Business Communication

August / Fall 2011
Master of Business Administration - MBA Semester I
MB0039 – Business Communication - 4 Credits
(Book ID: B1128)
Assignment - Set- 1 (60 Marks)
Note: Each question carries 10 Marks. Answer all the questions.

Q.1 Explain the different types of communication with relevant examples.
Ans 1
According to Newman and summer, “Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more persons.” It has the following characteristics. * It is Unavoidable * It is a Two-way Exchange of Information * It is a Process * It involves a Sender and a Receiver of Information * It could be Verbal or Non-verbal * It is successful when the Receiver Interprets the Meaning in the Same Way as that intended by the Sender
Broadly, communication may be divided into two areas – verbal and non-verbal communication.
Verbal communication, or communication through words, provides the opportunity for personal contact and two-way flow of information. A large part of our communication, whether at work or outside, is verbal in nature. Verbal communication in turn, may be divided into two areas – oral and written communication.
Oral communication may be defined as a process whereby a speaker interacts verbally with one or more listeners, in order to influence the latter’s behavior in some way or the other.
Example – The manager of an Operation Theater explains the new infection control protocol to the theater staff. Here the manager may be using visual tools such as posters and photographs to communicate the steps involved in the various processes that are part of the protocol.
Example - A sales executive making a pitch to the purchase manager of is explaining the benefits of his company’s product using printed literature and a visual presentation on his laptop.
Oral communication in a business context can take the form of meetings, presentations, one-to-one meetings, performance reviews and so on.
Written communication is a process whereby a writer interacts verbally with a receiver, in order to influence the latter’s behavior.
Example – A manager preparing performance reports on the teams reporting to him, that he will submit to his superiors.
Written communication at the workplace can take several forms such as letters, memos, circulars, notices, reports and email. We will examine some of these in more detail in later chapters.
Non-verbal communication, on the other hand may be defined as communication without words. It refers to any way of conveying meanings without the use of verbal language. This is also sometimes mistakenly called body language. Actually Body language is one of the five types of non-verbal communication. 1. Body Language – Kinesics 2. Personal Space and distance – Proxemics 3. Meaning attached to Time – Time language 4. Tone of Voice – Paralanguage 5. Physical Environment – Physical Context.
Non-verbal communication is generally unintentional, unlike verbal communication. All of us tend to communicate silently and unknowingly send signals and messages by what we do, apart from what we say. Gestures, facial expressions, posture and the way we dress, are all part of non-verbal communication.
More than 75% of our communication is non-verbal which goes to say that Non-verbal communication can have a greater impact than verbal communication. Most often, “how you say something” is sometimes more important than “what you say.” Although non-verbal communication can affect both our personal and business relationships, it is particularly important in the workplace.
During a conversation, yawning, looking out of the window, checking email, receiving phone calls, etc, are all signals to the other party that the listener is not interested.
For example: When presenting a new idea to the boss, one finds that the boss is snoozing, wakes up suddenly and nods vigorously as if agreeing with what one said, then he starts messaging on his phone, looks out of the window, receives a phone call causing you to pause your presentation, finishes the call and says “please continue” while yawning and at the end of the presentation gives you a limp handshake saying “Well done, great ideas, let’s think about it” turns immediately to your colleague and asks him about another product…
The handshake, the good words, the nodding are all great – except for the fact that they all convey just the opposite of what they mean. Therefore, while the spoken or written words may be perfect, the non-verbal aspects could convey the exact opposite meaning.
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Q.2 What are the general principles of writing especially business writing?
Ans 2 General Principles of Writing - Written messages must be made as readable as possible, by making them uncomplicated and easy for even the average person to understand. Readability in turn is largely determined by the length of words, sentences and paragraphs. Two broad principles of writing are ‘Write to express, not to impress” and “Keep it short and sweet.” A good writer is one who follows these principles and asks himself/herself even before framing a sentence “What am I trying to say? What words will express it?”
Principles of Business Writing 1. Tone:
Tone is important in conveying verbal, non-verbal and written messages, particularly business related messages. In written communication, tone refers to the way a statement sounds, which in turn, depends on the choice of words.
Positive /Negative: A sentence or statement may be grammatically perfect, but may convey a negative message, if the choice of words is wrong. For example ‘You failed to meet the sales target’ is a negative tone. ‘With a little extra effort, you could have achieved the target’ is a positive tone, appreciating the effort and getting the real message across.
Avoid Ambivalence: The tone of business communication should be clear and confident but not over-confident. * Unsure: I hope you will agree that my qualifications match your job profile. * Confident: On reviewing my bio-data, you will find that my qualifications match your job needs in the following respects…. * Over-Confident: I am sure you will agree that our Company has the best reputation for quality and service. * Confident: We shall try to live up to our reputation for quality and service.
Sound courteous and sincere. This builds goodwill and good relations and increases the likelihood of a message achieving its objectives. Statements such a ‘You sent your complaint to the wrong department. You should have sent it to the shipping department’ are discourteous and rude. Instead, it might be better to say “We have sent your complaint to the concerned department, which will be contacting you shortly.”
Sincerity also means avoiding exaggeration and flattery particularly with customers, consider the following * Insincere - We are more interested in your satisfaction, than in making profits. * Flattery - You are such a valued customer that we shall go to any lengths to earn your satisfaction. * Sincere - We value your goodwill and will make quick efforts to ensure your satisfaction.
The tone of business writing should be non-discriminatory. This means that the language that is used should not be offensive, irrespective of gender, religion or race. * Titles: “Chairperson”, instead of “Chairman.” “Salesperson”, instead of “Salesman” Personal titles and salutations such as “Dr.”, “Professor”, etc. should also be used wherever appropriate. * Gender: When gender is not known a neutral, non-controversial “Dear Customer, Investor, or Advertiser”, can be used instead of “Dear Sir or Madam.” 2. Emphasis and Subordination
An important principle of business writing is to emphasize important (pleasant) ideas and to downplay unimportant (unpleasant/insignificant) ideas, so as to make the reader understand what you consider to be significant. * Place the idea in the first paragraph or in the last paragraph, in order to get attention. * Put the word that you wish to emphasize first or last in the sentence. * Use the active voice to emphasize the doer of the action and the passive voice to emphasize the receiver of the action. * Use words such as “primary”, “major” and “significant” to lay emphasis. * Use repetition. * Number the ideas, so as to rank them in the order of importance * Use visual elements such as bold type, capital letters, bigger font size and underlined words to emphasize key ideas.
Another point to be remembered regarding emphasis in business writing is to stress what is known as the “you attitude”, rather than the “me attitude.” This means explaining the benefits to the reader, understanding his situation and answering his unspoken question “How is it relevant to me?” Instead of saying, “Our bank will be open 24 hours”, one can say “You will be able to avail of round-the-clock banking service.” 3. Appropriate Level of Readability
The writing must be simple enough for even a layperson to read and understand. Readability is determined by the length of words and sentences. Robert Gunning developed what is known as the “Fog Index” or a readability formula to measure the readability of a piece of writing. According to this formula, the appropriate reading level in business writing should be between 8 and 11.
Calculation of the Fog Index involves the following steps – 1. Select a written passage of approximately 100 words. 2. Calculate the average length of a sentence by dividing the total number of words in the passage by the number of sentences. 3. Find the number of difficult words. A word may be defined as difficult if it contains three or more syllables (e.g. “communication”).Determine the number of difficult words per hundred, by dividing the total number of words in the passage into the number of difficult words, then by multiplying this figure by 100. 4. Add the number of difficult words per hundred and the average sentence length. 5. Multiply the figure obtained in step 4 by 0.4, to calculate the reading grade level for which the passage was written, or the Fog Index.
Ideally, the Fog Index should be between 8 and 11 for most business writing, indicating that a reader between the eighth grade and the eleventh grade should be able to understand it without difficulty.
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Q.3 How would you prepare yourself for an oral business presentation?
Ans 3 Oral Business Presentations
Oral business presentations are a powerful way of presenting ideas to others and are usually called for when a written memo or report will not be sufficient to do the job. An oral presentation commands attention and fetches immediate feedback. Besides, approval for important ideas is rarely given without a face-to-face explanation.
Presentations may be of different types and purposes, made to both internal audiences – superiors, peers and subordinates, as well as to external audiences – consumers, intermediaries, bankers, suppliers etc.
Steps in Making Oral Presentations
1. Definition of the Purpose of the Presentation
Before preparing for the presentation, it is important to be clear on the goal of the presentation. A “statement of purpose”, expressing what you want to achieve through the presentation should be framed, so that it becomes easy to measure whether the goal has been accomplished or not. Although it is useful to define the general purpose of a presentation, it is more important to frame a specific statement of purpose, which clearly spells out the answers to the following questions: 1. Whom do I want to influence? 2. What do I want them to do at the end of the presentation? 3. How do I want them to do it? 4. When? 5. Where?
The purpose of the presentation may be stated in broad or general terms, or in more specific terms. A general statement of purpose could be expressed in terms of one of the following – * To Inform – A presentation that seeks to inform would merely create awareness about developments and progress on specific fronts, or try to spread knowledge about something new. * To Persuade – A presentation that aims to persuade would try to change the attitude or behavior of the audience. * To Entertain – A presentation with this purpose is meant to make the audience relax and have a good time.
2. Development of the Key Idea
The key idea of a presentation is a statement that expresses the main message to be conveyed to the audience. It is different from a statement of purpose, in that the purpose is generally meant for oneself as the presenter, while the key idea is mentioned to the audience at the beginning of the presentation. Example – If the purpose is to persuade a prospective customer to try out a company’s brand of vacuum cleaner, the key idea or message may be to explain how the brand is superior to other brands, feature for feature. Once the key idea is clearly stated, it becomes easy to develop the rest of the presentation.
3. Audience Analysis
This means tailoring a good presentation to the listeners, in such a way that they understand and appreciate it. The following information should be gathered about the audience, even before one begins preparing for the presentation – * Job Designations and Areas of Expertise * Preferred Style of Presentation * Demographic Characteristics of the * Size of the Audience * The Level of Knowledge on the Subject * The Attitude of the Audience
4. Analysis of Oneself as a Speaker
One needs to do a self-analysis to determine ones purpose of making the presentation, level of knowledge on the subject, feelings about the subject and thereby develop a clear statement of the specific purpose of the presentation. If given a choice, one can speak on a familiar subject else thorough research is required to enable one to anticipate and answer any questions. Most importantly, one must be fully convinced about what one is speaking to convince others of the same.
5. Analysis of the Circumstances
This includes any limitations of infrastructure, time and context that might affect the presentation. For example, in a small room where the lighting and the acoustics are insufficient, one may have to alter the seating arrangement, use brighter visuals and speak loudly. A post lunch presentation should be light and catchy to keep the audience alert. If presenting as part of a team, the style of presentation has to be consistent with that of the team members.
6. Preparation of Outline
Irrespective of the nature and purpose of the presentation, a standard format is generally followed, including the following – * Introduction – This sets the mood or tenor of the presentation. The key idea, or main message has to be conveyed to the audience during the introduction. It should include an “attention getter” to get the audience involved and interested in the presentation topic. * Body or Main Section – This is where the main points will be presented and elaborated upon. Be crisp, clear and concise. Generally, limit the number of main points to five, so as not to overload the listeners with too much information. * Conclusion – A brief summary of the presentation, along with concluding remarks would be included in this section. The conclusion should have as much “punch” as the attention getter in the introduction.
7. Collection of Information and Material
This takes time, patience and requires a fair amount of research. The information sources include magazines, newspapers and the internet or original research in the form of a survey to gather fresh data.
8. Organization of the Body
The body of the presentation should always be prepared before the introduction. Identify the key points that will support the main idea and select an organizational plan to develop these key points. In the example of a sales presentation on a vacuum cleaner to prospective customers, where the key idea is to highlight that it is superior to competing brands. The main points in this case may be – 1. It has greater cleaning power than other brands. 2. It is more affordable 3. It is easier to use than other brands.
Once the main points have been determined, sub points can be developed to expand on each of these. The next step is to choose an organizational plan to present these main and sub points. In the case of a sales presentation such as the above, a “problem-solution” pattern or plan may be followed, where the customer is confronted with a problem and the product is offered as a solution to the problem.
9. Planning the Introduction
First impression is the best impression. The introduction should therefore be carefully planned. It should take up between 10 and 15 percent of the total speaking time during which one needs to establish ones credibility in the subject being presented. Using techniques such as humor, dramatic questions, an interesting story, a quotation or a startling statement, will get the attention of the audience. Once audience attention has been captured, the main idea should be stated clearly, followed by a preview of the entire presentation, so that people know what to expect.
10. Planning the Conclusion
The conclusion is as important as the introduction. A good beginning and a good ending stay with the audience. It should be short and occupy only 5 per cent of the entire presentation. There can also be open ended questions raised that will leave the audience with food for thought. Generally, every conclusion should have a review and a closing statement. The review is essentially a reinforcement of the key idea and a summary of the main points. The main points can be enumerated, as in the outline of the presentation. The closing statement should be as strong as your opening statement, so that your audience will remember the presentation. Therefore, the same techniques used to capture audience attention may also be used to prepare a good closing statement. In the case of persuasive presentations, the closing statement can include a call for immediate action.
11. Selection of a Delivery Style
Effectiveness of a presentation depends on the style of delivery. An excellent presentation can fall flat if not delivered correctly. Five different delivery styles are available to speakers – * Speaking Impromptu – In this case, the speaker is called upon to say a few words without any warning or advance notice. Since there is little or no time given for preparation, it is suited for only expert speakers. Impromptu speeches should be brief, simple and direct, compared to prepared speeches. * Speaking Extemporaneously – This is different from speaking impromptu. While impromptu speeches are delivered on the spot and not rehearsed, an extemporaneous speech is prepared and rehearsed in advance, but delivered naturally, without the support of notes or other aids. This is the delivery style used by experienced professionals, who have sufficient knowledge of the subject to be able to speak without relying on notes. * Memorizing the Presentation – This is the least appealing style of delivery, since it comes across as unnatural and monotonous to the audience. A speaker who memorizes and delivers a presentation word for word will also be at a disadvantage if he forgets a part of the speech, since he or she will be unable to speak naturally. * Reading from Written Notes – This consists in reading the entire presentation from notes. It is a method used by government or business officials and may be appropriate when the material to be presented is highly technical or complex. However, it has some limitations. First, it gives the impression that the speech is very long and heavy. Secondly, it prevents the presenter from making eye contact with the audience. * Speaking from Notes – This is generally the most effective style of delivery. It consists in jotting down the main ideas in point form on index cards and then referring to these cards merely as a trigger while speaking. If the main ideas are put down briefly on the cards, the speaker can elaborate on these ideas in his own words and speak for any length of time. The presentation is likely to be more effective, since it comes across as natural and permits eye contact with the audience.
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Q.4 You are a team manager having 15 members in your team. Two of your key team members are on 3-weeks leave. You have to call for a monthly team meeting within a week. How effectively you would plan and carry out this meeting?
Ans 4. Assumption: I am a PR Manager of a Group of Hospitals and need to call for a monthly team meeting to plan the layout for the monthly newsletter. I have a team of 15 people * 2 graphics designers * 2 photographers * 5 Jr.PR reps * 2 Sr.PR Reps * 2 Sub-Editors * 1 Editor
The editor and one of the sub-editors are on three weeks leave and we need to have a full team meeting by this weekend to decide on the theme, layout and content of this month’s newsletter.
Theoretically speaking before any planning can be done however, a basic question to be asked is whether to hold a meeting at all. The answers to the following questions would help to decide whether a meeting is necessary in the first place
A) Can the matter be decided or discussed over the telephone? B) Can the matter be expressed in writing, in the form of a memo, or an email message? C) Are key people available to attend the meeting and are they prepared? D) Is the time allotted for the meeting sufficient?
If the answers to the first two questions are yes and the answers to the other two questions are no, there is no purpose in calling a meeting.

In this case the meeting is a must because it sets the operational plans in place for the rest of the team. I would use technology to solve the issue.

* Decide the meeting is required: Call the Editor and Sub- Editor and inform them about the meeting. They are anyway aware that the meeting is vital and though they will crib that they are on vacation they know that their contributions will be valued and will cooperate. Then call the PR reps and instruct them to forward all the stories they have gathered by email to both the editor and sub-editor. * Constitute the required team members: The circular on the meeting will go to the 2 graphics designers, 2 senior PR reps, and the Sub-Editor. (The Editor and the other Sub-Editor will join us online). * Agenda: This will include the agenda for the meeting, the list of topics will include, theme, evaluation of the stories collected, pictures, statistics of the work done, Visiting doctors, special case of the month, alumni information, and the other details that regularly appear in the newsletter. * The date of the meeting, venue, and duration will be specifically mentioned. * The list of participants * Background on the list of topics we will be covering * The tasks at hand - so each member knows what he or she has to prepare for. This is more important under the current situation because we are having either a VC or a phoneference and both are expensive. * Mode of meeting (Electronic and Physical): Once the editor and sub-editor confirm that they are in receipt of the material, I will communicate to the MIS (Management Information System) team and the AV wing and book the conference room for a meeting. It will be a conference call on Skype. In case we have Internet connectivity issues, we will have a phoneference. The numbers for the conference call will be provided on that day by the AV team.

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Q. 5 Distinguish between circulars and notices along with formats.
Ans 5 Circulars and notices are written forms of communication within the organization. The difference between a circular and a notice is that circulars are announcements that are distributed to small or selective groups of people within the organization, whereas notices are meant for a larger group of people. A notice is therefore a legal document that has to be put up on an official notice or bulletin board.
Circular – If a manager wants to call a meeting of heads of departments, he will pass around a circular only to the heads, requesting them to attend that meeting.
Notice – A list of declared holidays for a calendar year is a notice, since the information is relevant to all employees.
The differences in the format of the two forms of communication are best illustrated through an example. The Annual day celebrations of a hospital are to be organized. The Director has decided to call for a meeting on the same. Information needs to be sent to certain key staff who will be the organizers. There are others who will be part of the task forces under the organizers. Inviting everyone for a meeting would not be productive as there would be too many ideas and suggestions and no action plans. Instead only the core team of organizers are invited for a meeting – through a circular.

During the meeting, date and venue are finalized and various smaller committees such as food and refreshment, reception, stage, cultural activities, and so on may be formed. The aspect of finance for the program will also have to be discussed. In order to announce these details we will put up a notice on the official hospital notice board, which all staff can see and respond to.

The format of a circular is crisp and concise. It is brief and to the point. It has a caption that indicates the message to be conveyed and there is no formal salutation or closure.
The format of a notice is more elaborate. It is a common document meant for all the staff in the organization. It has a reference number, date and a subject and covers multiple points related to the subject. Continuing the above example the notice could be formulated as below.
Sometimes, under special circumstances, notices may also be sent to individual employees. An example of this type of notice is the “Show Cause Notice”, which is sent when an employee is found to be guilty of major misconduct. The notice mentions the allegations against the employee and asks for a written explanation within a specified time, failing which the action that would be taken against him/her (e.g., being suspended from the job) is stated. Notices are read by a large number of people and can also be used as evidence in court cases. Therefore, care must be taken when writing them. They have to be worded very precisely and clearly, to make sure that there is no ambiguity. They should also be brief and to the point. The tone should be firm, but not offensive and arrogant. Depending on the type of notice, the duration of display of a notice is specified under various legal provisions.
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Q. 6 You are a sales manager for a particular brand of mixer and blender. Frame a sample bad news letter telling a customer about that her claim for the product replacement is rejected on the grounds that the product didn’t have any defect during the sale.
Ans 6. A bad news letter conveys unpleasant news to customers or other external stakeholders. Typical examples of this type of letter are rejection of customer claims or requests for adjustments, job rejection letters to prospective employees, letters giving news about sudden price increases, products being discontinued, or about problems faced by the organization, such as losses and lay-offs. When conveying bad news, the letter should be written tactfully and worded in a positive manner. In this case the letter would be worded as the following. The letter is being worded in an Indian context where the mode of address and nomenclature is different from the American methodology.

In the above letter, the bad news, namely, the refusal to replace the mixer-blender because of a user misuse is conveyed indirectly. We have compensated for the bad news by offering a free one-time service of the motor.