Introduction To Business Letters

A commercial business letter is a letter written in formal language, usually used when writing from one business organization to another, or for correspondence between such organizations and their customers, clients and other external parties. The overall style of letter will depend on the relationship between the parties concerned. There are many reasons to write a business letter. It could be to request direct information or action from another party, to order supplies from a supplier, to identify a mistake that was committed, to reply directly to a request, to apologize for a wrong or simply to convey goodwill. Even today, the business letter is still very useful because it produces a permanent record, is confidential, formal and delivers persuasive, well-considered messages.

Types of Business Letters

1. Sales Letters Typical sales letters start off with a very strong statement to capture the interest of the reader. Since the purpose is to get the reader to do something, these letters include strong calls to action, detail the benefit to the reader of taking the action and include information to help the reader to act, such as including a telephone number or website link. 2. Order Letters Order letters are sent by consumers or businesses to a manufacturer, retailer or wholesaler to order goods or services. These letters must contain specific information such as model number, name of the product, the quantity desired and expected price. Payment is sometimes included with the letter. 3. Complaint Letters The words and tone you choose to use in a letter complaining to a business may be the deciding factor on whether your complaint is satisfied. Be direct but tactful and always use a professional tone if you want the company to listen to you. 4. Adjustment Letters An adjustment letter is normally sent in response to a claim or complaint. If the adjustment is in the customers favor, begin the letter with that news. If not, keep your tone factual and let the customer know that you understand the complaint.

5. Inquiry Letters Inquiry letters ask a question or elicit information from the recipient. When composing this type of letter, keep it clear and succinct and list exactly what information you need. Be sure to include your contact information so that it is easy for the reader to respond. 6. Follow-Up Letter Follow-up letters are usually sent after some type of initial communication. This could be a sales department thanking a customer for an order, a businessman reviewing the outcome of a meeting or a job seeker inquiring about the status of his application. In many cases, these letters are a combination thank-you note and sales letter. 7. Letters of Recommendation Prospective employers often ask job applicants for letters of recommendation before they hire them. This type of letter is usually from a previous employer or professor, and it describes the senders relationship with and opinion of the job seeker. 8. Acknowledgment Letters Acknowledgment letters act as simple receipts. Businesses send them to let others know that they have received a prior communication, but action may or may not have taken place. 9. Cover Letter Cover letters usually accompany a package, report or other merchandise. They are used to describe what is enclosed, why it is being sent and what the recipient should do with it, if there is any action that needs to be taken. These types of letters are generally very short and succinct. 10.Letters of Resignation When an employee plans to leave his job, a letter of resignation is usually sent to his immediate manager giving him notice and letting him know when the last day of employment will be. In many cases, the employee also will detail his reason for leaving the company.

Difference Between Business & Personal Letters

Letters are important means of communicating both personal and business sentiments. However, personal letters are vastly different from their business counterparts. To show proper business etiquette during your company transactions, you should recognize these differences and take pains not to mix letter styles. This will help you look professional to employees, clients, shareholders and investors.

Format

Business letters and personal letters are formatted much differently. With some minor variations, business letters usually have 1-inch margins. They also have single spacing, with double spacing only between paragraphs and introductory data lines (e.g., date, subject). The letter is left justified with no paragraph indentation. Business letters also are always typed. By contrast, personal letters can have virtually any format. It is up to the writer to decide how he wants the personal letter to appear. A personal letter traditionally is handwritten, but with technology advancing, many people type personal letters on their computers because it's faster to type than write manually.

Content

In a business letter, content is always objective-oriented -- that is, the purpose of the letter is transparent. With a personal letter, content can cover many different topics, and there is more of an emphasis on relating past events and emotions than on problem solving. Personal letters can be much more meandering. Personal letters may touch on some business or finance issues, but business letters never discuss personal issues unless those issues directly impact the business.

Language and Punctuation

Business letters use more formal language than personal letters. Writers pay special attention to word choice because word choice can make a huge difference in legal matters. Salutations and closings are polite and refer to proper titles (e.g., Chairman Edwards, Miss Neman). Colons are used more in business letters than personal letters, particularly after the salutation and the introductory data line labels (e.g. RE:, DATE:). Personal letters can use any language, including slang and non-business abbreviations like ttyl (talk to you later) or btw (by the way). The advantage to this is that the personality of the writer truly comes across. Business letters often lose the writer's true "voice." Personal letters use standard punctuation

rules, but because they are so informal, writers often ignore some basic punctuation and capitalization standards.

Why Differentiate?

The main reason why people separate personal letters from business letters is because a standard method of writing a business letter creates efficiency in business operations. For example, business people know they quickly can ascertain the purpose of the business letter from the subject line. Efficiency can translate into revenue. Another reason for differentiation is that using a professional format conveys that whatever is in the letter is of importance. Third, the use of business letter format is expected by professionals. If you do not adhere to business format with your company, you may come across as less prepared or inexperienced.

Recruitment & Employment Correspondence

Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, selecting, and on boarding a qualified person for a job. At the strategic level it may involve the development of an employer brand which includes an 'employee offering'. The stages of the recruitment process include: job analysis and developing a person specification; the sourcing of candidates by networking, advertising, or other search methods; matching candidates to job requirements and screening individuals using testing (skills or personality assessment); assessment of candidates' motivations and their fit with organisational requirements by interviewing and other assessment techniques. The recruitment process also includes the making and finalising of job offers and the induction and onboarding of new employees.

Job analysis
The starting point to a recruitment effort is to perform a job analysis and/or in some cases a task analysis, to document the actual or intended requirements of the job. From these the relevant information is captured in such documents as job descriptions and job specifications. Often a company will already have job descriptions that represent a historical collection of tasks performed. Where already drawn up, these documents need to be reviewed or updated to reflect present day requirements. Prior to initiating the recruitment stages a person specification should be finalised to provide the recruiters commissioned with the requirements and objectives of the project.

Sourcing
Sourcing is the use of one or more strategies to attract or identify candidates to fill job vacancies. It may involve internal and/or external advertising, using appropriate media, such as local or national newspapers, specialist recruitment media, professional publications, window advertisements, job centres, or in a variety of ways via the internet. Alternatively, employers may use recruitment consultancies to find otherwise scarce candidates who may be content in their current positions and are not actively looking to move companies may be proactively identified. This initial research for so-called passive candidates, also called name generation, results in a contact information of potential candidates who can then be contacted discreetly to be screened and approached.

Screening and selection

Suitability for a job is typically assessed by looking for relevant skills, knowledge, aptitude, qualifications and educational or job related experience. These can be determined via Resumes (also known as CVs); job applications; interviews. More proactive identification methods include psychological, aptitude, numeracy and literacy testing. the testimony of references, Many recruiters and agencies use applicant tracking systems to perform the filtering process, along with software tools for psychometric testing. In many countries, employers are legally mandated to ensure their screening and selection processes meet equal opportunity and ethical standards. In addition to the above selection assessment criteria, employers are likely to recognise the value of candidates who also have the so-called 'soft skills', such as interpersonal or team leadership and have the ability to reinforce the company brand through their behavior in front of customers and suppliers. Multinational organisations and those that recruit from a range of nationalities are also concerned candidates will fit into the prevailing company 'culture'.

Lateral hiring
"Lateral hiring" refers to a form of recruiting; the term is used with two different, almost opposite meanings. In one meaning, the hiring organization targets employees of another, similar organization, possibly luring them with a better salary and the promise of better career opportunities. An example is the recruiting of a partner of a law firm by another law firm. The new lateral hire then has specific applicable expertise and can make a running start in the new job. In some

professional branches such lateral hiring was traditionally frowned upon, but the practice has become increasingly more common. An employee's contract may have a non-compete clause preventing such lateral hiring. In another meaning, a lateral hire is a newly hired employee who has no prior specific applicable expertise for the new job, and for whom this job move is a radical change of career. An example is the recruiting of a university professor to become chairman of the board of a company.

Onboarding.
"Onboarding" is a term which describes the process of helping new employees become productive members of an organization. A well-planned introduction helps new employees become fully operational quickly and is often integrated with a new company and environment. Onboarding is included in the recruitment process for retention purposes. Many companies have onboarding campaigns in hopes to retain top talent that is new to the company; campaigns may last anywhere from 1 week to 6 months.

Recruitment Approaches
There are a variety of recruitment approaches and most organisations will utilise a combination of two or more of these as part of a recruitment exercise or to deliver their overall recruitment strategy. In summary five basic models more commonly found are:

An in-house personnel or human resources function may in some case still conduct all stages of the recruitment process. In the smallest organisations recruitment may be left to individual managers. More frequently whilst managing the overall recruitment exercise and the decision-making at the final stages of the selection process external service providers may undertake the more specialised aspects of the recruitment process. Outsourcing of recruitment to an external provider may be the solution for some small businesses and at the other extreme very large organisations Employment agencies are established as both publicly funded services and as commercial private sector operations. Services may support permanent, temporary, or casual worker recruitment. They may be generic agencies that deal with providing unskilled workers through to highly skilled managerial or technical staff or so-called niche agencies that specialize in a particular industrial sector or professional group.

Executive search firms for executive and professional positions. These firms operate across a range of models such as contingency or retained approaches and also hybrid models where advertising is also used to ensure a flow of candidates alongside relying on networking as their main source of candidates. Internet recruitment services including recruitment websites and job search engines used to gather as many candidates as possible by advertising a position over a wide geographic area. In addition social network sourced recruitment has emerged as a major method of sourcing candidates.

Employment Correspondence
A sequence of written communication is usually necessary during the job search campaign. This vital exchange between applicant and employer is expected by both. A positive response from an employer usually prompts a detailed series of letters and other paperwork. Proper documentation leaves little room for surprise. Although correspondence is a time-consuming, business etiquette demand it if youre serious about making a favorable impression.

Ideally, you should write a letter after each telephone call or letter you receive from an employer to confirm your understanding of the situation. To save time, it is permissible to prepare a set of computer generated semi-form letters to refer to when corresponding with potential employers. Of course, you will need to personalize and modify the letters to fit specific circumstances.

The importance of proper written communication is essential for obtaining employment. Your attention to details and good follow through can give you the edge over other competitors. A well written letter will almost always create interest even when rapidly reviewed in a few short seconds.

When a resume is mailed to an employer, a cover letter should be included.

A.

CORRESPONDENCE GUIDELINES Write to a specific individual in a decision-making role rather than title. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Use a positive, enthusiastic, tone. Develop 3-5 paragraph letters with 3-5 short sentences in each. Print all letters on a very fine quality typewriter, letter quality or laser printer. Avoid flowery words, phrases, extraneous words, and clichs. Use white, light gray or beige high-quality bond stationery with matching envelopes. Employers are usually impressed with self-confidence; a signature with a blue felt-tip pen seems to indicate this trait. Always keep a copy of every letter sent for future reference. When initially mailing to a chief executive, mark private or confidential on the envelope and omit your name and return address on the envelope. Mail letters so they will reach the employer between Tuesday and Thursday.

9.

B.

CORRESPONDENCE FORMATS 1. Letter of Application (for advertised job opening) a) b) c) Open your letter with a strong positive statement about yourself and your qualifications. Identify the position for which you are applying and how you learned of the organization and the opening. Indicate why you are interested in the position, the organization and its services. Tell what you can do for the employer by briefly matching your achievements and skills to the job requirements and the employers perceived needs.

d)

e)

f)

Describe your main qualifications. If you have been recently trained, explain how your educational background makes you qualified for the position. Refer the employer to your enclosed resume. State that you will call on a certain day to arrange an interview at the employers convenience. Indicate your desire to provide additional information, if necessary. Thank the employer for considering you, and mention you are looking forward to your meeting.

2.

Letter of Application (when no current openings are known) a) b) Briefly introduce yourself with a strong positive statement. Name the person who referred you and why you are writing. Indicate that you are exploring employment opportunities in your area of interest. State you are interested in obtaining advice, information and suggestions. Be specific with your reasons for wanting to meet with the employer. (You can enclose your resume or take one to the meeting.) State that you will call on a certain day to arrange a meeting at the employers convenience. Thank the employer for considering you, and mention you are looking forward to your meeting.

c) d)

3.

Letter of Job Offer Acknowledgement a) b) c) Acknowledge your receipt of and express appreciation for the job offer. State your understanding of the terms of the offer (e.g. job title, salary, duties, work hours, benefits, etc.). Indicate the date you will notify them of your decision.

4.

Letter of Thanks for an Interview

a)

b)

c)

d)

Express gratitude for the interviewers time, information related, and any other aspects surrounding your interview (tour, lunch, etc.). If more than one interviewer was seen, ask that your thanks be related to the others. Relate your desire to pursue the next step in the hiring process and to receive an employment offer. Recap your strongest qualifications for the position. If the situation warrants, answer questions left unanswered during the interview. Ask questions not asked during the interview. Mention youre enclosing items the employer requested. Express a strong positive affirmation of your interest in the position, and state you will call the employer if no word has been received by a specific date (allow a reasonable time).

5.

Letter of Inquiry of Application Status a) b) c) d) Request status of your application. Recap history of your application. State why you need clarification of your application status. Express thanks for the employers cooperation.

6.

Letter Seeking additional Information a) b) c) Indicate interest in the organization and their offer. Ask for the specific information you need. Express appreciation for the cooperation you receive.

7.

Letter terminating Discussions a) b) c) Express appreciation for the offer. State you have made other plans. Thank the employer for considering you.

8.

Letter Rejecting an Offer a) b) Courteously decline the offer. Express your appreciation for the offer and the employers interest in you.

9.

Letter Accepting an Offer a) b) c) d) Accept the offer. Outline the terms of employment (e.g. job title, salary, work hours, duties, benefits, etc.). Indicate your target date for beginning employment. Express your appreciation and your pleasure at joining the organization.

10.

Letter of resignation a) b) c) d) e) f) Address the letter to your immediate supervisor. Indicate a general reason for resigning (e.g. acceptance of another position). State your date of termination. Express your interest in making as smooth a transition of responsibilities as possible. Request a letter of reference for future use, if desired. State your appreciation for past opportunities, challenges, and learning experiences.

Curriculum Vitae
Curriculum vitae (CV) provide an overview of a person's experience and other qualifications. In some countries, a CV is typically the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview, when seeking employment.

Difference between CV and Resume CV A CV (Curriculum Vit), which means course of life in Latin) is an in-depth document that can be laid out over two or more pages and it contains a high level of detail about your achievements, a great deal more than just a career biography. The CV covers your education as well as any other accomplishments like publications, awards, honors etc. The document tends to be organized chronologically and should make it easy to get an overview of an individuals full working career. A CV is static and doesnt change for different positions, the difference would be in the cover letter. Resume A resume, or rsum, is a concise document typically not longer than one page as the intended the reader will not dwell on your document for very long. The goal of a resume is to make an individual stand out from the competition. The job seeker should adapt the resume to every position they apply for. It is in the applicants interest to change the resume from one job application to another and to tailor it to the needs of the specific post. A resume doesnt have to be ordered chronologically, doesnt have to cover your whole career like and is a highly customizable document. Differences As stated, three major differences between CVs and resumes are the length, the purpose and the layout. A resume is a brief summary of your skills and experience over one or two pages, a CV is more detailed and can stretch well beyond two

pages. The resume will be tailored to each position whereas the CV will stay put and any changes will be in the cover letter. A CV has a clear chronological order listing the whole career of the individual whereas a resumes information can be shuffled around to best suit the applicant. I would say the main difference between a resume and a CV is that a CV is intended to be a full record of your career history and a resume is a brief, targeted list of skills and achievements. Usage around the world A resume is the preferred application document in the US and Canada. Americans and Canadians would only use a CV when applying for a job abroad or if searching for an academic or research oriented position. In the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, a CV is used in all contexts and resumes arent used at all. In Australia, India and South Africa, the terms resume and CV are used interchangeably. The term resume is used more for jobs in the private sector and CV is more commonplace when applying for public service positions. Types of CV There are 3 types of CV, commonly used: CHRONOLOGICAL CV A chronological CV focusses on presenting the candidate's experience on an employer by employer basis, with the posts being listed in reverse chronological order. It also contains detail of education and qualifications, together with hobbies. Some chronological CVs also contain a brief personal statement at the front which sets out the key skills and strengths of the candidate. This is the most common type of CV. How to structure a chronological CV A chronological CV typically uses the following structure: Personal details (i.e. name and contact details)

Personal profile or career objectives. This should not exceed 5 lines.

Employment in reverse chronological order. Under each employer, you should set out a number of bullet points which describe your key achievements. In order to be fully effective, you should ensure that you use power words. Key qualifications Professional memberships Hobbies and personal interests

Advantages Particularly useful for those applying within the same industry as it will demonstrate your career progression.

It is the favourite format for most employers, who simply want to get a feel for your career to date. If you do not have many achievements across your career, taking a job by job approach will save you having a separate "Achievements" section (characteristic of Functional CVs) which may look tiny.

Disadvantages If you have gaps in your employment which you would rather not discuss, a chronological CV will make them more obvious.

If you are changing caree direction, a chronological CV will add little information to your new employer, who will be more concerned about the transferable skills that you are bringing rather than the detail of your experience in an unrelated sector.

FUNCTIONAL CV Unlike a chronological CV, a functional CV places the emphasis on your skills and expertise rather than the chronology of you employment to date. How to structure a chronological CV A functional CV typically starts with a personal profile which highlights the achievements, skills and personal qualities that you possess. This is then followed by a succession of sections, each relating to a different skill or ability. These should be ordered in decreasing order of importance. Instead of focussing on any particular job, you should describe your experience in its glabality. Since you are not focussing on any particular past employment, this means you can include any

skills or experience gained in voluntary or unpaid work. Here are examples of functional headings that are commonly found. Administration Engineering Public Relations

Advertising Communication Consulting Counselling Customer service Designing Editing Education Electronics

Human Resources IT experience Journalism Law Leadership Management Marketing Organisation Planning

Publishing Research Sales Secretarial Supervision Training Travel Writing

Advantages If you have changed jobs frequently, if your experience is a mish-mash of seemingly unrelated posts or if you have several career gaps, a functional CV will help place the emphasis on what you have to offer as a whole rather than on the chronology.

If you are changing industry, a functional CV will help the recruiter focus on your transferable skills. If you are a more mature applicant, a functional CV will take the spotlight away from your age.

Disadvantages If you do not have much work experience, you may struggle to highlight achievements in a separate section.

A functional CV will not enable you to highlight consistent career progression. If you wish to convey career progression, you should adopt a chronological format.

To conclude the CV, you should then a list of employers and employment dates, as well as a section on your qualification. The last section should focus on your personal details and hobbies/interests. COMBINED CV

A combined CV follows both the chronological and functional format, which makes the CV slightly longer than normal. Advantages Perfect format if you have a strong career progression with many achievements.

Enables you to sell your strengths as well as your experience

Disadvantages Lengthier than a functional or chronological CV

Failing to get the attention with the right profile at the start of the CV may result in the whole CV remaining unread. Not suitable for those with little experience or achievements. Not suitable for those with employment gaps.

Offer Of Employment
A job offer is an invitation for a potential employee, whether he or she has applied for a job, or not, to become an employee in your organization. The job offer contains the details of your employment offer. The initial job offer may be extended verbally, but most employers follow up with a written job offer that may take the form of a job offer letter or an employment contract. A job offer typically contains the salary that you are offering for the job, your standard employee benefits, the job title of the position you are offering, the name of the supervisor of the position, and other terms and conditions of employment. The job offer may be negotiable, depending on the position. Early career to mid level job offers are usually not very negotiable because the employer has established salary ranges and standard benefits. The employer is not willing to negotiate outside of the parameters of a standard job offer for most positions. But, a few thousand dollars in starting salary may be available to the candidate who asks. Factors such as the scarcity of the skill set, the difficulty in recruiting employees for the particular position, and the impact of the unfilled position on the organization, can have an impact on the employer's willingness to negotiate the job offer.

The prospective employee needs to review the terms stated in the job offer and accept or decline. Usually, the employer has set a time limit on the potential employee's deliberations. The employer expects the potential employee to sign the job offer and return it to Human Resources to accept the job. Steps To Make A Job Offer When you consider making a job offer, its tempting to offer the job to the candidate who is most like you. The candidate feels as comfortable as a well-worn shoe. You wont get many surprises once you make the job offer, and your gut is comfortable that your favorite candidate can do the job. Beware, beware this practice. Why does your organization need another employee just like you, a candidate who is as comfortable as a well-worn shoe? Is this candidate for your job offer really the best that you can do? What factors must you consider when youre down to the wire and making the actual hiring decision? Before you make a job offer, consider these issues. But, first, lets backtrack for a moment. Youve gone through all of the expected steps to prepare to make a job offer. Youve:

Reviewed job applications to select the most qualified candidates to interview.

Invited your best candidates in to interview with your interview team.

Held second and even third interviews, with your candidates who appear to be the most qualified for your job.

Obtained interview debriefing information from all employees who participated in your interview process.

Performed background checks to validate each finalists credentials.

Internal Communication
Internal communications (IC) is the function responsible for effective communication or trade among participants within an organization, including states. Modern understanding of internal communications is a field of its own and draws on the theory and practice of related professions, not least journalism, knowledge management, public relations (e.g., media relations), marketing and human resources, as well as wider organizational studies, communication theory, social psychology, sociology and political science. In states poor internal communications can have adverse effects on catastrophe relief, war outcome or establishing its authority in a certain sector, contributing in these cases to a failed state status. Internal Communication Strategy There are two sides to strategy in internal communications. In the first instance there is the organization's strategy what it hopes to achieve and how it plans to go about achieving it. That strategy will be supported and, to some extent, delivered through effective internal communications. In this context internal communication can help on several different levels:

Tell: simply informing people of the direction, non-negotiable Sell: anticipating some form of backlash, requiring some persuasion Consult: seeking specific areas of input to the decision-making process Involve: seeking varying degrees of involvement and co-creation

Secondly, and more importantly, internal communications needs a strategy of its own. It should be positioned more than a simple plan of tactical interventions in support of business activities. The strategy should consider the following:

Market: What does the organization know about its audiences' needs? How should its audiences be segmented? Message: What is it the organization's message is trying to achieve? In what tone should it be conveyed? Media: Which channels work best for the different audience segments? How will it maximize reach and cut-through? Are there clear editorial guidelines for each? Measurement: Are there clearly defined success criteria? What are the leading and lagging measures? As well as informing all of the other three M's, it should be used to demonstrate value and measures of performance (ROI, message penetration, hit rates, quality of feedback, etc.)

The strategy will inform the best way to organize effective communications.

Cross Cultural Communication

Cross-cultural communication (also frequently referred to as intercultural communication, which is also used in a different sense, though) is a field of study that looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds communicate, in similar and different ways among themselves, and how they endeavor to communicate across cultures. Aspects of Cross Cultural Communication There are several parameters that may be perceived differently by people of different cultures. These may include:

High and Low Context Cultures: Context is the most important cultural dimension and also immensely difficult to define. The idea of context in culture was an idea put forth by an anthropologist by the name of Edward T Hall. Hall breaks up culture into two main groups: High and Low context cultures. He refers to context as the stimuli, environment or ambiance surrounding the environment. Depending on how a culture relies on the three points to communicate their meaning, will place them in either High or Low context cultures. For example, Hall goes on to explain that low-context cultures assume that the individuals know very little about what they are being told, and

therefore must be given a lot of background information. High-Context cultures assume the individual is knowledgeable about the subject and has to be given very little background information.

Non Verbal, Oral and Written: The main goal behind improving intercultural audiences is to pay special attention to specific areas of communication to enhance the effectiveness of the intercultural messages. These specific areas are broken down into three sub categories; Non-Verbal, Oral and Written messages. Non-Verbal contact involves everything from something as obvious as eye contact and facial expressions to more discrete forms of expression such as the use of space. Experts have label the term Kinesics to mean communicating through body movement. Huseman, author of Business Communication, explains that the two most prominent ways of communication through Kinesics is eye contact and facial expressions. Eye contact, Huseman goes on to explain, is the key factor in setting the tone between two individuals and greatly differs in meaning between cultures. In the Americas and Western Europe eye contact is interpreted the same way, conveying interest and honesty. People who avoid eye contact when speaking are viewed in a negative light, withholding information and lacking in general confidence. However, in the Middle East, Africa, and especially Asia eye contact is seen as disrespectful and even challenging of ones authority. People who make eye contact, but only briefly, are seen as respectful and courteous. Facial expressions are their own language by comparison, and universal throughout all cultures. Dale Leathers, for example, states that facial expression can communicate ten basic classes of meaning. The final part to Non-Verbal communication lies in our gestures, and can be broken down into five subcategories; Emblems, Illustrators, Regulators, Affect Displays, and Adaptors. Emblems and Illustrators are the easiest to communicate since Emblems refer to sign language (such as the Thumbs Up which is one of the most recognized symbols in the world).

Techniques for Effective Cross Cultural Communication Slow Down Even when English is the common language in a cross cultural situation, this does not mean you should speak at normal speed. Slow down, speak clearly and ensure your pronunciation is intelligible.

Separate Questions Try not to ask double questions such as, "Do you want to carry on or shall we stop here?" In a cross cultural situation only the first or second question may have been comprehended. Let your listener answer one question at a time. Avoid Negative Questions Many cross cultural communication misunderstandings have been caused by the use of negative questions and answers. In English we answer 'yes' if the answer is affirmative and 'no' if it is negative. In other cultures a 'yes' or 'no' may only be indicating whether the questioner is right or wrong. For example, the response to "Are you not coming?" may be 'yes', meaning 'Yes, I am not coming.' Write it Down If you are unsure whether something has been understood write it down and check. This can be useful when using large figures. For example, a billion in the USA is 1,000,000,000 while in the UK it is 1,000,000,000,000. Be Supportive Effective cross cultural communication is in essence about being comfortable. Giving encouragement to those with weak English gives them confidence, support and a trust in you. Check Meanings When communicating across cultures never assume the other party has understood. Be an active listener. Summarise what has been said in order to verify it. This is a very effective way of ensuring accurate cross cultural communication has taken place.

Questionnaire

A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. Although they are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case. The questionnaire was invented by Sir Francis Galton. Types of questionnaire 1. Structured questionnaire a) Have definite and concrete questions. b) Is prepared well in advance. c) Initiates a formal inquiry. d) Supplements and checks the data, previously accumulated. e) Used in studies of the economics and the social problems, studies of the administrative policies and changes etc. 2. Unstructured questionnaire a) Used at the time of the interview. b) Acts as the guide for the interviewer. c) Is very flexible in working. d) Used in studies related to the group of families or those relating to the personal experiences, beliefs etc. A questionnaire can also be divided as the follows depending on the nature of the questions therein 1. Open ended questionnaire a) Respondent is free to express his views and the ideas. b) Used in making intensive studies of the limited number of the cases. c) Merely an issue is raised by such a questionnaire. d) Do not provide any structure for the respondents reply. e) The questions and their orders are pre determined in the nature. 2. Close ended questionnaire a) Responses are limited to the stated alternatives. b) One of the alternatives is simply YES or NO. c) Respondent cannot express his own judgment. 3. Mixed questionnaire a) Questions are both close and open ended. b) Used in field of social research. 4. Pictorial questionnaire a) Used very rarely. b) Pictures are used to promote the interest in answering the questions.

Questionnaire Design There are nine steps involved in the designing of a questionnaire: 1. Decide the information required. 2. Define the target respondents. 3. Choose the method(s) of reaching your target respondents. 4. Decide on question content. 5. Develop the question wording. 6. Put questions into a meaningful order and format. 7. Check the length of the questionnaire. 8. Pre-test the questionnaire. 9. Develop the final survey form.

Report Writing
Report is a self-explanatory statement of facts relating to a specific subject and serves the purpose of providing information for decision making and follow up actions. It is a systematic presentations of ascertained facts about a specific event / subject. Report is a summary of findings and recommendations about a particular matter / problem. Report is for the guidance of higher authorities including company executives and directors. Reports facilitates timely decisions and follow up measures. What are Features or Characteristics of Report ?

Complete and Compact Document : Report is a complete and compact written document giving updated information about a specific problem. Systematic Presentation of Facts : Report is a systematic presentation of facts, figures, conclusions and recommendations. Report writers closely study the problem under investigation and prepare a report after analyzing all relevant information regarding the problem. Report is supported by facts and evidence. There is no scope for imagination in a report which is basically a factual document.

Prepared in Writing : Reports are usually in writing. Writing reports are useful for reference purpose. It serves as complete, compact and self-explanatory document over a long period. Oral reporting is possible in the case of secret and confidential matters. Provides Information and Guidance : Report is a valuable document which gives information and guidance to the management while framing future policies. It facilitates planning and decision making. Reports are also useful for solving problems faced by a business enterprise.

Self-explanatory Document : Report is a comprehensive document and covers all aspects of the subject matter of study. It is a self-explanatory and complete document by itself. Acts as a Tool of Internal Communication : Report is an effective tool of communication between top executives and subordinate staff working in an organization. It provides feedback to employees and to executives for decision making. Reports are generally submitted to higher authorities. It is an example of upward communication. Similarly, reports are also sent by company executives to the lower levels of management. This is treated as downward communication. In addition, reports are also sent to shareholders and others connected with the company. It may be pointed out that report writing / preparation acts as a backbone of any system of communication. Acts as Permanent Record : A report serves as a permanent record relating to certain business matter. It is useful for future reference and guidance. Time Consuming and Costly Activity : Report writing is a time consuming, lengthy and costly activity as it involves collection of facts, drawing conclusion and making recommendations.

Press Release
A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy. Typically, they are

mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, or television networks. Elements of Press Release Technically, anything deliberately sent to a reporter or media source is considered a press release: it is information released by the act of being sent to the media. However, public relations professionals often follow a standard format that they believe is efficient and increases their odds of getting the publicity they desire. The format is supposed to help journalists separate press releases from other PR communication methods, such as pitch letters or media advisories. Generally, a PR body consists of 4 to 5 paragraphs with word limit ranging to 400 to 500. Some of these common structural elements include:

Headline used to grab the attention of journalists and briefly summarize the news. Dateline contains the release date and usually the originating city of the press release. If the date listed is after the date that the information was actually sent to the media, then the sender is requesting a news embargo, which journalists are under no obligation to honor. Introduction first paragraph in a press release, that generally gives basic answers to the questions of who, what, when, where and why. Body further explanation, statistics, background, or other details relevant to the news. Boilerplate generally a short "about" section, providing independent background on the issuing company, organization, or individual. Close in North America, traditionally the symbol "-30-" appears after the boilerplate or body and before the media contact information, indicating to media that the release has ended. A more modern equivalent has been the "###" symbol. In other countries, other means of indicating the end of the release may be used, such as the text "ends". Media contact information name, phone number, email address, mailing address, or other contact information for the PR or other media relations contact person.