam, on medical grounds., d) An apology letter for having disobeyed the authority /, having failed to produce the I card/ having indulged in a, rowdy behaviour., e) An, application, for, recommendation letter., , a, , character, , certificate/, , 2. Reformulate the following letter using Courtesy and Clarity as, principles of business letter writing:, , The President, District Consumer Forum, ……………., Sir, Kindly take note of my complaint and take action against M/s, Bhavsar and Sons who have cheated many customers like me., I purchased a TV set which, I am sure, is a leftover piece. After, paying 30000 Rs. all I get is a box that flashes dummy figures., The sound is too loud and the remote does not work., I have written several letters but they have simply ignored me. Do, something for me. I want my money back., I await your favourable reply.
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92, 3., , Study the following letter. Is it complete? /Is it clear?/ Is it, courteous?/ Is it offensive? What changes would you suggest, to make it appealing?/ effective?/ impressive?, ………, ………, ………, 11/1/2008, ………., ………, ……….., Dear Madam, Adjustment letter, I was indeed very shocked to receive your complaint letter, stating that you received your order for 25 cartons of biscuits in, a damaged condition. While I do regret this, in a business like, ours such things are bound to happen once in a while. I have, spoken to my superiors who find your demand for full, reimbursement of money unreasonable. Let me see what I can, do to help you., …………………, , 4., , You have been asked by the principal of your college to, explain why you not only carried your mobile to the, examination hall but also left it on during the exam. Write your, reply letter., ,
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93, , 7, PERSONNEL CORRESPONDENCE, Learning objectives:, To learn drafting of employment-related letters, important in, applying for a job, or resigning from one and joining another., , Introduction :, This chapter will focus on formal personal correspondence which is, exchanged between an individual and an organisation/s., The main focus will be on the following letters:, 1. Statement of Purpose, 2. Job -Application Letter and Resume, 3. Acceptance of Job Offer, 4. Inter-office Memo, 5. Resignation, The following four types of letters will also be considered:, 6. Recommendation, 7. Appointment, 8. Memo – warning, 9. Termination of services, 1. Statement of Purpose: Students aspiring for admission in, foreign universities are required to send an SOP – Statement of, Purpose. At times, they are asked to submit an essay on a, given topic. This section discusses standard contents of an, SOP, though it may vary from case to case., i) What is an SOP?, A statement of purpose is a self-introductory essay in, which an applicant introduces her/himself — in this case to the, Admissions Committee — and states why s/he intends pursuing, a particular course.
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94, Every year, universities are flooded with applications from, students. An SOP is one tool to understand the focus and merit, of a candidate., An SOP is a personal statement. The candidates are, expected to highlight their academic achievements, as well as, personal traits. It gives them an opportunity to showcase their, personality, and convey what qualifies them for the course in a, convincing manner., The Admissions Committee looks for more than just, academic excellence. It prefers people with diverse, backgrounds, experience, and interests. It looks for wellrounded personalities who can make meaningful contribution to, the university and the society at large. It looks for a candidate‘s, personal strengths and characteristics, rather than focusing on, the academic achievements alone., Example :, …………………….., …………………….., Statement of Purpose, I wish to apply for the Fellowship Programme in Psychology in your, prestigious university., I am particularly interested in the field of Industrial Psychology,, where I did well during my Postgraduate course. I am interested in, doing research in the area, with special relation to the advent of, technology and its impact on productivity and mental health., Coming from a country which has risen to the challenges of the, technological revolution and the resultant stress, I believe, my, research will help in finding out how to strike a healthy balance, between this advancement and holistic human development., I completed my graduation from Mumbai University in the year, 2006, with Psychology as my major subject. Thereafter, I, completed my M.A. Honors programme with distinction in, Psychology form S.N.D.T. University, Mumbai. My grade cards are, attached to support my candidature., Apart from academics, I have participated in outdoor sports and, represented my college in Hockey. Debating and teaching have, been my other areas of interest. I have always considered it, obligatory to help the under-privileged sections of the society. I,, therefore, worked with Shraddha, an NGO, in their community, development programmes.
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95, , I have studied your prospectus and I believe your university can, help me in attaining my objective of becoming a behaviourial, scientist, for the benefit of society., I look forward to a personal interview with you where I could, discuss some of the social researches I had undertaken while, pursuing my Postgraduate course., I am attaching the recommendation letters from my teachers for, your consideration., [signature]………………., , ii) Some useful beginnings for SOPs :, (i), , I want to pursue Ph.D. in………, , (ii), , I realized I was keen on ……., , (iii), , I have chosen to study ……. because I have, enjoyed studying…and am, keen to proceed to, a more advanced level……., , (iv), , I am interested in studying the subject because it is, a very challenging and fascinating course., , iii)Some useful tips while Writing the SOP:, a. Maintain originality of thought, b. Show that you are well informed about the rating of, the university., c. Focus on key points of your profile – achievements,, projects accomplished, academic achievements., 2. Job Application Letter and Resume :, Covering Letter: A covering letter is a letter that introduces the, applicant to his prospective employer, explains his suitability for the, job applied for, by summarizing his skills, abilities, experience. The, main purpose of the letter is to catch attention of the prospective, employer by highlighting the applicant‘s strengths, and encourage, her/him to take a look at the resume with interest., While writing a cover letter, requirements mentioned in the, advertisement should always be remembered. The applicant should, try to relate his strengths to that of the requirements of the, advertisement. One could roughly divide the message into three, parts: Introductory paragraph, Middle and Concluding Paragraph.
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96, i. Solicited Letter of Application, Introduction:, While responding to a newspaper advertisement, [Solicited, Letter of Application], the applicant should mention his source of, information and then state the purpose of his application. Here are, some of the conventional openings of a solicited letter of, application:, With reference to your advertisement which appeared in the, Times of India, dated ________ for the post of …….., This is in response to your advertisement in………., I refer to your advertisement in…………. ., Your advertisement in ……….dated ………… interested me, I am responding to your advertisement in….. for the post, of…., ii. Unsolicited Letter of Application, If a letter is drafted on the applicant‘s own initiative, when, the applicant has either come to know of a vacancy through some, source, or he is anticipating one, and when the organisation has, not advertised the post in any newspaper, the letter could begin as, follows:, (a) Being given to understand that there is / there is likely to be, a vacancy for the post of………. I wish to forward my, application for the same., (b), , I have come to know from Mr……. that there is / there is, likely to be………………….., , (c), , I am applying for the summer job/ leave vacancy for the, post of, , , , Middle:, The second paragraph in the letter of application should, introduce the applicant. The writer must highlight her/his, strengths and convince the prospective employer that s/he is, the best suited candidate for the post in question. S/He must, describe her/his academic achievements, along with her/his, skills and experience that qualify her/him for the post in, question., , , , Conclusion:, The third paragraph should ask for a positive action in the form, of the prospective employer contacting the candidate or giving, him a call for a personal interview.
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97, Example of a Covering Letter:, 11, Aradhana, B wing, Nehru Nagar, Kurla [W], Mumbai 400 098, Mob. 932225678, January 1st, 2008, The Advertiser, Post Bag No.1234,, The Times of India,, Mumbai 400001, Dear Sir,, Re : Post of IT Consultant, Please consider my application for the post of IT Consultant in, your organisation advertised by you in The Times of India dated, 25 December 2007., I am a Commerce graduate from the University of Mumbai,, having completed my graduation from GES with a first class, in, the year 2006. Thereafter, I joined NIIT and completed a twoyear course in Software solutions. I learnt C, C++, and Java, programming languages. Post instruction training involved, working on live projects with two reputed IT companies. Besides, my training in the programming languages, I have also been, trained in systems design and analysis., My project on ‗Security Enhancement of Confidential Data‘ won, appreciation of the senior officials at Larson and Tubro, Company Ltd., where I was placed for summer training., I am enclosing my resume, along with all other testimonials and, certificates. I look forward to an interview with your firm, which is, known for grooming freshers like me., Yours faithfully, Anisha Patel, Encl:, 1. Resume, 2. Copies of the mark list, 3. Graduation Certificate, 4. NIIT Certificate
Page 98 : 98, iii) Forwarding Application on the E-mail :, This has become one of the major ways of sending, applications, especially when companies want to speed up the, matter of filling up the vacancies. While forwarding, applications via E-mail, however, the applicant must bear in, mind the fact, that an application is a formal mode of, communication. S/He should not become casual in his/her, tone and approach., From:
[email protected], Subject: Application for the post of IT Consultant, Attachment : D:\My Documents\ Resume.doc, Dear Madam,, Beginning :, Please find attached herewith/ Attached here is my, resume for the post of IT-consultant advertised on, Jobs-ahead.com., Middle :, ..............………………………………………………………………, ..............………………………………………………………………, ..............………………………………………………………………, End:, I am forwarding my contact numbers and I look forward, to receiving a call for a personal interview soon., Yours truly,, ……………, iv) Resume: The write up which accompanies the covering letter, and which sketches the applicant‘s personal and academic details,, achievements and experience is generally known as the Bio-data or, resume. A resume is also called Curriculum Vitae or Candidate, Profile., Video Resume: [Multi-media Resume] Newer styles are being, introduced to showcase an applicant‘s personal details in order to, get maximum visibility and enhance the chances of employability., One such contemporary method is a video resume. With the, advent of technology, it is common to shoot a video, highlighting, one‘s personal qualities and send it to the prospective employer., This is known as a Video Resume. One of the major problems with
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99, video resumes is that it has to be made by a professionally skilled, person. Secondly, it is found that organizations prefer paper, resumes over the video ones, because the executives find watching, video resumes taxing., A resume aims to highlight, (a), , Personal particulars : Name, address, date-of birth,, [marital status, height, weight are optional], , (b), (c), , Academic qualifications, Additional [professional] qualifications., , (d), , Experience [written either in a functional manner –, emphasizing the skill and the talent of the writer or, chronological manner — listing these in a serial, fashion], , (e), , Additional information that highlights the strengths, of the applicant, , (f), , References [Optional], , While writing the resume the applicant must keep the, following tips in minds., (a), , Keep it businesslike. The employer basically wants, to know if the applicant has the ability to take up, the responsibilities and whether he is qualified to, do the job., , (b), , Freshers should focus on their academic and, professional achievements and what they can do, today., No false information or imaginary picture about, oneself should be given., , (c), (d), , Be realistic. Try and show the person what one, really is by highlighting one‘s plus points and, relating them to the job at hand., , (e), , Pay special attention to the appearance of the, letter. Use clean, simple and professional formats., , (f), , Double check for spelling, grammar and, punctuation mistakes that could hurt one‘s, credibility., , A resume can record events in a chronological or functional, manner., a) Chronological Pattern:, Chronological resume presents sequential work history/, academic history in reverse order, starting with the most
Page 100 : 100, recent achievement/experience first. This format is preferred, by recent graduates and mid-level managers /executives., Example 1: Chronological Pattern, RESUME, 1., 2., , Name, Address, , Miss Anisha Patel, , 3., 4., , Date of Birth, , 11/ 04/1985, , Education, , 5., , Professional Qualifications, And Skills, , 6., , Experience, , 7., , Extra-Curricular activities, , 8., , References, , (i) Completed graduation in Commerce, in 2006 with 67% marks from the, University of Mumbai., (ii) Passed H.S.C. in 2003 with 70%, marks from Maharashtra Board., Successfully completed GNIIT two-year, course in Software Solution in 2007., Can handle requirements of a given, system, and, devise, modular, programming to reach the objective., Can handle programming in C,C++ and, Java, Successfully completed six month, summer training with L.and T. in, System Design Software application., Have been a sports-person, have won, meal in Athletics at the University for, three consecutive years for my college., Am a good organizer, having, organized Inter-collegiate events at my, college., (i) Mrs. Annie Joseph, Principal,, St.Stephen, College,, Bandra,[W], Mumbai 400 050, Tel :(022) 285799340, (ii) Mr. Ravindra Adhikari, Officer-in-Charge,, Students’ Welfare Dept., University of Mumbai., Mumbai 400 032., Tel : (022) 26543210, , 11, Aradhana, B wing, Nehru Nagar,, Kurla [W], Mumbai, 400067, Cell -932225678, E-mail –
[email protected]
Page 101 : 101, The same resume can be presented differently as well., Example 2:, RESUME, 1., , Objective, , To acquire the position of, System Analyst and devise, innovative cost saving solutions, for, the, benefit, of, the, Organization., , 2., , Professional Qualification Successful completion of a twoyear course form NIIT in, Software Solutions., Training, programmer, Analyst., , 3., , Experience, , as, and, , Software, System, , Exposure to the System Design, exercise at L and T as a trainee., Production and application of, the Data- Protection Module to, protect organisation‘s sensitive, data., , 4., , Special Skills, , Good at organizing events,, Good at people‘s skills Good at, sports Good Communication, Skills in English, Gujarati,, Marathi, , 5., , Personal Details, , Age: 23 yrs, Address: 11, Aradhana, B Wing, Nehru Nagar, Kurla (W),, Mumbai – 400 067., Cell- 932225678, E-mail –
[email protected], Marital Status: Single
Page 102 : 102, b) Functional Resume:, A functional resume highlights the most relevant aspects of, one‘s professional history, academic information, specialization, areas and other relevant history., Example :1, Mr. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Email:
[email protected], Mob: +91 xxxxxxxxxx, Alt: +91 xxxxxxxxxx, Summary:, •, , Over four and a half years of IT experience in creating, solutions for IT Applications in various positions., , •, , Over two and a half years in OBIEE and Siebel, Analytics Applications., , •, , Worked on Configuration of Siebel e business, Applications., , •, , Experience of working on Siebel Implementation,, Support and Maintenance Projects., , •, , Good understanding of Oracle Business Intelligence, Architecture., , •, , Involved in Disconnected Analytic Client Installation., , •, , Good Knowledge, Segmentation., , •, , Experience in Siebel Analytics 7.x., , •, , Experience in Working on Siebel Analytics Tool and, Analytics Web., , •, , Good experience in Configuration, Customization and, Integration of Siebel Applications., , •, , Good, Understanding, Administration., , •, , Installation and Data warehouse Admin Console., , •, , ETL Tools (Informatica, Knowledge on OWB, ODI), , •, , Basic Knowledge on ISO/CMM Standards., , •, , Have an excellent track record of inter-personal skills,, professional approach and as a team player., , on, , the, , on, , Siebel, , Marketing, , Siebel, , knowledge, , Remote, , and, , Basic
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103, •, , Exceptional ability to quickly master new concepts,, applications and a team player with exceptional, technical, analytical and communication skills., , •, , Able to work well under extreme pressure, often, meeting tight deadlines, and able to effectively handle, multiple ongoing projects, , Education:, •, , MBA-Banking and Finance from Allagappa University., , •, , Post Graduate Diploma in Customer Relationship, Management (PGDCRM) from Symbiosis University,, Pune, , •, , B.TECH in Information Technology from University of, Madras with 79%., , •, , Intermediate with 69% and 10th with 74% at Mount, Saint Joseph Matri.Hr.Sec.School associated with the, Matriculation Board, Tiruvannamalai., , Trainings:, •, , Trained in Oracle Business Intelligence 10.1.3.3.3, from Oracle University., , •, , Attended in-house training on Siebel ebusiness, Applications From Capgemini Consulting Limited., , •, , Attended in-house training on Siebel Marketing, Manager (Siebel 7.7) From Oracle University., , •, , Attended in-house training on Oracle 9i From, Capgemini Consulting Limited. Attended in-house, training on Actuate 8 From Capgemini Consulting, Limited., , Technical skills:, CRM Tools, , Siebel business, Application & Tools 7.7, Business, Oracle, BI, 10.1.3.3.3,, Intelligence, Siebel Analytics 7.7, 7.8.2, RDBMS, Oracle, Operating Systems, UNIX,, Dos,, Windows, 95/98/2K, Configuration Management/ Source Forge, VSS and, Version control, Share Point Portal, Documentation:, Ms-Office, Adobe.
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104, Professional Experience:, •, , •, , •, , Working as (OBIEE Consultant) Siebel Analytics, Consultant for Capgemini Consulting Limited, from, April 06 to Till Date., Working, as, Associate, Consultant, (Siebel, Configurator) for Datamatics Limited, from Feb 05, to Mar 2006., Siebel, 7.0.3, Trained, from, Future, Point, Technologies from July 2004 to December 2004., , Work Experience:, Australia‘s First Bank-Westpac Agencies, Project: Analytical Reporting System., Role: OBIEE 10.1.3.3.3 (Siebel Analytics), Consultant., , Support, , In-stores is an agency used by Westpac in regional areas, where no branch footprint is available. Currently, In-stores, receives full commission for referrals that result in (primary), sale, and part commission for related cross-sales. Currently,, these referrals are sent via paper fax to the relevant (parent), branch manager. The, branch manager then loads and tracks the primary referral, and any related cross sales through ASTS. It is actioned in, ASTS and not RB to ensure that In-stores received the, correct commission., The objective of this project is to provide functionality within, relationship Builder application that will enable capture of the, In-store referrals within RB, removing the need to manage, the referrals solely via ASTS. Information would be stored, against the referral which would indicate the referral came, from an In-store, and this information would in turn be, provided to the In-store application from RB, mimicking the, current process from ASTS., By providing the capability to Branch Managers to load, track, and report on primary and cross-sales resulting from In-store, referrals, we reduce the need to deploy RB to the In-stores,, and accelerate the decommissioning of legacy system, ASTS.
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105, Responsibilities:, •, , Building OBI Repository/Metadata, , •, , Creating physical joins, logical joins and complex, joins in Physical and BMM Layer., , •, , Setting the subject Area permission for the users., , •, , Administration of Oracle Intelligence Dashboards &, Web Components, , •, , Enabling Ad hoc Querying support through Siebel, Answers, , •, , Migration/Deployment, of, Siebel, Analytics, Development to Production & Testing Environments, , •, , Preparation of Dashboard Technical Specification, , •, , Employing Siebel Answers and, Dashboards to create reports and charts, , •, , Performance Analysis of Analytics Dashboards., , •, , Being involved in Level 3 Production Support, which, demanded frequent client interactions., , Intelligence, , Environment: Oracle Business Intelligence 10.1.3.3.3, Siebel, Analytics 7.8, Siebel e-Clinical Analytics Application., Project: Siebel Clinical for Shire Pharmaceuticals, Role: OBIEE (Siebel Analytics) Consultant, Siebel eClinical:, CTMS – Clinical Trail Management System :, CTMS, is a management tool used for Clinical Trial, Management, based on Siebel eClinical. This project involves, implementing Siebel CRM by a huge Pharmaceutical company for, its Clinical Trial processes. The application used is e-clinical., Clinical Trials involve testing any molecule or combination of, molecules on specimens before it reaches the market for sale. It, involves preliminary tests on animals, followed by tests conducted, on humans. Each human volunteer for these tests is called a, Subject and goes through a Screening and Enrollment process, conducted by certain Hospitals, called Sites. These Sites belong to, a specific Region. Regions are those states/countries where the, Pharma Company conducts Clinical Trials. All this information is, captured in a single system, which is currently being built.
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106, I had been involved in:, , , Resolving Tickets by a set Dead Line., , , , Reviewing Test Scenarios, Cates & Test Plans., , , , Periodic Team Meetings and Client interaction., , , , Analysing & Reviewing User Requirements., Managing Bug Fixing & Post Implementation Support., , Responsibilities:, •, , Used Siebel Analytics for generating Sales reports,, which provides web based reports for executive,, management individuals., , •, , Created custom mappings to accommodate, customized fields. Utilized Intelligent Dashboards,, Siebel Answers for reporting requirements., , •, , Developed business models conforming to functional, mapping-defined logical and Complex joins for the, dimension tables., , •, , Extensively used Siebel Analytics Administration Tool, for customizing and modifying the physical, business, and presentation layers of the metadata repository., Worked extensively on Siebel Answers to create the, reports as per the Client., , •, , Requirements :, •, , Used filters and provided Customized prompts, appropriately to avoid excessive data Showing up, Reports., , •, , Created ibots and Delivers to send Alert messages to, subscribed users., , •, , Created Analytics Reports including Charts and Pivot, tables, Compound layout using Siebel Answers., , •, , Performed end-user training to develop ad-hoc, reports using Siebel Answers., , 3. Letter of Acceptance of a Job Offer:, After giving a successful interview, the applicant, if chosen, for the post in question, receives an offer letter from the, organisation. The letter which the candidate then writes, conveying, his consent, is known as letter of acceptance. This letter, communicates the candidate‘s willingness to join the organization, on the terms and conditions proposed by it. It also confirms the, date on which the candidate can join the organisation.
Page 107 : 107, Example :, , Ms. Anusha Patel, 11, Aradhana B wing, Nehru Nagar Kurla [W], Mumbai, 400067, Cell -932225678, E-mail –
[email protected], 1st June, 2008, The Personnel Manager, I-Flex Solutions, Goregaon [W], Mumbai 400 060, Sir,, Thank you for your offer letter dated May 29, 2008, offering me, the post of Software Consultant in your prestigious, organization., I am pleased to accept the post on the terms stated in your, letter, and, I confirm that I can commence work from 15 June, 2008., I assure you of my best effort., Yours faithfully, Anusha Patel, 4. Inter-office Memo:, A ‗memo‘ is a short form of the word memorandum which, means, ―. . . a written statement prepared by the person in order to, give information about a particular matter‖. In the organization it is, ―a short formal note written to a receiver or many receivers in order, to apprise her/him/ them of matters.‖, [This letter should not be confused with memo, meaning a warning, letter, which is a formal and official communication to an erring, employee. Nor should it be confused with memorandum of
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108, demands or understanding, which again is a formal mode of, individual or collective communication.], What, then, is an inter-office memo?, This is a short, handwritten or typed message which is sent, within the organization for immediate or quick implementation of, ideas. It could be used for reporting a matter, or giving instruction,, or simply to inform a colleague, or a superior, or a subordinate., There are many reasons for using memos. First, they are, convenient. Second, they take little time to read. Third, they provide, a written record for future reference., While writing an inter office memo the writer should bear in, mind that he has to pass on official information concisely and, clearly. Brevity and clarity are two essentials of a good memo., How is a memo written?, Usually, there is a standard printed format the contents of which, include, (a) The names of the Sender and Receiver, (b) The matter to be communicated, (c) The date, (d) The signature, which authenticates the note. [optional], Example 1, Company‘s Letter Head, Inter-Office Memo, To : Adil Shrivastav, From: Manish Khanna, , Date: 17-3-2009, , Subject: Arrangements for the Board Meeting., This is to inform you that the following arrangements are made, for the 11 o‘clock Board Meeting today., 1. Seating and mike arrangement for 8 members., 2. Projector, 3. Files containing the latest Profit and Loss account, 4. Tea and Snacks., Should you happen to need anything else please call me on ext, 2009., xxxxxxxx, Signature. [Optional]
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109, Example 2, To : Adil Shrivastav, From: Manish Khanna, , Date: 30/8/2009, , Subject: Employee Turnover Data, Could you send me a copy of the Employee Turnover Data, which you presented to the Board of Directors on Wednesday,, 23 August 2008. The copy should reach me latest by Saturday,, 2 September., xxxxxxxxxx, , 5. Resignation Letter:, A resignation letter is written when a person decides to quit, the organisation. Reasons for resigning from a firm could be many,, such as better prospects, being unhappy with the job, forthcoming, retrenchments. Since this letter has wider implications it should not, be taken lightly. Youngsters seem casual about job hopping. But,, as one grows older, one realizes the seriousness of the decision to, resign from the organization. Writing this letter becomes a stressful, matter for various reasons., (a), (b), (c), (d), , One is taking a decision that is going to change one‘s life., One has established emotional ties with the organization,, with colleagues, which one will have to sever., Taking up a new job in an entirely new environment may, make one feel insecure., Breaking the news to one‘s superiors could create a, feeling of letting them down., , Here are some tips on the drafting of the letter of resignation:, (a), , (b), (c), (d), (e), , Be clear, honest and firm about one‘s intentions to leave, and try and do it without antagonizing, or creating, negative feelings in the mind of the receiver., Show appreciation for what one has gained from the, organization., State the date from which one wishes to resign from the, organization., Mention other issues that one wishes to complete before, one resigns., Maintain a pleasant tone.
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110, Example :, Mr. Adwait Ranade,, HR Manager,, Sera Sera Exports., Date……, The Administrative Manager,, Sera Sera Exports,, …………., Dear Sir,, This is to inform you that I have accepted a new position as HR, Manager with ______________ organization. Please consider, this as my official letter of resignation., My last day of working here will be _____________. This will give, me 21 days to complete the HR project I am working on., I sincerely appreciate the learning opportunities provided by the, organization. I thank all my friends and colleagues for their, support and help. I am joining the new organization for the further, opportunities it is going to offer., I wish the staff of Sera Sera Exports continued success., Yours truly,, …………., , Other Personnel Letters. [ Students should not be tested on these], 6. Recommendation Letter :, A recommendation letter is written by a referee. He writes, his opinion about the abilities, achievements and qualities of the, applicant in question, who is known to him in some capacity. When, a referee writes a positive recommendation based on his personal, experience of the applicant, it becomes instrumental in the, selection of a candidate either for a job, or for admission to a, university. A candidate should first take the referee‘s permission, before quoting or suggesting his name as a referee.
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111, All such testimonials, as well as references, are marked, ‗Confidential‘. Envelopes carrying the letter, too, are marked in the, same way., Example :, Company Letter Head, Confidential, Mr. ……………., Manager, HR, ………….., ……………., , Dear Sir,, I am replying to your letter dated ……… I have nothing but, praises for Mr………… who worked as Lab In-Charge for our, Computer Section., He worked with us for four years [from November 2005 to, October 2009], and I have no hesitation in recommending him, as a person of integrity with a sense of responsibility. He is, competent and committed to his work., As a person you will find him co-operative and quietly creative., We shall be sorry to lose this talented young man, but we, realize that his abilities demand wider scope and better, prospects than is possible here., I wish him success., Yours truly, ………….., 7. Letter of Appointment:, This letter is written by the organization to the candidate,, who has successfully cleared the selection interview and who has, shown willingness to join the organization. The letter spells out the, terms and conditions of employment and asks the candidate to, communicate his acceptance, either personally or in writing.
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112, Example:, Company Letter Head, 10th June, 2008, Miss Anusha Patel, 11, Aradhana B wing, Nehru Nagar Kurla [W], Mumbai, 400067, Sub : Appointment Letter, Dear Miss Anusha Patel,, Thank you for attending the interview yesterday. We are, pleased to inform you that you have been selected for the post, of Trainee Software Consultant in our organization., As a trainee your annual package will be Rs.3,00,000/- . You, will be appointed on a probationary period for one year. After, confirmation, your salary package will include PF, and other, perks, and your salary will become 4,50,000/ per annum. You, will be entitled to 25 days of paid earned leave, along with 7, days of casual leave and 7 days of medical leave., The working hours will be five days a week from 9.00a.m. to, 6.00p.m., with an hour for lunch., Service conditions here are pleasant and prospects good,, though advancement will depend on your own effort and, abilities., Please confirm your acceptance of these terms and conditions, in writing by the 15th June, 2008., Yours sincerely, R.H. Kapoor, 8. Warning Memo :, This letter is different from the inter-office memo. This is a, formal / official communication sent to an erring employee. It lists, the matters that have been reported against the employee in, question, and warns him of the consequences should he fail to, correct his behaviour. Normally, an organization gives three such, warnings before terminating the services of the employee. The tone, of the letter must be objective and business-like.
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113, Example:, Company Letter Head, Date…….., Mr…………., Dear Mr.……….., It has been brought to the notice of the management that you, have been reporting late for work and leaving the office much, before closing time, despite oral warnings from the office, supervisor., There have been two occasions during the past month on, which you were found to be breaching our company rules by, indulging in spitting and smoking in the company premises., I hope there will be no repeat of any of these incidents,, otherwise, the management will be compelled to take action, against you., Yours truly, ...................., 9. Termination of Services:, This letter informs the employee that his services will not be, required by the management any longer. Termination could be due, to retrenchment. Or, it could be a natural consequence of the, memos given earlier, or due to some serious crime committed by, the employee. The letter states the reason or grounds on which the, service contract between the employee and the organization has, come to an end, the dates from which the termination becomes, effective, and the financial settlement that may need to be taken, care of., Example:, , 20th April 2008, , Sera Sera Exports, …………………….., , Notice of Dismissal, Dear Mr……….., I regret to inform you that, after going through the findings of the, inquiry committee on charges of ‗misappropriation of funds‘ and, ‗tampering of official records‘ leveled against you, the, management has decided to terminate your services with, immediate effect from today., ……….
Page 114 : 114, Thus: [or the letter could end in …… ―……your services will no, longer be required by the management from……….. Pl. treat this as, one/three month‘s notice], Tasks:, 1., , A student wishes to take admission to an MBA programme in, Ohio University. He has scored 75 per cent in the graduation, exam in Commerce. His highest score is in Economics, where, he has scored 80 percent marks. While in college he has, played Cricket and Badminton. His hobbies include, photography and reading. His aim is to do research in the field, of Economics. Write out his Statement of Purpose., , 2., , Read the following advertisements for job/ job-descriptions, carefully., Who and what are the advertisers on the look out for?, Begin your answer with ―The advertiser is on the look out for a, fresher/ middle level manager/ top level manager ……..‖, a. A Private Ltd. Company in Vasai [East] requires an, Account Assistant with good knowledge of Tally. Apply, with bio-data along with salary expectation to fax no, 28887487., b. Urgently required for a Diamond company a software, programmer. Candidate should be a graduate in, computer programming having knowledge of VB, Dot, Net,, Oracle., Send, your, application, to,
[email protected]., c. Area Development Officer (ADO) needed. The, candidate should have healthy relations with Architects,, Builders, Contractors, Fabricators, Dealers. The job, demands good communication, negotiation skills,, computer literacy and leadership qualities. Sales, Professionals who are passionate about a career in, sales in the booming construction industry may apply., Non-graduates who have fire in the belly for making a, career in sales may also apply. Timex group will, provide necessary need-based sales and product, training. Remuneration offered will be only the best and, match industry Standards. Apply to Timex Group , PO, Box no 1234., d. APJ Society requires Principal for APJ School. Highly, dynamic and dedicated person around 40-50 years of, age, having a master‘s degree in a teaching subject, with B.Ed. He/She should have a minimum of 15 years, of teaching Experience, including 7 years of
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115, administrative experience in the capacity of Principal or, Vice-Pincipal, in an English Medium school with over, 2000 students on its rolls. The candidate must possess, exceptional administrative acumen and communication, skills. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications, and experience. Apply in strict confidence within 15, days with detailed bio-data, passport size photograph,, and three references to P.O. Box No.2222, Mumbai, ,400 005., 2. Draft a letter of application/ acceptance/ resignation., a. An undergraduate student from Banking and Insurance, course writes to HDFC bank for summer placement /, leave vacancy. [Unsolicited letter of application.], b. Mr. Suresh Rana has been chosen for the post of Jr., Executive , Sales by Mahindra Kotak company. He, conveys his acceptance to the Personnel Manager., c. Ananya Banerjee has decided to resign from her post of, Receptionist at Royal Hotels in order to join Jet Airways., Write her letter of resignation., 3. Rephrase the following memo so that the information is passed, on to a colleague in a concise manner., ……………….., ………………., To:, From:, , Date:, , I have informed the Taj Caterers about the Annual Staff, Dinner. They are ready to serve dinner to 300 people only their, prices are on the higher side. May be we should negotiate with, them. Do you want me to fix a meeting with them? At what, time? On what day? I have also collected several other, quotations if you wish to see them., Yours sincerely, …………….
Page 116 : 116, 4. Read, the, following, advertisements,, requirements, make a list of the requirements., covering letter., , underline, their, Now draft the, , a. We require a lady Accountant with a B.Com. degree for a, part time post. The candidate must have 10 years, experience, should preferably be residing in South, Mumbai. She must be computer savvy and must have, Mutual Fund and Equity exposure. E-mail your, application to
[email protected]., b. The Indian Science Association invites applications for, the post of Assistant Executive Secretary in the scale of, Rs. 10,000-325-15200/-,plus usual allowances in, accordance with the rules of the Association. The, candidate must possess good communication skills in, English, must have a degree in Office Management, and, have a minimum of 2 to 3 years experience. Interested, candidates should forward their applications to, www.scienceindia.nic.in on or before 2nd January, 2009., c. Win India, a BPO, requires young, dynamic persons with, good communication abilities to work as Customer, Relations Officers. Candidates under the age of 25, with, proficiency in English and good telephonic manners,, should forward their applications to Post Box No. 180,, TOI, Mumbai 400005, within eight days. We offer, attractive salaries and good work environment., 5. Draft a covering letter as well as resume for the following, advertisements:, a. Wanted Chief Accountant for Bahrain National Gas, Company. Candidate must possess a degree in Finance, and Accounts, preferably C.A., with 10 years experience, in Accountancy., b. For Saudi Arabia, Mechanical Engineers, candidates with, a degree in Mechanical Engineering with more than three, years, experience, in, installation,, testing, and, commissioning of 300 TR above chilled water. Those, meeting requirements may forward their applications to, M/s WESTERLIES , Malviya Nagar , New Delhi 17.
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117, c. Kingfisher/ Jet Airways / Spice Jet/ Go Air invites, applications from young, confident persons with pleasant, personality and good communication skills in English., Candidates under 25 yrs of age, having minimum height, of 5.3‖ [for girls] and 5.6‖ [for boys] should forward their, applications along with two passport size photographs to, Post Box No. 1111. Candidates holding diploma / degree, from a grooming house/ having experience/ having sports, background will be given preference., d. A leading private bank is looking for trainee executives., Candidates in the age group of 20 to 25 yrs, with, pleasant personality, and good communication skills in, English, along with knowledge of any of the following, languages — Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, should forward, their applications within eight days to the following, address. Post Box No 222, Mumbai 400023. Candidates, with a degree in B.Com with Banking and Insurance /, experience would be given preference., , , ,
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118, , UNIT 3 : WRITING SKILLS, , 8, PARAGRAPH WRITING, Learning objectives :, To acquaint students with the commercial terms that have, become a part of regular currency., To enable students to write/compose (a) simple paragraph/s., To acquaint students with the elements of self editing, , Introduction :, In a world that is becoming increasingly digital, writing is, gaining primacy over the other skills of communication. At the work, place, most of the communication is by e-mail. While making a, presentation or preparing a speech, one has to first prepare a draft., Thus, increasingly, it is becoming clear that one‘s ability to, exchange ideas, collaborate with others, and ultimately succeed,, hinges on one‘s ability to write effectively., While essaying any topic, one needs to put together, paragraphs that introduce an idea, elaborate on it and conclude it, effectively. This chapter proposes to discuss (a) the mechanics of, writing coherent paragraph/s, linking them logically to express one, complete idea, (b) the elements of self-editing that weed out the, unnecessary and retain the essential, in order to make a piece of, writing impactful., I. Paragraph Writing:, i). How does one write a paragraph? Is it merely a putting together, of sentences? Can a simple grouping of sentences together result, in a paragraph?, Look at the following sentences:, Mr. Sinha has decided to merge his company with that of, DLH group.
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119, He bought a new car yesterday. His son took admission to, an MBA course abroad. His secretary has been giving him, trouble. He needed to pay his advance tax before 30, September., These sentences are about a businessman, Mr.Sinha. But, do they together form a paragraph? Clearly, some element is, missing. The missing element is the absence of coherence and, cohesion., Cohesion can be thought of as all the grammatical and, lexical links that link one part of a text to another. This includes use, of synonyms, lexical sets, pronouns, verb tenses, time references,, grammatical reference, etc. For example, ‗it‘, ‗neither‘ and ‗this‘ all, refer to an idea previously mentioned. ‗First of all‘, ‗then‘ and ‗after, that‘ help to sequence a text. ‗However‘, ‗in addition‘ and ‗for, instance‘ link ideas and arguments in a text., Coherence can be thought of as how meanings and, sequences of ideas relate to each other. Typical examples would, be general> particular; statement> example; problem> solution;, question> answer; claim> counter-claim., A paragraph must have one central idea that links all the, sentences together. That central idea is known as the Topic or, Key sentence. It may come at the beginning, in the middle, or, towards the end of a piece of writing. Its function is to define or, introduce the theme of the paragraph. The other sentences that, appear in the paragraph either support, or illustrate the main idea., The structure of a paragraph depends upon the unity and ordering, of ideas., For example:, ―What are the qualities of a true professional? In what order do, they rank? Our college editorial polled 80 students across the city,, in the age group of 18-21 years, to determine the traits one must, hone in order to be proficient at the workplace. They are, 1. Sincerity and dedication, 2. Leadership qualities, 3. Communication Skills, 4. Ethics, 5. Aptitude and ability, 6. Team spirit, 7. Responsibility and Accountability
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120, 8. Punctuality, 9. Creativity, 10. Interdisciplinary Skills., , , , What is the paragraph about?, It is about the qualities a professional must possess in, order to be successful at the workplace. This becomes, the topic sentence., , A Paragraph, thus, is a group of connected sentences that is, generally made up of one main idea and a group of supporting, sentences. Paragraphs are the basic unit for building longer pieces, of writing such as essays, reports, assignments etc., Paragraphs contain three main parts:, , , A topic sentence - contains the main idea of the, paragraph. It is often, but not always, the first sentence of, the paragraph., , , , Supporting sentences - these sentences develop or give, details about the topic sentence. They can:, , , , o, , expand on the main point, , o, , offer explanations, , o, , give examples, , o, , give additional details., , A concluding sentence summarises the paragraph or it, may provide a link to the next paragraph. This sentence, is not always necessary in a paragraph., , Logical Order: What binds the sentences together is the logical, connection between them. One sentence must follow the other, logically. Logical progression of ideas makes a paragraph coherent., Writers use linkers or connectives to achieve this effect., For example:, Since ages, the operations of the Excise Directorate, relating, to manufacture, supply, storage, collection of duties and, maintenance of records, have been carried out manually by, maintaining large number of paper records. This severely affected, the generation of accurate MIS reports for decision-making with, progressively increasing volumes. Thus, a web-based portal, solution was developed to join networks of the factories,
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121, warehouses and retail outlets for effective regulation and revenue, administration., What gives this small paragraph its wholeness is the, connectivity between its, (a) Topic sentence, (b) Supporting statements and, (c) Concluding sentence., ii) Types of linkers :, Since linkers establish connectivity between sentences as well as, between paragraphs, and establish an easy flow of ideas, it is, important to know the types of linkers., 1., , Addition [and] —Also, furthermore, in addition to,, additionally., , 2., , Contrast [but] — However, nevertheless, in contrast,, though, in any case, in spite of, on the other hand,, regardless of this, yet, still, , 3., , Reason [for] – for this reason, because of, with this in, mind, in view of, , 4., , Result [so] — Therefore, as a result, consequently,, accordingly, , 5., , Consequence [then] – if so, if not, in that case, under the, circumstances, otherwise, , 6., , IIlustration — for example, for instance, namely, as an, illustration, , 7., , Similarity — similarly, likewise, in the same way, by the, same token, , 8., , Clarification – in other words, to put it another way,, specifically, namely, that is to say, , 9., , Sequence — first of all, first, firstly, to begin with, next,, afterward, later, at last, eventually, lastly, in the end,, finally, last but not the least, , 10. Summation — in conclusion, in sum, to summarise, in, short, briefly, to be brief, in a word, 11. Review — as was previously mentioned/ stated/ pointed, out, as I have said, 12. Generalisation — in general, overall, on the whole, all in, all
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122, 13. Changing the subject — by the way, incidentally, to, change the Subject, 14. Returning to the subject — anyway, at any rate, to return, to the point., [Business Communication: Herta Murphy, Herbert W.Hilderbrandt,, Jane P.Thomas, page 581], II. A paragraph/paragraphs can also be planned by asking related, questions about the subject. One can write a coherent, paragraph by answering these questions., Example No. 1 :, Blood Donation Camp :, 1., , Who organized the Blood Donation Camp?, , 2., , Where and when was it organized?, , 3., , What were the preparations for the camp?, , 4., , How did it begin?, , 5., , Which organization/ hospital took initiative to organize, it?, , 6., , What was the response of students?, , 7., , How many bottles of blood were collected?, , 8., , Was the camp successful?, , The N.S.S. unit of GES college organised a blood donation, camp on Saturday, 15 September 2008, in the assembly hall of the, college. Members of the Satya Sai Seva, in conjunction with the, NSS programme officer of GES college, organized this programme., The programme began with a small prayer to Shri Satya Sai Baba,, which was followed by the lighting of the lamp at the hands of, Principal Dr. Mrs Santani ., Satya Sai Seva Samiti began its preparations by arranging, five camp beds in the hall. Three doctors and two nurses explained, the procedure to students and made an appeal to donate blood as, a service to humanity., Students were given donor cards in return for the blood, donated which assured them the supply of three bottles of blood,, free of charge, in case of an emergency. They were also informed, of their blood group.
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123, Refreshments were arranged by the college for those who, had donated blood. This camp was a huge success as the Samiti, collected 400 bottles of blood by the end of the day., Example No. 2 :, 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., , What is a Webcam?, How does it operate?, What are its advantages?, Is it expensive?, What are its various uses?, , A Webcam (web camera) is a small camera (usually, though, not always, video camera), whose images can be accessed using, the World Wide Web, instant messaging, or a PC video, conferencing application., Web-accessible camera involves a digital camera which, uploads images to a web server, either continuously or at regular, intervals. This may be achieved by a camera attached to a PC, or, by dedicated hardware. A Videoconferencing camera typically, takes the form of a small camera connected directly to a PC. An, Analog camera is also sometimes used (often of the sort used for, closed-circuit television), connected to a video capture card and, then directly or indirectly to the internet., Today, there are millions of webcams that provide views into, homes, offices and other buildings, as well as providing panoramic, views of cities (Metrocams) and the countryside. Webcams are, used to monitor traffic with TraffiCams, the weather with, WeatherCams, and even volcanoes with VolcanoCams. Webcam, aggregators allow viewers to search for specific webcams based on, geography or other criteria., Web cameras are available at affordable prices. The price, range begins at as low as Rs.399, going up to a maximum of, Rs.2200., [Wikipaedia.org/ Web-cam], III. Paragraph based on Technical Data :, Interpretation of Technical data:, Students have learnt that the use of graphics and other, visual aids help the receiver understand and retain a message, better. How does one write a paragraph based on such graphics?
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124, Use the question answer technique to prepare a rough draft and, then write a continuous paragraph based on the answers., Examples:, Year, 1980, 1980, 1980, 1980, 1990, 1990, 1990, 1990, 1999, 1999, 1999, 1999, 2005, 2005, 2005, 2005, , Poverty Index, 84%, 60%, 29%, 60%, 51%, 55%, 22%, 32%, 45%, 56%, 56%, 20%, 16%, 42%, 50%, 15%, , Countries, China, India, sub Saharan Countries, Other developing Countries, , China, India, sub Saharan Countries, Other developing Countries, , China, India, sub Saharan Countries, Other developing Countries, , China, India, sub Saharan Countries, Other developing Countries, , Step 1: Frame questions:, 1. What is the graphic about? / What does the graphic, illustrate? [What should be the title of the paragraph?], 2. What kind of chart is it? [Line,Bar, Multiple bars, Pie….], 3. What is the dominant trend ?, 4. What are the other salient features?
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125, Step 2: Answer the questions., 1.Q. What is the graphic about? / What does the graphic, illustrate? [ What should be the title of the paragraph?], Ans : The graphic depicts the poverty index of India , China,, Sub-Saharan and Other Developing countries, spanning, the period from 1980 to 2005., 2. Q. What kind of graphic is it? [Line,Bar, Multiple bars, Pie….], Ans: It is a multiple bar diagram., 3. Q. What is the dominant trend ?, Ans: The predominant feature is that China has been able to, reduce poverty from 84% to 16%, while India has failed, miserably to do so., 4.Q. What are the other salient features?, Ans: India presents a dismal picture. It has been able to reduce, poverty only marginally and can only compare itself with, the sub-saharan countries, which too have failed to, reduce poverty. Other developing countries, too, have, shown remarkable resolve to fight poverty and have been, able to reduce poverty from 60% to the current 15%., Step 3: Let us attempt a cohesive paragraph based on these, answers., Title : India‘s Poverty Index./ India Shining ?, India‘s poverty index presents a dismal picture, as its poverty, figures hover around 42 %in the year 2005. This raises a serious, question about India‘s rhetoric of the ‗inclusive growth‘ or ‗reforms, with a human face‘. The graphic depicts India‘s comparative, position with that of the other countries fighting this social malady,, spanning a period between 1980 and 2005.One cannot but laud the, success achieved by China, which began at 84% in the year 1980,, but has its poverty figures at 16% in the year 2005. The same is the, case with other developing countries, which have successfully, fought the shameful figure of 60% to reduce poverty to 15 % in, 2005. India can draw solace from the fact that sub-sahran countries, have done worse than her. One must ask who is responsible for, this pathetic state of affairs? What is shining? India or its poverty?, While writing a letter, too, one is writing paragraphs that have a, connectivity which conveys the ideas as a complete whole., Here are some suggestions., In a letter of Enquiry,
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126, Beginning, (i) I wish to enquire about the new water purifier advertised by, you in ‗The Indian Express of 3 August 2008., Middle, (ii) I would like some information about its special features and, its cost. Will you please send me your price-list and, catalogue at your earliest?, Conclusion/End, (iii) I would also be interested in knowing if you offer an early, bird discount to customers., In a letter of Complaint :, Beginning, (i) We regret to inform you that our order for 100 sets of, Drawing room curtains arrived in a damaged condition., Middle, (ii) We had placed an order for Nylon Sheers, product no. 001,, brand Welspun, in Green and Grey colours. The order was, meant for some very special customers. But, to our, disappointment, though the order arrived in time, it arrived in, a damaged condition. Most of the pieces were covered with, tiny stains., Conclusion, (iii) Since these curtains are of little use to us, we have no option, but to return the order at your cost. We were compelled to, make alternative arrangements for the order, as the curtains, were needed urgently. We, therefore, request you to refund, our entire amount at your earliest., IV. Editing :, While interacting socially, does one articulate all the, thoughts that arise in one‘s mind? The answer is ‗no‘. The speaker, processes those thoughts. S/He retains the ones that are suitable, to the occasion and eliminates the ones that are not. This, ‗processing‘ is ‗editing‘. In any formal communication, either written, or spoken, the first draft should not be the final one. The, communicator has to reorder, modify, improve her/his presentation, for better impact. This is ‗editing‘., Editing involves revising, proofreading and evaluating the, message for better impact and reception. Revising means
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127, improving the content and sentence structure of the message. In, proofreading one looks for errors of spelling, grammar and, punctuation, and removes them. Evaluation involves analysis of, the content to find out if the message has achieved its purpose., A business message must be understood by the receiver, immediately. In order to achieve the desired result, writing a, message in simple and clear terms becomes essential., Here are some strategies for keeping the message simple, clear, and effective., 1. Apply the KISS — Keep it Short and Simple— formula., Use simple and short constructions to convey meaning clearly., For example,, Instead of saying, In order to obtain optimal results, it is essential that the police, force is provided with the right kind of gear. (Unclear), Say, To get the best results, equip the police with the right gear., (Clear), 2. Keep the tone conversational :, This involves avoiding unnecessary use of legal or technical, terminologies and third-person constructions. A business, message must sound personal and friendly., Instead of saying, Our organisation would like to inform you that we have raised, your status to that of a preferred customer…, Say, We are glad to inform you that we have raised your status to our, preferred customer…, 3. Remove opening fliers or preamble phrases :, Words or phrases such as ‗The reason for saying this‘, ‗There, is‘, which fill in sentences but do not add to their meaning,, should be avoided., Instead of saying, These are the five things that I want you all to do., Say, I want you to do these five things.
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128, 4. Remove redundancies as well as empty words:, Expressions that repeat meanings are redundancies. For, example, in the expression ‗advance planning‘, planning itself, implies making prior preparations. Such repetition should be, avoided. Similarly, one tends to crowd the message with familiar, words and clichés. This should also be avoided., Instead of saying, This is the last and final call, Say, This is the final call, Instead of saying, The management is aware of the fact that managers need, training., Say, The management is aware that managers need training., 6. Use verbs instead of nouns. Try and reduce the length of, sentences by replacing noun phrases with verbs., Noun, verb form, Make an assumption, assume, Make a recommendation, recommend, 7. Avoid using trite / hackneyed business phrases:, In order to give a professional or businesslike touch to the, message., Instead of saying, Say, Thanking you in anticipation Thank you., In receipt of, have received, Enclosed please find, enclosed in, 8. Develop parallelism:, Match nouns with nouns, verbs with verbs, clauses with, clauses, phrases with phrases, active verbs with active ones, and passive verbs with passive ones. Mixing of these creates, imbalance., Instead of saying, The objective of an exit interview is to find out the reason and, obtaining of a feedback from an outgoing employee., Say, The objective of an exit interview is to find out the reason and to, obtain a feedback from an outgoing employee., 9. Use highlighting techniques:, Use of graphics, bullets, colours, letters, numerals help in, highlighting an important piece of information and creating, visual impact., [Adapted from Business Communication, Process & Product, by Mary Allen Guffey, Thomson South-Weston,2000]
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129, Follow this checklist before the submission of the written, communication:, 1. Does the introduction clearly state the purpose of the topic, and all the requirements?, 2. Is the flow of ideas clear?, 3. Has the topic been summed up properly?, 4. Has the piece of writing been checked for errors in spelling,, punctuation and sentence structure?, V. Commercial Terms Used in Business Communication :, As a student of business communication one must know the terms, that are commonly used in a contemporary corporate setting., I. Office Technology Terms :, ATLAS: Automatic tabulating, listing, sorting system, Bps: bits per second, Corruption: The unintended alteration or mutilation of computer, data processing or transmission., Domain: On the Internet, a domain is a network address. This is, similar to your home address used by the postal system. The, mailman can deliver our mail because we have a unique address, such as 22, Crystal Plaza, Andheri[W], Mumbai. On the Web, each, site has its own unique address also, so that Web servers can find, it. These domains are also referred to as ‗Dot.Coms‘., End User : person who operates the computer system, Graphic: (or image) In computers, and on the Internet, a picture is, generally referred to as a ―graphic‖ or an ―image‖., Home Page: For a Web site developer, a home page is the first, page presented when a user selects a site or presence on the, World Wide Webpage., HTML: (Hypertext Markup Language) is the set of markup symbols, or codes inserted in a file intended for display on the World Wide, Web. The markup tells the Web browser how to display a Web, page for the user., Hypertext: This is what makes the Web work. Hypertext is a link, between some text at point A, and something related to this at point, B. For example, you might have a word like automobile (point A), linked to a photo of a particular car (point B).
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130, Hypertext was the main concept that led to the invention of, the World Wide Web, which is nothing more (or less) than an, enormous amount of information connected by an enormous, number of hypertext links., Keyword: (i) A word (or more commonly, a phrase) that is used to, search the Internet, via a search engine, when seeking a particular, type of information., (ii) A word or phrase used in search engine optimization of a web, page, so as to make the page easy to find in search engines., Web Design: The arrangement and creation of web pages that in, turn make up a web site. There are many aspects to this process,, and due to the rapid development of the Internet, new aspects are, continually being added., a) The ―visibility‖ of the site on the Internet, particularly within, the major Search Engines., b) The informational value of the site, from its target public‘s, point of view., c) The aesthetic / professional appearance of the pages., Webmaster: A Webmaster is a person who either:, a) Creates and manages the, organization of a Web site, , information, , content, , and, , b) Manages the computer server and technical programming, aspects of a Web site, c) Or does both., Webpage: On the World Wide Web, a page is a single file written, with the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Usually, it contains, text and specifications about where images or other files are to be, placed when the page is displayed by a browser. A webpage (also, written as Web page) is part of a Web site., Website: (also called a site) A Web site is a collection of Web files, on a particular subject that includes a beginning file called a home, page. For example, most companies, organizations, or individuals, that own Web sites have a single address that they give you. This, is their home page address. From the home page, you can get to, all the other pages on their site.
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131, II. Office Practice Terms, Attrition: Gradual wearing down, friction, Depreciation: The rate at which fixed assets such as machines,, vehicles lose value, Despatch Note: Usually sent with goods stating number of, packages and their contents., Delivery note: A document which accompanies goods in transit, stating the number of packages and their contents, Induction Course: A short course (usually held at the beginning of, the employment) intended to introduce a new employee to the, company, to give guidance and brief training in job related, activities. The objective is to ease the new employee into his, department as smoothly as possible, and to give her/him a feeling, of belonging and being necessary to the team., Flat rate: The rate of pay per week with no overtime or other, additions., Flexitime: Flexible working time, Multinational companies: Very large companies which own other, companies throughout the world., Paperless office: A near future concept in which the typical office, will no longer set store by paper records., Overheads: Costs essential to smooth running of a business such, as costs incurred for lighting, air-conditioning, office expenses., Fob: Free on board, which means that the supplier pays for the, transportation of goods, Follow-up system: A reminder system which ensures that, correspondence is followed up, III. Stock Market, Across the Board: Movement, up or down, in the stock market, that affects nearly all stocks in the same direction; that is,, nearly all stocks are gainers or losers., Averaging: Buying a share at different times, in different, quantities and at different prices, so that an advantageous, average price is obtained. For example, someone has bought, 100 shares at Rs 80 in a rising market; when the price falls to
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132, Rs 60 he may buy another 200. By averaging he has obtained a, price of Rs. 66.33 for a share. If he buys still further shares, when the price is lower, by averaging he may obtain an even, lower price. Averaging is often done to offset the high price once, paid in a rising market. Also, averaging is a means of not paying, too high a price when buying a lot of shares (there is no violent, change in price, since the buying is in small lots), or not getting, too low a price when selling a large chunk of shares (the price, does not drop suddenly)., Blue Chip companies: Shares of first class companies giving, consistent high returns on investments., Broker: Brokers are those essential elements of the Stock, Exchange whose job is to effectively advise their clients so that, they can make beneficial investments and bargains at the stock, market. The broker is responsible for transferring business in, securities on behalf of insiders who are not members of the, Stock Exchange., Bull: A Bull at the Stock Market refers basically to those, speculators who, based on their expectations of a rise in prices,, buy securities with an aim to sell them at a beneficial profit., Bull Market: A market in which stock prices are rising in, general. If the market is recovering from a deep decline, the, early stage of the up trend is called an up reversal, turnaround,, rally or recovery., Bear: A Bear at the stock market refers to those speculators, who sell their securities and holdings as a result of their, expectation of a fall in price, thus, attempting to make a profit on, the sales., Bear Market: A market in which stock prices are declining in, general. A serious decline is called a depression. A short, decline in a generally rising market is looked upon as a, technical correction., Investors: Investors refer to those people who buy securities, with an aim to earn a fair return on their investments. The main, concern of investors is to earn a regular income through the, investments they are holding.
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133, IV. Sales and Marketing:, Bulk Import, This is the option available at leads, accounts, contacts and tasks, by which you can import 1000 data at a time., Campaign, A marketing initiative, such as an advertisement, direct mail, or, conference that is conducted in order to generate prospects and, build brand awareness., Campaign Member, Any lead or contact associated with a campaign., Case, Detailed description of a customer‘s feedback, problem, or, question. Used to track and solve customers‘ queries., Competitors, Rival companies that pitch for the same sales opportunities., Related list that displays competitor names, strengths, and, weaknesses entered for a specific opportunity., Contact, Individuals who are known, and interfaced with in an Account. Also,, information stored about the individuals associated with the, Accounts., Contract, An agreement between two or more businesses that lists the terms, and conditions attached to the things that they agree to, and related, to some business., Collaboration, Refers to issues and requirements related to campaigns., Default Currency, The currency kept for daily transactions. There are options to set, default currency., Dynamic mailing list, Refers to a constantly updated mailing list., End date, The date when the task will end or get completed., Fiscal Year, Information that specifies whether the organization‘s fiscal year is, named for the starting or ending year., Forecasts, Projections of sales revenue, organization‘s fiscal year., , based, , on, , quarters, , in, , the
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134, ISO Code, The International Organization for Standardization country code,, which represents each country by two letters., Price Book, A list of products that the organization sells., Participants, At campaigns, refers to the target audience., Priority, Identifies the importance level at tasks and cases., Products, Items or services sold to customers., Record, Information stored in the database, corresponding to the entry of a, particular item, for example, an account, opportunity, or case., Report, Information, either displayed or printed, that provides a summary of, the data., Role, Assigned responsibility of a user, partner account, or contact for, specific accounts and opportunities. Administrators can define user, roles in the organization set up. Individual users can assign specific, partner and contact roles for accounts and contacts., Sales Price, The price of a product on an opportunity. This can be different from, the product‘s standard or list price., V. Finance, Assets, Anything owned by the company having a monetary value;, e.g. ‗fixed‘ assets like buildings, plant and machinery, vehicles, (these are not assets if rented and not owned), and potentially, including intangibles like trade marks and brand names, and, ‗current‘ assets, such as stock, debtors and cash., Asset turnover, Measure of operational efficiency, which shows how much, revenue is produced per Rupee of assets available to the business,, (sales revenue/total assets less current liabilities), Balance sheet, The Balance Sheet is one of the three essential, measurement reports for the performance and health of a, company, along with the Profit and Loss Account and the Cash flow, Statement. The Balance Sheet is a ‗snapshot‘ in time of who owns, what in the company, and what assets and debts represent the
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135, value of the company. The term ‗balance sheet‘ is derived from the, simple purpose of detailing where the money came from, and, where it is now. The balance sheet equation is fundamentally, (where the money came from) Capital + Liabilities = Assets (where, the money is now), Budget, In a financial planning context the word ‗budget‘ (as a noun), means an amount of money that is planned to be spent on a, particularly activity or resource, usually over a trading year,, although budgets apply to shorter and longer periods. In simple, terms, budget = plan or a cost element within a plan; forecast =, updated budget or plan. The verb forms are also used, meaning the, act of calculating the budget or forecast., Cash flow, The movement of cash in and out of a business from day-today, direct trading, and other non-trading or indirect effects, such as, capital expenditure, tax and dividend payments., Cost of debt ratio (average cost of debt ratio), Despite the different variations used for this term (cost of, debt, cost of debt ratio, average cost of debt ratio, etc) the term, normally and simply refers to the interest expense over a given, period as a percentage of the average outstanding debt over the, same period, i.e., cost of interest divided by average outstanding, debt., Current assets, Cash, and anything that is expected to be converted into, cash, within twelve months of the balance sheet date., Current liabilities, Money owed by the business that is generally due for, payment within twelve months of balance sheet date. Examples:, creditors, bank overdraft, taxation., Depreciation, The apportionment of cost of a (usually large) capital item, over an agreed period, based on life expectancy or obsolescence., Dividend, A dividend is a payment made per share to a company‘s, shareholders by a company, based on the profits of the year., Earnings before. . ., There are several ‗Earnings Before. . ‘ ratios and acronyms: EBT =, Earnings Before Taxes;, EBIT = Earnings Before Interest and Taxes; EBIAT = Earnings, Before Interest after Taxes;
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136, EBITD = Earnings Before Interest, Taxes and Depreciation; and, EBITDA = Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and, Amortization. (Earnings = operating and non-operating profits (e.g., interest, dividends received from other investments). Depreciation, is the non-cash charge to the balance sheet which is made in, writing off an asset over a period. Amortisation is the payment of a, loan in instalments., Fixed assets, Assets held for use by the business, rather than for sale or, conversion into cash, e.g., fixtures and fittings, equipment,, buildings., Fixed cost, A cost which does not vary with changing sales or, production volumes, e.g., building lease costs, permanent staff, wages, rates, depreciation of capital items., Initial Public Offering (IPO), An Initial Public Offering (IPO being the Stock Exchange and, corporate acronym) is the first sale of privately owned equity (stock, or shares) in a company via the issue of shares to the public and, other investing institutions. In other words, an IPO is the first sale of, stock by a private company to the public., Letters of guarantee, There are many types of letters of guarantee. These types of, letters of guarantee are concerned with providing safeguards to, buyers that suppliers will meet their obligations or vice-versa, and, are issued by the supplier‘s or customer‘s bank, depending on, which party seeks the guarantee., Liabilities, General term for what the business owes. Liabilities are, long-term loans of the type used to finance the business, and shortterm debts or money owing as a result of trading activities to date., Net assets (also called total net assets), Total assets (fixed and current) less current liabilities and, long-term liabilities that have not been capitalised (e.g., short-term, loans)., Net profit, Net profit can mean different things, so it always needs, clarifying. Net strictly means ‗after all deductions‘ (as opposed to, just certain deductions used to arrive at a gross profit or margin)., Net profit normally refers to profit after deduction of all operating, expenses, notably after deduction of fixed costs or fixed overheads., This contrasts with the term ‗gross profit‘ which normally refers to, the difference between sales and direct cost of product or service, sold (also referred to as gross margin or gross profit margin) and
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137, certainly before the deduction of operating costs or overheads. Net, profit normally refers to the profit figure before deduction of, corporation tax, in which case the term is often extended to ‗net, profit before tax‘ or PBT., P/E ratio (price per earnings), The P/E ratio is arrived at by dividing the stock or share, price by the earnings per share (profit after tax and interest divided, by the number of ordinary shares in issue)., Profit and Loss account (P&L), One of the three principal business reporting and measuring, tools (along with the balance sheet and cash flow statement). The, P&L is essentially a trading account for a period, usually a year, but, also can be monthly and cumulative. It shows profit performance,, which often has little to do with cash, stocks and assets (which, must be viewed from a separate perspective using balance sheet, and cash flow statement). The P&L typically shows sales revenues,, cost of sales/cost of goods sold, generally a gross profit margin, (sometimes called ‗contribution‘), fixed overheads and or operating, expenses, and then a profit before tax figure (PBT)., Overhead, An expense that cannot be attributed to any one single part, of the company‘s activities., Reserves, The accumulated and retained difference between profits, and losses, year on year, since the company‘s formation., Return on investment, ‗Return‘ generally means profit before tax, but interpretation, of the term can vary according to the person using the term, as, profit depends on various circumstances, not least the accounting, conventions used in the business., Share capital, The balance sheet nominal value paid into the company by, shareholders at the time(s) shares were issued., t/t (telegraphic transfer), International banking payment method, a telegraphic transfer, payment, commonly used/required for import/export trade, between, a bank and an overseas party, enabling transfer of local or foreign, currency by telegraph, cable or telex. Also called a cable transfer., The terminology dates from times when such communications were, literally ‗wired‘ – before wireless communications technology., Working capital, Current assets less current liabilities, representing the, required investment, continually circulating, to finance stock,, debtors, and work in progress.
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138, Tasks:, 1. Reorganise the following set of sentences to form a meaningful, paragraph:, (a), i. By behaving assertively, you will not be seeking to, manipulate others, but to have an open, clear discussion., ii. If you do not express your true meanings or feelings,, your body language may betray these subsequently., iii. The art of Assertive Communication encompasses clear,, honest and direct expression of feelings, both positive, and negative., iv. Assertiveness implies that you are to change your own, behaviour, rather than persuading others to change., (b), i. He started his career as a cashier at his maternal uncle‘s, company., ii. His salary was so low that he had to sleep on the floor of, his office., iii. Today, the net worth of this founder chairman and, promoter of India‘s largest private domestic airline, Jet, Airways, is over 81 billion (Rs. 8,100 crore), which makes, him the sixth richest Indian., iv. There was a time when Mr. Naresh Goyal had to walk, quite a few miles everyday to school, as his parents, could not afford a bicycle for him., (c), i. Next, check out the unique personalities of the capitals of, each of Australia‘s states., ii. Ths first stop must be Sydney, Australia‘s biggest, metropolis., iii. Come and indulge in your own Australian experience., iv. Australian cities are vibrant, affable and distinctive., 2. Construct a paragraph based on the points provided., [Ali‘s 18th birthday. His desire—to have a super speed latest motor, bike., He persuaded his father to buy him one. He first persuaded, his mother. His father reluctantly gave in to his demand, but warned
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139, him against rash driving. The keys and the helmet, along with a, note, greeted him on his birthday. The note said ……….], Let us construct a paragraph/s with the help of the points., Ali‘s birthday fell on Saturday. He would be eighteen. An, adult in his own right! He had been waiting for this day for a very, very long time., ‗What would my parents give me this time as my birthday, present‘? he wondered. He had all along wanted ‗Spark‘, the sleek,, super fast, speed machine. His father was against the idea. He had, taken the police‘s warning to parents against giving youngsters, motorbikes that led to high mortality and fatal accidents too, seriously. Ali began by making appeals to his mother. Finally, she, gave in and agreed to speak to his father. His father, after a lot of, deliberation, agreed to let him have one, but warned him against, rash driving., On Saturday, when Ali opened his eyes, he saw a greeting, card that said, ―Many Happy Returns of the Day, Rider‖, and his, heart missed a beat when he saw the blue helmet along with the, keys of the motorbike that were kept beside it., Now, try and construct a similar paragraph each or paragraphs, based on the following points., (a), , A man in……… walked down the road…, he was, wearing… A girl…dressed in……….was waiting for him, near the coffee shop. As he approached her……….., , (b), , It was nearing nine…… Anita was tired, hungry. There, were only two persons in the office, she and her boss,, giving finishing touches to the project. She was thinking, of the hour long travel home on a crowded train, …………, , (c), , Ajay was all set on the day of his interview. It would take, him forty minutes to reach Andheri. Then another 15, minutes by autorickshaw. As he reached the station he, was aghast to hear of a bomb blast that had ripped the, platform apart only five minutes ago…….., , 3. Mohan Rao is a very careful and determined man. He knows, exactly what he is going to do and has planned his future in detail., By 2012, he will have saved Rs. 25 lakhs, bought a house, married, and had two children, a boy first and then a girl. He will retire by the, time he is 40 years of age, and then take his family on a world tour., Now imagine the opposite. Begin with Mohan Rao is a reckless, man, and complete the paragraph.
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140, 5. ― A new rule must be introduced that mandates the parents of, those students who induldge in ragging to cough up a fine amount, of at least Rs 5 lakh to the government. Also…….‖ Imagine this as, the beginning of your argument the practice of ragging. Wirte out a, paragraph/s to put forth your ideas on the subject., 6. Study the following graphic and write a paragraph based on it., , What will force our political class to change ?, (a) 28% : Regulatory bodies like Election Commission Supreme, Court., (b) 54% : People‘s mandate rejecting non-performing politicians, (c) 18% : Enlightened leaders forcing others to improve, [The TOI, 28/3/2009], ,
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141, , TERM II, UNIT 1 : PRESENTATION SKILLS, , 9, LEAVING AN INDELIBLE MARK !, THE FINE ART OF MAKING, EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS., Learning objectives :, To focus on the growing importance of making, presentations for various objectives with the help of, technology., To discuss the various components that make a, presentation effective and to offer practical tips in, preparing a presentation., , Introduction :, The quantum leap in technology has made, presentations a favourite tool of the pres ent day, communicator. Presentations are used for various, objectives – from delivering lectures to making sales, pitches, from disseminating information to persuading, people, from selling products and projects to using them as, substitutes for live demonstrations. In fact, even the overhead projector that was once so popular as a mode of, presentation has paved way for the power p acked, powerpoint presentation. So popular and universal is its use that, it is considered an indispensable facility available for u se, on the computer. The use of colour, images and dramatic, effects available with the program not only lend an, aesthetic appeal to your campaign but also make it lively, and interesting. One of the chief advantages of this mode, is that it is very economical; the matter of the presentation, packed into too many slides can now be easily carried on, the Cd, floppy or pen-drive. W ith a computer, a projector, and a screen, it can be delivered with just the click of a
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142, mouse! No wonder the ability to make effective, presentations is considered to be akin to a fine art., Various inputs are required to make a memorable, presentation, but like any other skill this too can be, perfected with practice. Institutions of higher education and, business schools have made it an integral part of course, content. It is therefore necessary to examine the, components that go into the skill of making wonderful, presentations., To begin with there are three important steps :, A. Determining the purpose., B. Preparation., C. Delivery., A., , THE PURPOSE., At the very outset one should define the specific, objective of the presentation. Generally , it could one, of the following: to inform, to persuade or to, entertain., To inform : This is the chief objective when one has, to teach, to instruct, to demonstrate or induct, employees in a company. A progress report or sales, report of an organization would also be primarily, imparting information., When the information to be imparted is vast it makes, good sense to categorise it into smaller units under, common factors. This allows the presenter and the, audience to marshal a lot of information into, manageable bits, easy to understand, retain or, reproduce., To persuade : Whatever the immediate objective of, a presentation, in the long run, every presenter has, to persuade the audience that the presentation is, worth listening to, that it would benefit them. It is, only when one is so persuaded that one would be, willing to attend to it, more so when it is an, unsolicited presentation that one has not asked for., But there are some presentations that are meant, purely for persuasion, particularly those that are, aimed at sales of products, projects or services, or, those aimed at getting contracts.
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143, Such presentations should incorporate the principles, for sales in addition to those of a good presentation if, the desired objective of winning the contract is to be, achieved., To entertain : Some presentations would seek to, merely, entertain, the, audience.For, example,, presentations delivered at gatherings and meetings, that are not purely for business or educational, purpose. These may be delivered at informal or, social meetings, for example, eminent persons from, various fields, invited to deliver a talk, a speech or a, presentation. Any presentation should have some, entertainment value. A liberal dose of light hearted, humour acts as a stress reliever and provides a, welcome change to enable listeners to concentrate, better on the important matters that follow., B., , PREPARATION :, A thorough planning is the main ingredient of an, effective presentation. There is no substitute for, adequate preparation. One should plan the, preparation so that it can be given a trial as well. It, is necessary to remember that spending too much, time on preparation may result in relatively little time, for a trial run., Often preparation may involve a lot of primary, research such as collecting facts and figures, or, secondary research, which is collecting and gleaning, data from, research work already done articles,, journals and magazines., The data and information gathered is at times so, voluminous that organizing it and compressing it to fit, into the limit of given time could be a daunting task., It is therefore advisable to organize all relevant, material into a workable outline. Ideally the outline, too should be around five to nine points. This helps, in organizing data systematically and discarding, unwanted and irrelevant details., Needless to say the outline and the presentation, should be designed around an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. One should first plan an, appropriate title. A striking, catchy and an apt title, often creates a good first impression and gives an, idea about the rest of the presentation. For example,, ― The Best of Times, The Worst of Times — The
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144, Globalized World ! ‘‘ A dramatic introduction using, striking visuals, newspaper headlines or a quotation, help to arrest the attention of the audience. The, body, in dealing with the actual content of the topic,, should be organized logically and systematically to, make the main point. Finally, the conclusion also, should aim at creating an impact on the audience., To make it effective, one could use a quotation or a, rhetorical question or even a rehearsed interactive, episode with the audience., As part of preparation, particularly if the presentation, has the important agenda of clinching a sales deal, it, is advisable for beginners to take a trial run. This, means also ensuring the time limit. Exceeding the, time limit, or falling short of it, both could be, disastrous., It is also advisable, to select or even choose a topic, oneself. This allows, the student to be more, enthusiastic, more convincing and more confident., Preparation also implies obtaining audience profile –, such as age group, interests, occupations etc., Testing the place for sound, light, ventilation and, seating arrangement is a big help in ensuring the, equipment does not fail at the crucial moment. If, possible, one should fix the timing of the, presentation to suit its purpose. For example a post lunch session is a very difficult and challenging slot, as people tend to be sluggish., C., , DELIVERY., The delivery of the presentation covers two, aspects–i) the visual and ii) the oral., The visual aspect refers to the text and the images, used. One must ensure that the slides are attractive, in terms of colour, effects, images and text, for which, power point packages offer a great variety. And yet,, they should not be so attractive as to cause a, distraction! Facts, figures and spellings should be, accurate as errors when displayed on the screen are, glaringly conspicuous., The oral delivery of the presentation is equally or, often more important than the visuals and it should, both complement and reinforce the visuals. Careful, attention should be paid to voice modulation, correct
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145, pronunciation, use of tones appropriate choice of, words with pauses at the right place to emphasize a, point., Apart from the voice body language is yet another, important factor of a presentation. Research and, experience have proved that the speaker‘s posture,, gestures, facial expression and dressing, impact an, audience as much or more than the content and, delivery of speech. For formal presentations, be it for, business or at a formal gathering, formal dressing is, best suited. The clothes should be above all, comfortable and complement the speaker, not, distract the audience. Practice would instill, confidence and poise whereas nervousness would be, visible in the absence of a natural ease and a smile., Eye contact is a very important feature of any, interface. It makes each person in the audience feel, a sense of inclusiveness and helps the speaker judge, the instant feedback from the facial expressions of, the listeners. It also acts as a powerful deterrent to, those who are fidgety and likely to cause, disturbance. A good speaker has to make a, conscious effort in the beginning to make eye contact, with all sections and with experience this, may, happen naturally., Often, beginners tend to be nervous and edgy. But, practice and rehearsal before friends, or even bef ore, a mirror in privacy, goes a long way in developing, confidence. It also helps in making a conscious effort, to breathe deep just before delivery, in order to, dispel nervousness., Last, and certainly not the least, one must remember, that a generous dose of HUMOUR is a significant, and essential part of any good presentation. When, the topics are heavy or with a lot of complex matter,, humour not only provides a necessary relief but the, variation enables the audience to go back to the, topic easily. A presentation peppered with humorous, anecdotes or quotations often leaves an indelible, mark in the memory of the listeners!, A.) Evaluating your presentation: A checklist., Content : Key Elements, 1. Is the introduction adequate and appropriate?
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146, 2. Is the organization of material appropriate?, 3. Is the transition from one key element to, another smooth ?, 4. Is the use of supporting materials appropriate?, 5., , Is the use of visual aids appropriate?, , 6., , Is the use of language appropriate?, , 7., , Is the summing up appropriate?, , Delivery : Key Elements, 1. Is the eye-contact sufficient?, 2. Are the gestures appropriate?, 3. Are the facial expressions appropriate?, 4. Is the appearance poised and confident?, 5. How, is, the, modulation ?, 6. Is the, , vocal, , expressiveness—voice, , rate of speech appropriate ?, , 7. How is the vocal emphasis?, 8. Is the articulation clear, pronunciation correct,, speed of words appropriate? Are the pauses at, the right places ?, AN EXAMPLE OF THE OUTLINE AND A FULL LENGTH, PRESENTATION., Title : Run For Your Life!, Sub-title : The need, importance and benefits of physical, exercise., 1. Introduction: Nature of modern fast paced life., 2. Effects of life on the fast track., 3. Need for exercise— mental, physical, spiritual., 4. Benefits of exercise., 5. Modern day forms of exercise., 6. Conclusion., Introduction. Shahrukh Khan goes for 6 pack abs., Amir Khan ups to 8 pack abs., Leena Mogre opens her hi-style gym., Fitness First opens in Oshivara., Cloud 9 opens its 9 th outlet in Bandra.
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147, , Respected judges, professors and friends, Are all these, a symbol of a rising and shining India? Yes, but much, more, they a sign of the changing times, an increasingly, body and health conscious people of a fast developing, country — India., 1. Friends you must be aware that with a happy rising, GDP and a satisfying soaring sensex there is also a, distressing increase in suicides, hyper tension,, diabetes, depression and heart ailments. In fact it, has been predicted that India will be the diabetes, capital of the world. And who or what is to be blamed, for this state of affairs? Not just the nature of the, fast- paced modern life but also the wrong health, habits of the people., 2. Life on the fast track has its own advantages and, pitfalls. Today‘s youth is focused and in a hurry to, achieve success. One may get a good job, income,, lifestyle and all the trappings of success, but at what, cost? They have little time to savour the little, pleasures of life, The result is long working hours,, lack of sleep, stress and hyper tension. Surely life is, not all about financial security and professional, success alone? One needs good health to enjoy the, fruits of success., 3. It is not uncommon or strange that practically, everyday, newspapers, and, other, media, are, advocating the importance of exercise and righ t diet., Exercise is to the body what active usage is to any, machine. Take the example of any car or a sewing, machine that is not put to use for a couple of months., It is but natural that after a couple of months of, disuse the car‘s battery would have disc harged, the, machinery rusted or clogged. But a running machine, would be in excellent form giving peak performance, with an occasional servicing., 4, , Similarly the mind too gets sharper and more, effective, with, mental, exercise, and, training as well as right thinking. So too the spirit and, soul of man would be more receptive to awareness, and acceptance of divine grace wh en kept in good, shape with the spiritual exercise of prayer,, meditation and fasting.
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148, 5. The benefits of exercise are manifold. An exercised, body is ready for peak performance because it is, energetic. A person has greater stamina. It i ncreases, heart rate and blood supply to all the parts of the, body. Exercise releases endorphins which impart to, the body a heightened awareness and a sense of, well, being, as, well, as, alertness., It engenders the value of self -discipline and hard, work. It makes one focused and sure and, determined. The sense of well being makes a pers on, cheerful and enthusiastic. These qualities are key, drivers in a person‘s attitude t o work and, relationships. Such an individual would also be, positive, easy to get along with and an active, contributor to society., 6. Having said that we need to consider the different, ways of bodily exercise. The modern world offers a, rich variety of ways. There are of course the modern, gyms which have become so popular. There are the, older variations of the humble home - grown gyms,, the ‗vyayamshalas‘ and the ‗akharas‘. The pole, climbing and wrestling and boxing as much as the, karate and the judo are other forms of both exercise,, sport and body fitness combined. There is our very, own Yoga, now an internationally renowned form of, both mental and physical fitness. But what about the, cheapest and commonest form of fitness and, exercise that any one can use? Why it is the the, simplest — walking and jogging or running. No need, of spending hefty amounts in fashionable gyms or, training schools. Any one can walk or gradually, progress to run a small stretch of the road. This, explains the popularity of the pub lic parks with, running tracks and tracks for walking. They are the, popular ‗Nana-Nani‘ parks and friends if you notice, there are people of all ages and sizes and shapes,, not just grand parents and ‗oldies‘. Even if the parks, are named for them! This also expla ins the popularity, of the old adage: ‗After supper rest a while, after, dinner walk a mile!‘. Of course one doesn‘t advocate, running after dinner. Also observe how the doctors, are all always advising people to walk everyday for, at least half an hour daily. A brisk walk or a slow run, are what can do wonders, and all at no cost!, 7., , The Marathons are yet another feature that explain, the popularity of running. Watch how young and old, have all enthusiastically taken to it and not just in
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149, India but all over the world. They have also helped, focus attention on a cause and helped multinational, and national companies contribute their b it by, demonstrating corporate responsibility. And so in, conclusion friends I can only stress the importance, of running to make your life longer, healthier and, happier by saying: ―Keep away strife, Take your wife, and Run for your Life‖!, B) The ( OHP ) --- the Over-Head Projector, The OHP or the Over-Head Projector is another popular tool, used for making presentations where the computer facility for a, power-point presentation ( PPT ) is not possible.It is a low cost, alternative affording an interactive environment, especially to, educators., , The OHP consists of a large box containing a very bright, lamp and a fan to cool it, on top of which is a large lens. Above the, box extends an arm with a mirror at its end. The lens focuses and, redirects the light forward instead of up above.
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150, Transparencies (sheets of thick transparent plastic, with the, matter to be projected either printed or written on it ) are placed on, top of the lens for display. The light from the lamp travels through, the transparency and on the mirror, where it is shone for display., The mirror allows both the presenter and the audience to, see the image at the same time, the presenter looking down at the, OHP top and the audience at the screen. The height of the mirror, is adjustable to help focus the image on the screen., The advantage of the OHP is that it is portable ( though it is, heavy!) and the transparencies, once prepared, can be put to, repeated use and can be easily carried and preserved. They can be, used to photo-copy text and illustrations, in colour or in black, and, when it is not possible to photo-copy one can write and illustrate, oneself, using the special markers or pens., As in a ppt, care should be taken that the text is not in small, font or detailed. Only bold font size should be used in outline or, point-form. The same attention , as for a ppt, should be paid --namely, correctness, the correct order, (preferably numbered ),, attractiveness, ( not distraction ), and clear visibility., C) The Use of Visual Aids and Graphics., The success of any communication dep ends not only, on how one accesses information and organized it, but also, on how well one presents it. In order to make a message,, or a presentation or a report more comprehensible,, graphics or visual aids are used., In this section, students will learn t he importance and, effective use of visual aids that will help them in making, effective presentations- - oral and written. Commonly used, visual aids are tables, bar charts, line -charts, pie charts,, maps, flowcharts, diagrams and photographs., Why are the visual aids used?, 1. Visual aids are used to simplify the matter. Complicated, data can be simplified with the help of conceptual, models, diagrams, and charts., 2. Visual aids clarify numerical information, procedures,, trends., 3. They are used to emphasize, to impress and to attract, the attention of the receiver., 4.They are used to summarise the data., 5. They are used to establish linkage or unity in diverse, points.
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151, 6.Their impact is long lasting., , Types of Visual Aids., 1. Tables: Tables include vertical columns and horizontal, rows. Facts and figures could be presented with the help of, tables., Tables are good for precise numerical data. However, they are, tedious to prepare., For e.g:, Combined First –Year Cost For Four Sites, Locations, Cost (in Rs.), , Kandivali, , Borivali, , Dahisar, , Miraroad, , Lease, , 90,000, , 95,000, , 80,000, , 75,000, , Property Tax, , 20,000, , 20,000, , 18,000, , 13,000, , Maintenance, , 20,000, , 20,000, , 15,000, , 13,000, , Transportation, , 50,000, , 50,000, , 60,000, , 60,000, , 1,85,000 1,73,000, , 1,61,000, , Total, , 1,80,000, , 2. Simple Bar Chart : These are used for quantities or growth over, a period of time., For e.g.:, , 100, 80, 60, 40, 20, 0, , North, East, 1st, Qtr, , 2nd, Qtr, , 3rd, Qtr, , East, West, North, , 4th, Qtr, , 3. Multiple – Range Bar Chart/ Diagram. : These make use, of vertical and horizontal axis. They can be segmented as
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152, well as clustered. These are generally used to de pict, proportional relationships and comparisons. They are often, incorrectly drawn and lead to lack of clarity. For e.g.:, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, , East, , 40, , West, North, , 30, 20, 10, 0, 1st Qtr, , 2nd Qtr, , 3rd Qtr, , 4th Qtr, , 4. Line Chart : These make use of vertical and horizontal, axis. One has to use the right scale to present the data., These are generally used for depicting trends. However,, too many lines can become very confusing. For e.g.:, , 100, 80, , East, , 60, , West, , 40, , North, , 20, 0, 1st, Qtr, , 2nd, Qtr, , 3rd, Qtr, , 4th, Qtr, , 5. Pie Chart : As the name indicates, it looks like a pie, and its divisions look like the slices of the pie. It is, effectively used for making quantitative analysis or for the, presentation of technical data. Use of colours makes the, presentation attractive. It is best used for emphasizing a, comparative data. For e.g.:
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153, , 1st Qtr, 2nd Qtr, 3rd Qtr, 4th Qtr, , 6. Flow Charts: Flow charts are easy to understand, diagrams that convey information ste p by step., , Meeting with, the Client, , Conceptualising, , Macro-Analysis, , Micro-Analysis, , Finalisation, , 7. Organizational Charts: These are used to display, physical or conceptual relationship s rather than numerical, ones. For e.g.:, Chief Executive, Officer, Mr. R. M. Raina, , Vice President, Human Resource, Mrs. Amita Bhatia, , Vice President, Marketing, Mrs. Anjana Mhatre, , Vice President, Finance, Mrs. Rajshekheran
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154, , These apart, transparencies, sketches, maps, pictograms,, posters, films are the commonly used forms of visual aids., (For beginners in Presentations it is advisable to surf the, Net to avail further tips on making power point presentation, (ppt).Some of the interactive sites are —, , 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., , www.microsoft.com/office 2007, www.actden.com, www.internet4classrooms.com, www.bcschools.net, owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp -In addition they, may note that Microsoft Office includes ppt software.), , Suggested Topics for Presentations:, i The Nano effect., ii. India‘s place in the global economy., iii. Whither youth?, iv. The NET result – the www., v. India — 2020., vi. IQ and EQ., *[No Question on Theory], , , , , ,
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155, , UNIT 2 : GROUP COMMUNICATION, , 10, GROUP DISCUSSION AND, INTERVIEWS, Learning objectives :, To focus on the set of skills required to be, successful in a Group Discussion, To understand the process of a Group Discussion, To understand the structure and styles of Interviews, To prepare successfully for an Interview, , I. Group Discussion, Introduction:, Group Discussion is a method used in the corporate, world to measure certain personality traits and/or skills that, an organization may look for in the candidates. It allows a, group to exchange thoughts and ideas among themselves., GD helps the organization get an idea about candidates in, a short time and assess those skills, which normally cannot, be evaluated in an interview. A group discussion generally, follows a written test. In this method, a group of candidates, is given a topic or a situation and asked to discuss it, among themselves for not more than half an hour. An ideal, group for GD consists of 8-10 candidates, though figures, may vary depending on the situation., Companies conduct group discussions after the, written test (which checks the candidate‘s technical and
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156, conceptual skills) to check the candidate‘s interactive and, interpersonal skills. The GD attempts to asse ss candidate‘s, behaviour,, teamwork,, leadership, skills,, initiative,, confidence, listening skills, and open -mindedness in, accepting contrary opinions, and participation and, contribution in a group. The focus of a GD is thus on, , verbal communicative ability, , non-verbal cues, , leadership skills, , persuasive skills, Verbal Communicative Ability :, This includes good knowledge of the subject at hand, and the power to communicate it in an effective manner., Nothing can compensate for in-depth knowledge of the, subject, though it is a herculean task to keep oneself up -todate on all possible topics. A good reading habit with focus, on various areas like finance, management, politics,, society, science, technology, sports, entertainment, etc., can help in building confidence to express one‘s views on a, particular topic. While a positive impact can be created by, talking forcefully and convincingly on a subject, this is, possible only when the candidate has enough knowledge of, the subject under discussion., Clarity of thought and precision of expression are, preferred to verbosity and irrelevant talk. One should speak, as much as is necessary, neither more nor less. The, language must be formal, plain and simple; pedantry and, jargon must be avoided. Slang, informal expr essions, etc., should also be avoided., Appraisers also look for the ability to listen: the, candidate‘s ability to react to the opinions of other, participants. Hence, it is necessary to listen carefully to, others and then react or proceed to add some more points., Non-Verbal Cues :, Non-verbal cues are equally important. The, importance of non-verbal cues has already been discussed, in the previous chapter on non-verbal communication. The, evaluator will scrutinize body language, eye contact, etc. of, the candidates. It is therefore essential to maintain a good, rapport with fellow participants. Non -verbal gestures, such, as listening intently or nodding while appreciating, someone‘s viewpoint, send across a positive message., Listening carefully can be a way of en couraging other
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157, speakers and exhibiting leadership skills as well., Participants must communicate with each and every, candidate present. While speaking one must not look at, only a single member, and especially not at the evaluator., Body language says a lot about the individual - one‘s, gestures and mannerisms are more likely to reflect one‘s, attitude than what one says., , Leadership Skills:, The aim of a group discussion is also to judge a, candidate‘s leadership qualities. The evaluator recedes, into the background once the discussion starts. The, evaluator‘s attention is on the candidates and the manner, in which they display tact, skill, and understanding and, leadership qualities to motivate and influence other, candidates., Persuasive Skills:, The evaluator also looks at the manner in which a, candidate convinces the other members of the group, and, the clarity with which the candidate expresses his/her point, of view. The candidate should therefore be articulate,, generate ideas, not sound boring, allow others to speak,, and have the ability to adopt a stand on a given subject., During the GD this stand can be altered slightly to, accommodate others‘ viewpoints. Even when disagreeing, with another candidate, the disagreement must be, expressed politely., The GD Process:, A GD generally consists of three parts: the initiation,, the body of the GD, and summarization/conclusion., Initiation :, The candidate initiating a GD not only gets the, opportunity to speak first but also grabs the attention of the, evaluator and his/her fellow candidates. It helps if the, candidate can make a favourable first impression with, his/her content and communication skills in initiating a GD., However, if a candidate initiates a GD and falters, it might, dent his/her chances of making a favourab le impression on, the evaluator.
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158, , If the candidate initiates the GD clearly but remains, quiet after that, s/he will end up giving the impression that, s/he started the GD only for the sake of starting it or, getting those initial brownie points awarded to an initiator., It is the initiator‘s responsibility to put the topic into, the right perspective or framework. So it is better to initiate, a GD only if one has in-depth knowledge about the topic, being discussed. If one is not sure of the topic at hand, it is, better to listen carefully to the views being expressed by, others and then speak. One should not be in a hurry to, express one‘s opinion., The Body of Discussion:, This is the main part of the GD where all the, members of the group express their opinions on t he topic., Candidates must restrict themselves to conveying their, viewpoints and not use the GD as a contest to run down, other arguments. Candidates can politely agree, disagree, or choose to remain neutral. A speaker should never be, interrupted while speaking. Speaking out of turn and, cutting others short create a negative impression. Too, much aggression can put off prospective employers., While speaking, the entire group must be addressed, so that everyone is attentive towards what is being said., The focus should never be on the evaluator. To emphasize, the content, relevant proverbs, quotes, definitions, facts, and figures, statistics, etc. may be used. While using, figures or statistics, it must be remembered that macro, figures may be generalized, while micro figures must be, specific., Summarization / Conclusion:, A conclusion is where the whole group decides in, favor of against the topic. Generally, a GD does not have a, conclusion. But the discussion is always summarized. One, of the candidates is invited to summarize the discussion., This signals the end of the GD. The candidate must, summarize all that the group has discussed. The following, can be kept in mind while summarizing a GD:, The summary must be brief and succinct., All important points discussed m ust be included.
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159, The focus must not be on the points made by the, presenter, alone., No new points must be stated here., , II. INTERVIEWS, Introduction:, An interview is a formal conversation in which both, concerned parties attempt to find out if the other party, offers something valuable to them. All organisations,, irrespective of size or industry, need and use interviews to, select the right candidate for the right job. Joe McDermott, defines an interview as: ―a complex interaction between, two parties both of whom are offering something while, simultaneously seeking to have a need met‖. An interview, is a two-way process of communication where both the, concerned parties have a ‗need‘: the interviewers seek, information from the candidate to determine wheth er s/he, is the right candidate for the job, while the candidate tries, to decide whether the job and the organisation are right for, him/her., The purpose of an interview may vary depending on, the need and the situation. Interviews are held not only for, selection of candidates but also for promotion, redressal of, grievances, assessment of performance, etc., , I. Types of Interviews:, A] Selection Interview: This type of interview is also, known as ‗Job Interview‘, ‗Employment Interview‘,, ‗Service Interview‘ etc. The main objective is to select, the right candidate for the right position. Apart from the, application letter, curriculum vitae and other documents, that a prospective candidate sends the employers, it is, essential that a face-to-face meeting take place, between the employers and the candidate to check the, suitability of the candidate for the position for which, s/he is being recruited. This also gives the employer an
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160, opportunity to assess the entire personality of the, candidate and choose one from among th e many, applicants for the job., Most recruiters look for three important requirements in a, candidate:, Aptitude and Ability, Commitment, Adaptability, Aptitude and Ability indicate the capacity to do, job. Through the interview, the interviewer trie s to find, if the qualities and qualifications mentioned in, CV/Resume are borne out through the replies of, candidate., , the, out, the, the, , Commitment is loyalty and dedication towards the, company. The interviewer is interested in knowing if the, candidate has a long-term interest in the company i.e. will, the candidate stick on to the job or quit in a few months., The interviewer is obviously not interested in repeating the, recruitment process in the near future., Adaptability is the ease with which the candidate will, fit into the company: interpersonal relationships, the, working style, values, etc., II. Interview Styles :, 1. Directional: This interview style is extremely structured., The interviewer asks specific, direct questions in a pre set order. One reason for using this format may be the, need to maintain consistency across candidates, throughout the interview and to make the selection, process easier and fairer. This style may also be used, for recruitment at lower levels by large organisations, that receive too many applications in response to their, recruitment drive., 2. Non-Directional: This style is used mainly for higher, level recruitment and is more like a conversation than a, question-answer session. The interviewer uses open ended questions to draw out responses from the, candidate., 3. Behavioural : This style is used by the interviewer to, judge the performance of the candidate in the, same/similar role in the previous company. In this style,, candidates are expected to answer questions with
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161, specific examples of how they have tackled problems,, handled various situations, etc., 4. Presentation : This is again used at higher levels, where candidates are expected to make a presentation, before a panel., One must remember, however, that none of these, styles will be used in isolation. An interview will consist of, a combination of these styles., , III. Format of Interviews:, 1. Pre-Interview Tests : This format is used when an, unusually large number of candidates has applied for a, few posts. It is generally in the form of a written test, which tests both general and specific technical skills., This is common in IT jobs, government jobs, etc. In case, of jobs requiring strenuous physical activity and, alertness of mind e.g. armed forces, security personnel,, bodyguards, etc. there may be physical and mental tests, as well. Group Discussions may also be treated as part, of the pre-interview test. Other methods could include, case study, role-play, etc., 2. Individual : This is an interview where a single, interviewer meets the, candidate. Generally, the HR, department is involved in this task where, from the stack, of applications, potential candidates are screened for, the main interview. In this stage, the focus is not on the, technical know-how of the candidate but more on, commitment and adaptability. The questions will be, based on the candidate‘s previous jobs, reasons for, leaving, salary, CTC, perks and allowances, salary, expectations, etc. Later, the candidate may meet the, prospective boss, head of the department, etc for similar, one-on-one interviews where subject knowledge,, technical skills will be tested., 3. Panel Interviews : Here, two or more people form a, panel to interview the candidate at the same time., Generally, the panel consists of the head of the, department, one member of the HR department, and a, third person. There may be an internal/external expert, on the panel, if required. The structure of the interview, will be the same, the only difference being that the, questions will be asked by all the panelists, with each of, them performing a different role on the panel., IV. Structure of the Interview :
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162, The structure of most interviews follows a similar, pattern. Different experts may label it in different ways, but, it essentially consists of an introduction, the main body of, the interview – the Q&A session – and closing. It is, sometimes, referred, to, as, the, WASP, technique : Welcoming the candidate, Asking questions,, Supplying information and Parting., I Introduction: This involves welcoming the candidate and, making him/her comfortable. It allows the candidate time, to arrange his/her bag, files, etc. and settle down. At the, same time, the interviewers get an opportun ity to assess, the dress, body language and other non-verbal cues of the, candidate and form a first impression. A good posture,, pleasant smile, a firm handshake may con tribute to an, excellent first impression., II The Q&A session : After the introduction, the interview, moves into the second round – the Q&A session. The, scene for this round is set gradually by the intervie wers by, providing, information, about, the, organisation,, job, requirements, purpose and goal of the interview, etc. The, Q&A session is a two-way process designed to test the, aptitude, ability, commitment and adaptability of the, candidate., Questioning Styles :, Depending on the goal of the interview, different, questioning styles may be used. The most familiar ones are, as follows :, 1. Closed questions : They may typically be ―yes-no‖, questions and mainly used for confirmation. They are, specific and require short answers only., 2. Open-ended questions : These questions cannot be, answered with a ‗yes‘ or ‗no‘. They generally begin, with How, What, Why, When, Tell me, etc., drawing, out the candidate‘s response., 3. Probing questions : These questions are used to, follow up on what the candidate may have just, replied. It attempts to probe in different ways to get, detailed answers to questions and find out if the, candidate ends up contradicting what he mentioned, in the first place. Such questions could include ―Te ll, me more about…‖ ―What do you mean when you say, that…?‖ ―Can you spell out in more detail…‖etc.
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163, , 4. Leading questions : They are designed to figure out, the candidate‘s views, opinions, etc. on a variety of, issues. Typical questions would include: ―So wh at do, you think of……‖ ―I see from your resume that……‖, etc., , Six Types of Interview Questions:, 1. Behavioural Interview Questions : These questions, attempt to assess the candidate‘s performance in the, same/similar role in the previous company. A, hypothetical situation is given to the candidate and, his/her response to that situation is tallied with the, requirements of the role. Some questions could be as, follows:, How did you respond to a particular stressful, situation?, Describe a problem and how you solve d it, What would you do if……….?, 2. Competency based Questions: These are questions, that aim at finding out the aptitude and ability of the, candidate to get the job done. It tests the skill sets, available with the candidate and tallies it with the, requirements of the job., How does one read a Balance Sheet?, What are the important Accounting entries, to be passed…….?, How will you plan and organise…….?, What method will you use to …………..?, 3. Personality based Interview Questions : These, questions are designed to let the interviewer, understand the candidate‘s adaptability to the culture, of the organisation., Tell us something about yourself., What do you do in your free time?, 4. Technical Interview Questions :, This type of, question seeks to find out the candidate‘s level of
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164, knowledge with a particular software, system,, equipment, etc. It could also deal with knowledge of, rules,, regulations,, principles,, formulae,, auditing/accounting standards, etc., 5. Stress based Interview Questions : This mode of, questioning puts the candidate in an awkward and, uncomfortable position to test his response. The, focus may be on the negative points in the, candidate‘s professional career. Questions could, deal with gaps in career, stagnation, lack of career, development, etc., 6. Resume based Questions : These questions deal, specifically with details mentioned in the resume., They could be questions based on personal details,, educational, qualifications,, achievements,, work, experience, earlier organisations that the candidate, worked with, career shifts, etc., Towards the end of this round, the candidate also, gets a chance to ask questions which will help determine if, the job is right for him/her., III Closure : This is the last stage in the interview structure, and it is important to leave behind a good impression. This, will help the employers keep the interviewee‘s profile in, mind as they decide on the prospective candidate. The, ending should be gradual and not abrupt. It should end on, a positive and cordial note, irrespective of the result of the, interview. Even if the candidate is not selected, he should, leave the interview with a feeling of satisfaction about the, company. This will have a beneficial effect for the, company, for the candidate will speak in good terms about, the company to outsiders., V. Preparing for a Selection Interview :, A lot of preparation is required if an i nterview is to, accomplish its objectives. Both the interviewer and the, candidate have to prepare themselves thoroughly to, achieve the purpose of the interview., i) Preparation on part of the interviewer :, In most organisations, it is the HR department t hat is, involved in the interview process. The interviewer must be, extremely clear about the purpose of the interview. The, interview should achieve its objective and not become a
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165, waste of time, money and resources for the organisation., The organisation should keep the following in mind :, Applications received must be scrutinised and, prospective, candidates, shortlisted, for, the, interview., Call letters to prospective candidates should be, sent well in advance of the date of the interview, with details of day, date, time and place of the, interview. If a lot of candidates are to be, interviewed, a staggered time may be allotted to, the candidates. The letter should also indicate, documents that the candidate should carry along, with him/her to the interview., An interviewer/ panel must be formed in advance, and the interviewer/s must be informed in advance, about their appointment on the panel. A file with, the candidates‘ resumes must be provided to, them, so that they have some information about, the candidates even before the interview begins., The interviewer/s must know details about the job, profile, organisation, rules regarding appointment,, salary, perks, other benefits, etc., A data sheet for recording grades and noting, comments should be made available to the, interviewers on the day of the interview., On the day of the interview, seating arrangements, should be made for the candidates as they wait for, their turn. Some companies also provide, refreshments to the waiting candidates., Documents/forms to be filled by the candid ates, appearing for the interview should be kept ready, to be given to the candidates as they come in., Separate staff should be instructed to take care of, the needs of the candidates., ii) Preparation on the part of the Candidate :, It is not just the subject knowledge but the entire, personality of the candidate that is assessed at the, interview. Hence, the interviewee has to pay adequate, attention to physical, mental and psychological preparation, for the interview.
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166, Physical Preparation: Physical preparation is an, extremely important part of the candidate‘s groundwork, before an interview. It consists not only of grooming but, also of a document check on the day before the interview., The required documents, certificates, testimonials, extra, copies of resume, copies of publications, etc. should be, placed in separate folders in a file so that they can be, produced without any difficulty when required., Personal appearance and cleanliness are equally, important factors, as the candidate must present a well groomed look at the interview. One must pay attention to, body odour, bad breath, hair, nails, hands and other, aspects of personal hygiene. Make -up, accessories,, wardrobe play a significant role in determining the, personality of the candidate. It is essential to ensure that, these factors are suitable to the occasion. Make -up should, not be garish and accessories should be minimal. Clothes, should be neatly pressed and as formal as the occasion, demands. It would be a good idea to avoid bright colours, and flashy outfits. Shoes should be well-polished. The, clothes should be appropriate to the post applied for., Generally, suits for men and formal saris for women is the, preferred style of dressing. However, it is better to wear an, outfit one is comfortable in (like a s alwar kameez instead of, a sari, or a formal shirt with a tie instead of a suit, because, of the weather) rather be uncomfortable in a dress one is, not accustomed to., Rehearsal of non-verbal cues can help in concealing, signs of nervousness, restlessness, a gitation, etc., Candidates appearing for an interview for the first time, must practice control over facial expressions, body, language and on speaking confidently without faltering., Mental Preparation: Research and preparation can stand, a candidate in good stead during the interview. The, candidate must research the company and the job profile to, find out if s/he fits into the organisation. Well preparedness, demonstrates to the interviewers that the candidate has, done his homework and is serious about the jo b. These, days it is easy to access details about the company, through internet websites. The crucial area of research, should be the organisation‘s culture, company‘s products,, services, profit margins, recent balance sheet, number of, branches and values, and recent news reports about the, company.
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167, Job description includes job title and department, the, responsibilities and duties that come along with the job,, and the organisational structure, conditions of employment,, benefit schemes, etc., A self-assessment is also essential : does one have, the right qualifications and experience, necessary skill, sets, special expertise and most importantly, a SWOT, analysis of oneself. A dry run of possible questions will, help anticipate questions and give confident replies., The candidate should also be prepared to discuss, sticky issues like quitting previous jobs, negotiating salary,, etc., Psychological Preparation: A positive mind and selfassurance can help overcome pre-interview jitters, but this, poise can result only from excellent groundwork and, preparation for the interview. The candidate must have, presence of mind, sharpness of intellect, must exhibit, flexibility and adaptability to change, and the humility to, learn that which he does not know., Knowledge of one‘s strengths and weaknesses can help in, giving honest replies to questions, especially when one, does not have the answer to a few questions. In stress, interviews especially, where the candidate is deliberately, put under a stressful situation and has questions fired at, him, a strong presence of mind is crucial to answer the, questions., Some Potential Interview Questions :, Tell us something about yourself., What do your colleagues/superiors say about you?, How can you contribute to our organisation?, Mention, your, weaknesses., , three, , greatest, , strengths, , and, , What are your long-term career goals?, Why do you wish to quit your current job?, What prompted this career change?, Why do you want to join our organisation?, The list of questions is not exhaustive. It will include, questions on the candidate‘s education, work experience,, problem-solving and decision-making ability, initiative,, team-work, interpersonal relationship, time management,
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168, management style, values, work ethic, leadership qualities,, etc., B] Appraisal Interview:, A candidate does not come to the end of interviews, with his/her selection for a particular po st in an, organisation. In fact, the process continues on a regular, basis to assess and evaluate the performance of the, employee. The appraisal interview is generally used as a, means of sharing the employer‘s views on the performance, of the employee with the employee himself/herself. It helps, in improving performance, building employer -employee, relations, ironing out differences, attending to grievances, and, above all, recommending the employee for promotion, and incentives. It is therefore essential that bot h the, parties to such an interview are positive, forthright, open, and ready for a frank discussion. The discussion may, include past performance, setting benchmarks and targets, for the future, future plans of the company and the role of, the employee in it, the employee‘s future prospects with, the company, etc. A well-conducted appraisal interview can, accomplish the goals set down by the organisation for itself, and contribute to high levels of employee motivation., C] Exit Interview:, This type of interview takes place when an employee, leaves the organisation. An employee may leave the, organisation for better prospects or because he is, dissatisfied with colleagues, the work culture of the, organisation, etc. An interview at the time of leaving will, make the employee speak his mind freely as he need not, fear making adverse remarks. The interview should,, however, be conducted discreetly if its objectives are to be, fulfilled. The interviewer should invite the employee to, speak frankly about the problems faced by th e employee, and invite suggestions to rectify them. The employee may, be rude and make unpleasant comments on fellow, colleagues and superiors, but this must be handled tactfully, by the interviewer. The aim is to seek information that will, ultimately help the organisation to improve, grow and, smooth out dissension among existing employees. The, information provided by the employee should however be, used, judiciously, as, it, could, sometimes, contain, exaggeration and falsehood. The dexterity with which the, interviewer handles the interview will help the employee to, part on an agreeable note. Thus the exit of an employee, can be approached positively and turned to the benefit of, the organisation through the exit interview.
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169, D] Grievance Interview:, The Grievance interview is conducted in order to, address the complaints or grievances of the employees., Allowing employees to air their grievances helps the, management, i, , resolve issues which otherwise could assume larger, proportions, , ii. gain an insight into the problems faced by the, employee in order to rectify them, iii .win the goodwill and confidence of the employees, iv. create an atmosphere of harmony, organisation by resolving conflicts, , within, , the, , At such an interview it is necessary for the authority, to listen to the employee‘s grievances attentively and with, concern. The employee should be invited to voice her/hisr, grievances freely. In the end the authority, should, summarise the message from the employee and present a, gist of the grievance to ensure that he has heard the, communication correctly, and, then suggest remedial, measures. One of the biggest advantages of the grievance, interview is that the employees get an opportunity to vent, their feelings and emotion, suppression of which can cause, major problems to the organisation. The very fact that, management has provided them with a grievance, mechanism which is sensitive to their concerns goes a long, way in strengthening employee-employer relations., Tasks :, 1. Assume that you are appearing for your first selection, interview. Answer, the following questions in about four to, five sentences each:, i., ii., iii., iv., v., , What are your strengths and weaknesses?, Where do you see yourself five years from, now?, Tell us something about your parents., Tell us about yourself / introduce yourself., Should the subject Business Communication b e, introduced at T.Y. instead of at F.Y. level in, the Commerce course?, , 2., , Why does an organisation hold Selection/ Appraisal/, Exit/ Grievance interview?, , 3., , What preparation does an interviewee/ interviewer, have to make for a selection interview?
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170, 4., , Form a panel of five participants and discuss the, following issues. W rite out a gist of the participants‘, views., i. With the ever increasing reach of television, newspapers are no longer needed., ii. Reality shows in fact are unreal shows., iii. Only the youth have the power to create an, egalitarian society., , , , , , , 11, GROUP COMMUNICATION: MEETINGS, Learning objectives :, Understanding group communication, Purpose of meetings and their importance in the, corporate environment, Drafting Notice, Agenda, Resolutions, , I. GROUP COMMUNICATION, , Introduction :, A major objective of communication is to help, decision-making by collecting, processing and trans mitting, information. A decision-making process must involve, discussion, consultation and consensus. For example, the, members of the examination committee meet before, conducting an examination to decide on the dates,, schedules, time required for evaluation, and d eclaration of, results. Any decision, taken individually on behalf of an, organisation without consultation with others, is considered, arbitrary and autocratic., Advantages of group communication :, A group is a reserve of collective intellect, diverse, opinions, different perspectives aimed at creating a pool of, ideas to obtain the best possible results of any endeavour., Apart from helping the common cause, it enriches, individuals in the group by exposing them to plurality of
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171, ideas. It also engenders a sense of involvement in an, organization, and strengthens relationships between the, management and employees. A collective decision-making, process encourages latent talents. Members learn to value, compromise and still contribute to the cause. Delphi, techniques,, meetings,, conferences,, seminars, and, workshops, brain-storming sessions are the various ways, of group decision making in the organization., , Disadvantages of group communication :, Working in a group on an idea is a time-consuming, affair, particularly when a consensus is required. Levels of, background research, knowledge, sense of responsibility, and intelligence vary, bringing about unintelligible, differences and lack of participation. Often, the actual, purpose of a meeting is lost in endless circumlocution . A, better idea or opinion can get sacrificed in the collective, bargain, rendering the process a waste of time and, resources., Consensus: A decision supported by majority members of, a group is known as decision by consensus. This common, agreement is arrived at by analysing different views. While, arriving at a decision, an individual may have to set aside, his opinion and accept that of the majority. Consensus, teaches suppressing one‘s ego in the larger interest., , Meetings :, A Meeting: A Meeting is a collective decision making, process. Organizations generally have appointed groups to, supervise specific areas, commonly known as committees., Louis Allen defines it as ―A body of persons appointed or, elected to meet on an organized basis for the consideration, of matters before it‖. A committee is also seen as ―a group, appointed by the parent organization which meets to, investigate a problem and, later, to formulate its report and, recommendations‖., A committee meets, to get a clear perspective on a given proposition, to arrive at a decision, based on facts and figures, to find out views, attitudes and emotions of the, participants while tackling a problem or facing a, challenging situation
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172, , , , to explore the most appropriate so lution to a, problem, to collect data, , There are two types of committees: executive and, advisory. An executive committee is a formal body with, elected/appointed/nominated members. It has a formal, structure and constitution, and members meet only when a, formal notification is issued. It looks into administrative, issues of the organization., An advisory committee is a reservoir of knowledge, and experience, comprising nominated members, entrusted, to provide guidance whenever required and has no role in, the daily administration of an organization., The working of a committee meeting: A meeting is, convened by circulating a notice a mongst its members. The, chairperson, in consultation with the secretary, decides the, agenda of a meeting. A notice informs the memb ers about, the day, date, time and venue of the meeting, apart from, briefly describing the agenda. An agenda is a list of items, that are to be discussed at the meeting., The notice and the agenda help members to, complete their background research and prepa re for the, meeting. The meeting begins when there is a quorum —, one-third of the total number of members constituting that, particular body., The chairman initiates discussion according to the, agenda. Each item is discussed in detail allowing members, to voice their opinions. This is known as the discussion, phase of the meeting. After the discussion that examines, the pros and cons of a given matter, a decision is arrived at, and the modalities of the implementation are discussed., This is the implementation phase of the meeting., A decision could be arrived at by consensus or by, putting the proposition to vote. Decisions are recorded by, the secretary of the committee. When they are recorded, during the, meeting they are, called, resolutions., Resolutions, when recorded in the minute book, are called, minutes., The Role of the Leader/ Chairperson in a committee, meeting :
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173, The role of the leader / chairperson / head of the, group, is crucial for the success of a meeting. He/she must, be a person with clear vision, drive and good, communication skills to be able to provide direction to the, group. The group must work towards achieving its goal, within the allotted time., 1., , 2., , 3., 4., , A chairperson must set the objective of the meeting,, which can range from discussing ‗strategies to, increase sales‘ to ‗reducing the quantum o f leave, taken by employees.‘ A meeting can have one or two, such major items on the agenda. The chairperson, must know what he wants out of such a meeting., The chairperson must know the membe rs of the, group and their profiles. What are their biases? Are, they going to conform or are they going to resist the, decision?, After checking the quorum, the chairperson begins, the meeting by welcoming all members., He /she must spell out the agenda and invite, participation from members., , 5., , He / she should take up items of the agenda one by, one., , 6., , He / she must allocate sufficient time for discussion of the, item and then take a decision on it., , 7., , He /she should ensure that the members get time to, voice their opinions but at the same time do not, overshoot the time that has been allocated for each, item., , 8., , In case of conflict within the group, he / she must, intervene swiftly to ensure that the process of, decision-making is not hampered and that the, atmosphere is not vitiated., , 9., , He / She must try for decision by consensus but, if, unable to do so, he /she should ensure that the, group‘s unity remains intact despite voting on a given, point., , 10., , He /She has to instruct the secretary to keep the, record of the deliberations and the, resolutions, passed., , 11., , Prior to the meeting he / she has to circulate notice, of the meeting and set the agenda for the meeting., , 12., , He / She has to make proper arrangements for, seating where members can see each other and, converse with each other.
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174, 13., , Besides writing pads and pens, any other gadgets or, technological support required should be provided, for., , 14., , He / She must ensure that the new members are, introduced to the senior members., , Chairing a meeting is an art. It is a leadership skill, which can be learnt or improved with practice., The Role of the Participants : A meeting is a democratic, process of arriving at a decision that encompasses, interests of all the people concerned. The role of, participants representing ‗all the people‘ is important. They, have to participate in a decisive way to bring the meeting, to its logical conclusion., 1., , The participants must study the agenda and prepare, themselves mentally for the meeting., , 2., , They need to understand their importance in the, group and must contribute to its success., , 3., , They should have a stand/perspective based on, facts. They should not voice opinions without factual, support., , 4., , They have to understand that meeting is a place, wherein divergent views will be expressed., , 5, , They must voice their opinion in the time allotted to, them in a clear and concise manner. They should not, try to monopolise time by being circumlocutory and, waste everybody‘s time., , 6., , Decision-making in a group is arrived at through, consensus. Which means one must be prepared to, compromise, to give up something in the larger, interest, , 7., , They should not argue for the sake of arguing or, oppose the rival viewpoint. At no point should they, make it a prestige issue, , Drafting of Notices, Agenda, Resolutions, The first step in convening a meeting is to draft the, notice which informs members about the location, time,, date and purpose of the meeting. Unless a notice is sent, a, meeting is not considered formal or legal.
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175, , Irrespective of whether it is a formal meeting or an, informal one, intimation about the venue, time and purpose, of meeting has to be sent out., Any formal intimation of the meetin g must bear the, following items:, The signature of authority. Normally, the secretary, in, consultation with the, chairperson,, drafts, the, notice. A formal notice should therefore contain the, signature of the secretary and the chairperson, It must be typed on the company‘s letterhead., , , It must mention the venue, convenient to all the members, , , , It must state the day and time of the meeting, , , , It must state the date on which the meeting will be, held. The notice should be circulated minimum two, weeks / 14 days in advance., , , , [ In the case of the AGM 21 days, Board of Directors‘, Meeting, 7 days], , , , It must state the nature of the mee ting (AGM,, Statutory, Board of Directors‘ Meeting, committee, meeting etc), , , , It must spell out the purpose of the meeting under, the heading ‗agenda‘, , which, , should, , be, , Agenda:, An Agenda is a list of items to be deliberated upon in, a meeting. The reason behind circulating the agenda is to, inform members about the purpose of the meeting, so that, they can come prepared and participate in the meeting., Example :, InfraStructure Finance Company Ltd., 123, Mehata Street, MIDC,Andheri[E], Mumbai 400077. Tel: 022 23334445, Notice, 30 June 2008, Notice is hereby given that the 31 st Annual General Meeting, of IFC Ltd will be held on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at ‗, Burlap Ambusher Sahara‘, 19, Marine Lines, Mumbai 400 020,, at 3.00 p.m., to transact the following business:, Agenda, Ordinary Business:, 1. To read the Notice of the meeting, 2. To confirm the minutes of the AGM held on July 16, 2007, 3. To receive, consider, and adopt the audited profit and loss
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176, , Resolution : Resolution is the decision taken at a meeting., The secretary is expected to maintain a record of the, deliberations and decisions made at a meeting. While, keeping such a record of the decisions taken, the decisions, are recorded in the present tense. However, while making, their entry in the minute book, they are recorded in, reported speech., A resolution may begin in the following ways:, ―It is hereby resolved that ……….., ―Resolved that ………, Example :, 1. ―It is hereby resolved that Messrs. Panel Kerr Frostier be, and are hereby reappointed as branch Auditors for the, year 2008-09, on such terms and conditions and on, such remuneration as may be fixed by the Board of, Directors of the Corporation.‖, [Minute of the same would read as ―It was then resolved, to reappoint…], 2. ―Resolved that the Corporation hereby declares a, dividend of Rs2 per share to each shareholder whose, name appears on the company‘s register up to 30 July, 2008‖., [The same item in minutes would read as ―It was, resolved, that, the, Corporation, declared, a, dividend……………..whose names appeared…….], Tasks :, 1. As a branch manager of ABC Ltd. you receive a fax from, the head office announcing an inspection of the branch, in a week‘s time. You have to call an emergency
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177, meeting of the branch personnel to inform them of the, inspection, and to decide on the steps to be taken for, the inspection. Draft a notice convening a meeting in the, conference room at 10 a.m., 2. At the Annual General Meeting of Harsiddhi CoOperative Housing Society, the following items were on, the agenda. Draft carefully worded resolutions for them, 1.To buy a computer for the society‘s office, 2.To appoint an accountant to write day accounts, 3. To send a notice to recover outstanding dues from, Mr. S. N. Rana who has defaulted the payment of, the society., 3. What is the importance of a group in organizational, decision-making?, 4. What are the problems of group communication?, 5. Why is the role of the chairperson/participants i mportant, in a meeting?, 6. You are the organizer of the Inter-Collegiate festival., Draft the Notice mentioning the agenda for the first, meeting of the committee. As chairperson what, measures would you take while conducting the, meeting?, , , , , , , , , , , ,
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178, , , , , , , , , , , , 12, CONFERENCE FOR COMMUNICATION, Learning objectives :, To introduce students to the concept of a conference, as a means of internal and external communication., , I. CONFERENCE, Introduction:, A conference is a meeting for consultation,, discussion, or an interchange of opinions or views. The, word conference is derived from the Latin ‗confer‘ which, means ‗to consult together‘. As the definition suggests, a, conference is the coming together of individuals who, belong to a particular field. These individuals are invited to, look at a particular matter in greater detail and, communicate their view points and disseminate information, among people belonging to that particular field., Conferences could be held for a va riety of reasons., They could be organized to raise general public, awareness, or within the organization to study a particular, problem, or to update the knowledge of the employees, regarding the latest developments in the organization.
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179, What is the difference between a conference and a, meeting ?, While a committee, as well as a conference, is a type, of group communication, in a committee meeting the, number of members is small, there is a well defined, agenda and decisions taken are legally binding on the, organization. A committee meeting is therefore a very, formal affair, as its members are appointed, or nominated,, and the meeting is organized with a view to solving a, pertinent problem, or to implement a decision., A conference, on the other hand, is a relativel y, informal get-together of a larger group that meets in an, informal manner; the decisions taken at a conference are, of a consultative or advisory nature. Participants in a, conference do not have any voting right. In a conference, a, given problem/ subject is analysed from all angles in order, to arrive at the best possible solution / option. These, decisions are put forward in a recommendatory fashion., For instance, a bank organising an in-house, conference, before introducing the ATM facility to its, customers, may invite general discussion on various aspects of the, proposition, such as, , , What is the profile of the customer?, , , , What would be their reaction to such a scheme?, , , , What kind of reception would this new facility, receive?, , , , How should the, customers?, , , , What effort should it take to break their res istance?, , , , How should it address their security concerns?, , , , What should be the advertising strategy?, , bank break the news to its, , It is only after a thorough study of all these aspects,, and in the light of the recommendations received, that a, policy decision on whether such a f acility should be, introduced, where it should be introduced first, what will be, the task of the Public Relations Department etc, will be, taken., i) Organising a Conference:, I. A conference could be organized for in -house personnel, or it could be for an external audience. It could be
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180, organized locally or at the state, national or international, level., For example :, 1. All India Conference on the New Techniques in, Dentistry., 2. International Conference on Feminism., II. Organising a conference requires planning and effort., Generally it is the task of the Public Relations Department, to organize such an event., 1., , Preparation begins with deciding the subject or the, area that the organization needs to explore., , 2., , Depending upon the scope of the subjec t, a list of, invitees and guest speakers is drawn up., , 3., , The main subject could be divided into sub -topics, and these could be discussed during several, technical/plenary sessions., , 4., , Depending upon the scope of the topic, the total, period over which the conference would be held is, decided. [It could be a One-day / Two-Day/Three Day, conference.], , 5., , Budget of the conference is worked out. At times,, sponsors are contacted to raise the necessary funds, for the conference., , 6., , The date, time and venue of the conference are, planned. Generally, the convenience of all those, involved is taken into consideration., , 7., , Programme for the conference is drawn up, after, contacting the resource persons and ensuring their, availability., , 8., , Arrangements, such, as, accommodation, and, transportation are made for out-station participants., , 9., , Research papers / Extracts of papers, participants on the given topic are invited., , 10., , from, , A formal invitation outlining the details of the, programme is printed A formal invite is sent to the, invitees and the resource persons. Invitations, along, with entry forms, are, sent to participants who, represent the organizations .
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181, 11, , PRD has to handle all the publicity for the event. This, includes a, formal intimation of the event to, newspapers and news channels in order to organize, press coverage of the conference., , ii) On the day of the conference the following activities, are undertaken by the host:, 12., , A registration desk is arranged for the enrolment of, the participants., , 13., , They are provided with files containing the extracts of, speeches / papers submitted, by, the guest speakers. Pens, badges etc are distributed, along with the stationery., , iii) Holding a Conference:, A conference is inaugurated by the Chief Guest, who, outlines the purpose, need and the possible outcomes of, the conference. This speech is known as the Key -Note, Address. This is followed by the Technical Sessions, in, which the resource person gives his/her perspective/s and, invites interaction from participants. Each session is, officiated by a Chairperson who introduces the speakers,, allocates time for their presentations, and sums up the key, ideas at the end of the session. He/She also mediates, between the speakers and participants during the, interactive session. At every technical session there is a, rapporteur, who records the proceedings as well as the, outcome of the session. The Conference concludes with a, formal valedictory function. The Chief Guest highlights the, key ideas thrown up by the conference and comments on, its overall success. All the participants are given, certificates / souvenirs for participation, and these are, presented by the Chief Guest., Organisers have, to make arrangements for, certificates, souvenirs etc. Feedback from participants,, including their suggestions are invited to bring about, improvements, if any., Arrangements for food – breakfast, tea, lunch,, snacks etc – are made by the host. Apart from these,, arrangements for technological support such as mikes,, LCD / and other visual aids are also made by the host., After the conference is over, a careful analysis of the, feedback is made. Guest speakers are sent thank you, letters along with copies of their photographs., iv) Outcome of a Conference:
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182, A well organized conference gives a sense of, satisfaction to the host as well as to the guests /, participants / delegates. In a conference a given problem is, looked at comprehensively. This creates understanding of, the problem. Solutions are worked at. Interaction among, the delegates helps in the broadening of understanding., Professional interaction helps in the strengthening of, bonds, creation of network and fraternity feeling., Organising a conference is a major Public Relations, exercise. It builds the image of the organ ization and earns, the good will of the public. It also accords leadership, position to organisaions that host conferences on a regular, basis., Nowadays many companies organize conferences as, a business-cum- pleasure exercise. The purpose of such a, conference is to hold the thought-generation exercise in a, relaxed atmosphere. Such a conference is held ‗off -site‘ or, ‗off-locale‘, at a place where members can go sight -seeing, or shopping. Pharma companies holding conferences for, doctors in places like Singapore or Cape Town are, examples of such conferences., v) Example of a Schedule for a Conference :, One Day State Level Conference on, Searching New Directions in Education : Creating an, Interface between Education and Industry., 11th August 2008, Venue : Hotel Ambassador, Registration: 9:30a.m. to 10:30a.m., 1. Inaugural Session: 10:30a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Chief Guest: Dr. A. Ramaswami, Vice-Chancellor,, Mumbai University, Vote of Thanks : Mr. A. Jadhav, Principal, D.B.College, 2. Technical Session: 11:20a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Chairperson : Mr.A.N.Sane, Industrialist., (a) Guest Speaker: Mrs. Nina Thaper, CEO, ICICI Bank., Topic: Careers in Banking and Insurance Sector, Time: 11:30a.m. to 12:15p.m., (b)Guest Speaker: Dr. L. Fernandes, X.Y.College, Topic: Careers in Retail and Subsidiary Sectors, Time: 12:15p.m. to 1:15p.m., (c)Interactive session: 1:15p.m. to 1:30p.m.
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183, , Vote of Thanks., Lunch Break: 1:30p.m. to 2:30p.m., 3. Technical Session: 2:30p.m. to 4:30p.m., Chairperson: Dr. N.S.Mohanti, Director, IIT., (a) Guest Speaker: Mrs.S. Garg, Principal, Teachers‘ Training, College, Topic: Need for Teacher Training and Orientation ., Time: 2:30p.m. to 3:30p.m., (b) Guest Speaker: Mr. K. R. Sahu, CEO, Power Chain, Stores, Topic : Logistics and Methodologies., Time: 3:30p.m. to 4:30p.m., (c)Interactive session : 4:30p.m to 5.00p.m., Vote of Thanks, Valedictory Function: Time: 5:00p.m .to 6:00p.m., Chief Guest: Dr. A.P.Sarang, Pro-Vice-Chancellor,, Mumbai University, Distribution of certificates., Vote of Thanks., , ii)Other Forms of Group Communication, 1. Seminar : A seminar is a discussion by a group that, gathers to analyse a research paper,, or, an, advanced, study, presented by a participant orally, or in a written, manner. Presentation of material is fol lowed by discussion, of the report or material in greater detail. It is possible that, at a seminar more than one paper or subject is presented., 2. Symposium : This is a get-together of people at which, people belonging to a specialized field make presentations, to which the audience can respond. This is an interactive, activity between general audience and experts from a, specialized field., 3. Tele-Conference /On line conference : Two or more, persons conferring with the help of telephones at an, appointed date and time is known as teleconferencing., Teleconferencing with the help of the internet is another, way of conducting conferences or meetings. Yahoo, Skype, are, some, of, the, popular, networks, that, offer, teleconferencing facilities. The advantage of this mode o f
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184, communication is that participants can participate from, their own geographical locations, at a commonly, agreed time., 4. Video Conference : Fiber Optic Network Connection in, conjunction with Satellite makes it possible for persons to, use web-cams and confer with one another at an, appointed day and time. Since people can see each other, this becomes a live, face to face communication. This, mode of communication is used by business houses that, have a global presence., Tasks :, 1., , Why is a conference held? In what way is it different, from a committee meeting?, , 2., , Imagine that you have joined a bank, which wishes to, introduce a new Insurance-cum-savings product to its, customers. You have been asked to organize an in house conference for its sales personne l. Answer the, following questions:, (i), , What will be the subject of your conference?, , (ii), , How many technical sessions can you plan?, , (iii), , How many days, do, programme should take?, , (iv), , How will you devise the invitation card as, well as the schedule for such a conference?, , you, , think,, , the, , 3., , At the above conference you have to organize guest, speakers. What steps would you take for this?, , 4., , What kind of preparations would you make on the, day of the conference ?, , , , ,
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185, , 13, PUBLIC RELATIONS, Learning objectives :, To enable students to understand the meaning,, definition and scope of public relations in the context, of the modern day world., To list and explain the functions and tools of a PRO, and to identify the qualifications and skills needed to, excel in this field., , Public Relations, Introduction :, The role of public relations cannot be stressed, enough, particularly in the context of the globalized world., Not only is it becoming increasingl y complex, sophisticated, and demanding, but its contribution in respect of, communication to any organization is being duly, recognized. In India it is gaining prominence and, though it, is just one of the tools of marketing, more and more, marketing agencies are carving full fledged separate public, relations divisions. In addition, many stand -alone public, relations organizations, big and small, are being, established every year. The fact that, apart from, corporates, celebrities, socialites, film and sports star s,, and political parties too are turning to them for image, building and image make-overs, is testimony to their
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186, growing demand. PR as a practice can trace its origin to, the pre world-war times in England. In U.S.A. it was, vigorously practised to face the challenges when the first, railway lines were built, and the project faced ugly, opposition when accidents occurred, and when private land, needed to be acquired. Bernay, popularly considered one, of its earliest and strongest practitioners, defended it as an, effort ―to engineer public support for an activity, cause,, movement or institution‖ through ―information, persuasion, and adjustment‖. The British IPR (Institute of Public, Relations) was established in 1948, while Dartnell‘s, Handbook was published in 1956 in U.S.A. However, it was, only in 1961, when it was formally adopted in Venice as the, International Code of Conduct for Public Relations, that it, came to be officially established, legitimized and practised, formally world-wide., Definition: ―Public Relations is the deliberate, planned and, sustained effort of an organization to establish and, maintain mutual understanding between an organization, and its publics.‖, Public Relations, thus, is not merely the starting, point of any business venture, but a constant e ffort in, building and retaining good will and credibility, —, intangibles that go a long way in forming the perception, about an organization. It is much more than mere crisis, management, damage control or just another marketing, tool. It forms an important link between the top, management and various publics or audiences, both, internal and external. PR professionals thus need to be, multitasking, and play multifarious roles as good, communicators, to, maintain, mutual, regard, and, understanding between an organization and its various, stakeholders., i) Functions of PR : As communicators they can ascertain, the very pulse of the public, and their perceptions can, inform and influence policy decisions of an organization, be, it for finance, marketing, community, government or, environment purposes. They are therefore able to play a, vital role as advisors to the management on diverse, aspects. In this capacity they can help shape company, policy., The public relations division can act as the image, makers for the organization or the individual and, by
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187, adopting the right medium and appropriate content, can, influence public opinion., A good assessment of people‘s culture specifics, enables it to devise suitable strategies in determining an, organization‘s goals., The ability to communicate qualifies it to act as, intermediary with lobbyists or to itself lobby for, organizations with people, governments or international, bodies to secure deals., Though event management is being carved as a, special niche, this is essentially what a PR professional, routinely handles., Events would include diverse programmes like, musical extravaganzas or book launches. But organizing, conferences, meetings, symposia or exhibitions are again, traditionally a PR professional‘s responsibility., Crisis management is synonymous with PR. But more, important is the ability to keep the antennae up and alert, and pre-empt problems. PROs (Public relations officers), therefore have to act as sirens that warn of impending, trouble. When a crisis occurs, they are the first ones, sought to defuse the situation, or restrict and control, damage. They have to act as spokespersons for the, organization. In rendering first-aid in a crisis situation, they, often help by deflecting public a ttention from an unpleasant, and unsavoury occurrence towards a positive and, beneficial one. They have, therefore, been regarded as, doing a ‗white washing‘ exercise. Be that as it may, they, are credited with achieving a ‗turnaround‘ in public, perception and restoring the shine to a tarnished, image., PROs are the natural and first choice as, spokespersons for an organization and need to routinely, interact with the media, the government or other agencies., By virtue of handling both external as well as internal, audiences their role overlaps with that of the HRD. In, challenging times of strikes, go -slow motions, lock-ups,, mergers and/or acquisitions, they are ideally suited in, addressing and occasionally redressing the concerns of, the employees of an organization.
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188, ii) Tools of PR : The principal and basic tools of PROs are, the spoken word, the written word and the image. The, nature and the need of the audience determine the form or, the medium., A) PR and External Communication : The PROs have a, wide range of tools at their command to be used according, to the needs of the audience they require to address., External Public Relations: The Publics [The external, audience] of an organization may comprise its dealers,, customers, transporters, trade association members,, competitors, or government bodies that it needs to interact, with in the course of its day to day business, its investors,, other financial bodies as well as opinion makers and the, public at large., One of the best ways, therefore, to reach such a wide, spectrum of audience is through mass media. Though the, TV is one of the most effective means, its prohibitive cost, makes it a deterrent for most except the financially sound, companies. But there are other cost effective means., These could be the press, (the newspapers normally, publish a press release of an event without charge),, staging an open house by inviting its various stakeholders, to visit the company at its office or plant, sponsoring, events and displaying the company‘s, name and logo, prominently, or by conducting or participating in fairs and, expositions. Companies which have the financial means, also go in for films, or documentaries of public interest,, highlighting the company‘s role or association wit h the, project. The widening of technology has offered one more, means, the web page, which, however, needs constant, updating, as failure to do so reflects badly on the, organisation‘s ability to keep abreast with the times., i) Media Planning, The best means of outreach to the public is through, the newspapers, the television, and now the radio which is, seeing a re-birth through the FM channels. Issuing press, hand-outs before a press conference or press releases, about an organisation‘s forthcoming events is imp ortant. It, is important to bear in mind that a press release must be, clear, accurate, brief and objective. W ith the television and, the radio being expensive media forms, their use would be, limited, reserved for only extreme cases of crises when an, organization‘s view point would need to be expressed.
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189, As the press is one of the most effective tools of, mass communication, it is vital that a PRO maintain an up to-date list of sub-editors to whom the press release would, be addressed. It is also necessary to do a discreet follow, up. One should ensure that the press release is in the form, of a newspaper report with all relevant and complete, information included., , Example:, THE PROGRESSIVE ACADEMY, 25, M. G. ROAD,, NASIK., From: Ms. S. Dixit,, Chief, Information Desk,, To : Mr. Subi Johnson, For, Sub-editor,, Edu Info Times., , Date:, immediate, , release, , New President at the Progressive Academy., Mr. S. D. Raghavan, M. Com, C.A., C. S., LLM,, has taken over the reins of the management of the, Progressive Academy as President from the outgoing, President Ms. S. V. Taksale who is migrating to Canada., Mr. Raghavan has been associated with the, Progressive Academy since 1985 and has held several, important positions with distinction. He has also served, as advisor to other institutions and is a member on the, Boards of both educational and non -government, organizations. He intends to share his plans for, enhancement and expansion with parents, students and, staff in his inaugural address at the Annual Function., In addition to the press or other media, some of the, other forms of interface with the external stakeholders are, exhibitions, fairs, open-house days, documentary films, as, also organizing sweepstakes, competitions and community, programmes.
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190, Organising press coverage for important events in, the organisation, getting senior executives to contribute, articles to leading newspapers, participating in debates on, TV channels is part of the image-building exercise of PRD., The Internet is the latest and most modern medium to, be harnessed by the PR Department to hel p in its job. The, web is an interactive medium with the widest reach, as the, term ‗world wide‘ appropriately suggests. Hence, not only, is the web page an important tool in publicising the, company, its profile, its achievements and its plans, but it, becomes the ideal medium to be in touch with public, sentiment, its perception and reaction to a company‘s, policy or event., ii)Customer Relations: Customer Complaints, Corporate, Social Responsibility:, a) Answering customer queries, handling customer, complaints with sensitivity and promptness, providing vital, information to common public is the job of the Customer, Relations Officer., PR tries to reach out to a vast number of customers, by paying prompt attention to customer grievances., Growing number of Business Processing Units bear, testimony to the fact that attending to customers is of vital, importance to survive the competition., With the recent enactment of the RTI Act, and a, general rise in consumer awareness, the management of, consumer complaints becomes an important part of the PR, department. Often, companies or service providers, in a, bid to retain goodwill, may even offer some adjustment, in, terms of discount coupons or free coupons, to compensate, for the shortfall and retain goodwill. Here is an examp le:, Shangri-La Resort,, Madh Island,, Malad-W,, Mumbai., Nov 18, 2008., Mr. Ravi Pant,, 25, Emerald Heights,, GK, New Delhi., Dear Sir,, We have been honoured to have you as a regular patron, for the past many years. We were, therefore, highly distressed, to learn from your letter that you were subje cted to discourteous, behaviour at the reception desk after an unconscionable delay, by the pick-up van, upon your arrival at the airport., We assure you, Sir, that we made immediate enquiry, as, such a complaint by our valued and longstanding customer, demanded top priority. We learnt that the unforeseen delay was
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191, , However, we deeply regret that one of our regular, customers was put to inconvenience. As an offer of goodwill we, wish to offer you a complimentary lunch voucher for two at the, prestigious ‗Nizam‘s‘ at Greater Kailash, Ne w Delhi. W e assure, you, Sir, of our continued impeccable service and hope to, receive you again on your next visit to Mumbai., Sincerely Yours,, Rajiv Krishnan., (Manager, P.R.), , b) There is a lot of buzz in the current corporate scenario, about CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility. There is, a growing awareness and expectation that a company that, prospers and does well financially should ideally attempt to, give back to society in some form or the other., Accomplishing, as well as advertising this, be comes the, sole responsibility of the PRD [Public Relations, Department]., For example, a pharmaceutical company, may organize photographic exhibitions at public sites, such, as railway stations, explaining through visuals and, commentary about the scourge of AIDS and methods of, prevention. Or about blindness, and the preventive, measures that can be adopted., iii) Organising Conferences, Seminars, Workshops:, PRD undertakes this exercise inorder to take a leadership, position, in, scholarship,, and, innovation, among, organizations dealing in similar ventures. To bring leading, thinkers and people of eminence together, and make their, research available to professionals, forms the core part of, this exercise. Conferences are held to create linkages and, establish networks.
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192, , iv). Fairs, Exhibitions and Shows:, Organising such, events on one‘s own, or participating in such events, is yet, another PR activity. This exercise helps an organization to, gain maximum visibility and reach out to cross -sections of, the society. Showcasing one‘s products, interacting with, competitors and establishing one‘s position become, important objectives of this exercise., v) Conducting Opinion Polls and Obtaining Customer, Feedback through Questionnaires: A good relationship, with those whom one interacts with and who are not part of, the company is very essential. Companies work, not only, towards, portraying a good image to the world at large,, but also, from time to time, attempt a feedback on the, public perception of the company. For example, Relianc e, Energy, Jet Airways, ICICI and HDFC banks have a regular, feedback form in which questions like,, ―Were, you, satisfied with the time taken to attend to your query?‖ are, included., vi) It could also arrange an Open House: This is an, occasion when members of the public, or family and friends, of employees, can visit the plant or factory and be given a, conducted tour that explains the functioning of various, departments of the company. Indian Navy celebrates Navy, Week in the first week of December and organizes, conducted tours of some of its warships for the benefit of, common public. The purpose of such an exercise is to, entertain and inform., Vii) Trade Events such as organizing seminars or expert, talks by eminent professionals are yet another way for, companies to establish and maintain good relations in, society. For example, when the new budget is announced,, it is common practice for financial and tax-related, companies to organize talks by eminent financial experts, for both, the general public or the tax professionals of their, association., Viii) Films are another popular way of reaching out to the, public. These can be in the form of relevant documentaries, or on the company‘s profile and its contribution to society., The commissioning of films, however, is an exp ensive, affair and it is only companies which have deep pockets, that can go in for such a medium., ix) Sponsorship is a very popular means of both publicity, and good PR. It is assumed that a company would sponsor
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193, only those events or programmes that are in line with their, policies and thinking .The Souvenirs produced by non profit, making associations or NGOs, for example, are a means to, raise funds through advertisements. Sponsorship not only, provides high visibility but also, through financial help,, enables the execution of programmes and helps garner, goodwill for the company. College competitive events,, television programmes, sports events, or social projects, such as health awareness drives become an excellent, means to the company to build a good, rapport, with, society., B) Internal PR: The internal audience of an organization, comprises its employees at various levels. The PROs can, effectively use tools such as the in -house journal or, magazine or the notice boards. Featuring articles,, photographs, news and vie ws, competitions, quizzes and tit, bits about a company‘s events, achievements, employees‘, promotions,, wedding, details,, births, and, deaths, announcements, etc., help to lend a personal touch and go, a long way in creating inclusiveness and a sense of, bonding and belonging. Apart from these, organizing, picnics, get-togethers for employees with their families, or, off-site programmes, film screenings or annual sports day, or other competitive activities, are other ways of creating, and maintaining good relations with employees. Providing, congenial work and recreation places is very essential too., Creative use of imagination and availability of funds can, result in innovative measures of maintaining good and, harmonious relations with the staff., The Internal Audience of an organization comprises its, employees at various levels. It is of paramount importance, to maintain cordial and congenial relations with the, employees for, in the final analysis, it is they who are the, actual people who help the organization achieve it s goals., The functions of Internal PR are to, (i) motivate the employees and boost their morale, (ii) create fraternal feeling, (iii) ensure free flow of communication in order to earn, the trust of the employees., i). The Print Medium is the first, easiest and simplest tool., It can be used in a variety of ways. Bulletins are used to, give the employees news about the latest developments., In-house journals and magazines or periodical booklets, are also a popular means. These usually contain a
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194, message from the management, and an editorial focusing, on the latest events or products. In addition, to make them, more interactive and participative, they may include articles, by employees, news about them, such as marriages or, births and deaths, or other relevant an d significant events, such as the company‘s victory in competitive matches and, games, or news that concerns, them, like promotions, or notes of appreciation., ii) Films, both documentary or entertainment, are a good, way of engaging with the employees. When these are, followed by discussions, they afford an ideal platform for, interacting with them in an informal setting and, strengthening the employee-management bond. They could, serve the additional purpose of instruction or training., iii) Open House is a wonderful device for image building, with the employees and their families. This achieves the, purpose of instilling a sense of involvement with and, commitment to the company. Picnics with employees also, serve a similar objective., iv) Off-site training programmes are becoming another, popular way for companies to achieve their dual objective, of providing both training and entertainment to their, employees in an informal setting. Conferences, whether, internal or external, become a wonderful PR exercise to, motivate the employees, to up-date their knowledge and,, indirectly, benefit the company., v) Exhibitions and Competitions form yet another form of, instructing,, encouraging, and,, thereby,, motivating, employees., vi) Documentation of Press Clippings: becomes an, important tool for an organization to keep track of the, image it enjoys in public, just as t he opinion poll findings, reveal the perception of external or internal audiences, about itself. Large companies, in fact, have well trained, and specific employees, who regularly cut out the articles, that include a mention of them, and maintain a master, copy, as well as respective ones for the various, departments. This enables an organization to refer to them, to ascertain public opinion or the perceptions of various, stakeholders before finalising a policy decision., vii) Implementation of programmes: like Advice and, Counselling, or Suggestion Schemes help in strengthening, the bond between the management and employees. The
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195, importance of congenial working conditions canno t be, stressed enough in motivating employees and encouraging, them to give of their best. It has been remarked, and rightly, so, that, while the modern workplace seems to resemble, more and more a place of relaxation, sport, which is seeing, increasing competition, is becoming more and more of a, hard job!, III. Qualifications for a PRO:, From the preceding detailed description of the job, profile of PROs it is evident that they have to be primarily, and essentially good communicators. This im plies that they, not only be able to read, write and speak one or more, languages, but also possess soft skills in dealing with, people tactfully. They may be called upon to write and, often edit written work. They need to groom juniors and, train them to take on greater responsibility. In dealing with, the internal employees, they need to address their, problems. This implies that they have to be good listeners, too. Redressing grievances, settling disputes, organizing or, re-organizing the workforce, and motivatin g them, call for, developing empathy and understanding., As PROs deal also with the image, the ability to wield, the camera for photography or films is a great asset. In fact, photo journalism and documentary film making are very, useful tools in communicating an organization‘s plans and, progress. Modern technology, which has shown a dramatic, progress,, has, further, empowered, and, facilitated, communication with video cams, cameras with mobile, phones, and computers, which enable not only power point, presentations but also video-conferencing and film making., Since they are called upon to interact with media persons,, whether print or audio-visual, i.e., the press or the T.V., it, is imperative that they be confident as speakers., In fact, organisations appoint one per son as their, official spokesperson. These spokespersons need to be, senior, experienced, tactful, with a cool temperament in, order to field difficult and often tricky questions posed by, media persons intending to extract inadvertent, hasty and, spontaneous replies that could be used, out of context, to, damage an organization‘s image. Appointing just one, spokesperson who alone is authorized to speak for the, organization ensures that there is but one uniform, response and not multiple ones that could be, misconstrued. This prized ability to speak judiciously and, be able to impact the public at large is what earns the
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196, PROs the tag of ―engineers of public opinion‖, which,, though perhaps not flattering, speaks of the immense, influence they can wield., In conclusion, one could say that PROs of the, present day have indeed come a long way from the time of, their original, humble practice to occupy a pre -eminent, position, particularly in the context of a globalised, economy. But one also needs to bear in mind that in times, of a downturn, they are the first victims on the chopping, block, the first to be fired, as their job profile is not so skill, specific as to be considered indispensable. But in times of, crisis they, by conveying the right kind of information, at, the right place and at the right time, can convert the, resentment and ire of the public to sympathy for the, organization. They dispel ignorance and provide the correct, details. They can wean the public from apathy and an, uncaring attitude to an interested and committ ed one. They, can help dislodge prejudice and bring a turnaround to a, better understanding. Thus, they can achieve the enviable, feat of effecting a significant shift by transforming a, negative perception about an organization to a positive, one. Little wonder, then, that more and more institutes are, offering a full fledged course in this interesting and, challenging professional opportunity, enabling a growing, number of youngsters with requisite skills to avail of a, demanding but satisfying job option., Tasks :, (1), , Define PR and discuss its scope in the modern day, context., , (2), , Enumerate and briefly explain the, functions that PROs need to perform., , (3), , Name the two kinds of audiences PROs face and the, appropriate tools to address each., , (4), , Varied skills go into the making of PROs. Specify, situations that require the practice of each., , (5), , Discuss in detail any two measures of external, /internal PR., , (6), , Draft a press release to inform of the tenth, anniversary of the tourist festival in your, city, which is to be inaugurated by the State Minister, for Travel and Tourism., , multifarious
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197, , , , UNIT3:BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE, , 14, TRADE LETTERS, Learning objectives:, To enable students to understand the nature and, purpose of routine and persuasive business, correspondence., , Introduction :, Commercial, categories:, , correspondence, , normally, , falls, , i. Business to business letters ii. business, and iii. customers to business letters. In, students will learn about trade letters that, exchanged between the two parties:, customers., , into, , three, , to customers, this chapter, are normally, traders and, , Trade letters include [in the order of their occurrence], 1. Inquiry, 2. Order, 3. Complaints, claims, adjustments [Chapter 15], 4. Consumer Redress Letters [Chapter 16], 5. Credit, 6. Collection
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198, 7. Sales: [Chapter 17], 1. Inquiry: A letter that seeks information about a product, or a service is known as a letter of inquiry. Unless a buyer, collects information about the product, he cannot place an, order. His first step, therefore, is to collect the information, about the product., Drafting a letter of inquiry: Like any business letter, an, inquiry letter should have a beginning, a middle and an, end., Openings, The buyer may/can mention an advertisement as the, source of information., a) I refer to your advertisement in the ……….of………date, advertising the new range of…………….and I wish to, inquire about it., b) I write to inquire about …….advertised by you in the, Times of India, dated ….., or The individual or the firm, introduction, , may furnish a brief self -, , a) We are a large chain of retailers and we are looking, for……….., b) We wish to replace steel cutlery in 25 of our J.P.Group, of Hotels., Or the firm may begin by stating the purpose right away., a)We are an established chain of hotels in North India We, wish to replace the crockery in all our establishments., Middle, Buyer requests for the price-list and catalogue:, We request you to send your price -list/catalogue/quotation, at your earliest/latest by…., End, Buyer inquires about the discounts/ concessions given:, (a) We request you to provide more details about your 20%, discount scheme.
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199, (b) We expect 10% discount on current prices offered to, educational institutions., Buyer tries to induce seller, competitive /reasonable prices., , into, , giving, , him, , most, , Reasonable prices, excellent quality product and service, will induce us to place future replacement orders with you., , Example: Inquiry, Shah Computer Accessories, ……………………., 23 r d April 2008., Anupam Stores, …………….., Dear Sir,, I refer to you advertisement in today‘s Times of India,, announcing the latest range of computer accessories., My computer shop enjoys sound reputation in the area., I am interested in the new products advertised by you. As, my requirement is of a varied nature, I request you to send, your latest price-list and catalogue., The advertisement mentions a special discount on large, orders. Please furnish me with more details about this., Yours truly, …………., , 2. Reply to inquiry: This is a letter which the seller writes, when he responds to the buyer‘s letter o f inquiry. He, thanks the buyer for showing interest in his products;, encloses his best prices/catalogue/quotations; makes a, special mention of discounts so as to induce the buyer to, place an early order., Example : Reply to inquiry, Anupam Stores, ……………………, 29 t h April 2008, Shah Computer Accessories., ………………………, Dear Sir,, We thank you for your interest in our latest range of computer
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200, , 3. Order: After having collected the price-lists and, quotations from various traders, the buyer places an order, for goods. This letter is known as an order letter. An order, letter is generally written in an order-form. If an, organisation does not have an order-form, the buyer needs, to write a letter. He places a sample order to begin with., This is known as a trial order. This will be followed by one, or two repeat orders and the subsequent routine/regular, order., Drafting a letter placing an order:, Opening, Reference to the receipt of price -list and catalogue., We are happy to receive your letter dated …. quoting your, latest prices and the catalogue containing detailed, illustration. After having found your prices most, competitive, we have decided to place our first order/ trial, order for ……., Middle, This will contain a detailed description of the order, such, as specifications regarding the required quantity, quality,, colour,, model,, packaging, instructions,, terms, and, conditions, cancellation clause if goods are not up to the, mark, or arrive late etc., modes of payment —advance,, partial, payment on delivery ., End, Specifies the expected date of the supply of order and a, future promise clause., Example
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201, Blow Plast, 25 t h Nov 2008, Shanman Toys, …………….., Trial Order, Dear Sir,, We thank you for your prompt reply to our inquiry for Shaman, toys. As we find your prices reasonable, we wish to place a, trial order for 50 sets of toys worth Rs.60,000/ -, the details of, which are enclosed., Please note that the order must reach us by the first week of, December. Excellent workmanship and use of non hazardous colours would create a way for future orders., Payment will be made on C.O.D. basis. We will expect a, 10% discount on the initial order. Please note that goods, supplied in excess, or of inferior quality, or in damaged, condition will be returned to you at your cost., Yours truly,, …………., Encl :, Detailed Order, , The buyer, if satisfied, as mentioned earlier, may, place a repeat order. But if s/he is dissatisfied on account, of poor quality, service, or delayed delivery, s/he may be, forced to cancel her/his order. In such cases, s/he may, return the order and ask for a refu nd. Or, s/he may keep, the order but ask permission to sell the goods at a, discounted price., 4. Credit and Status Enquiry: At times the buyer may, have to buy his products on credit; which means he may, not be able to buy them on cash basis., The word, which means ‗I, between a buyer, goods today and, /future date., , credit originates from the word ‗Credo‘, Believe‘. Credit is thus an arrangement, and a seller, by which the buyer can avail, for which he can make payment at a later, , Before granting credit to the prosp ective buyer, the, seller will try and find out if the buyer is credit -worthy;
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202, whether s/he [the seller] can recover her/his amount form, the buyer. This investigation about the credit -standing of, the buyer, or her/his credit worthiness is known as status, inquiry., If the information about buyer is positive, the seller, grants her/him credit. If it is not, then the seller tactfully, refuses to supply the order on credit, and induces the, buyer to buy the product on cash basis., , Following are the steps involved in credit correspondence :, [Status Inquiry], 1. A buyer applies to a seller for the supply of order on, credit, 2. The seller requests the buyer, References/ Bank references/, Documents etc., , to, , furnish Trade, Financial, , 3. The buyer, after seeking ref erees‘ consent, supplies, references to the seller., 4. The seller then takes up these references. which means, she/he writes to these referees and inquires about the, credit standing of the buyer., 5. Referees‘ replies form the next step in credit, correspondence. The reply from the, referee could be, positive, negative, non-committal or partially favourable, or unfavourable., [Credit], 6. Letter granting credit/ The seller grants credit to the, buyer, 7. Letter refusing to grant credit/The seller refuses to g rant, credit to the buyer., Credit Correspondence:, Example1 : Buyer‘s application., Compulink, …………..., 1 s t February, 2007, Seamless Computer Suppliers, …………………..…., Dear Sir,, Sub : Credit Order.
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203, , Example 2: Seller requests References, Seamless Computers, …………………….…., 8 t h Feb, 2007, The Proprietor, Compulink, Dear Sir,, Sub: Request for References., We thank you for your order of 1 February for 25 Acer laptop, computers., Since this is your first order with us, we would like to inform, you that it is our practice to ask customers for trade, references., Would you therefore send us, by return post, the names and, addresses of two trade referees with whom you have been, dealing in the recent past?, We look forward to serving you,, Yours truly, ……………, , Example 3: Customer Supplies References, Compulink, …………., 20 t h Feb, 2007, Seamless Computers, …………………….…., Dear Sir,, Sub: Supplying References, We acknowledge the receipt of your letter asking us to, supply the names of trade referees.
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204, , Example 4 : Seller taking up references., Seamless Computers, ………………….….., 21 s t Feb, 2007, M/s…………, ………………, Dear Sir,, Sub: Status Inquiry, We are an established wholesale dealer in electronic equipment……in, Mumbai., Mr. …….. of Compulink , who has placed an order for 25, Acer laptop computers on six months credit with us, has, given your name as one of his referees., We request you to furnish us with information about the, credit standing of Mr………., We assure you that any information you give us will be, treated as private and confidential., Yours truly, …………, , [The next stage is that of referees‘ response. The referee, may give a positive, negative, partial or non -committal, reply. While replying to a credit enquiry the referee will, avoid commenting on the character of the applicant. He, will restrict his comment to his personal experience of the, applicant. He will avoid advising the seller. All such replies, will be marked ―Private and Conf idential‖.], Example 5: Referees‘ replies: (a) Favourable, M/sand, …………….., Private, Confidential, …………………., , 24, , th, , Feb, 2008, , Seamless Computers, …………………, …………….…., ……….….….….
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205, , We are happy to inform you that we have been doing, business with them for the last 15 years and we have found, them trustworthy and reliable. They have placed regular, credit orders with us in the past and have always paid their, dues on time., We hope this information will be helpful and understand that, you will treat it as confidential., Yours truly, …………., , b)Example:, , Unfavourable Reply, Private and Confidential, M/s …………….., , 24 t h Feb, 2008, Seamless Computers, …………………….…., Dear Sir,, Sub: Reply to Credit Inquiry, We acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated …….., requesting credit information about ……………, We have been dealing with them for almost ten years now., They placed regular orders with us in th e past. While, initially,, they always paid their dues on net dates, they occasionally, did not do so. In fact, in recent times, after their failure to pay, on time, we started dealing with them only on cash basis., We feel that one should exercise caution wh ile dealing with, them., We have exchanged this information in good faith, and we, trust you will treat it as strictly private and confidential.
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206, , Example 6:, , Letter granting Credit, Seamless Computers, ………………………., , 1 s t March, 2007, Compulink, ……………, ……………, Dear Sir,, Sub: Approving Credit Order, We sincerely thank you for supplying the credit references so, promptly., We are happy to inform you that we will supply your order for, 25Acer Laptop computers on six months credit period., We are enclosing our catalogue, order form and a copy of, credit application form for your convenience. Please send us,, by return post, your specifications along with the signed, credit form, so that we can supply your order within the next, four working days., We hope this will mark the beginning of a long -standing, business association between us., I remain,, Yours truly, ………….
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207, Example 7: Letter refusing Credit, One has to be tactful while writing negative replies., The seller generally refuses credit when h e receives, negative replies about the credit standing of the buyer. Yet,, it is unwise to tell the buyer that s/he [seller] has received, a negative reply about her/him [the buyer]. The seller,, while saying no, tactfully avoids giving a direct negative, response and tries to put the message in as positive terms, as possible., , Seamless Computers, ……………………., 1 s t March, 2007, Compulink, ……………, Dear Sir,, We sincerely thank you for providing us the references so, promptly., We, however, have to inform you with regret that we cannot, process your credit order as the market conditions are not, favourable., We have decided not to process any credit order for the next, six months. As such, we will have to put your credit order on, hold., In the meanwhile, you could avail of a special 15% discount, which we are offering to a few of our select customers, if you, place your order before 20 March., We look forward to serving you,, Yours truly, …………., , 4. Collection or Dunning Letters: Letters that are written, to recover outstanding amounts are known as collection, letters. Despite every possible care having been taken by, the seller before supplying order on credit, it is possible, that the buyer fails to repay on time. These letters are then, written to collect such outstanding payments., Since a credit order is extended after a caut ious, scrutiny, when the buyer fails to pay on time, it is believed
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208, that the buyer may be having a genuine difficulty due to, which he has failed to make payment; or the lapse may be, due to an oversight. Before declaring the buyer a defaulter,, the seller wants to give him the benefit of doubt. Therefore,, he sends letters in stages to enable the buyer to make, payment. After having written three such letters, the seller, takes a firm stand and demands payment within a, stipulated period of time. He may also exten d a helping, hand to the buyer in order to make the buyer respond, positively. Finally, when he is left with no alternative, he, sends a warning letter, giving the buyer a specific period in, which to settle his dues. If the buyer fails to pay up even, then, legal action is taken against the defaulting buyer., There are five stages of collection., Examples of Collection Series:, Letter No. 1, Matrix………….., 5 t h Feb, 2008, Allwyn Fernandes, ………………, Dear Sir,, Sub: Account No…………, We do not appear to have received payment of the above, account for Rs. 25,000/-, already a month overdue., It is possible that you have not received the statement of, account sent to you on 1 January. We enclose a copy of the, same, and request you to make payment before 15 February., Yours truly, ……………, Encl:, Copy of statement, , Letter No. 2, Matrix………….., 25 t h Feb, 2008, Allwyn Fernandes, ………………, Dear Sir,, Sub: Your Outstanding Account : 1 st reminder, We are surprised that we have neither received our payments, for Rs. 25000/- outstanding on the above account, nor have we
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209, , Letter No. 3, Matrix………….., 15 t h March, 2008, Allwyn Fernandes, ………………, Dear Sir,, Sub: Your Outstanding Account : 2 nd reminder, Our records indicate that your account is now more than 60, days past dues. We feel concerned as you have not, responded to either of our letters sent to you on …5 an d 25, February…………, We cannot allow this situation to continue indefinitely and, therefore must press for immediate payment., Considering our long association in the past, we are ready, to give you an opportunity to explain, within the next two, days, why the outstanding balance of Rs.25000/- could not, be paid on time, failing which we would be forced to, consider other alternatives., Yours truly, ………….……, , Letter No. 4, Matrix………….., 1 st April ,2008, Allwyn Fernandes, ………………, Dear Sir,, Sub: Your Outstanding Account : 3rd remind er, We very much regret that we have received no reply to the, follow-up letter we sent you on 15 March,………..requesting
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210, , Letter No. 5, Matrix………….., 30 t h April, 2008, Allwyn Fernandes, ………………, Dear Sir,, Sub: Your Outstanding Account: Final letter, It is with utmost regret that we have to inform you that,, despite having treated you with every possible consideration,, we have neither heard from you, nor have we received the, payment of Rs.25000/- still outstanding on your account with, us., We are convinced that we have shown sufficient patience, but, we are now left with no option but to recover payment at law., The matter will now be, regretfully, placed in the hands of our, solicitors., Yours truly, …………., , [These letters form the substance of routine external, correspondence in the organization. While letters of inquiry, have almost become a part of history, order letters are sent, in customized and standard formats. Credit and collection, letters are generally never handled by junior staff. They are, handled by either the senior executives who have the, requisite experience, or by the Company Secretary or a, more competent authority.]
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211, , , , 15, COMPLAINTS, CLAIMS AND, ADJUSTMENTS, Learning objectives :, To enable students to draft letters of complaint and, claims, To enable students to draft letters of adjustment, , Complaints and Claims, Introduction :, i) What is a complaint letter ?, A complaint letter is written by a dissatisfied, customer, expecting the organization to resolve the, problem by offering him/her adequate compensation. The, contention may be with regard to the quality, quantity,, pricing or after-sales service in case of a product. It may, be related to the nature, competence, or efficiency in case, of a service. The letter should logically explain the dispute,, supported by documents and other kinds of evidence., ii) What is a claim?
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212, A claim may be defined as a demand of action made, by a customer to compensate him/her for any mechanical,, physical or functional defect in a product purchased, and, perceived inadequacies in service obtained., Granting claims and making adjustments :, Being sensitive to the concerns and demands of, customers, promptly handling their claims, and amicably, resolving problems reap obvious benefits for an, organization. In a competitive marketplace, it earns the, goodwill and loyalty of customers. Good customer relat ions, are a priority for any organisation which wants to grow. The, Consumer Protection Act, 1986, aids consumers to recover, damages, prompting companies to take appropriate steps, to resolve customer complaints., It is well within the rights of an organisat ion to verify, the complaint and offer compensation only when it is found, genuine. A response to a complaint letter detailing action, taken is called a letter of adjustment., iii) When does a customer make a complaint?, A customer complains when, he is dissatisfied with the quality or quantity of the, product, the pricing is incorrect or there is a, billing, , mistake in, , the packing is not to standard specifications for a, particular product, the order arrives late, is in excess, in a damaged condition,, or is different from the one placed, he is dissatisfied with the service, or after -sales, service, Apart from these, there could be many other situations, when a customer may have to take recourse to such, letters., II. Drafting a Letter of Complaint:, While drafting a complaint letter, one must be, rational and use reason instead of emotions. Getting a, timely and adequate compensation depends on whether the, dispute is explained and phrased logically. The writer could
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213, i.begin with a clear statement of a problem sequenti ally, ii.support his claim with documents, endorsements and, establish his contention, iii.clearly state what kinds of compensation he expects, Or, i.begin by providing the details of order, ii.state the nature of complaint, iii.suggest action/compensation, , Example 1, Abhiram Athwale, 4, Jeevan Vikas,, Dadar Central,, Mumbai 400006., December 25, 2007, The Manager,, Canberry India,, Worli,, Mumbai 400 018., Dear Sir,, Sub: Complaint against substandard quality of Fruit‘n‘Nu t, Chocolates, This is to bring to your notice that the above -mentioned, chocolates were found to contain worms. The samples in, question, 20 gift-boxes of chocolates, were purchased on, December 24, from the famous ‗Deal4‘ shop, located in, Dadar, Mumbai. I would like to lodge an official complaint, about the quality of these ‗Fruit n Nut Chocolates‘ supplied by, your company which manufactures them., The chocolates were purchased for distribution in an, orphanage. To our utter disgust and shock, each box opened, was found infested with worms. The chocolates were well, within the printed date of expiry, which is February 20, 2008., Your chocolates pose a great health risk for consumers, most, of whom may be children. I request you to withdraw the entire, lot from the market immediately, and compensate me with, fresh batches of the same chocolates., Yours truly,, Abhiram Athwale
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214, II. Drafting a Letter of Adjustment / Settlement, A letter of adjustment has three goals:, 1. to reach out to the customer and verify the complaint, 2. to explain the cause / reason behind the inade quacies, in product or service, 3. to regain the confidence of the customer and promote, further business, Letters of Adjustment, A letter of adjustment is written to, 1. acknowledge the receipt of the letter of complaint and thank the, customer for writing it, 2. express regret for the cause of complaint, 3. explain the situation, 4. state the action taken., 5. communicate one‘s genuine concern, Example 1 : Response to complaint letter, Cranberry India Ltd., Worli, Mumbai, Ref no.320/ cw/01, Dec 26, 2007, Mr Abhiram Athwale,, 4, Jeevan Vikas,, Dadar Central,, Mumbai 400 006., Dear Sir,, Response to your Letter of Complaint about Fruit‘n‘, Nut Chocolates., We sincerely thank you for informing us about worm infestation, in the Gift Boxes of Fruit‘n‘Nut chocolates, and deeply regret, the inconvenience caused to you by this. Follow ing your letter,, we have immediately withdrawn the entire batch of chocolates, from markets across the country., We are a responsible corporate concern and since this is, indeed a very serious issue as rightly pointed out by you, we, immediately launched an investigation into the matter., We were relieved to find that there was nothing wrong with the, packaging or manufacturing processes. The chocolates were, stored in improper temperature, which made them soggy and, moist, leading to the germination of worms., On inquiring, our distributors claimed that prolonged periods of, power-cuts led to the current crisis. Now, we have convened a, meeting of our distributors along with our R&D experts to take, appropriate measures so that such a situation never recurs., As a token of our appreciation of your concern, we send you a, carton of fresh chocolates which you can dis tribute among the
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215, , Example 2 : Complaint regarding se rvice, , Example 2 : Complaint regarding Letter, , 3, Silver Moon Apts., Baba D‘souza Marg, Khar [W ], Mumbai 053., 18 t h Sept, 2008, HSCC Bank, 16 th Road,Khar Danda,, Khar [W].Mumbai 400 053., Dear Madam,, I am a customer of your bank, having a Third Party, Overseas Transfer [TPOT] Account, (number 55786657)., I have not been able to operate my account for the last two, days as your server is down. Since my business runs on the, Internet, the non-transfer of funds for the last two days has, caused me a great deal of inconvenience and loss of, customer confidence., It is difficult to believe that a prime bank like HSCC does, not have any alternative and can do nothing for its, customers, except to let them suffer., I request you to resolve the matter immediately, or I will, have no choice but to withdraw business from your bank, and shift my account another more efficient bank., Yours faithfully,, M. Alvares
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216, , Example 3 : Adjustment Letter, HSCC Bank, 16 th Road,Khar Danda,, Khar [W], Mumbai 400 053., , Ref No. 320/cw/02, 20 t h Sept, 2008, Mrs.Margaret Alvares, 3, Silver Moon Apts., Baba D‘souza Marg, Khar [W], Mumbai 400 053, Dear Madam,, We thank you for your letter dated September 18. We deeply, regret the technical snag that inconvenienced many of our, valuable customers., We fully understand the seriousness of the matter and, welcome your suggestion for an alternative arrangement,, should the server fail in future. Our technical team is working, on such an alternative,and we promise that there will be no, such technical breakdowns in future., We once again thank you for being our valued customer and, expect your continued patronage., Sincere regards,, Yours truly,, Mrs. Alia Sinha,, Branch Manager,, HSCC, Khar
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217, , Example 4: Letter of Complaint: Poor Quality, , SR Home Appliances,, Kandivali [W],, Mumbai 400068, Tel: (022) 66677888, 19 t h Sept, 2008, The Proprietor,, Kitchen King Services,, Kanjur Marg [W],4000067, SUB: Substandard quality of steel kitchenware., Sir., We have been regular buyers of kitchenware from you for the, past five years, but during the past two months, we have, received many complaints about the quality of the stainless, steel utensils. Most customers have complained that these, steel utensils rust in no time. To be precise, we have had to, replace six such orders in order to satisfy our customers. This, is a matter of serious concern to us, as this may affect our, image adversely. If the word spreads, it will immediately, result in loss of business., We are sending back the utensils exchanged. W e expect you, to replace these within 15 days. We also request you to take, necessary steps and ensure that the next lot sent to us is of, standard quality., Yours sincerely,, …….., Manager,, SR Home Appliances.
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218, , Example 5: Response to Letter of Complaint: Poor, Quality, The Proprietor,, Kitchen King Services,, Kanjur Marg [W],, Mumbai-4000067., 26 t h Sept, 2008, SR Home Appliances,, Kandivali [W],, Mumbai 400068., Tel: 2 66677888, Ref. No. 321/cw/04, Dear Sir,, Thank you for your letter of complaint dated September 19,, 2008. We indeed regret the poor quality of the steel, following, a labour, dispute, kitchenware, supplied, to you, and sincerely apologize for the, problems you had to face., Following a labour dispute we had to temporarily stop our, production for a fortnight, and were compelled to make, alternate arrangements with the renowned exporters,, Guarantee Steels, for supplying the merchandise to all our, customers. We never doubted the quality of their product,, but, having received your complaint, we will now take up the, matter with them., I may also inform you that the dispute in our plant has been, resolved, and we will shortly resume supplies. We are, sending you the replacement order at our earliest., Yours faithfully,, M.Subramanyam,, Proprietor.
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219, , III. Handling Negative Messages: Refusal to Settle, Claims:, It is not possible for a seller to grant all the claims,, particularly when the demand of the customer is, unreasonable. To communicate politely to the customer/s, one‘s inability to accede to the unreasonable demands, and, still retain their goodwill is a challenging task., To draft such a letter is a delicate matter. One‘s refusal, must not translate into blaming the customer, even if he is, at fault. The seller must sound concerned and, understanding, and try to be as objective as possible in his, explanation., Example 1: Refusing Adjustment, Dear Sir,, We are sorry to learn that the music system you, purchased under bill no 1234, on February 25, 2008 has, developed technical defects. We find that you have asked, us for a replacement., In this connection, however, we must bring to your, notice that according to the conditions of warranty, if any, device is found defective, it must be brought back directly to, the original seller. Our inspection reveals that you had called, a local mechanic who tampered with the system. We regret, to communicate to you that we cannot grant you any relief, under these circumstances., We would like to suggest that you consult our, technical department, who can repair the defect, but against, payment of charges., Yours truly, …………., , Example 2 : Refusing Adjustment
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defect developed in your Acer Laptop, purchased from, ‗The Electronic Shoppe‘ on February 19, 2007., 220engineer who attended to, According to our hardware, your complaint immediately, the source of the problem, is the electrical wiring in your house. The laptop itself is, in perfect working condition., We request you to get the electrical wiring in your house, changed immediately. If problems persist even after the, change of wiring, we promise to replace the piece, while, it is in its warranty period., Yours truly, ………….., Tasks :, Draft a complaint letter for the following situations :, 1. S.K. Architecture placed a large order with Jayanti, Caterers for snacks that led to food poisoning after, consumption., 2. Rohit Das purchased a collection of DVDs from Sony, Entertainment at a total cost of Rs. 2000/ -, which have, turned out to be blank., 3. Alviras purchased groceries form Indiabulls for Rs. 2500/, for home delivery. The bill, however, showed the amount, as Rs. 3500., 4. Mr. Gopinath placed an order for a Kohli Food, Processor by paying Rs.5000/-. The food processor, makes alarming noise while grinding., 5. You purchased two fruit drink cans from Bizz Bazzar, under the ‗Buy One Get One Free‘ offer. The date on, both the containers, however, is well past their expiry, date., Draft an adjustment letter for the following situations :, 1. Mrs. Anita Lamba has written to inform you that the, carton of paints she received from you has less number, of items than she had placed order for., 2. Messrs. Tare and Bros. have written to Abha Sales that, the furniture they had ordered has arrived in a damaged, condition., 3.Mrs. Geeta Chandra has asked for replacement of her, CCM washing machine which caught fire as soon as it, was switched on.
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221, 4.Major Anand has asked for the complete refund of his, ticket fare, as the airline overbooked the tickets and, failed to accommodate him on the flight., 5.A student form Adtech has written to Adtech Computer, Centre asking for full refund of fees as the centre failed, to provide him with the necessary practice time and, hands-on experience as promised in the prospectus., , Draft a letter refusing to make adjustment for the following, situations:, 1. A customer has complained that he placed an order for, a navy blue carpet he had selected from the catalogue., The carpet he received, however, is of a different shade, of blue and not the one he had selected., 2. You have received a letter from Ahuja and Sons, complaining about the copier they purchased a month, ago, which returns the paper blank., ,
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222, , 16, CONSUMER GRIEVANCE LETTERS, Learning objectives :, To make students aware of their rights as, consumers., To acquaint students with the provisions of the, Consumer Protection Act, and the procedure for filing, a complaint under the CPA, , Introduction :, I. What is Consumer Guidance?, Consumer Guidance means imparting education,, information, instruction and training to consumers with, regard to their buying activities. The first and foremost, objective of the Consumer Guidance Cell is to make, consumers aware that they have legitimate rights as, consumers. The purpose of the endeavour is to make, consumers aware about the possible malpractices and the, consequent victimization on account of their lack of, knowledge about the consumer‘s rights. In a country like, India, a majority of consumers are uneducated, poor and, unorganized. They fall an easy prey to the exploitative, practices of traders. Consumer education equips them to, exercise, their, rights, as, consumers., Consumer, organizations, work, towards, consumer, education,, establishment of legal redressal systems, appropriate, punitive measures against offenders and, in general, for, protection of consumers from the malpractices in the, commercial world.
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223, , In this chapter, you are going to understand the CPA, [Consumer Protection Act] of 1986 – the law that, revolutionised the life of a consumer, and also learn how to, redress consumer complaints., [It has been decided by the Government of India to, celebrate December 24 as the National Consumer Day in, India. It was on this day that the President of India gave, assent to the Consumer Protection Act in 1986. The World, Consumers‘ Rights day is celebrated all over the world on, March 15.], I. THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, 1986, Though a consumer is ideally the king, he has been, the most vulnerable entity in the entire marketing system in, India. He has been subjected to the worst kind of, exploitation at the hands of mighty traders. The, Government of India enacted a comprehensive legislation, called The Consumer Protection Act, in order to safeguard, the interests of consumers. The Consumer Protection Act,, 1986, applies to all goods and services, excluding goods, for resale or for commercial purpose, and services that are, rendered free of charge and under a contract for personal, service. The provisions of the Act are compensatory in, nature. It covers public, private, joint and cooperative, sectors., II. Who is a Consumer ?, According to the act, ―A consumer is any person who, buys any goods for a consideration [price], and is the user, of such goods, where the use is with the approval of the, buyer, any person who hires/avails of any service for a, consideration [price], and any beneficiary of such services,, where such services are availed of with the approval of the, person hiring the service. [www.cgi.com], This means that if Mrs. Pandya purchased a car for, her personal use by making full payment, she is a, consumer. If she has made a partial payment, or paid her, first installment of Rs. 45000/, she is still a con sumer. If, Mrs. Pandya availed herself of any services – like airline,, railways, medical treatment, she is a consumer. However,, if she is a trader, who has purchased a car with an, intention to sell, she is not a consumer.
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224, Goods: The act defines ‗Goods‘ as any movable property, which also includes shares, but does not include any, auctionable claims., Service: It defines ‗Service‘ as service of any description, such as banking, insurance, transport, processing, housing, construction, supply of electrical energ y, entertainment,, board or lodging., III. Rights of the Consumer: CPA has framed the, following rights of the consumer., Right to be protected against the marketing of goods, and services which are hazardous to life and, property., Right to be informed about the quality, quantity,, potency, purity, standard and price of, goods, or, services, so as to protect the consumer against, unfair trade practices., Right to be assured of, wherever possible, access to, a variety of goods and services at competitive prices., Right to be heard and to be assured that consumers‘, interests will receive due consideration at, appropriate forums., Right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices, and unscrupulous exploitation of consumers., Right to consumer education., IV. Nature of complaint: A consumer can complain, against, i. Any unfair trade practice or restrictive trade practice, adopted by the trader, ii. Defective goods, iii. Deficiency in service, iv. Excess price charged by the trader, v. Unlawful sale of goods which is hazardous to life and, safety when used., V. How to lodge a Complaint?, A complaint, handwritten or typed, can be filed by a, consumer to a registered consumer organisation, Central, or State Government, and by one or more consumers, where there are numerous consumers having the same, interest. No stamp or court fee is needed. The nature of, complaint must be clearly mentioned, as well as the relief, [compensation] sought by the consumer. Complaint must
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225, be in quadruplicate [four copies], in district fo rum or state, commission. Else, additional copies are required to be, filed., Complaint is to be filed within two years of buying the, product or using the service., Complaint needs to be in writing, and should be, acknowledged. Letters should be sent by regis tered, post, or, should, be, hand-delivered, against, acknowledgement., In the complaint, consumer should clearly mention, the name and address of the person who is, complaining and against whom the complaint is being, filed., Copies of relevant documents must be en closed. The, consumer must mention details of the problem and, the demand on the company for compensation. This, could be replacement of the product, removal of the, defect, refund of money, or compensation for, expenses incurred and for physical/mental tortur e., However, he has to ensure that the claims are, reasonable., The consumer must preserve all bills, receipts and, proof of correspondence related to the case. He must, avoid using voice mail or telephone because such, communications cannot be proved., The complaint can be in any Indian language, but it, is better to use English., There is no compulsion to hire a lawyer. Main cost, consists of correspondence and travelling to, consumer forum for the hearing., VI. Grant of relief [Nature of compensation]: CPA, provides for following types of compensation., a. Repair of defective goods, b. Replacement of defective goods, c. Refund of the price paid for the defective goods or, service, d. Removal of deficiency in service, e. Refund of extra money charged, f. Withdrawal of goods hazardous to life and safety, g. Compensation for the loss or injury suffered by the, consumer due to negligence of the opposite party
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226, h., , Adequate cost of filing and pursuing the complaint, , Normally, complaints should be decided within 9 0 days, from the date of notice issued to the opposite party. Where, a sample of any goods is required to be tested, a complaint, is required to be disposed of within 150 days; it may take, more time due to practical problems., VII. Consumer Protection Councils :, Councils have been set up in all States and at the, Centre to promote and protect the rights and interests of, consumers. These councils are advisory in nature and can, play an important role in recommending consumer oriented, policies to the State and Central Governments., The objective of the act is to:, i. provide simple, speedy,, consumer grievances., , inexpensive, , redressal, , to, , ii. provide this three-tier quasi judicial machinery at the, national, state and district level, National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission:, Deals with claims above Rs. 1 crore and above, Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission or State, Commission: Deals with claims from Rs.20 lakhs to 1, crore, Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum or District Forum:, Deals with claims upto Rs.20 Lakhs., The set-up of the consumer forum is geared to, provide relief to both parties, and discourage long, litigation. In a process called ‗informal adjudication‘, forum, officials mediate between the two parties and urge, compromise. The forum is expected to dispose of a, complaint within three months from the date on which, notice is given to the opposite party. On receiving a, complaint, the company against whom the complaint is, received is intimated, with a copy of the complai nt letter., The concerned company is supposed to reply within 45, days of receiving the notice from the forum. Once the, company sends its reply, the Forum can set the date for a, hearing, where the complainant and the opposite party can, present their arguments. If the opposite party does not, appear in court despite repeated notices and reminders,, the court may decide the matter in its absence and give an, ex-parte decision. The Forum can sentence the party to a
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227, maximum of three years‘ imprisonment and impose a fine, of Rs. 10,000. The Forum can also issue warrants to, produce defaulters in court. It can use the police and, revenue departments to enforce orders., One should once again note that consumer courts provide, redress only in cases of products or services for personal, use. They do not entertain complaints about, or provide, any redress for, defects in products used for commercial, purposes., VIII. Some of the active consumer organisations:, Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, Grahak Bhavan, Sant Dhyaneswar Marg,, Juhu Vile Parle Development Scheme,, Near Cooper Hospital, Mumbai 400056., Tel: 022-6209319., Consumer Guidance Society of India, ‗J‘ Hutment, Mahapalika Marg,, Opp Cama and Albless Hospital,, Mumbai 400001. Tel: 022-2621612, Common Cause, A-31, West End, New Delhi 110021., Tel: 011-6876666., Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer, Education, F-71, Lajpat Nagar II, New Delhi 110024., Tel: 011-6918969/6315375., In Mumbai and Thane complaints at the distri ct level should, be addressed to:, 1. The President [ City Limits],, Bombay District Consumer Disputes Redressal, Forum, Madhu Industrial Estate, 1 st floor,, Panduranga Budhkar Marg,, Worli, Mumbai 400 013., 2., , The President [ Suburban Limits], Consumer Redressal Forum, Sudarshan Building,, Gokhale Road,, Dadar, Mumbai 400028
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228, , 3., , The President, District Consumer Redressal Forum, 2 nd floor, Collector‘s Office, Court Naka, Thane [W], 400601, , II. Drafting, Guidance:, , of, , Redress, , letters, , under, , Consumer, , A consumer redress letter is drafted like any, complaint letter. However, it is only afte r the seller has, ignored, or failed to respond to a customer‘s complaint,, that the customer should approach the consumer forum. He, should give all the details of the complaint and substantiate, them with all the necessary documents. He should then, request the consumer redress cell to take up his matter on, his behalf and ask for justice. He should also clearly state, the kind of compensation he has in mind., There is a format in which consumer guidance letters are, generally drafted. This includes, a) The name of the complainant, b) The name of the company/organization/concern i.e. the, opposite party against whom the complaint is being, made., c) The nature of the complaint., d) Prayer i.e. Terms of Compensation, Example 1: Consumer Redress Letters, Mr. Amar Khan, B-16, Alam Gir Apts., Azad Rd. Thane[W] , 401203., September 15, 2008, The President, Consumer Guidance Redressal Forum, …………………., Complainant: Mr. Amar Khan, Dispute Against / Opposite Party: Mohata Builders, Nature of Complaint: Levying of excess charges., Dear Sir,, I request you to take up my dispute with Mohata Builders,, who have failed to give me the possession of my flat at 5, B,Ajanta Gardens situated at Gorai Rd, Boriwali [W], as, promised., I had entered into a proper agreement with Mohata Builders,, when I booked a one BHK flat admeasuring 540 sq ft for, Rs. 20 lakhs, in their newly constructed housing scheme at, Gorai. In accordance with the terms of agreement, I paid
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229, , After the payment of my last installment on 18 t h December,, 2007, on requesting the keys to the flat, I was told by the, supervisor that I would be given the keys on 2 n d February, as, some work was still to be completed. In good faith I agreed, to wait till 2 nd February, 2008., When I approached them on 7 t h February, 2008, the, supervisor made a demand of an additional amount of Rs.1, lakh, towards the increased cost of construction. On my, refusing to pay the extra amount, he refused to hand over, the keys to me., Almost eight months have passed and I have still not been, given the possession of the flat. After having failed to meet, the Mohatas in person, I sent them three registered letters,, to which I have received no answer till date., I, therefore, request you to take up my matter and help me in, getting the following compensation:, 1. Immediate possession of my flat, 2. The amount paid towards rent at Rs. 15,000/ per month, for the last 8 months, 3. A written apology for the harassment I have been, subjected to, I am enclosing, 1. A Copy of the registered agreement, 2. Receipts of the payments made, 3. Copies of the registered letters and postal receipts, I hope to receive a sympathetic response soon., Yours truly, ……………..
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230, , Example 2: Consumer Product, , Mrs.Anaita Dewani, C-6, Bella Donna Apts., Bhanushali Rd, Khar [w], Mumbai 4000013., February 10,2009, The President, District Consumer Forum, ………………., Opposite Party …, :, Nature of Complaint:, , Waly‘s Departmental Store, Delivery of a different model, Videocon TV, , of, , Dear Sir,, I seek your assistance in solving my d ispute with the famous, Waly‘s Departmental Stores , at Bandra [W]., On 23 r d December, 2008, I purchased a 51 inches Videocon, Plasma T.V., [brand name Tiara], for Rs.1 lakh 10 t housand,, from Wali‘s Stores at Bandra [W]. Since the store promised, home delivery, I left the store after making the payment in, cash., Wali‘s Stores made the delivery after two days. On opening, the carton, however, I realized it was not the brand that I h ad, selected and paid for. The store had sent me a 49inches Sim, Sim brand, instead of the 51 inches Tiara brand., I refused to sign the delivery papers and rang up Wali‘s, Stores for replacement of the TV. But the manager refused to, accept the fact that I had selected a model different from the, one that was delivered to me., After this, I first tried to personally contact and explain the, problem to the management, but to no avail. Subsequently, I, sent two registered letters notifying my complaint in detail,, and asking for a replacement. I have not received any, response form the store‘s management till date., I, therefore, request you to intervene and help me in getting, replacement of the TV that I was wrongfully delivered. I also, want a written apology and an award of Rs. 2000/ towards all, the expenses that I have incurred in pursuing this matter.
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231, , I am enclosing the receipt for payment, the receipts of the, registered letters, and photocopies of the letters sent., I hope to receive your immediate attention., Yours truly,, Anaita Dewani, Enclosures:, 1. Receipts of payment, 2. Receipts of the registered letters, 3. Photocopies of the registered letters., , Example 3, Magaza Mauni, A/20, Amar Apts., Meera Iyer Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai 400099., 20th August 200__, The President, District Consumer Redressal Forum, Mumbai, Complainant : Mrs.Magaza Mauni, Opposite Party : Dodophone Service Provide r., Nature of Complaint:, 1. Service provider selling personal data., 2. Levying charges for the schemes one has not, Dear Sir,, This is to request you to take up the matter of the privacy, issues of customers like me with Dodophone Service, provider., I am a post-paid customer of Dodophone telecom. I have, been harassed by sales calls from various insurance and, share-broking agencies for the purchase of their product., Sometimes I receive as many as 25 calls a day., On my enquiring with one such agent I realized that the, company had all my personal data, which I had not parted, with. This raises serious doubts about the safety of our, , op
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232, , My second issue is that of the service provider forcing, certain schemes, such as ‗Laugh-a-minute‘ Scheme, on, unsuspecting customers without their prior consent, and then, levying extra charges for them. It is bad enough being forced, to listen to senseless jokes, and then, being asked to pay for, them really hurts., I had taken up both the issues with my service provider. On, receiving no satisfactory response, I sent three complaints, via e-mail to their on-line grievance-cell. It is two months, since I did so, but I have received no response from them., I, therefore, request you to take up this matter and put a, stop to the exploitation of customers like me., I request, 1. Refund of all the extra-charges levied on me beginning, March 2007., 2. Devising of a code of conduct where customer -consent, becomes mandatory., I am enclosing my bills and print outs of the e -mails I sent, to Dodophone telecom., With regards,, Yours truly,, Magaza Mauni, Enclosures:, Bills [3], E-mail Print Outs [3], , Tasks :, Draft redressal letters for the following situations :, 1. You were admitted to Holy Heart hospital for an, appendix operation. On receiving bills you realize that, you have been charged for 10 days‘ stay at the hospital,, instead of the actual stay of 7 days. Your oral and, written protests have gone unheard, and you were
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233, compelled to pay the levied amount in order to reclaim, your medical reports, bills and other documents., 2. You had to appear for an interview in Mumbai. You had, booked your flight ticket from, Kolkata, on, Hi, Fli, Airlines, a low cost carrier, one day prior to the, interview. On reaching the airport you were informed by, the airline, which had overbooked itself, that there was, no seat on the flight, and that you could not fly on the, same day. You tried getting the refund but the staff at, the counter refused to reimburse the money, claiming, that you had reported late, although this was not so., You bought a ticket on another airline, as, you had to, reach Mumbai by a certain time. This, however, has, forced you to incur huge and unexpected expenditure., 3. You purchased a brand new XYZ laptop computer/ cell, hone/ washing machine/ceiling fan from the much, advertised Topsy Turvy Mall, which has turned out to be, a defective piece. Your personal visits to the mall for its, replacement have not produced any results., 4. Your mobile service provider has charged you Rs.500/ for a ‗Latest Ringtones on your Mobile‘ facility, when, you had not subscribed for it., 5. You took admission, by paying Rs. 7000/, for a course, scheduled to start in January. It did not start on the, promised date, owing to less number of enrolments. The, organization has refused to return your money on the, pretext that it would start the course as soon as they, enrolled sufficient number of enough number of, students. Two months have elapsed and the course has, still not started., ,
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234, , 17, RIGHT TO INFORMATION QUERIES, Learning objectives :, To make students aware of the provisions of the, RTI Act, To enable students to draft RTI letters, ―In a government of responsibility like ours, where, the agents of the public must be responsible for their, conduct, there can be but a few secrets. The people of this, country have a right to know every public act, everything, that is done in a public way by their public functionaries., They are entitled to know the particulars of every public, transaction in all its bearings.‖, [Supreme Court in State of UP vs Raj Narain in 1975,, Posted by RTI Act 2005 on June 25, 2006], ―What we have is an elective democracy, not a, participatory democracy. This is because we have missed, the essence of Lokshahi– which means Logon ki, Shahenshahi. The essence of democracy is that the, individual Citizen is a sovereign in her/his own right, and, s/he gives up part of the sovereignty to the State, in return, for which s/he gets the rule of law. This respect for Y OU,, — the sovereign Citizen of India, and for the rule of law, has been missed completely. Our Institutions have become, playgrounds of the powerful, where the individual is, helpless. If a Citizen approaches an elected representative,, he may or may not get a hearing in 24 hours; if s/he writes, to a Public servant s/he may or may not get an answer in, 12 days; and if she approaches the Courts a BMW will, metamorphose into a truck and the final decision will, probably be obtained after a decade. The individual, Citizen, instead of being respected, has become the, ‗bechara‘. If Tilak were here today he would have again
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235, said, ―Swaraj ha maza janmasiddh hakk ahe, ani to me, milawnarch‖, karan Swaraj keva aalach nahi. 15th August,, 1947 only saw a transfer of Raj from the whites to the, browns.‖, [This is an extract from Shailesh Gandhi‘s speech, via e mail, while accepting the Nani Palkhiwala Memorial Award, on January 12, 2008.], , The Right to Information Act, I. Introduction :, The common citizen of India owes a debt to ac tivist, Shailesh Gandhi and, prior to him, to many others, who, fought for the Right to Information Act and brought it into, force. Its enactment, on 12 October 2005, by the Indian, Parliament, in a sense is a culmination of a movement for, the empowerment of the common man that had begun in, 1990., Purpose of the RTI Act:, An average citizen in India is at the mercy of, authority that exploits him on account of his lack of, information. Instances of a common man having to bribe, the authority to collect the dead body of a relative from a, government morgue, to collect birth/ employment/death, certificate, to avail of a ration card, passport or pension, has become a common norm. There are enumerable, examples where he has become a victim at the hands of, unscrupulous officials. With the RTI, it is now possible to, make public servants accountable and to bring in, transparency in the functioning of the government. The RTI, empowers the common citizen with his fundamental right to, question the authority and make it answera ble. To be able, to exercise this right, it is essential that students, who are, the future of Indian democracy, become aware of the RTI, Act and its provisions., The RTI ACT [2005], The RTI Act mandates timely response to citizen, requests for government information. Any ordinary citizen,, regardless of caste or creed, can file a Right to Information, application and the Government of India is compelled to, respond., 1. What does Information mean ?
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236, , Information means any material, in any form that, includes records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions,, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks,, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material, held in any electronic form, and information relating to any, private body, which can be accessed by a public authority, under any other law for the time being in force, but does, not include ‗file notings‘ [S.2(1)]., 2. What does Right to Information mean ?, IIt includes the right to, inspect works, documents, records., take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents, or records., take certified sample material., obtain information in the form of printouts, diskettes,, floppies, tapes, videocassettes, or in, any, other, electronic mode, or through printouts. [S.2[1)], 3. What is the Application Procedure for requesting, information ?, Apply in writing or through electronic means in English, or Hindi or in the official language of the area, to the, PIO [Public Information Officer], specifying the, particulars of the information sought., Reasons for seeking information are not required to be, given;, Pay fees as may be prescribed (if not belonging to the, below poverty line category)., 4. What is the time limit to get the information?, 30 days from the date of application, 48 hours for information concerning the life and liberty, of a person, 5 days shall be added to the above response time, in, ase the application for information is given to Assistant, Public Information Officer., If the interests of a third party are involved, then time, limit will be 40 days (maximum period + time given to, the party to make representation)., Failure to provide information within the specified period, is deemed a refusal., 5. What are the penalty provisions ?
Page 237 : 237, Every PIO will be liable for a fine of R s. 250/- per day, up, to a maximum of Rs. 25,000/-, for, not accepting an application, delaying information release without reasonable cause, malafidely denying information, knowingly, information, , giving, , incomplete,, , incorrect,, , misleading, , destroying information that has been requested, obstructing furnishing of information in any manner., The Information Commission (IC) at the Centre and, the State levels will have the power to impose this penalty., The Information Commission can also recomm end, disciplinary action for violation of the law against an erring, PIO. (S.20), II. How to file an RTI Application ?, The process of filing the RTI query is simple., Step 1, The letter asking for information must be addressed, to the concerned Public Information Officer (PIO). In the, following example the PIO is from the Ministry of, Communications and Technology. His address is:, Shri B.B.Bahl,, Joint Director and PIO (RTI), Office of PIO (RTI), Room No 1016 Electronics Niketan, Department of Information Technology (DIT), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, 6, CGO Complex, New Delhi, Tel: 011-24301116, Fax: 011-24363099, Email:
[email protected], Step 2, The subject of the letter could, for example, read like this:, SUB: Request to Information Regarding the Blocking, of Internet domains
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238, SUB:, , Request, to, information, regarding, the, acquisition of land at Chinch Bhuvan Nagpur, for the proposed Mihan Cargo-hub project., , The letter could begin thus:, I would like to use the Right to Info rmation Act to, ascertain the following:, 1. Has there been a directive issued by the Ministry of, Communications & Information Technology to block the, domains http://www.blogspot.com, http://www.typepad.com, and http://www.geocities.com?, 2.If so, why has this blanket block come into force?, 3.Why have these particular domain names, specifically blocked?, Or, , been, , I own a 1500 sq ft plot of land at Chinch Bhuvan, which I, am told has been acquired by the Aviation Ministry for the, proposed cargo hub project. Could you please show me the, notification that states this?, 1. Could you tell me if the Government of India has devised, any compensation plan for the land thus acquired?, 2.Who is the competent authority whom we co uld, approach? Please give us the names, addresses, contact, details of the authority appointed to handle these issues., Note: Under the RTI Act, 2005, you are not compelled to, give any reason for your application. So you can only, include the questions if you like., Step 3, Include your name and your full postal address at the, end of the letter. This is extremely vital, so that the PIO, can respond to your request. The information will be sent, to you via post., Step 4, Go to your nearest post office. A list of post office s, accepting, RTI, applications, is, given, here:, http://www.indiapost.gov.in/rtimanual16a.html, Step 5
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239, Submit your application and pay Rs.10 at one of the, eligible Post Offices and ensure that you get your receipt., This is once again vital as proof of your application. Make, copies of your application for your future reference., Step 6, Come home, and wait for the response. Allow 5 days, for the Post Office to deliver the application to the PIO, concerned, and 30 days after that for the PIO to respond to, you. So within 35 days, the PIO MUST RESPOND., Sample Form [http://www.rtiindia.org Page 1], THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT 2005, APPLICATION FOR OBTAINING INFORMATION, Date:, By speed Post AD, FILE NO.:__________ YEAR: _____________, Central Public Information Officer, Regional Passport Office,, ___________________________________, Place ______________________________, 1. Name of the applicant:, 2. Full address [with phone No.]:, 3. Particulars of information required :, as per enclosed list., 4. Details of payment of filing fees:, Indian Postal Order No. _______dated _________for, Rs.10/- favouring ―Regional Passport Officer‖, [payable at place of submitting application] is, enclosed., OR, photocopy of my BPL card/certificate is, enclosed for exemption from fees., 5. Details of enclosures if any:, Photocopy of application dated ______for, issue/renewal of passport., 6. Please rush the information to me by, speed/registered post., , Signature of Applicant
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240, [This format is prepared by an NGO in order to help, people. It can be downloaded from the sites mentioned in, the chapter. However, it is not necessary that the, application should be made in this format only. Any hand, written or typed letter will also be accepted.], Sample Application Letter, Example 1 :, Shri B.B.Bahl, Joint Director and PIO (RTI), Office of PIO (RTI), Room No 1016, Electronics Niketan, Department of Information Technology (DIT), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, 6, CGO Complex, New Delhi, Date: <Enter Date Here>, Sub: Information regarding the blocking of internet website, domains, Dear Sir,, This is to bring to your notice that I, along with several other, internet users across the country, am unable to access the, following websites:, http://www.blogspot.com, http://www.geocities.com, http://www.typepad.com, As well as the following sub-domains:, http://sub-domain.blogspot.com, http://sub-domain.typepad.com, On asking the relevant ISPs, their users were told that these, websites have been blocked under a directive of the Ministry, of Communications and Information Technology, Government, of India., I would like to use the Right to Information Act to ascertain, the following:, 1. Has there been any such directive issued by the Ministry of, Communications & Information Technology?, 2 .If so, why has this ban come into force?, 3. Why have these particular domain names been specifically, banned?, 4. When will this ban cease to exist?, 5. If no such directive has been issued, why are these, websites being blocked?, 6. Who is responsible for ensuring that Indian citizens have
Page 241 : 241, , 8. If there has been a directive from the Ministry of, Communications and Information Technology to block, these websites, then, considering the fact that most of, the websites blocked do not contain pornography,, speeches of hate, contempt, slander or defamation, or, promote gambling, racism, violence or terrorism, the, question arises whether the Ministry of Communications, and Information technology is violating articles 14, 19, and, 21 of the Constitution of India by issuing such a directive., 9. Please provide a photocopy of all the documents relating to, the questions above, including but not limited to:, a. The directive issued by the concerned Ministry to Inter net, Service Providers, b. The list of all the specific domain names that have been, blocked, c. The Act under which the Government of India is empowered, to block domain names in India., I must emphasize here that these websites are used by, thousands of ordinary Indian citizens to express their views,, thoughts and ideas. Indian Citizens have the right to express, their views freely, and to have an unhindered exchange of, thoughts and ideas., Blocking these websites universally and not allowing Indian, Citizens to read any of them is tantamount to hindering the, freedom of expression of thousands of ordinary Indian, citizens., I request you to kindly look into this matter. Thank you in, advance for your co-operation., Yours sincerely,, <Name Here>, <Address Here>, [Courtesy : Mr. Shivam.Vij, Journalist, Tehelka], , Example 2:, To enquire about the Status of the Passport
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242, [Sample, Page 2], , Form, , Downloaded, , from, , http://www.rtiindia.org, , List of information requested by __________under RTI, ACT 2005. Application dated _________pertaining to, his file no. ___________ and year ________for, issue/renewal of passport., 1. Please inform me about/Please furnish me with the d aily, progress made on my application till date of your reply., 2. Names, designations and office addresses of the, officials with whom my application was lying during this, period, and date wise period with each official and, action taken by him/her., 3. Please give evidence of receipt and dispatch of my, application in the office of each of these officials., 4. Please inform me, according to your rules or citizens‘, charter or any other order, the number of days in which, such a matter should have been dealt with and resolved., Please also provide a copy of these rules., 5. As the officials have not adhered to the time limit, mentioned in the, rules and are guilty of violating, these rules, please give a copy of their conduct rules, and details of action taken by the RPO against, erring, officials., 6. In case no action has been initiated for dereliction of, duties against erring officials, the reasons be made, known to me., 7. Please inform me the name of the police station/dept t o, whom application was referred for police verification, with outward number,, date of dispatch and date, when reply was received by you. Photocopy of letter, addressed to police for verification and proof of mailing, be submitted to me., 8. Please let me know when I am likely to receive my, passport., 9. Please inform me of the days taken by your office in, issuing/renewing passports in last 25 applications,, excluding days required for police verification., 10. Please inform me of the number of complaints for delay, in issuing/renewing passports that were received
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243, against your office in last one, year., , year, , or, , last, , financial, , Signature of Applicant, As can be seen from both the examples, the writer, must begin by stating the purpose of drafting the letter., I. She/He must state the kind of information required and, the subject of the letter in simple and clear terms., For example:, i)To enquire about my Provident Fund Application., ii) RTI query about the Admission Procedure to 11 th Std., II. This should be followed by specific questions / queries, so that, when these queries are answered, a detailed, picture emerges. There is no standard format in which, these letters should be written. The applicant can follow, the routine business letter format if s/he so desires., However, if s/he follows the ‗small query‘ format s/he is, likely to get precise and clear information. Besides, this, is a simpler method of taking up a specific issue., For example:, I would like to use the RTI Act to know about my provident, fund application/ pension file/ submission of my application, for Mhada flats., 1. What is the current status of my application/ file?, 2. Who is the officer-in-charge who is handling this, division/ these cases?, 3. What is the serial number of my application?, 4. What is the procedure followed?, 5. Please tell me the total number of applications, received by the concerned authority on …… ……., 6. How many of these applications have been, processed as on…….., 7. What is the criterion for selection?, 8. When will I be informed of my selection/rejection?, III. Appeals:, In case the applicant fails to receive information, within a stipulated period, or he is not happy with the, decision he has received, he can appeal to the higher, authority. The appeal has to be filed within 30 days of the, receipt of the first decision. The photocopy of the response, received from the previous authority must be attac hed. If, the applicant is not satisfied with the response, s/he can
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244, subsequently go for a second appeal, which has to be, made within 90 days from the receipt of the judgment of the, first appeal., , You can find more information here:, http://persmin.nic.in/RTI/WelcomeRTI.html, http://www.rtiindia.org-- a complete Online Portal for Right, to Information India., Now it is possible to process your RTI application on -line., Refer to any of the sites mentioned above for RTI, processing., Tasks:, Draft RTI queries for the following situations:, (a) You have been denied admission by a prestigious, college despite a high percentage of marks in your, previous/qualifying examination., (b) You had applied for an N.O.C. for a piece of land you, purchased in Pune. You have made several trips to the, Talati‘s office, but in vain., (c) Your application for an educational loan is, processed despite your having completed all, formalities., , not, the, , (d) You wish to know how the funds of the Students‘, Council/ Gymkhana/ N.S.S./ Ganapati festival/ Navaratri, celebration are spent by the Council., , , , , , , , ,
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245, , 18, THE SALES LETTER, Learning objectives :, To acquaint students with the place and purpose of, the sales letter as a tool of direct marketing., To explain the AIDA model that the sales letter, adopts., To enable students to draft interesting and attractive, sales letters., , A. The Sales Letter, I. Introduction:, In the current scenario of an increasingly competitive, commercial world characterized by rising advertising and, operations costs, the sales letter forms an important and, strategic tool of direct marketing. This is because the sales, letter scores with its distinct advantages over direct and, door-to-door sales., The first important factor to consider is the cost., Using sales letters is much, much cheaper, as the, organisation does not incur the cost of hiring space and, sales personnel. It saves on the maintenance charges of, the former, and the training and salary of the latter. Even, taking into account the cost of designing, printing and, postage, the cost to the company for the sales letter is, negligible as compared to other forms of sale. Secondly,, the sales letter can have an extended reach and be, dispatched far and wide. It is also more focused in its, target and can be directed at only a particular segment of, the potential customer whom the product or service may, benefit. By virtue of being a personalised letter, it can
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246, appeal to customers who appreciate a personal touch., Moreover, the reading of a sales letter can secure the, reader‘s attention without other competitive factors such as, music, TV, or actual speech, as one can read the letter at, one‘s convenience. Companies and other commercial, establishments vie with one another to compile precious, consumer data banks which help in the dispatch of the, sales letter, as well as other forms of sales, such as telemarketing., A creatively well-designed and an attractively written, sales letter could be a powerful tool. But drafting such a, letter has its own challenges. Firstly, in this busy world, with its frenetic, rushed pace, not many peop le have the, time to go through a letter carefully. Secondly, if one is not, interested in making a purchase, the best letter may be in, vain. In fact, if statistics are to be believed, sales letters, result in just a meagre one or two percent of readers, actually making a purchase. However, when compared to, the cost of other means, it is still far economical. Lastly,, since it forms unsolicited communication, it may cause, irritation and impatience. It can have the same effect as, ‗spam‘ or unsolicited e-mail or unasked-for sms text, messages received on mobile phones. They are simply, deleted without a look, or totally discarded as ‗junk -mail‘., It is therefore imperative that a sales letter be crafted with, great care. Some useful tips may be borne in mind:, i) Use the you-attitude to make it personalized., ii) Make it attractive and eye-catching, both in appearance, and text., iii) Try and evoke the curiosity of the reader to ensure that, it gets read., The above objectives can be achieved in various, ways. The use of colours and graphics is an important tool, that cannot be dismissed. The envelope itself often, succeeds in grabbing the readers‘ attention. The, announcements of discounts, offers of free gifts or surprise, items can also prove effective., As marketing and sales form one of the very pillars, on which the success of the business depends, much, research and study has been carried out on consumer, behaviour, especially the art of persuasion that results in, purchase. Persuasion means succeeding in causing people, to do something that they would not otherwise have done., A sales pitch is aimed at targeting the potential buyer‘s
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247, perceived need by appealing to one or more of varied, factors., Several models have been drawn up to explain the, behaviour of consumers, from the moment they notice a, product to the point when they actually buy the product or, service. However, the most popular of them all is the AIDA, model, where A denotes Attention, I, Interest, D, Desire, and A, Action., i) ‗A‘—The sales letter therefore has to first and foremost, arrest the attention of the reader. Apart from the use of, colour and images as mentioned earlier, the letter in the, introductory paragraph could also use a quotation or, statistical data or a popular proverb or even pose a, rhetorical question., For example:, i. for a self-help book: ―An optimist sees an opportunity in, every difficulty, a, pessimist, a difficulty in every, opportunity.‖ Sir Winston Churchill., ii. for a savings plan: Do you know that 60% of people, have no concrete plans in place for post-retirement, financial needs?, iii. for a leak-proof cement filling: A stitch in time saves, nine., iv. for a safety house-lock: Would you neglect the safety of, your house before you leave on vacation?, One of the popular ways to attract attentio n is also, by using an unusual format, particularly the ‗Hanging, Indented‘ one (as shown in the example at the end)., ii) ‗I‘—To evoke the interest of a reader, one could appeal, to emotion, rationality or the fear factor. The appeal to, emotion is the strongest determinant. One may appeal to, the emotion of love or fear. Thus, love and care of family, may prompt a home-maker to buy a particular brand of, healthy oil. The appeal to safety, again, may determine her, choice of a water purifier. The factor of fear ma y be the, motivating factor in selling insurance policies or a car with, safety features like air-bags. Appeal to rationality will focus, on the reasons why one may go in for a product. For, example, the reasons why one should join a particular gym:, the multiple benefits it will yield in terms of health, good, physique, and confidence, all in a hygienic and pleasant
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248, ambience. To sum up, a sales letter succeeds if it makes, an appeal to the ‗buying motive‘ of the customer., iii)‗D‘—An effective sales letter will succeed in making the, reader desire the product or service. This can be achieved, by providing information about the benefits the product will, give the buyer., For example :, i. This T-shirt is sure to make you stand out in a crowd!, ii. This SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) will put all your, financial worries at rest without pinching your pocket!, iii. For a wrist watch: Be in tune with tomorrow., envy of your company!, , Be the, , iv) ‗A‘—Finally, it is imperative to ensure that the reader of, the sales letter takes action at the right time. To propel the, reader towards this step, companies may again make, promotional offers, or offer discounts or free gifts, or, tension-free delivery and service., For example:, i. Hop into the nearest dealer‘s and collect your free gift, with an immediate purchase., Hurry! limited offer!, ii. Post the reply paid card in the nearest post -box and, await your surprise next week!, Example : 1, The Personality Development Centre, 27, Coronet Plaza,, Mumbai-400 030., 15 May, 2008., Ms. Sanaa Talwar,, 6, Palm Court,, Mumbai - 400 050., Dear Ms. Talwar,, Time once lost is lost forever!, Surely you are not just one of those youngsters who only flow, with the tide? If you wish to make the most of the long post school vacation and exciting college years ahead, you couldn‘t, do better than join the ‗Personality Plus Programme‘., This is an ideal three week course specially designed for fresh, college entrants. It will help you develop confidence in speech,, deportment and making presentations, thereby aiding you in, making a mark in your college. This rich value-addition will not, only make your college years a time to cherish, but also groom, you for a corporate career.
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249, , Time and tide wait for no one. Ensure your participation in, this prestigious Programme by early registration, as only a, limited number of students with potential have been invited,, and the seats will be filled on a first come, first served basis., Please note that registrations will end on May 25, 2008., Sincerely yours, (Ekta Rathi), Director, , Example:2, SWASTHYA, The Complete Fitness Boutique, 21, Pali Hill, Bandra, Mumbai 400 050., January 3, 2009., Ms. Nausheen Nayar,, 42, Hill Road,, Bandra,, Mumbai-400 050., Dear Madam,, ‗Health is Wealth‘ is a timeless adage. The modern Indian‘s, health is under onslaught as never before, with the pressure, of the growing economy, increased competition, air, water, and food pollution, and a hectic lifestyle., ―SWASTHYA‘ is now here to relieve you of all your health, problems. From timely check -up reminders to pick-up and, drop back service, fitness and nutritional experts working in, tandem to advise on your specific needs, a 24 hr emergency, service – all at a nominal cost for members. In addition you, also get to avail of the library and recreational facilities, all in, clean, hygienic, pleasant and world class ambience., Do drop in at your convenience, for we know that seeing is, believing. You may also wish to refer to some of our well known members from your neighbourhood, for your own, satisfaction. Since the concessional membership scheme for, the ‗Golden Club‘ offered to the ‗50 plus‘ is for a limited, period only, we urge you not to trade this opportunity for a, lifetime of regret!, We await your call to fix an appointment for the walk-around, and demo tour., Yours truly,
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250, , B. Handouts or flyers, also otherwise known as, pamphlets, leaflets, fliers, handbills or brochures, are an, alternate way of reaching out to the public in a more cost, effective manner. They refer to a single sheet of paper,, folded or plain, but not bound, that is attractively designed, to draw the reader‘s attention to a product, an event, a, cause or special meeting., Generally an A4 or A5 size paper is used. DTP or, Desk Top Publishing has made it very easy for even, amateurs to use these. Although for ideal designi ng one, could call for competence and excellence in terms of, colour, design, graphics and layout, it is the verbal content, that one needs to consider here. Apart from readability and, legibility, one needs to also know the target audience so as, to effectively communicate the content or the message., While readability refers to the ease with which the text and, the graphics can be deciphered, legibility looks at the, clarity, or the ability to convey the intended message., Needless to say, the text should be brie f and, succinct. It is not necessary that there be complete, sentences; even phrases or stand alone words would, suffice., Here is an example:, The Indian Pizza Festival, Romance the Unique Delectable Blend, of, The Italian Pizza, with, The Indian Toppings, both in, Veg and Non-Veg !, at, The Mumbai Festival Only!!, An Opportunity You, Can‘t Afford to Miss!!!
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251, , Tasks :, 1. Explain the importance and role of the sa les letter as a, tool of direct marketing., 2. Write a note on the AIDA model., 3. Draft attractive sales letters for the following:, i. Liquid gel-flo pen., ii. ‗Back-Packers‘ hiking expeditions., iii. ‗Instameal‘: a fast-food delivery scheme., iv. ‗Clickflick‘ DVD film delivery scheme., v. ‗Mathemagic‘: Vedic Maths classes., ,
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252, , UNIT 4: WRITING SKILLS, , 19, BUSINESS REPORT, Learning objectives :, To familiarize students with the basic techniques of, drafting a business report, as well as other types of, reports., , I. Introduction :, i) What is a Business Report?, A report is a document which presents an account or, a statement of a plan of action, a course of action adopted,, or an event that has taken place. A report provides, information— either sets of facts or result of an, investigation— that assists decision making., While, preparing a report, information, data, procedures adopted, for bringing about a course of action etc. have to be, processed and presented with a particular perspective. A, report generally presents the desired outcome about the, future course of action., In short, a report studies a, problem or a situation and offers a solution to the problem., For example:, A report on the declining number of admissions to Arts, courses., A report on how to increase client base in the Borivali West, area., Reports, generally, are of two types: informative and, analytical.
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253, Informative reports generally do not offer analysis or, recommendations. They describe routine matters. They can, be of various types., , For example :, i. Periodic reports that, operations and activities, , inform, , the, , management, , of, , ii. Situational reports that cover routine situations such as, field visits, guest lectures, seminars, conferences etc., iii. Progress reports that describe ongoing projects, iv. Compliance reports that report action taken, compliance to instructions from various authorities., , in, , ii) What is a business proposal?, A business proposal, unlike a business report, offers, a proposition buttressed by supporting evidence, data,, analysis and spells out benefits for the parties co ncerned,, along with specific recommendations about the course of, action to be adopted in order to achieve the goal., iii) What is An Executive Summary?, As the name suggests, an executive summary is a, compilation of the most important aspects, data, and, findings of a report. It offers a quick view of the highlights, of the report., II. Drafting an Analytical or Investigative Report, This type of report is prepared to present findings, after a scientific study or sample analysis. The report, presents an objective analysis of the data with logical, conclusions that derive from it, and is submi tted with a, view to facilitate the decision making process., According to Lesikar, Petit and Irwin, [Reports:, Business Communication Theory and Application] ― A, business report is an orderly, objective communication of, factual information that serves some business purpose.‖, Report writing involves data collection, objective analysis, of the data, and an organized statement of observations, and conclusions derived from the ana lysis., i) Structure of an analytical report:
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254, 1. Terms of Reference: This part provides the frame of, reference to the report. It describes the subject, the, author/s, the period of study, and details about the, authority of the author/s, and about the instructions, received from the authority under which the report is, prepared., For example:, Terms of Reference: A committee of the following, teachers was constituted in the light of the resolution no., ...... passed by the Management Committee in its mee ting, held on .......... to investigate why the enrolment in the, Arts section of the college was on the decline, and to, suggest ways to improve enrolment. The committee was, asked to submit its report in 30 days from the date of the, meeting held on March 20, 2008., 2. Procedure: Following a pre-approved methodology is, an important part of any investigation. Without this, the, results may not be universally acceptable. This process, may involve field visits, interviews, sample surveys or, getting supporting evidence from secondary sources like, the Internet., 3. Findings: This section, derive conclusions. [This, contents, as the data can, diagrams like pie charts or, , will explain the data obtained to, section may have a table of, be represented visually through, bar charts.], , For example, out of 15,000 respondents in an exit poll, 10 per cent said they voted for the local candidate, 10 per cent said they did not care about the candidate, or his credentials, 50 per cent said they voted for the candidate who, redressed their complaints, 10 per cent said they voted along Party lines, 10 per cent said they were first time voters and did not, care who they voted for, 10 per cent said they did not care who won, as the, situation would never improve
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255, , Slice 1, Slice 2, Slice 3, Slice 4, Slice 5, Slice 6, , 4. Conclusion: This section will present the predominant, trends among voters. For example, in the data given, above, the dominant trend observed is to vote for the, candidate who is accountable. It can also be concluded, that only half of the voters took voting seriously., Conclusion, therefore, is a summarised statement of the, data collected., The conclusion, in the above example, may read:, ―From the findings, the committee concludes that the, majority [50 per cent] voters voted for the candidate who, had worked for their cause.‖, 5. Recommendations: A recommendation is a suggestion, made for a future course action., Since it is evident that half the voters did not take, voting seriously, there is a need to take up an awareness, raising campaign to educate the voters., The recommendations, therefore, could be, 1. Citizens‘ Forums should spread awareness about the, importance of casting votes, 2. media should disseminate the same message., 3. a chapter on importance of voting and why it is the, national duty of every citizen to vote should b e included, in every school curriculum, as well as in the Foundation, Course at college level, 4. celebrities should be roped in to promote voting as a, national duty., 5 .procedures of enrolment and voting should be simplified
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256, III. Individual or Committee/Sub-committee Report :, An organisation may appoint an individual or a, committee to prepare a report and the format of the report, will depend on that., Example 1: Subcommittee / Committee Report., [Problem: Depletion in traditional client base. A, nationalized bank wishes to find out why its clients, who, were banking with them for years, have suddenly switched, over to relatively new private banks. The bank needs to, know how this downward trend can be arrested or even, reversed.], , Date:, Covering Letter:, The Managing Director,, Bank of………………,, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021, Submission of Report on Decreasing Client Base in ……….., Dear Sir,, On the recommendations of ............, a committee, comprising of the following members was constituted on 5, Sept 200—, to conduct an inquiry into the sudden withdrawal, of accounts from the customers of the bank and to make, positive suggestions. The committee was asked to submit its, report within one month., The committee has investigated the matter and the report is, ready for your consideration., In case of any clarification, please feel free to contact us., Yours truly, 1. ……………, 3. ……………., 5. ………………, , Enclosed: Report, , 2. ……………………., 4. ………………………
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257, Title: Inquiry report on shrinking client base and, recommendations to overcome the crisis, 1. Terms of Reference:, A committee was appointed to investigate the, problem of fast depleting client base and suggest solutions, to arrest the downward trend. The committee was given a, month‘s time to submit its findings and recommendations, from the date of appointment on 5 September, 200--., The committee comprised of the following members:, ……………………….........., 2. Procedure:, The committee met on 10 September 200-- and, finalized the following methodology to collect the data:, i., ii., , to find out about facilities offered by other banks, to interview clients to find out their impression, about the service and facilities, , iii. to compare this bank with the other private banks,, scheme by scheme, facility by facility., 3. Findings:, i. Private Banks have better infrastructure. Waiting time, in the queues is lesser, and seating arrangements, are comfortable, which make banking a leisurely, exercise., ii. Private banks are more customer-friendly, iii. The interiors, ease of operation, timely service,, ready availability of any information, higher levels of, automation, assistance provided with even the, simplest procedures, make banking more comfortable, in private banks., 4. Conclusion:, Services at private banks are far more satisfying than, the nationalised banks like ours and this is the main reason, for our clients opting for these private b anks., 5. Recommendations:, The situation is indeed serious and the following, recommendations need to be adopted to retain our client, base and to survive the competition which currently is a, threat to our existence.
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258, i. the bank must have better infrastructure, ii. use of latest electronic tools along with introduction of, facilities like ATM is essential., iii. staff needs to be trained to be customer-friendly, iv. business hours should be increased, v. appointment of a Customer Relations Personnel is, necessary to improve rapport with the customers, vi. focusing on students as future customers, lowering, the minimum deposit amount to open a savings, accounts, simplifying procedures and cutting down, the processing time is the need of the hour., Signed/………………….., Date: 30 September 200—, Example 2: Individual Report, ……………………, Marketing Manager, Date.:…………….., The Managing Director, ………………………, Subject: Report on the causes of decline in the sales of CBT, Washing Machine, Dear Sir,, This is in response to your letter dated …… asking me to find, out the reasons for the decline in the sales of the Company‘s, washing machine., I am happy to inform you that I have probed into the matter, and compiled this report for your perusal., I interviewed 25 customers who had purchased washing, machines in the month of March and also studied the, complaint letters received from the customers., The customers were found to be unhappy mainly for the, following reasons:, (i) The machine made a lot of noise, (ii) The outlet pipe became loose too often, spilling water all, over., (iii) Only one programme was fully functional and customers, could run it; other programmes did not run., (iv) The steel body of the machine rusted in a short period of, time.
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259, , In order to find out if these complaints were specific to, machines produced under a specific batch, I looked at all the, complaint letters received by the company and realised that that, was not the case. Complaints ag ainst machines purchased, within the last six months were similar in nature., It seems that the product design is defective and needs urgent, rectification. Once the product design is improved, the Company, will have to focus on an advertising and publicity c ampaign to, regain its lost image, as well as the trust of the customers., Giving additional incentives to retailers can help promote the, machine and improve sales., With regards,, …………….., , Example 3 : Sub-Committee Report, Report of the sub-committee on Students‘ Participation in, Co-Curricular Activities., 1. Terms of Reference:, A Sub-Committee was appointed following the, resolution passed by the Local Mana ging Committee in, its meeting held on 26 th December. ……. ―Resolved that, a subcommittee be and is hereby formed to look into the, reasons behind lack of participation in various extra curricular activities organized by the college. The, committee would submit its report to the Principal of the, college by the 26 th of January. The sub-committee, would comprise of the following members :, ___________,, ________________,, ____________,, ____________, _____________, 2. Procedure:, The sub-committee met twice to formalize the, procedure., A questionnaire was formulated to be, administered to the students. The Committee collected, the exact number of students who participated in each, of the various extra-curricular activities organised by the, college during this year and the previous year., 3. Findings:, After collecting the data, and comparing the, figures obtained over two years, the committee arrived, at the following conclusions:, a) Students interest in these activities was decreasing, b) Majority of the students had enrolled either for, professional courses, or tuition classes, or had jobs.
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260, , c) Students were more keen on participating in activities, that were perceived as glamorous and that promised, exposure on visual media, or offered cash prizes, d) Participation in sport meant rigorous practice, for, which they had no time, e) Students did not seem keen on participating in any, team events, 4. Conclusion:, Students are not interested in extra -curricular, activities. They have neither the time nor the inclination, to participate in such activities., 5. Recommendations:, Considering that extra-curricular activities are necessary, for overall personality development, the sub -committee, recommended the following measures:, a. Creating awareness among students, importance of extra-curricular activities, , about, , the, , b. Projecting such activities as stress-busters, c. Teaching students the importance of team work and, development of team spirit against competitive spirit and, individuality, d. Linking group project work and projec t marks with, such activities in order to enforce better participation, ___________, ______________, _____________,, ____________, ______________,, Date ______________, , Example 4: Sub-Committee Report, Report of the subcommittee on feasibility of a Smart Card service, by BEST for regular commuters., 1. Terms of Reference:, A committee comprising of the following members, was formed in accordance with the resolution passed in, the Annual General Meeting of BEST held on………….., to, look into the feasibility of introduction of smart cards for, commuters availing themselves of BEST services. The, subcommittee was asked to present its report by 28, February 200—
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261, , The names of the committee members are a s, follows:, 1_____________, 2 _____________, 3 ______________, 4 ______________, 5 ______________, , 2. Procedure:, The subcommittee met on 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th March, and decided to adopt the following course of action:, a. Get feedback from commuters, b. Identify routes that would be covered under the, scheme, c. Decide on the modalities — amount to be charged,, the schemes to be offered, outlets for the distribution, of cards, and the de tails for application., 3. Findings:, i.Most commuters welcomed the idea of having a smart, card, it was perceived as a convenient alternative for, daily payment., ii.The BEST employees like conductors and depot managers welcomed the move and showed will ingness to, adapt to this new way of transaction., iii. They felt that this move will help BEST to project an, image as a commuter-friendly service., iv. Administration showed willingness to make smart, cards available to commuters in a month‘s time., 4. Conclusion:, The committee concluded that the move to introduce, smart cards would benefit both the public as well as the, BEST services, and that such a scheme should be, introduced without further delay.
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262, , 5. Recommendations:, i.proper publicity of the scheme before its introduction., ii.organizing proper training to depot -managers to be, able to provide, iii.simple procedure for availing of the card, Sd/____________________,, ________________, _________________, , __________________,, _________________,, 25 March 200—, , Example 5: Individual Report, 25 March 200—, The Principal, Xxxxx College, Mumbai, Dear Madam,, Submission of Report on Students‘ Grievances, As the General Secretary of the Students‘ Council, I, was asked, in the meeting held on 20 March 200 — to, study complaints from the students and submit a report, within 15 days, making suggestions to the Grievance, Committee. I am glad to inform you that I have, successfully completed the scrutiny of complaints and, here is the report., There were 30 complaints in July and August, which, were sorted and categorized as follo ws :, (i) A majority of the complaints, fifteen in all, were, about the functioning of the library. Since there were, only two computers in the library, majority of the, students could not avail themselves of the internet, facility., , informationto comm
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263, , (ii)The complaints were also about the space available, in the library. According to the complainants, the, reading room in the library could not accommodate more, than 150 students at a time. More space was needed to, accommodate larger number of students., (iii)Five complainants specifically said that the library, staff was unnecessarily hostile towards the students., (iv)Ten complaints were against the office staff, pointing, to delays in the processing applications or responding to, queries., (v)Remaining, five, complaints, were, abou t, the, examination committee. Students were dissatisfied with, the marks given to them in the subject of Economics., Conclusion:, Students were dissatisfied largely with the library, services, functioning of the office and the examination, committee., As a representative of students I would like to suggest, the following:, 1. Management should take note of the complaints and, act on them., 2. College should make provision for more computers., 3. The office staff should be more efficient and student friendly., 4. Students who have serious grievances regarding, examinations should be called personally, and an, interactive session between the teachers of Economics,, The chairman of the examination committee and the, students should be organized to resolve the matter., I sincerely thank you for giving me this opportunity to, look into the matters that concern students., Yours faithfully,, _________________
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264, Tasks :, 1. Draft the following informative / exploratory reports:, (a) Students‘ priorities in spending their pocket money., (b) Reading habit in students., (c) Students from your class working in BPOs /, Planning, to, go, abroad, for, further, studies/involved in share-market / addicted to, computer games., (d) Students‘ career options., (e) Students‘ awareness of social problems., 2. Draft the following individual / committee reports:, (a) BMC felling 23,000 trees to widen roads, (b) The condition of roads in South Mumbai, (c) Increasing dirt in public places in Mumbai, (d) Traffic congestion on Mumbai roads, (e) Need to rationalise service conditions for the, staff working in malls, 3. A random survey of restaurants revealed the following, findings:, (i) most restaurants did not have a license under, Section 394 (for food establishment and trades), of the MMC Act, (ii) many were found to be serving and selling stale, food, (iii) most did not carry out medical tests on c ooks, and waiters, (iv) most were using unclean vessels while preparing, food, (v) most did not use lids to cover the vessels, (vi) most kitchen floors were unclean, and ceiling, were covered with cobwebs, [The Times of India, Feb 28, 2009], Write a report based on these findings., , ,
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265, , 20, SUMMARISING TEXT, Learning objectives :, To familiarise students with the technique, summarisation. W riting good summaries, , of, , I. Introduction :, The word ‗summary‘ is defined by the Oxford, Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary as ―a short statement that, gives only the main points of something, not the details‖. It, means a short synopsis or outline of the important ideas, and points of the passage. The summary should read like a, piece of continuous writing, with a sequential arrangement, of ideas expressed in it and a clear reflection of the main, and sub-points. It should, however, be borne in mind that, the comments, opinions and views of the summary writer, must be avoided at all costs. The summary must deal with, only the views of the writer of the passage that is being, summarised., Summarising text requires the ability to identify the, main argument of the passage and to reproduce the points, in one‘s own style of writing with a sound logical sequence., This skill is helpful in summarising excessive information,, lengthy reports, articles and books, etc. to isolate the, fundamental ideas which are of significance without, missing any points. It is easy to pick out the main argument, in passages that are argumentative, analytical or, informative in nature. When the passages are lengthy and, contain more than one paragraph, it would be a good idea, to note down the topic sentence of each paragraph in one‘s, own words. This will help in preparing the summary., Generally, the main argument is in the form of a general, statement that is supported by examples, data, numbers,, figures, etc., Points to keep in mind while writing a Summary :, a] Read the passage carefully first and note down the main, argument being made.
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266, b] Note down the topic sentence for each paragraph (if the, passage consists of many paragraphs) or the sub-points, being made., c] Write out the first draft based on the key points that have, been jotted down., d] Compare the draft with the original passage to check for, any omissions, deletions, additions, irrelevancies, etc., e] It would be a better idea to use one‘s own vocabulary as, it will help in rephrasing the points in simpler terms., f] While preparing the second draft, rewrite the first draft to, form a logical piece of writing. Be concise and eliminate, repetition., g] Write out the summary neatly without any errors of, spelling or grammar.Here are a few examples to help you, understand the technique of summary writing:, Example 1, Peer pressure is probably the worst enemy of the, parental purse. My friend Ravi and his wife Maya were, having trouble with their 12 year -old son, Rohan. The boy, seemed incapable of delaying his gratification: he had to, have everything now. He lacked confidence, and because, of peer pressure, he wanted everything his friends got—not, just toys, but also more expensive stuff, like clothes,, mobile phones and other things. Rohan apparently thought, his parents were very rich, with an unlimited reservoir of, money., At a loss to deal with this, Ravi and Maya sought my, help, and we ended up having a lengthy discussion on, financial literacy for kids. Rohan is hardly a ‗problem child‘, where financial literacy is concerned; it is an issue with a, lot of children who are exposed to affluence at a tender, age. Perhaps the main reason for this is the lack of clear, communication about money. Often, all a child has to do to, get parents to part with money is to ask for it. Parents, should talk to their kids about money as comfortably as, they talk about cricket or a trip to the mal l. Children need, to understand what their parents do for a living, and not, harbour the illusion that money grows on trees., Financial literacy basically means having a solid, understanding of how to get money, spend it wisely,, and handle credit. It means being able to distinguish, between good, bad and ugly debt, and to live on a budget., It means protecting what you have, through insurance. It
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267, means understanding the kinds of risks you‘re exposed to,, how best to mitigate them, and how to invest. And last but, not the least, it means understanding how to use your, money for the betterment of the world., [Excerpts from Amar Pandit‘s, (Director, My Financial, Advisor. www.timesyourmoney.com) article in TOI, Sept, 2008], , II. Analysis:, What is the paragraph about ?, The paragraph is about Financial Literacy. It is about the, need to make children financially literate., What is the topic sentence ?, Financial literacy basically means having a solid, understanding of how to get money, spend it wisely, and, handle credit., What is the purpose of the first paragraph, where, Maya‘s and Ravi‘s son‘s example is given?, The example is given to illustrate the key point why parents, need to make their children financially literate., The Key Idea : Financial literacy basically means, having a solid understanding of how to get money,, spend it wisely, and handle credit., Supportive point 1: It means being able to, distinguish between good, bad and ugly debts, and to, live on a budget., Sub-Point 2: It means protecting what you have,, through insurance., Sub-Point 3:It means understanding the kinds of, risks one is exposed to, how best to mitigate them,, and how to invest., Sub-Point 4: And last but not the least, it means, understanding how to use your money for the, betterment of the world., Ilustration: Maya, Ravi, and Rohan‘s example, illustrates the problem of — peer pressure, Llack of, financial awareness in children and parents‘, helplessness in handling problems arising out of it., Conclusion: There is need for clear communication, between parents and children regarding money.
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268, Let us summarise the paragraph now :, 1. Main Point : Parents should make their children, financially literate., Problem:, How, to, handle, unreasonable demands?, , children‘s, , Reasons : Children have no idea where the, parents‘ money comes from., Peer group pressure impels children to, make demands on, parents which they feel parents are obliged, to fulfill., Children are ignorant about matters relating, to money., Solution : Parents must talk money with their children., Summary:, Educating children on the all aspects of the family‘s, finance is the need of the hour. Parents are at a loss while, dealing with their children, who under peer pressure , keep, demanding things from them. Making children realise the, value of money, helping them to prioritize their needs,, teaching them to spend the money wisely is the, responsibility of parents. There is, therefore, a need for, clear communication between parents and children, regarding money., Example No. 2, The tragedy of India is that instead o f seeing, what‘s wrong with us and taking steps to correct it, we, indulge in hysterics and look for scapegoats. Right now,, everyone‘s busy blaming the coach and the captain. But, India has a long record of playing badly away from home,, which precedes both Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappel. So, why single them out?, The real problem, I believe, lies with the system., Not just cricket, but in virtually any walk of life, we are, unwilling to put in hard work and live with discipline., Other countries are so neat, clean and well-organised but, Indian cities are in a mess, because we are simply not, willing to respect rules. We can succeed, not just in cricket,, but in everything else if only we follow four basic, principles: strictly adhere to meritocracy, be willing to work, hard, adopt global best practices in training and follow, absolute discipline.
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269, We need to pick the best guys available, based, purely on merit and no other considerations. And the same, applies to the coach. People keep asking whether we need, a foreign coach. I don‘t think that‘s an issue at all. We, should ask, who is the best guy for the job? \Whoever it is, should get it., Next, once you have given someone a mandate, let, him imple ment it without interference. At Infosys, we have, our debates, arguments and discussions before it‘s decided, who‘ll be responsible for something. Once it is decided that, X is the boss, all arguments stop and everyone rallies, behind him. We shouldn‘t be undermining the coach by, trying to second-guess him., I know ‗ process‘ has become a much-mocked term,, but at Infosys, we firmly believe in following processes and, it‘s always worked for us. If Cahhappel‘s process didn‘t, work, may be it was not followed properly, or he wasn‘t, allowed to implement it in full. I have read that some senio r, players were allowed to get away with indiscipline and, that‘s totally unacceptable. No matter how big a star you, are, if you‘re disruptive to the team, you need to be shown, the exit. Never mind if we lose a few matches. If you follow, the correct process, positive results are bound to, eventually follow., Frankly, I don‘t think having a coaching camp for a, few days helps. I‗d suggest that we pick the 30 guys who, we believe are the best in the country. They should all be, given good salaries by BCCI and close ted in a hi-tech, training centre round the year. Rotate them so that even if, 15 are playing a series, the other 15 are training., Ensure that everyone gets to train intensively during, the year. Follow best practices from around the world, give, the players the best facilities and make them work really, hard – eight hours a day. If anyone refuses to practice or, follow the rules, axe him immediately. Follow these, principles and you are bound to have a world beating team., [Narayan R. Murthy, TOI, Sept., 2008.], What is the write up about?, Establishing the right system/ process and, following it rigorously is absolutely essential if one, wants to win / succeed / good results / is a key to, success., What are the examples given that support the, main idea?
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270, Examples of Greg Chappel and his system, and, practices followed at Infosys., , Summary:, If one wants to win one must evolve a system that, delivers the results and follow it rigorously. Such a system, must be based strictly on merit, hard work,, absolute, discipline, and be open to adopt the best global inputs., When a system fails to deliver, instead of finding, scapegoats like Greg Chappel to put the blame on, one, must take immediate corrective steps by analysing what, has gone wrong with the process. Putting the correct, process that delivers the results in place is the key to, success., Here are some passages that you can try and work on, yourself:, Passage 1, Some scraps of evidence bear out those who hold a, very high opinion of the average level of culture among the, Athenians of the great age. The funeral speech of Pericles, is the most famous indication from Athenian literature that, its level was indeed high. Pericles was, however, a, politician and may have been flattering his audience. We, know that thousands of Athenians sat hour after hour in the, theatre listening to the plays of the great Greek dramatists., These plays, especially the tragedies, are at a very high, intellectual level throughout. There are no letdowns, no, concessions to the lowbrows, or to the demands of, ‗realism‘, such as the gravediggers‘ scene in Hamlet. The, music and dance woven into these plays were almost, certainly at an equally high level. Our opera – not the, Italian Opera, not even Wagner, but the restrained, difficult, opera of the eighteenth century – is probably the best, modern parallel. The comparison is no doubt dangerous,, but can you imagine the entire population of an American, city (in suitable instalments, of course) sitting through, performances of Mozart‘s Don Giovanni or Gluck‘s, Orpheus? Perhaps the Athenian masses went to these, plays because of lack of other amusements. They could at, least understand something of what went on, since the, subjects were part of their folklore. For the American, people, the subjects of grand opera are not a part o f their, folklore., , i) What is the main idea of the passage?
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271, ii) Are there any examples to substantiate the main, idea?, iii) What are the sub-points to the main idea?, iv) What comparison between two cultures is drawn, in the passage?, v) Based on your answers to the above questions,, attempt a brief summary of the above passage., Passage 2, To a philosopher, wisdom is not the same as, knowledge. Facts may be known in prodigious numbers, without the knower of them loving wisdom. Indeed, the, person who possesses encyclopaedic information may, actually have a genuine contempt for those who love and, seek wisdom. The philosopher is not content with a mere, knowledge of facts. He desires to integrate and evaluate, facts, and to probe beneath the obvious to the deeper, orderliness behind the immediately given facts. Insight into, the hidden depths of reality, perspective on human life and, nature in their entirety, — in the words of Plato, to be a, spectator of time and existence – these are the, philosopher‘s objectives. Too gre at an interest in the, minituae of science, may, and often does, obscure these, basic objectives., Philosophers assume that the love of wisdom is a, natural endowment of the human being. Potentially every, man is a philosopher because in the depths of his bein g, there is an intense longing to fathom the mysteries of, existence. This inner yearning expresses itself in various, ways prior to any actual study of philosophy as a technical, branch of human culture. Consequently, every human, being, insofar as he has ever been or is a lover of wisdom,, has, to that extent, a philosophy of life., i) State the main argument of the passage., ii) Are there any sub-points?, iii) What is the writer‘s essential point of view?, iv) In your own words write out the topic sentence of, paragraph 2., v) With the help of the above, attempt a brief, summary of the passage., ,
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272, , 20, SUMMARISING TEXT, Learning objectives :, To familiarise students with the technique, summarisation. W riting good summaries, , of, , I. Introduction :, The word ‗summary‘ is defined by the Oxford, Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary as ―a short statement that, gives only the main points of something, not the details‖. It, means a short synopsis or outline of the important ideas, and points of the passage. The summary should read like a, piece of continuous writing, with a sequential arrangement, of ideas expressed in it and a clear reflection of the main, and sub-points. It should, however, be borne in mind that, the comments, opinions and views of the summary writer, must be avoided at all costs. The summary must deal with, only the views of the writer of the passage that is being, summarised., Summarising text requires the ability to identify the, main argument of the passage and to reproduce the points, in one‘s own style of writing with a sound logical sequence., This skill is helpful in summarising excessive information,, lengthy reports, articles and books, etc. to isolate the, fundamental ideas which are of significance without, missing any points. It is easy to pick out the main argument, in passages that are argumentative, analytical or, informative in nature. When the passages are lengthy and, contain more than one paragraph, it would be a good idea, to note down the topic sentence of each paragraph in one‘s, own words. This will help in preparing the summary., Generally, the main argument is in the form of a general, statement that is supported by examples, data, numbers,, figures, etc.
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273, Points to keep in mind while writing a Summary :, a] Read the passage carefully first and note down the main, argument being made., b] Note down the topic sentence for each paragraph (if the, passage consists of many paragraphs) or the sub-points, being made., c] Write out the first draft based on the key points that have, been jotted down., d] Compare the draft with the original passage to check for, any omissions, deletions, additions, irrelevancies, etc., e] It would be a better idea to use one‘s own vocabulary as, it will help in rephrasing the points in simpler terms., f] While preparing the second draft, rewrite the first draft to, form a logical piece of writing. Be concise and eliminate, repetition., g] Write out the summary neatly without any errors of, spelling or grammar.Here are a few examples to help you, understand the technique of summary writing:, Example 1, Peer pressure is probably the worst enemy of the, parental purse. My friend Ravi and his wife Maya were, having trouble with their 12 year -old son, Rohan. The boy, seemed incapable of delaying his gratification: he had to, have everything now. He lacked confidence, and because, of peer pressure, he wanted everything his friends got—not, just toys, but also more expensive stuff, like clothes,, mobile phones and other things. Rohan apparently thought, his parents were very rich, with an unlimited reservoir of, money., At a loss to deal with this, Ravi and Maya sought my, help, and we ended up having a lengthy discussion on, financial literacy for kids. Rohan is hardly a ‗problem child‘, where financial literacy is concerned; it is an issue with a, lot of children who are exposed to affluence at a tender, age. Perhaps the main reason for this is the lack of clear, communication about money. Often, all a child has to do to, get parents to part with money is to ask for it. Parents, should talk to their kids about money as comfortably as, they talk about cricket or a trip to the mal l. Children need, to understand what their parents do for a living, and not, harbour the illusion that money grows on trees., Financial literacy basically means having a solid, understanding of how to get money, spend it wisely,
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274, and handle credit. It means being able to distinguish, between good, bad and ugly debt, and to live on a budget., It means protecting what you have, through insurance. It, means understanding the kinds of risks you‘re exposed to,, how best to mitigate them, and how to invest. And last but, not the least, it means understanding how to use your, money for the betterment of the world., [Excerpts from Amar Pandit‘s, (Director, My Financial, Advisor. www.timesyourmoney.com) article in TOI, Sept, 2008], , II. Analysis:, What is the paragraph about ?, The paragraph is about Financial Literacy. It is about the, need to make children financially literate., What is the topic sentence ?, Financial literacy basically means having a solid, understanding of how to get money, spend it wisely, and, handle credit., What is the purpose of the first paragraph, where, Maya‘s and Ravi‘s son‘s example is given?, The example is given to illustrate the key point why parents, need to make their children financially literate., The Key Idea : Financial literacy basically means, having a solid understanding of how to get money,, spend it wisely, and handle credit., Supportive point 1: It means being able to, distinguish between good, bad and ugly debts, and to, live on a budget., Sub-Point 2: It means protecting what you have,, through insurance., Sub-Point 3:It means understanding the kinds of, risks one is exposed to, how best to mitigate them,, and how to invest., Sub-Point 4: And last but not the least, it means, understanding how to use your money for the, betterment of the world., Ilustration: Maya, Ravi, and Rohan‘s example, illustrates the problem of — peer pressure, Llack of, financial awareness in children and parents‘, helplessness in handling problems arising out of it.
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275, Conclusion: There is need for clear communication, between parents and children regarding money., Let us summarise the paragraph now :, 1. Main Point : Parents should make their children, financially literate., Problem:, How, to, handle, unreasonable demands?, , children‘s, , Reasons : Children have no idea where the, parents‘ money comes from., Peer group pressure impels children to, make demands on, parents which they feel parents are obliged, to fulfill., Children are ignorant about matters relating, to money., Solution : Parents must talk money with their children., Summary:, Educating children on the all aspects of the family‘s, finance is the need of the hour. Parents are at a loss while, dealing with their children, who under peer pressure , keep, demanding things from them. Making children realise the, value of money, helping them to prioritize their needs,, teaching them to spend the money wisely is the, responsibility of parents. There is, therefore, a need for, clear communication between parents and children, regarding money., Example No. 2, The tragedy of India is that instead o f seeing, what‘s wrong with us and taking steps to correct it, we, indulge in hysterics and look for scapegoats. Right now,, everyone‘s busy blaming the coach and the captain. But, India has a long record of playing badly away from home,, which precedes both Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappel. So, why single them out?, The real problem, I believe, lies with the system., Not just cricket, but in virtually any walk of life, we are, unwilling to put in hard work and live with discipline., Other countries are so neat, clean and well-organised but, Indian cities are in a mess, because we are simply not, willing to respect rules. We can succeed, not just in cricket,, but in everything else if only we follow four basic, principles: strictly adhere to meritocracy, be willing to work
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276, hard, adopt global best practices in training and follow, absolute discipline., We need to pick the best guys available, based, purely on merit and no other considerations. And the same, applies to the coach. People keep asking whether we need, a foreign coach. I don‘t think that‘s an issue at all. We, should ask, who is the best guy for the job? \Whoever it is, should get it., Next, once you have given someone a mandate, let, him imple ment it without interference. At Infosys, we have, our debates, arguments and discussions before it‘s decided, who‘ll be responsible for something. Once it is decided that, X is the boss, all arguments stop and everyone rallies, behind him. We shouldn‘t be undermining the coach by, trying to second-guess him., I know ‗ process‘ has become a much-mocked term,, but at Infosys, we firmly believe in following processes and, it‘s always worked for us. If Cahhappel‘s process didn‘t, work, may be it was not followed properly, or he wasn‘t, allowed to implement it in full. I have read that some senio r, players were allowed to get away with indiscipline and, that‘s totally unacceptable. No matter how big a star you, are, if you‘re disruptive to the team, you need to be shown, the exit. Never mind if we lose a few matches. If you follow, the correct process, positive results are bound to, eventually follow., Frankly, I don‘t think having a coaching camp for a, few days helps. I‗d suggest that we pick the 30 guys who, we believe are the best in the country. They should all be, given good salaries by BCCI and close ted in a hi-tech, training centre round the year. Rotate them so that even if, 15 are playing a series, the other 15 are training., Ensure that everyone gets to train intensively during, the year. Follow best practices from around the world, give, the players the best facilities and make them work really, hard – eight hours a day. If anyone refuses to practice or, follow the rules, axe him immediately. Follow these, principles and you are bound to have a world beating team., [Narayan R. Murthy, TOI, Sept., 2008.], What is the write up about?, Establishing the right system/ process and, following it rigorously is absolutely essential if one
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277, wants to win / succeed / good results / is a key to, success., What are the examples given that support the, main idea?, Examples of Greg Chappel and his system, and, practices followed at Infosys., , Summary:, If one wants to win one must evolve a system that, delivers the results and follow it rigorously. Such a system, must be based strictly on merit, hard work,, absolute, discipline, and be open to adopt the best global inputs., When a system fails to deliver, instead of finding, scapegoats like Greg Chappel to put the blame on, one, must take immediate corrective steps by analysing what, has gone wrong with the process. Putting the correct, process that delivers the results in place is the key to, success., Here are some passages that you can try and work on, yourself:, Passage 1, Some scraps of evidence bear out those who hold a, very high opinion of the average level of culture among the, Athenians of the great age. The funeral speech of Pericles, is the most famous indication from Athenian literature that, its level was indeed high. Pericles was, however, a, politician and may have been flattering his audience. We, know that thousands of Athenians sat hour after hour in the, theatre listening to the plays of the great Greek dramatists., These plays, especially the tragedies, are at a very high, intellectual level throughout. There are no letdowns, no, concessions to the lowbrows, or to the demands of, ‗realism‘, such as the gravediggers‘ scene in Hamlet. The, music and dance woven into these plays were almost, certainly at an equally high level. Our opera – not the, Italian Opera, not even Wagner, but the restrained, difficult, opera of the eighteenth century – is probably the best, modern parallel. The comparison is no doubt dangerous,, but can you imagine the entire population of an American, city (in suitable instalments, of course) sitting through, performances of Mozart‘s Don Giovanni or Gluck‘s, Orpheus? Perhaps the Athenian masses went to these, plays because of lack of other amusements. They could at, least understand something of what went on, since the
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278, subjects were part of their folklore. For the American, people, the subjects of grand opera are not a part o f their, folklore., , i) What is the main idea of the passage?, ii) Are there any examples to substantiate the main, idea?, iii) What are the sub-points to the main idea?, iv) What comparison between two cultures is drawn, in the passage?, v) Based on your answers to the above questions,, attempt a brief summary of the above passage., Passage 2, To a philosopher, wisdom is not the same as, knowledge. Facts may be known in prodigious numbers, without the knower of them loving wisdom. Indeed, the, person who possesses encyclopaedic information may, actually have a genuine contempt for those who love and, seek wisdom. The philosopher is not content with a mere, knowledge of facts. He desires to integrate and evaluate, facts, and to probe beneath the obvious to the deeper, orderliness behind the immediately given facts. Insight into, the hidden depths of reality, perspective on human life and, nature in their entirety, — in the words of Plato, to be a, spectator of time and existence – these are the, philosopher‘s objectives. Too gre at an interest in the, minituae of science, may, and often does, obscure these, basic objectives., Philosophers assume that the love of wisdom is a, natural endowment of the human being. Potentially every, man is a philosopher because in the depths of his bein g, there is an intense longing to fathom the mysteries of, existence. This inner yearning expresses itself in various, ways prior to any actual study of philosophy as a technical, branch of human culture. Consequently, every human, being, insofar as he has ever been or is a lover of wisdom,, has, to that extent, a philosophy of life., i) State the main argument of the passage., ii) Are there any sub-points?, iii) What is the writer‘s essential point of view?
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279, iv) In your own words write out the topic sentence of, paragraph 2., v) With the help of the above, attempt a brief, summary of the passage., ,
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280, , APPENDICES, I, I. Objective Questions : [I term Portion], 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7., 8., , 9., 10., 11., 12., 13., 14., 15., 16., 17., 18., , 19., , The word communication is derived from the Latin word, ………., which means ……………, Feedback is the ……………….. given by the ………….. to, the ………………., The process of putting the message into a set of symbols is, known as ……………., …………………. means interpretation of the message., …………………. is the mode of transmission of a message., In …………, ………….. messages are sent from superiors, to subordinates., Inviting employee-feedback is the objective of, ……………….communication., Communication between peers ,or colleagues, or persons, belonging, to, comparable, status, is, known, as, ……………………., Horizontal communication is also known as ………………, ……………., Orders and instructions are the objectives of ……………., ……………, Morale is defined as, ……………………………………………………., Motivation means, ……………………………………………………, Persuasion is the art of, ……………………………………………, ………………….. is the informal type of communication in, the organisation., An E mail is …………. ………… of communication., Voice mail means………………… …………., Intranet is……………………………………………., One of the major advantages of written communication over, oral communication is, ………………………………………………………………………, One of the major disadvantages of oral communication is, ……………………………………………
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281, 20., 21., 22., 23., 24., 25., 26., 27., 28., 29., 30., 31., 32., 33., , II. A., (a), (b), (e), , The term Non–verbal communication stands for, …………………………………………, The long form of w.w.w. is ……………………….., The word barrier means …………………………………………, Semantic barriers are also known as ………………, …………….., Psychological barriers are…………………………………….., Environmental barriers are also known as …………….., …………………, The, inside, address, is, the, address, of, ……………………………, In full block form the arrangement of all the components of, a business letter is to the ……. …………….. ……………….., Courtesy means……………………………………………….…., You attitude means…… ….. ……………………………………, Listening means …………………………………………….……, Proxemics is a study of …………………………….………..….., Kinesics is the study of ……………………………………….…, Control over personnel and order are the objectives of, ………………. channel of communication., Which one the following is correct ?, Yours Sincerely, (c) Your‘s sincerely,, yours sincerely, (d) your‘s sincerely,, Yours sincerely,, , B. The ‗ You Attitude‘ implies, (a) thinking and writing from the sender‘s point of view, (b) thinking and writing from the reader‘s point of view, (c) thinking and writing from the organisation‘s point of view, C. ‗Distracting sounds, uncomfortable seating arragngement‘, are examples of, (a) physical barriers, (b) physiological barriers, (c) psychological barriers, D. In order to be understood, an oral communication should be, (a) legible, (b) audible, (c) eligible, E. Hearing disorders that interfere with the process of, communication fall under, (a) psychological barriers, (b) physiological barriers
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282, (c) physical barriers, F. Warning an erring employee is an objective of, (a) Horizontal Communication, (b) Upward Communication, (c) Downward Communication, G. Persuasion means, (a) giving instruction to the receiver, (b) nforming the receiver, (c) making an effort to influence the mind of the receiver, H. Open Day is a feature of, (a) upward communication, (b) downward communication, (c) horizontal communication, I. Grapevine is a…, (a) the most reliable communication network, (b) an official network, (c) a personal network, ., …in an organization, J. Advice and Counselling are features of, (a) upward communication, (b) lateral communication, (c) downward communication, ,
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283, , II, PHONOLOGY AND VOCABULARY, Students are aware that ability to pronounce words correctly, has become a necessity. A job seeker, battling with the influence of, mother tongue, finds it even more imperative that he is acquainted, with the commonly understood and acceptable pattern of, pronunciation. In this chapter students are acquainted with the pure, vowel sounds in English., I. PHONOLOGY :, Look at the following words : Cat, Call, Casino, Case. They, have the vowel letter ― a‖ in common. But in each word ‗ a ‗ is, pronounced differently. In English , a,e,i,o,u—the five letters of, alphabet represent 12 vowel sounds and 8 diphthongs. Following, are the phonetic symbols for the vowel sounds in English., CONSONANTS, Symbol, , Key word, , 1, , /p/, , Pen, , 2, , /b/, , 3, , VOWELS, , DIPHTHONGS, , Symbol, , Key word, , Symbol, , Key word, , 1, , /i:/, , Sheep, , 1, , /ei/, , Make, , Back, , 2, , /i/, , Ship, , 2, , /, , Note, , /t/, , Tea, , 3, , /e/, , Bed, , 3, , /ai/, , Bit, , 4, , /d/, , Day, , 4, , /æ/, , Bad, , 4, , /a /, , Now, , 5, , /k/, , Key, , 5, , /a:/, , Calm, , 5, , / !/, , Boy, , 6, , /g/, , Get, , 6, , / /, , Pot, , 6, , /! /, , Here, , 7, , /t /, , Cheer, , 7, , / /, , Saw, , 7, , /e /, , There, , 8, , /d/, , Jump, , 8, , / /, , Put, , 8, , /, , 9, , /f/, , Fat, , 9, , /u:/, , Boot, , 10, , /v/, , View, , 10, , / /, , Cut, , 11, , / /, , About, , 12, , / :/, , earth, , /, , /, , I. Pure Vowels or monothongs :, 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7., , /i/, /i:/, /e/, /æ/, /a:/, /u/, /u:/, , sit, gift, bliss, knit, swift, fee, receive, teacher, feat, fever, let, elder, sweat, pen, head, man, tap, clap, flatter, chapter, fast, father, heart, alarm, smart, put, foot, look, book, good, should, would, food, tooth, suit, do, loose, , tout
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284, 8., , / /, , pot, slot, box, bottle, cod, not, , 9., 10., 11., , / / bought, short, bond, caught, sought, / / but, cut, shut, shrug, slug, / / about, allow, away, apart, , 12., , / / bird, curds, third, mirth,, , Dipthongs: A dipthong literally means ‗two vowels‘ or ‗ gliding, vowels‘. It is a unitary vowel, which glides from one vowel to, another in rapid speech., There are in all eight dipthongs in English., 1. /ei/ gate, eight, great, day, play, 2. /ai/ fine, five, time, shine height, 3. /oi/ boy, ploy, toy, joy, employ, 4. /ou/ go, soul, hold, fold, know, 5. /au/ how, loud, proud, house, bow, 6. /ie/ sheer, dear, theory, mere, fear, 7. /u / sure, fluent, poor, cure, tour, 8. / / dare, fare, fair, chair, there, heir., III. Let us group words according to vowel letters., 1., , a. /æ/in fan, /e/ in any, /a:/in farther, / / in alone, /ei/in pace, / / in fall, , 4., , o / / in hot, /u/ in wolf, /u:/in lose, /ou/in go, /i/ in women, , 2. e. /e/ in let, /i:/ in comlete, /a:/in clerk, / /in cover, , 5. /u/, / /, / /, / /, , 3. I i/in sit, /i:/ in marine, /ai/in fine, , in put, in but, in up, in hurdle, , Exercise:, a) Identify 6 words in the following list which have similar vowel, sounds., tight, hard, bird, tall, late, meet, fate, first, boy, height, all, knead, i …………….., ……………………, ii …………….., ……………………
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285, iii …………….., , ……………………, , iv …………….., v …………….., vi …………….., , ……………………, ……………………, ……………………, , b) From the following list pick out 4 pairs of words with similar, vowel sounds. Ignore the extra words., hold, hit, house, hot, have, head, heel, hint, spouse, feed, blip, cold,, spot doll, play, mad., i, ii, iii, iv, , …………….., …………….., …………….., …………….., , ……………………, ……………………, ……………………, ……………………, , II. VOCABULARY, Vocabulary: WORDS LIKELY TO BE CONFUSED AND, MISUSED, [Words that are similar in form or sound, but different in meaning.], 1. All ready: prepared. Dinner is all ready., Al ready: by the time. It was over al ready., 2., , All right = satisfactory. His performance was all right., Alright = variant spelling., , 3., , Accede : consent, I cannot accede to your request., Exceed : surpass, His expenditure exceeds his income ., , 4., , Accept : to receive with favour. I accept your offer., Except : to omit or exclude. Excepting the last term, I shall, accept the contract., , 5., , Access : approach or admission. ‗A poor man has no, access to the King., Excess : more than enough. He smokes to excess., , 6., , Adapt : to make suitable; to adjust properly. We must adapt, ourselves to changing circumstances., Adopt : to accept and approve. They adopted a child., adopted my scheme., Adept : One who is skilled. He is an adept at painting., , 7., , Advise : (Verb). Please advise me what to do., , He
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286, Advice : (Noun). He paid no heed to my advice., 8., , Affect : (1) to influence. Bad weather affects her health., (2) to pretend., Effect : (1) Verb. The prisoner effected (made) his escape., (2) Noun. What will be the effect (result) of this?, , 9., , Allusion : an indirect reference. If your allusion is to any, woman present here, please name her., Illusion : an imaginary appearance. A mirage is an optical, illusion., , 10., , Altar : a place for offerings. The pious old man bowed, before the altar., Alter : to change. Nothing can alter my decision., , 11., , Antic : foolish behaviour.‗We laughed at her antics., Antique : valuable object. It is an antique piece., , 12., , Ascent : going upwards. The balloon is on the ascent., Assent : agree; consent, I cannot give assent to your, proposal., , 13., , Bail : security. He was released on bail., Bale : bundle, Fifty bales of cotton were burnt., , 14., , Berth : a sleeping place in a train or on a ship. I got a berth, reserved for me in the first class compartment ., Birth : She gave birth to a child., , 15., , Bear : endure. I cannot bear this insult., Bare : uncover. She bared her soul to her friend., , 16., , Born : (Past Participle of bear). He was born on Tuesday., Borne : carried. The message was borne to her., , 17., , Canon : rule. Every nation has its own canons of morality., Cannon : a large gun. Cannon to the left of them, cannon to, the right of them., , 18., , Canvas : a kind of coarse cloth. Shoes made of canvas are, not durable., Canvas : solicit votes. Will you canvass votes for me?, , 19., , Casual : occasional; irregular. Casual reading is better than, no reading., Causal : relating to cause. The causal connection between, food and health.
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287, , 20., , Censor : to subject to an official examination. The news is, censored., Censure : to criticize adversely. They censured her conduct, bitterly., , 21., , Cession : the transfer of territory by one country to another., Nothing short of the cession of the territory would satisfy the, invader. Cessassion= ceasing, Session : a term or a meeting period, as of a court, a, legislature, or any organized assembly. The winter session, of the Assembly is over., , 22., , Cite : to quote. He cited verses from the Bible., Site : a place chosen for some special purpose. The site for, the school building was selected by the Headmaster., Sight : view. A horrible sight met our gaze., , 23., , Coarse : rough. He wears coarse clothes., Course : direction. She has taken a wrong course (path)., Compliment : regard. Tender my best compliments to your, wife., Complement : that which makes up. My work complements, Mr. Gupta‘s., , 24., , 25., , Confidant : one who is trusted with a secret. My confidant, betrayed me., Confident : sure. She is confident of success., , 26., , Council : an assembly for conference or deliberation. He is, a member of the Social Welfare Council., Counsel : (1) to advise and instruct : Fathers usually, counsel their sons against excess., (2) advice; a legal, adviser or advocate. He has engaged a counsel to defend, him in the High Court., , 27., , Childish : is used in a bad sense and suggests silliness,, foolishness, and weakness. Your talk is becoming childish., Childlike : is used in a good sense and suggests, innocence, simplicity, and trustfulness. Her childlike, innocence appealed to all., , 28., , Conscious : aware. She is conscious of her faults., Conscientious : obedient to conscience; scrupulous. He is, a conscientious worker and always does his duty., , 29., , Contemptuous : showing contempt of; scornful. She gave a, contemptuous reply.
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288, , 30., , Contemptible : deserving contempt; despicable. He is a, contemptible fellow who does good to no one., Continual : always happening; recurring. There was, continual rain. We were continually uninterrupted., Continuous : uninterrupted in time or sequence. He worked, continuously from morning till night., , 31., , Credible : believable. His report of the accident is credible., Creditable : estimable; that which deserves praise or, honour. She has done a creditable piece of work., Credulous : applies to persons who believe things too, readily. The credulous youth believed in the existence of, ghosts., , 32., , Draft : preliminary written outline. Where is the draft of the, Agreement?, Draught :/dra:ft/ the quantity drunk at a time. As in draught, of wine., Draught :/dra:ft current of air . As in draught of air., Drought :/draut/ prolonged absence of rain. owing to the, draught a famine was feared., , 33., , Decent : well-behaved and respectable. She is a decent girl., Descent : derivation; slope, Her descent from a noble family, was also taken into account. The journey down the descent, was easy., Dissent : disagreement. Murmurs of dissent were heard at, the meeting., , 34., , Deference : respect. Treat your elders with deference., Difference : ―There is a great difference between these two, statements., , 35., , Defy : challenge. He defied all authority., Deify : worship. The leader was deified by the people., , 36., , Dependant : person supported,esp,financially by another., Be kind to your dependants., Dependent : rely.‗He is dependent on his wife., Disease : illness. Consumption is not a fatal disease., Decease : death. A severe disease may cause decease., , 37., , 38., , Dual : double. I do not believe in this dual policy of the, Government., Duel : a combat between two men. He fought a duel in his, youth., , 39., , Dying : (the Present Participle of die). People are dying of, disease every day.
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289, , 40., , Dyeing : (the act of colouring). This laundry does cleaning, and dyeing., Elicit : draw out. I could not elicit any truth from her., Illicit : unlawful. Those who carry on illicit trade in opium are, liable to be prosecuted., , 41., , Elude : to escape. He cleverly eluded the police., Allude : to refer to. Which is the woman you alluded to in, your speech?, , 42., , Emigrant : a person who leaves one country to take up, residence in another. The Irish emigrants settled in Canada., Immigrant : one who comes to one country from another to, live there permanently. Most of the Americans are English, immigrants., , 43., , Eminent : prominent. He is an eminent doctor., Imminent : It applies especially to danger or misfortune that, threatens to happen immediately. She was saved from, imminent death., , 44., , Its =belonging to: Its like a cat chasing its own tail., It‘s =it is. It’s a long journey., , 45., , Farther : actual distance or extension in space. It is farther, from Delhi., Further : additional They discussed the matter further., , 46., , Fare : price of journey on public transport.‗What is the, railway fare from Delhi to Bombay?, Fair : fine or favourable The weather is fair. ; Just. Her, dealings are fair., not dark. As in fair complexioned., Beautiful[archaic]; transcript free from corrections. As in a, fair copy., , 47., , Hoard : store. Do not hoard grains in times of war., Horde : (a wandering tribe). Wandering hordes attacked, villagers huts., , 48., , Honourable : worthy of honour. The Prime Minister was an, honourable man., Honorary : holding office without receiving any salary. He, was an Honorary Magistrate., , 49., , Human : relating to man. Human nature cannot stand such, insults., Humane : sympathetic; tender-hearted. The humane, treatment of prisoners is now advocated by all.
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290, , 50., , Ingenuous : artless; frank; plain. The ingenuous talk of the, child impressed us all., Ingenious : skilful. He is an ingenious mechanic., , 51., , Jealous : He is jealous (envious) of my reputation., Zealous : ardent; enthusiastic. She is a zealous worker in, the cause of Harijan welfare., , 52., , Industrial : relating to industry. There has been much, industrial development in India., Industrious : hard-working. An industrious man cannot, starve., , 53., , Judicial : applies primarily to judges and formal judgments., Judicial decision are all in her favour., Judicious : sensible; prudent., He made a judicious, selection of books., , 54., , Lovable : worthy of love; inspiring love. She is a woman of, lovable nature ., Lovely : beautiful; charming. The lovable girl plucked a, lovely flower., , 55., , Legible : capable of being read. She writes in a legible, handwriting., Eligible : fit to be chosen. He is eligible for the post., , 56., , Loose : to unfasten. not tightly held. Loose this knot, please., Loose : morally lax. It was assumed that she is a person of, loose character., Lose : cease to have. Don‘t lose your purse., , 57., , Metal : Platinum is a precious metal., Mettle : spirit; courage. I will put your mettle to the test., , 58., , Order : command. An order must be obeyed., Ardour : fervour; zeal. He is full of youthful ardour., , 59., , Practical : is opposed to theoretical ; functional ;, realistic.Your scheme does not appeal to practical minds., Practicable : that can be done. Her scheme was not, practicable.Space communication has proved to be, practicable., , 60., , Precede : to go before. Study should precede teaching., Proceed : to continue. Let us proceed with the work.
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291, 61., , Precedent :previous case taken as example for subsequent, cases justification. There is no precedent for this., President : one who presides at a meeting. The President, delivered his speech in Hindi. President= Head of the, Country., , 62., , Principal : chief of the college, important, main. These are, the principal languages of the world. The Principal of the, college is a very strict person.[ A sum of money is also called, the principal as distinguished from the interest.], Principle : law; rule; maxim. Our Principal is a man of high, principles., , 63., , Raise : to lift. She raised her head to see what was, happening., Raze : to completely destroy. The building was razed to, the ground., , 64., , Refuge : shelter. He took refuge in an old house., Refuse : (1) worthless stuff. The refuse must be burnt., (2) not to accept. She will refuse a gift from you., , 65., , Right : correct. He knows the right use of words. All right, with the world.Might is right. That is a fault that will right, itself. It belongs to him by right. [Legal entitlement]. God, defends the right., Rite: a religious or solemn ceremony. His funeral rites were, performed yesterday., , 66., , Route : road; path; course. This was the route taken by the, traveller., Rout : the defeat of an army. The Germans put the English, army to rout (utterly defeated)., Root : source or origin. Love of money is the root of all evil., , 67., , Spacious : roomy. This is a spacious house., Specious : plausible but wrong ; fair or right on the surface., I do not believe in specious arguments., , 68., , Stationary : fixed. The Pole Star is stationary in the, heavens., Stationery : writing-materials. He deals in stationery., , 69., , Sensible : of good sense; reasonable., i. That is very sensible of him., ii. No sensible man would abuse a girl., Sensitive : acutely affected by external impressions. She is, very sensitive to both praise and blame.
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292, 70., , Sole : only. He is the sole proprietor of the firm., Soul :spiritual or immaterial part of person. We believe in the, immortality of the soul., , 71., , Temper : disposition of mind. He is a man of fiery temper., Tamper : meddle with , make unauthorised changes in. After, his death, they tampered with his will., , 72., , Tenor : settled or prevailing course or direction. Such was, the peaceful tenor of their life., , 73., , Tenure : period of holding. During his tenure of office, many, strange things happened., , 74., , Unity : oneness. Work for national unity., Union : being united. Union is strength, Trade Union., Unison : harmony. Her voice was in perfect unison with the, tune of the piano., , 75., , Vain : conceited. She is quite vain about her beauty., Vein : manner. She said this in a humorous vein., , 76., , Waive : to forgo voluntarily. I have waived my claims in her, favour., Wave : The Boat is tossing on the waves., ,
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293, , III, READING AND WRITING SKILLS, A). Read the paragraph carefully. Imagine that you are reporting, this matter to your friend. Paraphrase the paragraph., Although B.Ramlinga Raju has sought to take full responsibility for, cooking Satyam‘s accounts, it‘s clear that ‗ Operation Fudging‘ at, the company was a complex exercise and was meticulously, planned and executed with precision. There were scores of, meetings with dozens of people to falsify the documents of the, company that was listed on the New York Stock Exchange., [Times of India, 8/2/2009], ******************************, B) Read the following interview between Dr. Jain and a journalist, from NDTV 24 x7 .Frame suitable questions for the answers., , Q1.....................................................................................................?, Ans1. Dr. Jain: Epilepsy is a condition that is characterised by, seizures, so seizures are an integral part of epilepsy but all, seizures are not due to epilepsy. Having seizures does not, necessarily mean that the person has epilepsy, but all people with, epilepsy will have seizures., Q.2 ...................................................................................................?, Ans2. Dr. Jain: The symptoms are predominantly seizures but, having seizures does not necessarily mean having epilepsy., Q.3 ...................................................................................................?, Ans 3. Dr. Jain: The most important thing is an eyewitness account, of the seizure. Then you take into account the age of the person,, the circumstances in which the seizure occurred, the number of, seizures and a detailed examination of the patient., Q4…………………………………………………………………………?, Ans 4. Dr. Jain: Seizures occur because of an abnormal discharge, of an electrical activity from certain areas of the brain. So, depending upon which area is firing at that time, a seizure would, occur. It is like an electrical storm in the brain. You can have, abnormal thought process, abnormal behaviour, unconsciousness,, jerking of the body or just a sensation in the body.
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294, Q5…………………………………………………………………………?, Ans 5. Dr. Jain: It is said that anyone who has a brain can develop, epilepsy at anytime during his lifetime. Most people have their first, seizure while they are still in school, so it is a condition that usually, starts at young age. The other causes that are known to cause fits, include lack of sleep, daily alcohol consumption, and flickering, lights, especially at a particular frequency. Occasionally, especially, in small children, if the blood glucose is low it can lead to fits., Lastly, high fever at any age can precipitate a fit., Q6………………………………………………………………………..?, Ans 6. Dr. Jain: Yes, epilepsy is treatable. With drugs almost 60%, to 70% of the patients can have full control of their fits or seizures., The patients respond very well to these drugs. These drugs are, easily available and don‘t cost much., **************, C) Read the following alert or a warning given by a bank to its ecustomers. Make a gist of the contents., WHAT IS PHISHING :, , , Phishing is a modus operandi where in a customer gets, an e-mail that deceptively claims to be from a particular, enterprise (like your Bank) and asking for account, sensitive information., , , , Phishing is a spoofed e-mail that closely resembles the, Bank notices. The mail aims to convince customers to, divulge account sensitive information such as Credit Card, Numbers, Passwords and PINs, Bank Account Details, etc.., , , , These Phishing mails have a legitimate-looking URL or, an image, which when clicked directs the affected user to, the Phishing site where in the account sensitive details, are captured., , , , Alternatively, sometimes the customer is asked to, download and install ―Security‖ software attached to the, spam e-mail and doing so by the customer, the scamster, can retrieve all the account related details., , Some tips to Identify Phising Mails!, , , These emails generally ask for sensitive account, information like Usernames, Passwords, Credit Card or, Debit Card Numbers over the email.
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295, , , The emails may include content, which is bound to make, you react. For example, the email may have content, which would state, ―Please click here to update your, Account Information in order to keep your Bank, Account active‖. …. Bank will never send such emails., In such cases, always back check with the Bank., , PROTECTION FROM PHISHING :, Be wary of e-mail messages that ask for your account, sensitive information such as Customer Id and IPIN, details, Card related details or any other sensitive, information in reference to your account., Unless the e-mail is digitally signed, you can never be, 100% sure of its source!, Do not click any links inside an e-mail of which you have, the slightest suspicion. Instead use a web browser to, reach, a, particular, web, address., (Type http://www.hdfcbank.com) instead of clicking on, the link., Ensure that any Web site visited is secure when, submitting sensitive information such as Credit Card, numbers or using your NetBanking IPIN., 1. One indication that a Web address is secure is if it, starts with https:// rather than http://., 2. Another indication is a padlock icon at the bottom of, the screen, which when clicked, displays a security, certificate., Ensure that your browser requirement is up-to-date for, accessing Net Banking., Consider installing security software such as those, offered by anti-virus specialists that can help detect virus,, filter SPAM and/or ensure secure Internet Usage, (firewalls)., Turn off your computer when not in use, to avoid, criminals gaining access and misusing it for fraudulent, purposes, which includes launching Phishing attacks., If you receive any suspicious e-mail or website prompts, which are asking for your private and confidential, information in relation to your account with the Bank,, please inform us immediately. You can forward the mail, to us at fake.email@.................. or call the nearest, PhoneBanking Numbers. access to it., *********************
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296, D) Complete the following sentences in the following passage by, referring to the original words., When the Principal discovered that one of the students in the first, year, Alok Nandan, despite oral warning warnings , had been, playing truant, he summoned him to his office. He looked at the boy, sternly and asked him ……(1). Alok replied that ………(2). The, principal looked astonished and asked him ……………(3). Alok, explained ………(4), but that……..(5). The principal asked, ……….(6), and the boy said………..(7). Then the principal enquired, whether………..(8). Alok answered that ………(9) and added, that….(10). The principal thought for a moment and then remarked, that…..(11). He went on to say, however…….(12)., The original words were :, (1), ― Why do you bunk?‖, (2), ― I don‘t know ,sir.‖, (3), ―What do you mean?‖, (4), ― I haven‘t any particular reason.‖, (5), ― I don‘t want to study further.‖, (6), ― How old are you, Alok?‖, (7), ― Eighteen and a half, sir.‖, (8), ― Do you know what you want to do if you leave college?‖, (9), ― I want to become an actor.‖, (10), ― My parents are willing to let me.‖, (11), ― Perhaps that is the best thing you can do.‖, (12), ― I wish I could still persuade you to complete your, graduation.‖, **********************, E. As the sun disappeared, the darkness of the night enveloped, the world. Yet, the presence of the full moon and the twinkling stars, made the evening beautiful. I was tempted to go out for a ride, and, was about to set out when I heard a footfall on the steps behind, me. I turned round to find nobody there., In about 300 words write what could follow from this introduction., F. Read the following passage and answer the questions based, on it., It‘s hard to believe that desktop computers have only been, around for 25 years or so, and the World Wide Web for even less, time that . But just as the personal computer (PC) changed the way, we organized and accessed information, the cellphone is, transforming the ways in which we can find and use information. In, the last decade, mobile phones have become more than just, instruments to make and receive telephone calls. A new breed of, mobiles, called smartphones, have features that were once, exclusive domain of PCs, such as spreadsheets, e-mail, word
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297, processing and Web browsing. These smartphones carry out our, personal information and provide access to the internet, while, increasingly being used to navigate the real world., Even in these tough economic times, smartphones have, continued to sell. A recently released study indicates that about 23, per cent of all handset sales in the US during the fourth quarter of, 2008 were of smartphones. This figure is only expected to rise. As, the computing power of these phones increases, the sort of tasks, they will be able perform will also become more comlex. Already,, smartphones are an amalgam of various other devices—they are, phones, media players, cameras and even navigation systems., New software applications have made it possible for such, phones to act as GPS devices. Not only can users view maps on, their phones to figure out where they are , or to find a restaurant or, the nearest petrol station, new software lets people locate other, people. This has privacy implications, sure, but it also has the, potential to change the way people think about their space., Location-aware phones will let consumers ‗look‘ behind buildings, and around the corners to find little shops and cafes they might, otherwise have overlooked., There are four billion cellphones in use around the world., India has 280 million of them. The mobile phone market in this, country continues to grow in definance of global trends. Not all of, these are smartphones—. Indeed, most are not . But as time, passes , the technology will get cheaper. For instance, colour, screen mobiles was high technology just a few years ago, but is, now a standard feature , while more and more phones ship with, cameras. Future generations of smartphones could become the, Swiss army knives of portable electonics. They will be able to, handle everything from communications to our entertainment, needs. And, just about everyone will have one., [TOI, Editorial, 25March, 2009], Read the passage carefully and answer the questions based on it., Q1. The passage was titled as ― World In My Pocket‖., Do you think it‘s a good title ? Justify your answer., Q2. What is the passage about?, Q3. How many technological inventions are mentioned in the, passage? In what way have they impacted communication?, Q4. Enlist the uses of smart phones., Q5. ‗Even in these tough economic times, smart phones have, continued to sell‘. What does this show?, Q6. What is the future of smart phones?
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298, , IV, Dialogue Writing : A dialogue is basically a conversation between, two or more persons., Read the following dialogue carefully., Operator : ― Good Morning! . …………….. Bank. How can I assist, you?‖, Mr. Ameya : ― Good Morning !. I am…………… I hold an online, trading account with you‖., Operator : ― Could you tell me your the Trading Ac Number?, Mr. Ameya : ― It is 444433222‖, Operator : ― Could you tell me your Date of Birth?‖, Mr. Ameya : ―May 1, 1960 ―, Operator : ― Please tell me your D-mat account number, sir.‖, Mr. Ameya : ― 29999345.‖, Operator : ―Thank you sir. You token number is 2345. What can I, do for you?‖, Mr. Ameya : ― I hold 75 shares of HFC. I want to sell them.‖, Operator : ―The share is currently trading at 250.19 /- sir.‖, Mr. Ameya : ― Good. I want to sell it .‖, Operator : ― At market?‖, Mr. Ameya : ― Yes . At market.‖, Operator : ― I will repeat sir. You wish to sell 75 shares of HFC at, market.‖, Mr. Ameya : ―That is right.‖, Operator : ― Is there any thing else I can do for you sir?‖, Mr. Ameya : ―No , Thank you.‖, Operator: ― Have a good day, sir !‖, Tasks :, A. You wish to enquire about the ‗ order a caller tune of your, choice‘ scheme. Write a dialogue between you and your, service provider., B. Read the following passage carefully and try to reconstruct, the original dialogue which must have taken place between, the newspaper reporter and the survivor of the earthquake:, The reporter asked Mrs. R Swami , one of the surviors of the, earthquake, what had happened? Mrs. Swami replied that she had, just gone to bed at half past eleven when she felt the first tremor.
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299, The bed started to tremble and she noticed the candle -stand ,, which hung from the ceiling, was swaying. The reporter asked her, what she did then, and she said that she got out of the bed quickly, and went to look out of the window. As she saw the wall of the, opposite house come crashing down , she realized what was, happening. She grabbed her slippers and rushed down the, staircase alerting her neighbours. There was a terrible noise of, constructions giving way and falling into rubble, people screaming ,, and clouds of dust in the air. The trembling stopped after full four, minutes. She said what was an exclusive NRI colony looked like a, ghost town., C), , ―Mr. Dubash? Good Evening!. I am Amitabh Bacchan calling, from ― Kaun Banega Crorepati ?‖., Imagine a friend of yours is participating in the famous TV, show. He has opted for one of the life lines, ― phone a friend‖, and asked for your assistance. The beginning of such a, dialogue is given above. Complete the dialogue between you, and the host of the programme., , D), , Write the conversation that is likely to take place between the, Inquiry Officer and a passenger at the railway station. Make, use of different types of questions and grammatical, constructions., , E), , Read the following dialogues and answer the questions below:, A. Shopkeeper: What can I do for you, sir?, Customer: Do you have a pencil box?, Shopkeeper: I have a few., Customer: What is the price for this one?, Shopkeeper: Rs. 50/Customer pays money., Shopkeeper: Thank you., Customer: Thank you., , (i) What are the functions of thank you in this dialogue?, (ii) What does the use of a few suggest?, (iii) What type of questions are asked in this extract? Are they, performing the same function?, (iv) Can you call this a communication situation? Explain., B. Student A: Shall we bunk lectures today?, Student B: Yes, that‘s a very good idea.
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300, C. Student A: Shall we bunk lectures today?, Student B: Yes, provided we sit in the library., (i) Pick out the sentences which express feedback., (ii) State the types of feedback and their functions., (iii) Which grammatical construction is used for expressing, feedback?, (iv) Which modal auxiliary is used in the question asked by, Student A? What meaning does it convey?, F) Mr. Sen has just met Mr Patil, the new recruit, who is supposed, to share his cabin. What questions will Mr Sen ask Mr Patil in, order to know him better? Write a dialogue that is likely to, take place between the two., ,
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301, , V, Speeches : What is a Speech?, A Speech is a public address. The purpose of a speech, varies. It could be to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. It is, different from a presentation in that a presentation is a carefully, researched view-point, put forth with the help of visual aids, in order, to convince the audience of a certain proposition., An executive is expected to deliver impromptu, informal or formal, speeches., This chapter deals with speech drafting., There are two aspects to speech drafting. 1. The draft— the written, material and 2. It‘s delivery., A. Look at the following two examples: { Study the drafts.], Example 1., *Keep the Spark*, Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program, 2008, Chetan Bhagat —, Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this, chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have, come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some, cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you, are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly, elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were, getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would, the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my, new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this, excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive, today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or, to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.[Icebreaker, an introduction of the topic/theme] Where do these, sparks start? I think we are born with them***, I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when, I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we, age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are, dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first
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302, half of Jab We Met vs the second half?That is what happens when, the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?, To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive,, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what, is possible for *you*. It isn‘t any external measure - a certain cost to, company pay package, a particular car or house., Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having, material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have, grown up where money constraints force everyday choices,, financial freedom is a big achievement., But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr, Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would, stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be, working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for, billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes, them come to work everyday?, They do it because it makes them happy. They do it, because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from, current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve, your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you, will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get, better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar,, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next, level is important., Nature designed with a random set of genes and, circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to, accept it and make the most of nature‘s design. Are you? Goals will, help you do that., I must add, don‘t just have career or academic goals. Set, goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word, balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health,, relationships, mental peace are all in good order., There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your, breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts., Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions., You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is, a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is, one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run, with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble, falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life,where health, and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worthit
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303, if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the, success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive,, will start to die. One last thing about nurturing the spark don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to, make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if, these jokes would take away something from the yoga, practice.The teacher said - *don’t be serious, be sincere*. This, quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing,, my job, my relationships or any of my goals[. I get thousands, of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise,, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I, write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken, seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a prepaid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last, another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we, really need to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes,, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not, programmed devices., I‘ve told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and, not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there, are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the, flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment,, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose., Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the, expected return. If things don‘t go as planned or if you face failure., Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out, stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will, need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I, wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some, IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that, is how much failure can hurt you., But it‘s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they, would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at, something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that‘s, where you want to be., Disappointment‘ s cousin is frustration, the second storm., Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck., This is especially relevant in India . From traffic jams to getting that, job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don‘t know, if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for, Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely, lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release., Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy, into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal
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304, with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a, long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a, certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at, least I was learning how to write scripts , having a side plan – I had, my third book to write and even something as simple as, pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help, you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously., Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously., Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that, is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads,, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in, Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain, luck. There are so few opportunities in India , so many stars need, to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not, always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term, correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize,, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an, opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English, means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let‘s be, grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we, don‘t. I have so much love from my readers that other writers, cannot even imagine it. However, I don‘t get literary praise. It‘s ok. I, don‘t look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are, more beautiful than her. It‘s ok. Don‘t let unfairness kill your spark., Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As, you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little,, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to, college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later, and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you, believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the, people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals, may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them., Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing, basketball by the time they have their second child. They give, up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their, family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that, compromise. Love yourself first, and then others., There you go. I‘ve told you the four thunderstorms disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot, avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at, regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let, the spark die., I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your, life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely, choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you
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305, eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep, the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next, 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will, keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any, moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I, come from the land of a billion sparks., A speech has a beginning that connects with the audience,, and sets the tone for the view point the speaker is going to put, across. It has a middle , where the speaker elaborates on his, premises, thoughts . It‘s a kind of justification that he puts forth with, the help of examples, anecdotes, illustrations. He concludes the, speech by summarizing his key arguments., Example 2., , An open letter from Shailesh Gandhi, , permalink, , Noted activist Shailesh Gandhi was awarded the Nani Palkhiwala, Memorial Award on Friday at Mumbai. Here is a reproduction of a, public email form Shailesh Gandhi found in a Yahoo group, in, connection with the said event., , From: Shailesh Gandhi, Date : Jan 12, 2008 2:07 AM, Subject: Acceptance, To: Citizens of India, Fellow Citizens of India,, It is indeed a great privilige and honour to receive this award, instituted in the memory of Shri Nani Palkhiwala. He towered above, most of us by his intellectual prowess, and insistence on adhering, to values and the truth at all times. The hallmark of this man was, that he followed his conscience with an outstandingly honest, commitment to logic and facts. I feel humble in receiving this award, instituted in his memory. It is also a privilige to have been selected, by an Institution and a jury of great repute. I am conscious that this, award is really more a recognition for the revolution of Right to, Information, -than for me. RTI has swept across the Nation gaining, strength by Citizen participation and activism., The first campaign for Right to Information was started in, 1990 in rural Rajasthan by MKSS,- led by Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, and Shankar Singh. Across the country many people have been, championing the cause of transparency and for codification of this, fundamental right of Citizens. To name a few;- H.D. Shourie, Ajit
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306, Bhatacharjee, Prabhash Joshi, Jean Dreze, Maja Daruwala,, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal, Prakash Kardaley and Shekhar, Singh were amongst the many who have over the years agitated, and lobbied for a good Right To Information Act. In Maharashtra we, owe a great debt to Shri Anna Hazare not only for getting a good, State Act, but also for spreading it as a Public movement, and, continuously ensuring that the Government takes steps to improve, its implementation., Lokmanya Tilak‘s epic call still rings in our years — ― Swaraj, ha maza janmasiddh hakk ahe, ani to me milawnarch‖. We have a, reasonable system of elections. Citizens are able to change their, elected representatives, but the Swaraj we dreamt of, never came., What we have is an elective democracy, not a participatory, democracy. This is because we have missed the essence of, Lokshahi-which means Logonki Shahenshahi. The essence of, democracy is that the individual Citizen is a sovereign in her own, right, and she gives up part of the sovereignty to the State, in return, for which she gets the rule of law. This respect for YOU,-the, sovereign Citizen of India, and for the rule of law has been missed, completely. Our Institutions have become playgrounds of the, powerful, where the individual is helpless. If a Citizen approaches, an elected representative, he may or may not get a hearing in 24, hours; if she writes to a Public servant she may or may not get an, answer in 12 days; and if she approaches the Courts a BMW will, metamorphose into a truck and the final decision will probably be, obtained after a decade. The individual Citizen instead of being, respected has become the bechara. If Tilak were here today he, would have again said, ― Swaraj ha maza janmasiddh hakk ahe, ani, to me milawnarch‖, karan Swaraj keva aalach nahi. 15th August,, 1947 only saw a transfer of Raj from the whites to the browns., While we see a soaring sensex, a double digit growth of, GDP and malls, and a growing number of billionaires, over 70% of, my countrymen live on less than Rs.20 per day, and more than, 45% of our children suffer from malnutrition. These Citizens of India, bow with servility before the Public servant, prostrate themselves, before their arrogant elected representatives and do not even dare, to approach the judiciary. Investigations of criminal complaints in, Slum Rehabilitation Authority matters have been stalled and the, Criminal Procedure Code suspended by the Maharashtra, Government, despite High Court orders. The Court waits for Godot,, while the underworld has now taken over these matters. If the, Common Citizen challenges the powerful criminals in Court, he, might end up sacrificing decades of his lifetime for this folly. Six, decades after Independence, India is seeing a reincarnation of the, Princes and Zamindars in their new Avtars;- as monopolists and, SEZ owners who actually dictate policy and implementation. The
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307, State provides the lathaits and the armies for these. The, Government itself admits that around 25% of India‘s districts have, chronic and endemic violence. Dr. Binayak Sen, has been locked, up without any crime and with the knowledge of the highest court in, the land., Many others suffer across the Nation and they do not even, weigh on our conscience — since they are invisibles — the ‗Le, Miserables‘ who will perhaps someday have to threaten our growth,, progress and peace with violence to get their just dues. In 1982, Mr. Palkhiwala had described the plight of the Citizen in this verse:‖, His speech is of mortgaged bedding, On his vine he borrows yet,, At his heart is his daughter‘s wedding, In his eye foreknowledge of, debt. He eats and hath indigestion, He toils and he may not stop;, His Life is a long-drawn question Between a crop and a crop.‖, After a quarter century, i feel it could have been written yesterday., Most institutions have failed India since they have become, the domains of the powerful. Brazenly they have appropriated what, belongs to the people, - lands, money and power. In this grim, scenario there are two possibilities; - either a movement towards, violent solutions by the disempowered, or a campaign for greater, accountability and empowerment by Individual Citizens to monitor, the Government and implement the laws. The contract is between, each individual sovereign with the State. Right To Information, provides an avenue for the Common Citizen to question his, Government, get accountability, find out about policy, implementation, expose corruption and get respect for the majesty, of the Indian Citizen. The elegant law provides an inexpensive,, timebound and simple instrument to Citizens, which can be used by, them from their own house with an input of less than an hour and, around 50 rupees., Individual citizens have used RTI to curb corruption in the, issue of ration cards, Incometax refunds, pensions and so on. A, RTI application made the Government install jammers to stop the, use of mobile phones by its inmates in Arthur road prison, while, another forced a rapist cop to be dismissed. RTI reveals that 550, lessees in Mumbai illegally occupy 1200 acres of lands as illegal, occupiers, though their leases have expired. This is done with the, connivance of the Government. We the People lose over 8000, crores annually in Mumbai alone on this count. Privatisation of, water supply was stopped in Delhi. A RTI query to JJ School of Arts, made them realize the priceless paintings they were holding! Thus, there are many varying and different ways in which Citizens are, using RTI to monitor government performance, support the honest, Public servants, curb corruption and get proof of laws being broken., Most importantly the individual Citizen-the Sovereign of India,- is
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308, feeling empowered and is beginning to impact on the Governance, of the Country. He is seeing the possibility of getting the Swaraj, which escaped her 60 years back. RTI is growing without any one, organization or National leadership guiding or dictating it,- in short, without any hierarchy. This is truly a Citizen empowerment, revolution which is sweeping across the Country, awakening the, common Citizen., As I stand here, I would like to acknowledge my deep, gratitude to the many well wishers, friends and my family who have, given me immense love and warmth. My special thanks to my, parents,-who are no more,- my daughter and son-in-law Ayesha, and Omesh, and my wife Bharti who have supported me, consistently in pursuing my convictions., All of us individually share this historic opportunity to be the, agent for the change we desire. Right to Information is helping to, uncover the facts, the reality which exists in our Public Authorities., It is indeed a search and quest for transparency and truth. Sixty, years back Satya helped us to rid the Country of our white masters,, now RTI will help us to attain the Swaraj we missed. It is critical that, we the People defend and nurture this Right for the next few years., The authority and the responsibility vest with you and me,-the, Sovereign Citizens of India. I accept this award on behalf of the, Common Citizen of this Nation, who is now empowered with his, Right to Information to change the Governance of the Country., Shailesh Gandhi, Love, shailesh, All my emails are in Public Domain., __________________, Defeat is not final when you fall down. It is final when you refuse to, get up., This is the acceptance of award speech sent via an E – mail., This draft has a beginning that speaks of the renowned, lawyer, the late Nani Palkhiwala , and the writer‘s expression of, gratitude for being selected for such an honour., It then connects to the main theme – the reason for, conferring the award—his endeavour to make the RTI act available, to the common man, as a weapon against exploitation. He sums up
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309, the speech reiterating the theme of empowerment of the common, man., B. Drafting of Speech :, I. An executive will be expected to give formal and informal , preplanned and impromptu speeches. One must begin by making a, plan for the speech ., I. Beginning:, A speech must have a beginning . A most common strategy is to, underline the theme —, (a) We are gathered here to celebrate…….., (b) I welcome you to the inauguration of ……., (c) We are happy to announce the launch of ………, (d) It gives me a pleasure to welcome our chief guest ……., who has won the prestigious award., (e) We have gathered here to condole the tragic demise of/, to mourn the sad passing, away of……………, II. The Middle : This will elaborate the main idea. For instance –, (a) I have known Mr……. for the last twenty years. I, remember our first meeting, an accidental one………, What struck me was his simplicity, forthright, attitude…….,, (b) Our product come into being, notionally, two years ago, when Mr…… suggested that …………, (c) Our guest Mr. …….. has been chosen rightly for the, award. His massive body of works includes……………, III. End: This must connect to the main theme or restate the main, idea, giving the speech a complete wholeness., (a) We pray for her soul……. May God give the strength to, face…… She will always be remembered…, (b) We tell Mr. …. that we look forward to ……….. He has, made us proud., II. Delivery : A speech is about connecting with the audience., Hence the manner of delivery becomes very important. A speaker, must train himself to speak audibly, clearly and with conviction., He must use his body language appropriately. He must look, relaxed, stand upright and establish eye-contact with the audience.
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310, The speaker, at initial stages, may rehearse his speech. But it, should not look as if he is parroting the lines. Use of voice, modulations, pauses is a must., A speaker can evolve himself into a good orator if he brings in, a dramatic element and perform like a consummate actor, who, gives a natural, effortless performance., C. Routine Events and Drafting of Speeches :, 1. Welcome and Introduction: In a welcome speech speaker, welcomes the guest and gives information about him to the, audience. He then highlights the achievements of the organization, and introduces the organization to the speaker., The speech begins with an expression of welcome to the, chief guest, other guests and the audience .This is followed by an, introduction of the chief guest, which is prepared from the bio-data, of the guest. The introduction is partly biographical and partly, highlights those qualities of the guest that the audience will find, interesting. This is followed by a short history or report of the, organisation‘s achievements. The mention of the occasion, its, importance too will be a part of introductory speech., 2. Inaugural Speech : Inaugural marks the start of an activity. The, guest begins his speech by commenting on the occasion— e.g:, Opening of a hospital, Opening of a book exhibition—. After few, opening remarks the speaker can highlight social relevance of the, activity., 3. Vote of Thanks : This speech comes at the end of the function, and it is an expression of gratefulness towards the speaker as well, as the audience. The speaker should make a list of all the people, he must thank. He must summarise the guest‘s remarks. He must, acknowledge everyone who has contributed to the success of the, programme., 4. Farewell / Send off : A farewell or send off speech is given, when a person retires, resigns from the organization. It is an, emotional occasion. The speaker must summarise the career, graph/ achievements of the colleague who is leaving the, organization and combine it with speaker‘s personal experience of, the colleague as a person. This means combining of speaker‘s, experience of the colleague as a co-worker and as a person. The
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311, speech ends with good wishes for health, achievements,, happiness, contentment, further achievement of the colleague., 5. Condolence : The tone and content of this speech should to be, solemn. Opening sentences mention the cause and circumstances, of death. This is followed by a brief life sketch of the person—, highlighting his/her contribution to organization/ society. This has to, be combined with the speaker‘s personal memory or experience, that highlights the qualities of the departed person. The speech, ends with an expression of a sense of grief and loss. It could end in, a prayer for the departed soul or with an expression of support for, family., ,
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312, , VI, BOOK REVIEW, I. Book Review :, There are two approaches to book reviewing: the descriptive, and the critical. A descriptive review is one in which the writer gives, the essential information about a book in an objective manner. He, does so by summarizing the theme, by describing the narrative, technique used by author, by stating the perceived aims and, purposes of the author, and by quoting striking passages from the, text. A critical review is one in which the writer evaluates the book,, in terms of accepted literary and historical standards, and, substantiates this evaluation with evidence from the text., This chapter focuses on the drafting of a simple, descriptive and, analytical review of a book., Here are some of the tips :, 1. Summarise the theme or main topic at the beginning of, the book so that the reader gets a fair idea what the book, is about., 2. What aspects of the genre does it use? Is it a mystery,, romance, travelogue , autobiography ?, 3. What aspects of the book you like—theme, narrative,, characterization, style? What is the author‘s/narrator‘s, ―voice‖ like?, 4. Substantiate your arguments with short quotes from the, book to illustrate your points., 5. Your review should explain not only what the book is, about but also your response to it . A good review should, express the reviewer‘s opinion. It should also influence, the reader., 6. Research on the biographical information of the author, can help you not only to formulate your opinion but to, give you that additional edge., ―Remember, a book is a product of an author‘s mind, and, therefore it may be helpful to know something about the, author and how she or he came to write the book. For, instance, a little research will reveal the following about, author Harper Lee:, To Kill a Mockingbird, which won the Pulitzer, Prize, is the only book she‘s ever published., The town she called Maycomb is really, Monroeville, Alabama. Many of the residents
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313, thought the author had betrayed them by writing, the book., Some people think she based the character Dill, on Truman, Capote, a famous writer , was her childhood, friend.‖, [Rodman Philbrick, www.teacher.scholastic.com], There is, of course, no set formula, but a general rule of thumb is, that the first one-half to two-thirds of the review should, summarize the author‘s main ideas and at least one-third, should evaluate the book., Example: Where have All the Leaders Gone? By Lee Iacocca, with Catherine Whiteney. 2008.Scribbner., Pages 288., Lee Iacocca‘s latest stricture on the political leader or the, absence of one, could not have come at a better time. / come at a, more opportune time- it was published in April,2008, before a, disillusioned , disheartened America went to polls in November, 2009. Iaccoca, at 82, considers it his patriotic duty, to raise his, voice to wake up fellow Americans. He wants to arrest America‘s, fall from its super power status into the abyss of ignominy. By, raising his solitary, grandfatherly voice, he wants to shake America, out of its complacency., When told by his friends to ‗ leave the rage to young people‘, , Iaccoca tells them that he would love to leave the job to, youngsters, ‗ as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for, five seconds and get them to pay attention‘. He holds these, mindless voters and the non-voters responsible for putting the, wrong people in office, whose wrong decisions cause potential, damage to a country and its people ., He holds the incompetent Bush administration responsible, for all the mess—political, social and economic – the country finds, itself in. He brings in his experience from the field of management, to define the qualities—9 Cs of a good leader. These are –, Curiosity, Creativity, Communication Skills, Character, Courage,, Conviction, Charisma and Common Sense. He feels it is important, that voters look for these qualities in the candidate, who they are, going to entrust with country‘s top job.To Iacocca, a leader is not, born but made and that the leadership is forged in times of crisis.
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314, Though the book bemoans the absence of good leadership, in America, Iacocca exhorts fellow Americans to make a choice, between silently accepting what the incompetent political class has, done to them or to do something about it. He is asking them to, choose the latter. He is a doer and believes that a turnaround was, possible when he headed Chrysler. Similarly, a turnaround for, America is possible too, if right people are chosen to make, decisions for it., Written in a conversational style and colloquial idiom, this, book is straight from the heart. A must-read for all Indians, who go, to polls in April 2009 and who vented similar anger towards the selfserving political class, post 26/11 Mumbai attacks., ,
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315, , VII, DRAFTING A REPRESENTATION, A representation is a complaint, oral or written, or a polite, protest made to an authority by an individual or a body of, individuals, who have a common interest., Example: A, representation of Residents‘ Association to the Muncipal Ward, officer, about the piling up of garbage and its hazardous effects on, health. While a representation is similar to a complaint , its scope is, much wider. It is made for a common cause and the complainants, may suggest a course of action and persuade the authorities to, follow it., A representation should be divided into two parts :, 1. First part is devoted to put across the case in point., 2. Second part should give possible solutions/ suggestions to, overcome a problem or a crisis., Bo-Commuters‘ Association., January1, 2009., Example :, Hon‘ble Mr……………, Minister for Railways, Government of India., Dear Sir,, We the members of the Bo-Commuters‘ Association, wish to draw, your urgent attention to the problems faced by commuters, commuting between Borivali and Churchgate., 1. At the outset, let us put on record our appreciation for the efforts, made by Metropolitan Railway authorities, to successfully expand, the services in order to accommodate the growing number of, commuters, by adding two additional platforms – no 7 and 8 to the, existing ones., The authorities , however, at the same time, by allocating platform, 1 for Virar-bound trains and platform 3 for Virar –Churchgate fast, trains , have done away with all the gains , the commuters from, Borivali may have benefited with., 2. To catch a train from platform numbers 7 and 8 commuters end, up walking for additional 10 to 15 minutes, as these platforms are at
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316, a distance from the main platforms. There are no exit/ entrance, points. Reaching these platforms, as it is, is a quite trying exercise., But it becomes a nightmarish experience, when the trains get, rescheduled to leave from these platforms and commuters have to, navigate their way through the crowds. This, unfortunately is, becoming a routine happening, which is putting additional stress on, regular travelers., 3. you are well aware that it is next to impossible to board any, Virar–Churchgate train during peak hours. And hence regular, commuters are left stranded., Thus, though a majority of trains start from Borivali, the commuters, are greatly inconvenienced under this new scheme of things., We, therefore, request the following :, 1. Let platform number 1 and 2 be restored back to commuters, from Borivali. Platform number 3 could be used for Virar bound, trains., 2. There should be no last minute announcements cancelling trains, from the regular platforms and their rescheduling on 7 and 8, as it is, near impossible to make the distance in two to three minutes ., We request your urgent attention to these problems, as your, ignoring these woes could escalate into a full-fledged crisis., Yours faithfully,, Bo-Commuters Association, Tasks:, 1. Write citizens‘ representations for the following :, a) Increasing levels of noise pollution, b) Congestion on roads, c) Ragging in professional colleges., ,
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317, , VIII, PRECIS WRITING, Introduction:, The word ‗précis‘ is derived from French and means ‗exact‘, or ‗concise‘. It has been defined variously by different people but, generally stands for a short, precise restatement of the important, ideas and points made in a given text. There is no standard set as, to the length of the summary written down; the generally accepted, length is one-third of the original passage. However, it is essential, to keep in mind that the précis is not simply a list of the main points, of the original passage or a mere paraphrase. It should read like a, piece of continuous writing, with a sequential arrangement of ideas, expressed it and a good use of relevant vocabulary. Comments,, explanations, elaborations, criticisms, personal opinions of the, writer of the précis must be avoided at all costs., The précis tests the talent of the writer in his/her ability to, grasp the basic points/ main ideas of the passage and the ability to, reproduce the main points in his/her own style of writing without, drifting away from the basic premise of the original author. The skill, of précis writing is considered highly important for this reason, alone. The skill of précis writing is helpful in summarising excessive, information, lengthy reports, articles and books, multiple data sets,, etc. to isolate the fundamental ideas which are of significance, without missing any points. A good précis should be clear, concise, and complete in all respects., Points to keep in mind while writing a Précis:, I] Read the passage carefully:, · Read the passage first skimming for details., · Re-read the passage the second time and underline, the main ideas/points/phrases/words, etc., · Jot down the essential points and ignore the rest., II] Preparing the first draft:, · Write out the first draft based on the key points that, have been underlined/ jotted down., · Compare the draft with the original passage to check, for any omissions, deletions, additions, irrelevancies,, etc., · Words/ Phrases from the passage can be used, but it, is a better idea to use one‘s own vocabulary as it will, help in reducing the length of the passage., · It is a good idea to check the length of the passage, here. If it exceeds the limit, unnecessary words,, phrases may be deleted or sentences rewritten to
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318, bring the passage to approximately one-third of the, original passage., III], , Preparing the second draft:, · Rewrite the first draft so as to form coherent, sentences and a logical piece of writing., · Express all the points in a generalised form., · Avoid examples, illustrations, literary flourishes used, by the author., · Retain conciseness and eliminate repetition or, irrelevant details., · Read the draft once again focussing this time on, spelling and punctuation. Look out for grammatical, errors., · Compare with the original passage to ensure that it, covers all the points mentioned in the original and, emphasises the same points., · Check for clarity, conciseness and completeness., , IV] Writing the Précis:, · Write out the second draft neatly without any errors., · If required, mention within brackets the number of, words used in the précis at the bottom right-hand, corner of the précis., · Write ‗Rough‘ above the first two drafts or strike them, out., , The technique of writing a précis is handy not just for the, office executive but also for a student in essay writing, note-taking,, researching papers and writing answers to text-based questions., The technique though simple is not easy to master and requires, practice. It requires a better grasp of vocabulary and the ability to, substitute a word/phrase for a group of words without altering the, meaning of the sentence., Here are a few examples to help you understand the technique of, précis writing:, Example 1:, Human rights are rights held by individuals simply because, they are a part of the human species. They are rights equally, shared by everyone regardless of sex, race, nationality and, economic background. They are universal in content. Across the, centuries, conflicting political traditions have elaborated different, components of human rights or differed over which elements had, priority. In our day, the manifold meanings of human rights reflect, the process of historical continuity and change that helped shape
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319, their present substance and helped form the Universal Declaration, of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United, Nations in 1948., (101 words), Let us now use the above mentioned method to draft a good précis:, First of all, let us underline the key words, phrases as we read:, Human rights are rights held by individuals simply because, they are a part of the human species. They are rights equally, shared by everyone regardless of sex, race, nationality and, economic background. They are universal in content. Across the, centuries, conflicting political traditions have elaborated different, components of human rights or differed over which elements had, priority. In our day, the manifold meanings of human rights reflect, the process of historical continuity and change that helped shape, their present substance and helped form the Universal Declaration, of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United, Nations in 1948., What are the main points in the passage? Let us jot them down, as, far as possible, in our own words:, i) Human rights are given to individuals because they are, human beings., ii) They are universal and available to all., iii) They have been defined differently by different groups, through history., iv) These different meanings are reflected in the Universal, Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations., Now, let us put together the points in a coherent and continuous, form. The précis will read as follows:, Human rights are universal and available to all human, beings. The different meanings attributed to the concept by several, groups through history are reflected in the Universal Declaration of, Human Rights of the United Nations., (35 words), Example 2:, Accounting is the language of business. Corporations need, to communicate their results to the world. Their audience includes, employees, investors, creditors, customers, suppliers and, communities. Within the company, accounting information provides, a means to control, evaluate and plan operations. Whatever the, audience or function, accounting is numbers. Accountants ―count, the beans‖ so that business activity can be recorded, summarized
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320, and analysed. Accountants have been around from the beginning, of time and professors don‘t let you forget it. In biblical times the, accountants kept track of how much grain was stored in the, community‘s silos. How do you think King Solomon knew that there, was only a thirty-day supply of grain during a drought? It was from, the accountants. Throughout the ages accountants have kept track, with their fingers, abacuses and calculators. In modern times, accounting has gone beyond the physical count of grain in storage, to complex accounting activities., (148 words), You can underline the key points of the passage as you read it. Let, us move on to jotting down the main points:, i) Accounting is needed to communicate company results, to the world., ii) Internally, accounting is essential for planning and, control., iii) Accounting is a numerical method of summarising and, analysing business., iv) Accounting in different forms has been around since the, times of King Solomon., v) Today, accounting has become a highly complex activity., Now, let us put together the points in a coherent and continuous, form. The précis will read as follows:, Accounting is a numerical method of summarising and, analysing business. It is required internally, for planning and control, and externally, to communicate company results to the world., Accounting in simple forms has been around for ages though today, it has become a complex business activity., (45 words), ,
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321, , IX, PUNCTUATION, Punctuation is the system of symbols (. , ; ! ? : etc) that is used to, separate sentences and parts of sentences, in order to make their, meaning clear. Each symbol is called a ―punctuation mark‖. There, are in all 14 punctuation marks in English., I. Sentence Endings [(.),(?),(!)], Three punctuation marks are appropriate for use as sentence, endings. They are the period or full stop(.), question mark(?), and, exclamation mark(!)., 1), , The period or (.) Full Stop is placed at the end of declarative, sentences ., For example:, Let us understand the punctuation marks ., • After an abbreviation: a.m. , A.D., B.C., , 2), , Use a question mark (?) to indicate a direct question or an, interrogative sentence., For example:, How is the minister now ?, , 3), , The exclamation point/mark (!) is used when a person wants, to express an intense, emotion or add emphasis., Within dialogue: “What a lovely idea!”, To emphasize a point:, It is so shameful !, , II The Comma(,), Semicolon(;) and Colon(:), The comma, semicolon and colon are used to indicate a pause in a, series., 1), , The comma (,) is used to indicate a separation of ideas or, elements within the structure of a sentence., a.) i) Separation of elements within sentences:, Students were provided with pens, pencils, boxes, and water bottles., ii) Separation of phrases within sentences:, The police charged down the street, turned into a, small alley that led to the highway., b) Separation of clause within sentences :
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322, Since it was raining heavily, he waited at the busstop, jumped into the first bus that came along, only to, find that it was the wrong bus., c) It is used in letter writing after the salutation and, closing., Letter Salutations:, Dear Sir,, Yours sincerely,, d) Separation of two complete sentences:, We went to the sale , and we went to the restaurant., 2), , (a) The semicolon (;) is used to connect independent, clauses that indicate a closer relationship between the, clauses than a period does., For example:, He was hurt; her words further added insult to injury., b) To separate elements in a list when the elements themselves, contain commas. Fill up the form; attach photocopies of the, mark-lists, two passport size photographs; submit these to, the office., , 3), , A colon (:) is used a) before a word introducing a quotation,, He said : ― Hey Ram!‖, b) while citing an explanation, an example, or a series, Following members were present :, There are three kinds of oil: vegetable, animal and, mineral., c) within time expressions , to separate the hour and, minute:, For example:12 : 15 p.m., , III . The Dash[-] and the Hyphen [-], 1), , A hyphen (- ) Use a hyphen between the parts of a, compound word to join up two words ., a) Between a compound name:, b) Within a compound word: back - to – back, sister-in-law, , 2), , A dash(-) is used, a) To mark a pause before an explanation, The green houses gases –CO2,methene, b) To show a range, Dr………………..,1920-95, c) To enclose a parenthesis
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323, If we can speculate in the volatile – potentially, fluctuating – market, d) To sum up the elements preceding, Ritha, Amala, Heena –all the Indian herbs are mixed, together., IV. Brackets, Braces, and Parentheses, Brackets, braces, and parentheses are symbols used to contain, words that are a further explanation or are considered a group., Parentheses () are curved notations used to give additional or, qualifying information. Parentheses can be replaced by commas, without changing the meaning in most cases., For example: The heart specialist (Dr.Panda) was specially, flown in., Square brackets ([]) are used for technical explanations or while, inserting words which are not a part of the original quote., Braces ({}) are used to contain two or more lines of text or listed, items to show that they are considered as a unit., V. Apostrophe(‗), Quotation Marks(‗‗ ‖), and Ellipses(...), The final three punctuation forms in English grammar are the, apostrophe, quotation marks, and ellipses., 1), , An apostrophe (‗) is used to used to indicate, a) the omission of a letter or letters from a word : It‘s [It is], b) the possessive case, : Martyr‘s Day, , 2) The quotations marks ( ―‖ ) are the punctuation marks that, are used primarily to mark the beginning and end of a passage, attributed to another and repeated word for word., a) ―A thing of beauty is a joy forever...‖, b) Single quote marks(‗) are used most frequently for, quotes within quotes., ―It is rightly said,‘ Teach a man , you teach a person. Teach a, woman, you teach a family.‖, 3), , The ellipses is generally represented by three periods (. . . ) ,, and occasionally with three asterisks (***). They indicate an, omission, especially of letters or words. Ellipses are frequently, used within quotations to jump from one phrase to another,, omitting unnecessary words that do not interfere with the, meaning.
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324, ‗*** You were never really caught in a traffic jam. You are the traffic, jam***‘, [Lead India Campaign-TOI], Example :, …A recent report by the IT industry trade group , Nasscomm,, made a startling declaration- only one in four engineering graduates, in India are employable, a conclusion that was based on a thorough, assessment of their tech skills, fluency in English, inclination, towards teamwork, and presentation skills. What‘s more, the study, is not an isolated aberration…. Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam , asserted that, only 25 per cent of graduating students were employable, and that, students were lacking in areas such as technical knowledge,, English proficiency and critical thinking…. [ Education Times, TOI,, Feb 21, 2008], Task : Punctuate the following paragraph., … And yet it‘s not a fair deal, Just look at what we get in return How many of our candidates are, truly morally qualified to decide the way we live Honestly with a, past as dubious as some of theirs there can only be one loser at, polls Us…, [Lead India ‗09], BIBLIOGRAPHY :, 1.Benson, L. 2002. The Manager‘s Pocket Guide to eCommunication Communicating Effectively in a Digital Age., Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House., 2.Ber man, A. 1978. Basic Business Communication., NewYork: Pella Publishing Co., 3.Bhatnagar, S. and R. Schware (eds). 2000. Information, and Communication Technology in Development Cases, From India. New Delhi: Sage Publications., 4.Bovee, C., J. Thill and B. Schatzman. 2003. Business, Communication Today. Singapore: Pearson Education., 5.Chambers, 1988,Handbook of Commercial Terms, Jaico, Publishing House, Mumbai., 6.Das, P.K. 2006, The, Publishing Co.Pvt. Ltd., , Right, , to, , Information, , Act,Low, , 7.Dalmer Fisher. 1999.Communication in Organisations., Business Communication: West Publishing Co. Mumbai :, Jaico Publishing Hse.
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325, 8.Davis Keith. Business and Industrial Communication., 9.Dey, S., S. Kurawadwala, N. Roy, K. Peter and C., Deshpande. 2008. Business Communication. Mumbai:, Reliable Publications., 10. Festinger Leon.1972. Informal Social Communication,, Psychological Review., 12. Guffey Mary Ellen, 2002. Process and Product.U.S.A., Thomas Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore., 13. Gregory, Anne, 2003 ed PR in Practice.New Delhi., IPR, Jaico, 14. Guralnik, D. (ed.).1976. Webster‘s New World, Dictionary of the American Language. Cleveland: W illiam, Collins + the World Publishing Co., Inc., 15. Harris, Thomas. 1998 Value-Added PRNTC Business, Books, Illinois, USA, 1998., 16. Haywood, Roger. 1987.All about PR.Mc Graw-Hill,, International Editions., 17. Heath,, Robert ed: 2000, Handbook of PR, Sage, Publications, Delhi., 18. Himstreet, W.,, and W. Baty. 1973. Business, Communication. Belmont: Wadsoworth Publishing Co., 19. Hudson, R. and B. Selzler. 2006., Business, Communication Concepts and Applications in an Electronic, Age. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House., 20. Kaul, A. 1998. Business Communication. New Delhi:, Prentice Hall of India., 21. Knower, F. ‗Introduction: A Frame Work for, Communication, Theory‘., ‗The, Present, State, of, experimental Speech-communication research‘ Article in, Ried, P. (ed).1966. The Frontiers in Experimental Speech, Communication Research. New York: syra case., 22. Kumar, K. 2004. Mass, Mumbai: Jaico Publishing., , communication, , 23. Little, Peter.1977.Communication, Longman Group, , in, , in, , India., , Business., , 24. Lesikar, R. 1979. Basic Business Communication., Ontario: Richard D Irwin, Inc., 25. Lesikar R V, and Petit .1998 Reports: Business, Communication Theory and Application .Irwin Mc Graw Hill .
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326, 26. Mahadevan, K., K. Prasad, I. Youichi and V. Pillai, (eds). 2002. Communication, Modernization. and Social, Development Theory, Policy and Strategies . Delhi: B R., Publishing Corporations., 27. Mahajan, K. (ed). 1990. Communication and Society., NewDelhi:Classical Publishing Co., 28. Melkote, S. 1991. Communication for Development in, the Third: Theory and Practice. New Delhi: Sage, Publications., 29. Memon, A. 2008. Business Communication. Mumbai:, Chetana Publications., 30. Mulgaonkar, S., V. Waradkar and S. Bapat. 2008., Business Communication. Mumbai: Manan Prakashan., 31. Murphy Herta, Herbert W. Hilderbrandt, Jane P., Thomas, 2004, Business Communication Thomson, South, Western., 32. Pal, R. and J. Korlahalli. 2001. Essentials of Business, communication. New Delhi: Sultan Chand and Sons., 33. Penrose,, Rasberry,, Myers.2004., Communication for Managers: An Advanced, U.S.A. Thomson, South-Western, , Business, Approach., , 34. Persing, B.1981. Business Communication Dynamics., Columbus: Merrill Publishing Co., 35. Roy Choudhury, N and L. 2008. Nambiar. Business, Communication. Mumbai Vipul Prakashan., 36. Samover, L. 2005. Handbook of Cross-Cultural, Communication. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House., 37. Scholoes, E. 2003. Handbook of Communication. UK:, Grower Publishing., 38. Scott Cutlip et, Education., , al 2003, , Effective, , PR, Pearson, , 39. Sitaram, K. 1991. Culture and Communication A World, View. USA: Carbondale Illinois., 40. Vilanilam, J. 1993. Science Communication, Development. New Delhi: Sage Publications., , and, , 41. Woolcott, L. and W. UNWIN. 1983. Mastering Business, Communication. London: Macmillan., 42. ‗Communication, Beyond, Academics‘., Papers, presented at the UGC Seminar, 2007,Khandwala College,, Mumbai.
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328, , Syllabus for Business Communication: F.Y. B. Com., and S.Y.B.A., Course Objectives:, 1. To develop awareness of the complexity of the communication, process, 2. To develop effective listening skills in students so as to enable, them to comprehend instructions and become a critical listener, 3. To develop effective oral skills so as to enable students to speak, confidently interpersonally as well as in large groups, 4. To develop effective writing skills so as enable students to write, in a clear, concise, persuasive and audience centered manner, 5. To develop ability to communicate effectively with the help of, electronic media, , First Term, Unit 1: Theory of Communication, 1. Concept of Communication –, Meaning, Definition, Process, Need, Feedback, Emergence of, Communication as a key concept in the Corporate and Global world, Impact of technological advancements on Communication., 2. Channels and Objectives of Communication –, Channels: Formal and Informal—Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal,, Grapevine., Objectives of Communication: Information, Advice, Order and, Instruction, Persuasion, Motivation, Education, Warning,, and, Boosting the Morale of Employees (A brief introduction to these, objectives to be given), 3. Methods and Modes of Communication: Verbal and, Nonverbal, Characteristics, of, Verbal, Communication, Characteristics of Non-verbal Communication Landline, Wireless, and, Cellular, Phones, Facsimile, Communication, [Fax], Computers and E- communication Video and Satellite Conferencing
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329, 4. Problems in Communication /Barriers to Communication:, Physical/ Semantic/Language / Socio-Cultural / Psychological /, Barriers Ways to Overcome these Barriers, 5. Listening: Importance of Listening Skills, Cultivating good, Listening Skills, Unit 2: Business Correspondence, 1. Theory of Business Letter Writing: Parts, Structure, Layouts—, Full Block, Modified Block, Semi – Block, Principles of Effective, Letter Writing., 2. Personnel Correspondence: Statement of Purpose, Job, Application Letter and Resume Letter of Acceptance of Job Offer,, Inter-Office-Memo, Letter of Resignation [Letter of Appointment,, Promotion and Termination, Letter of Recommendation (to be, taught but not to be tested in the examination)], , Unit 3: Language and Writing Skills, 1. Paragraph Writing: Developing an idea, using appropriate, linking devices, etc Cohesion and Coherence, self-editing, etc, [Interpretation of technical data, Composition on a given situation, a, short informal report etc.], 2. Commercial Terms used in Business Communication, , Second Term, Unit 1: Presentation Skills, 1. Presentations: [ No questions will be asked on this chapter in, the examination] Principles of Effective Presentation, Effective use, of OHP, Effective use of Transparencies, How to make a PowerPoint Presentation, Unit 2: Group Communication, 1. Group Discussion and Interviews: Group, Discussion,, Preparing for an Interview, Types of Interviews – Selection,, Appraisal, Grievance, Exit, 2. Meetings: Need and Importance of Meetings, Conduct of, Meeting Role of the Chairperson, Role of the Participants, Drafting of Notice, Agenda and Resolutions
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330, 3. Conference: Meaning and Importance of Conference,, Organizing a Conference, Modern Methods: Video and Tele –, Conferencing, 4. Public Relations –Meaning, Functions of PR Department,, External and Internal Measures of PR, , Unit 3: Business Correspondence, 1. Trade Letters –Inquiry, Order, Credit and Status Enquiry,, Complaints, Claims, Adjustments, Collection, (just, a, brief, introduction to be given), Only following to be taught in detail:- Letters of Complaints,, Claims, Adjustments, Sales Letters, promotional leaflets and fliers, Consumer Grievance Letters, Letters under Right to Information, (RTI) Act,, [Teachers must provide the students with theoretical constructs, wherever necessary in order to create awareness. However, students should not be tested on the theory.], , Unit 4: Language and Writing Skills, 1. Reports – Parts, Types, Feasibility Reports, Investigative reports, 2. Summarisation - Identification of main and supporting / sub, points, Presenting these in a cohesive manner., ,
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331, , Paper Pattern for Annual Examination, Duration 3 hrs., , Marks 100, , Question 1:, A. Objectives covering Theory topics, B. Remedial Grammar—paragraph reformulation, , 6, 6, , Question 2:, Short Notes / Short Answers [4 out of 6], [Covering topics of First Term as well as Second Term], , 20, , Question 3:, Essay Type [1 out of 2], [On topics from First Term as well as Second term], , 10, , Question 4:, Job Application and Resume, Question 5:, Letters [4 out of 6], a) Statement of Purpose/Acceptance/ Resignation letter, b) Complaint/Claim/Adjustment letter, c) Sales letter, d) Consumer Grievance Letter, e) RTI letter, Question 6:, A. Writing Skills Exercise, B. Summarisation / Notice, Agenda and two Resolutions, Question 7:, Report Writing, , [1 0ut of 2], , , , 10, , 24, , 6, 8, , 10
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332, , Suggested Reading, 1. Agarwal, Anju D(1989) A Practical Handbook for Consumers,, IBH., 2., , Alien, R.K.(1970), Communication., , Organisational, , Management, , through, , 3. Ashley,A(1992) A Handbook Of Commercial Correspondence,, Oxford University Press., 4. Aswalthapa, K (1991)Organisational Behaviour, Himalayan, Publication, Mumbai., 5. Atreya N and Guha (1994) Effective Credit Management, MMC, School of Management, Mumbai., 6., , Bahl,J.C. and Nagamia,S.M. (1974), Correspondence and Minute Writing., , Modern, , Business, , 7. Balan,K.R. and Rayudu C.S. (1996) Effective Communication,, Beacon New Delhi., 8. Bangh, LSue, Fryar,Maridell and Thomas David A. (1998) How, to Write First Class Business Correspondence, N.T.C., Publishing Group USA., 9. Barkar, Alan(1993) Making Meetings Work, Sterling Publications, Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi., 10. Basu,C.R.(1998) Business Organisation and Management,, T.M.H.New Delhi., 11., , Benjamin, James (1993) Business and Professional, Communication Concepts and Practices, Harper Collins College, Publishers, New York., , 12. Bhargava and Bhargava91971) Company Notices, Meetings, and Regulations, 13. Black, Sam (1972) Practical Public Relations, E.L.B.S. London., 14. Bovee Courtland,L and Thrill, John V(1989) Business, Communication, Today McGraw Hill, New York, Taxman, Publication., 15. Burton, G and Thakur, (1995) Management Today- Principles, and Practices. T.M.H.,New Delhi., 16. Darrow, Richard, Forrstal, Dan and Coolman, Aubrey (1967), Public Relations Handbook, The Dartwell Co., Chicago., 17. Dayal, Ishwar(9810) Managing Large Organizations: A, Comparative Study., 18., , Drucher,P.F.((1970) Technology, Management and Society,, Pan Books London.
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333, 19. Drucher,P.F.((1974)Management Responsibilities Practices,, Heinemann, London., 20., , Eyre, E.C. (1985) Effective Communication Made Simple,, Rupa and Co.Calcutta., , 21. Ecouse Barry, (1999), Competitive Communication: A Rhetoric, for Modern Business, OUP., 22. Fisher Dalmar, (1999), Communication in Organisation, Jaico, Pub House, Mumbai, Delhi., 23. Frailley, L.E. (1982) Handbook of Business Letters, Revised, Edn. Prentice Hall Inc., 24. French, Astrid (1993) Interpersonal Skills. Sterling Publishers,, New delhi., 25. Garlside, L.E. (1980) Modern Business Correspondence,, McDonald and Evans Ltd. Plymouth., 26., , Ghanekar,A(1996) Communication Skills for, Management. Everest Publishing House, Pune., , Effective, , 27. Graves, Harold F. (1965) Report Writing, Prentice Hall, New, Jersey., 28., , Krevolin, Nathan (1983) Communication Systems and, Procedures for Modern Office, Prentice Hall, New Jersey., , 29. Lesikar, Raymond V and Petit, John D.(1994) Business, Communication: Theory and Application , Richard D. Irwin Inc., Ilinois., 30. Ludlow,Ron.(1995) The Essence of Effective Communication,, Prentice , New Delhi., 31. Martson, John E. 1963) The Nature of Public Relations,, McGraw Hill, New Delhi., 32. Majumdar,P.K.(1992) Commentary on the Consumer protection, Act, Prentice, New Delhi., 33. McQuail, Denis (1975), Communication, Longman., 34. Merrihue, William (1960) Managing by Communication,, McGraw Hill, New York., 35. Monippalli, M.M. (1997),The Craft of Business Letter Writing,, T.M.H. New Delhi., 36. Montagu,A and Matson , Floyd(1979) The Human Connection,, McGraw Hill,New York., 37. Murphy, Herta and Hilde Brandt, Herbert W (1984) Effective, Business Communication, McGraw Hill, New York., 38. Parry, John (1968) The Psychology of Human Communication.
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334, 39. Parson, C.J. and Hughes (1970) Written Communication for, Business Students, Great Britain., 40. Phillip, Louis V. (1975) Organisational Communication- The, Effective Management, Columbus Grid Inc., 41. Ross, Robert D. (1977) The Management of Public Relations,, John Wiley and Sons, U.S.A., 42. Stephenson, James (1988) Principles and Practice of, Commercial Correspondence, Pilman and Sons Ltd. London., 43. Shurter, Robert L. (1971) Written Communication in Business,, McGraw Hill, Tokyo., ,
