Section 1

Writing in the
Workplace
 Writing in the
Workplace
Basic business writing
The writing process
Analyzing the purpose for writing and the audience
Anticipating the audience
Adapting to the task and audience
1. Basic Writing
• Audience-oriented
• Concentrate on looking at a problem from the receiver’s
perspective instead of seeing it from your own.
• Purposeful
• You will be writing to solve problems and convey
information. Definite purpose to fulfill in each message.
• Economical
• Try to present ideas clearly but concisely. LENGTH IS
NOT REWARDED.
 2. The Writing Process
1.Prewriting
2. Writing 3. Revising

Analyzing
Anticipating
Revising
Adapting Researching
Proofreading
Organizing
Evaluating
Composing
3. Analyzing The Purpose for
Writing and The Audience
• Identifying Your Purpose
• 1. Why am I sending this message?
• 2. What do I hope to achieve?
• Your response will determine how you organize and present your
information.

• Selecting the Best Channel

• Written, orally, e-mail..
• Depends to
• importance of message
• Amount and speed of feedback required
• Necessity of a permanent record
• Cost of the channel
• Degree of formality desired.
Choosing Communication
Channels
• Face to face conversation
• Persuasive, deliver bad news or share a personal message.

• Telephone call
• Deliver or gather information quickly
• When nonverbal cues are unimportant
• When you cannot meet in person

• Voice mail message

• To leave important or routine information that the receiver
can respond to when convenient.
Choosing Communication
Channels
• Fax
• When your message must cross time zones or
international boundaries
• When a written account is important
• Speed

• E-mail
• Need feedback and not immediately
• Effective for communicating with a large, dispersed
audience
Choosing Communication
Channels
• Face-to-face group meeting
• When group decisions and consensus are important
• Not efficient - distribute information

• Video or teleconference
• When group decisions and consensus and interaction
are important but members are geographically
dispersed
Choosing Communication
Channels
• Memo
• When you want a written record to explain policies clearly,
discuss procedures, or collect information within an
organization

• Letter
• When you need a written record of correspondence with
customers, the government, suppliers, or other outside and
organization.

• Report or Proposal
• When you are delivering considerable data internally or
externally.
4.Anticipating the Audience
• Profile the audience
• Helps you make decisions about shaping the message
• Considering the possibility of a secondary audience.

• Responding to the profile

• Primary Audience

• Who is my primary reader or listener?

• What is my personal and professional relationship with the person?
• What position does the individual hold in the organization?
• How much does the person know about the subject?
• How do I know about the person’s education, beliefs, culture and
attitudes?
• Should I expect a neutral, positive or negative response to my message?
4.Anticipating the Audience
• Secondary Audience

• Who might see or hear this message in addition to the

primary audience?

• How do these people differ from the primary audience?

5. Adapting to the Task and
Audience
• Audience Benefits

• Put yourself in that person’s shoes.

• Empathy
• Empathic senders think – receiver decode?
• SO they try to give something to the receiver, solve the
receiver’s problems, save the receiver’s money…
Which of the following messages is more appealing to the audience?

• a) To enable us to update out stockholder records,

we ask that the enclosed card be returned.
• b) So that you may promptly receive dividend
checks and information related to your shares,
please return the enclose card.

• a) Our warranty becomes effective only when we

receive an owner’s registration.
• b) Your warranty begins working for you as
soon as you return your owner’s registration.
5. Adapting to the Task and
Audience
• Conversational but Professional.
• A)
• All employers are herewith, instructed to return the
appropriately designated contracts to the undersigned.
• Please return your contracts to me.

• B)
• Pertaining to your order, we must verify the sizes that
your organization requires prior to consignment of your
order to our shipper
• We’ll send your order as soon as we confirm the sizes
you need.
5. Adapting to the Task and
Audience
• Levels of Diction
Unprofessional Conversational Formal
(Low -level Diction) (Mid-level Diction) (High-level Diction)
Badmouth Criticize Denigrate

Guts Nerve Courage

Pecking order Line of Command Dominance Hierarchy

Ticked off Upset Provoked

Rat on Inform Betray

Rip off Steal Expropriate

Examples
• If we just hang in there, we can snag the contract
• If we don’t get discouraged, we can win the
contract
• If the principals persevere, they can secure
contract.
5. Adapting to the Task and
Audience
• Positive Language
• Conveys more information
• Uplifting and pleasant to read

• We are unable to send your shipment until we receive proof of your

payment
• -We look forward to send your shipment as soon as we receive
your payment.

• b) We are sorry that we must reject your application for credit at

this time.
• -At this time we can serve you on a cash basis only.

• If you fail to pass the exam, you will not qualify

•
5. Adapting to the Task and
Audience
• Inclusive Language
• A writer who is alert and emphatic will strive to use words that
include rather than exclude people.
• Sexist – exclude females
• E.g. If a physician is needed, he will be called

• Sexist – Every attorney has ten minutes for his summation

• A1 – All attorney have ten minutes for their summation (Plural
Noun and Plural Pronoun)
• A2- Attorney have ten minutes for summation (Omit the pronoun
entirely)
• A3 – Every Attorney has ten minutes for a summation. (Use an
article instead of pronoun)
• A4- Every attorney has ten minutes for his or her summation ( Use
both a masculine and a feminine pronoun) ***AWKWARD***
5. Adapting to the Task and
Audience
• Plain English
• Use the active voice with strong verbs ( Instead of the
stock acquired by the investor write the investor bought
the stock)
• Don’t be afraid to use personal pronouns ( I, You, WE)
• Prefer short sentence
5. Adapting to the Task and
Audience
• Familiar Words
Less Familiar Simple Alt
Ascertain Find out
Compensate Pay
Conceptualize See
Encompass Include
Monitor Check
Perpetuate Continue
Perplexing Troubling
 SECTION 2

USING EMAIL ON THE

JOB
Topics to be addressed
• To email or to memo
• Considering your audience
• Inappropriate uses of email
• Email etiquette
• Email writing as a process
• Specific kinds of transactions in email writing
• General tips
Email writing as a rhetorical act
• Email requires consideration of the same
rhetorical elements as you use in letter writing and
phone calling:
• Subject
• Audience
• Purpose
• Persona
Write to think
• Take three or four minutes to brainstorm the
following ideas:
• What are some of the typical subjects you address
in your business writing?
• Who are some of the audiences to which you write
on the job?
• What are some of the purposes you have for your
written communication?
• What are some of the voices or personas you have
to use while writing in your office?
To email or to memo?
• What is the purpose of this communication?
• To whom is it being written? Is the information
personal or confidential?
• Why use email to make this communication? Could
you communicate this information by telephone, in
person, or through a letter?
• Is the use of this communication tool an avoidance
mechanism?
Use email
• To expedite the communication
• For brief and simple responses
• can be read and immediately discarded
• To relieve the burden of playing telephone tag
Consider Your
Audience
Consider your purpose
• Business writing is persuasive writing.
• Some business writing will try to persuade the
reader to take an action or think about something a
certain way.
Consider your audience
• You may…
• Know your audience personally
• Not know your audience personally
• Need to write to more
• than one person at a
• time
Consider your audience
• Put yourself in your reader’s place
• If your message does not meet your reader’s needs
or if it isn’t written at his or her level of
understanding, your message may be ignored.
When you know your reader
• How interested or involved in the subject is my
reader?
• How knowledgeable is he or she about the subject?
• What is my reader’s purpose for reading? To make
a decision? To be better informed?
When you know your reader
• Does my reader have special concerns or strong
views about the subject? What are they?
• How does my reader regard me personally and
professionally?
• What is my reader’s style of doing business?
When you do not know your
reader
• There are two general • Your documents will be
types of business most effective if you
readers: skimmers and write for both types of
skeptics. readers.
When you do not know your
reader
• Skimmers are readers • A Skeptic is a reader
that are typically very that is cautious and
busy. Pressed for time, doubtful.
they often skim • Skeptical readers will
documents in a rather tend to read a
short period of time. document carefully,
questioning its validity
and the writer’s claims.
20-second test for Skimmers:
• Skim your document for 20 seconds, and mark
what stands out most to you in that amount of
time.
• After you are finished, see if what you have marked
is able to convey your message clearly.
• If it is possible (or an important document), have
someone else skim your document before sending
it, and see if your message is clear to them as well.
Skeptical readers
• Skeptical reader - support your statements with
sufficient details and evidence
• Provide specific examples, numbers, dates, names, and
percentages
Why is email etiquette
important?
• Personality of printed word
• Reader’s misinterpretation
Email etiquette - do
• Check email promptly • Be conscious of what
• Read each message you might be
carefully before you forwarding
send it • Do not alter messages
that you are forwarding
• Develop an efficient or reporting
plan for handling email • Exercise caution against
email viruses
• Send short, direct
messages
•
Email etiquette – don’t
• Avoid sending • Do not allow email to
confidential substitute for personal
information interaction
• Do not send messages
that provoke a strong
emotional response
from the receiver
Email writing as a
process
Drafting an email
• Use the recipient’s name
• If you do not know the person personally, a generic
greeting is appropriate
• If you do not know the recipient personally, identify
yourself early in the message
Content and organization
• Your document will be most successful if it matches
the reader’s expectations.
• Three common expectations:
• Get to the point
• Be as simple as possible
• Use passive and active voice appropriately
Content
• Your Goal: to include enough information to
keep the reader’s interest but not so much
information that you waste the reader’s time and
obscure your main point.
Organization
• What is the best order for the sentences in this
problem-solution email? Place a one beside the first
sentence, two beside the second…

• Would Dr. Spock be willing to reschedule the

meeting Monday for Wednesday, April 15 instead?
• Dr. Suess currently has a meeting scheduled with
Dr. Spock on Monday, April 13.
• Dr. Suess greatly appreciates your patience and
flexibility.
• Dr. Suess will not be able to attend this meeting
due to an out of town appointment.
Organization
• Short communications - inverted pyramid
• Longer communications - state purpose early
Writing the message
• Be concise.
• Be clear.
• Always proofread.
• Understand that some emails will never go away
and that some readers will judge you on the basis
of what you have written.
Short communication: The
inverted triangle
• Present your conclusions or major idea first,
followed by the reasons or support.
• Example:
• Dr. Suess would like to reschedule the meeting
he has scheduled with Dr. Spock. He is proposing
that they now meet on Wednesday, April 15. While
the original meeting was planned for Monday, April
13, Dr. Suess has an out of town appointment on
that day. We appreciate your patience and
flexibility.
•
Use the inverted triangle message
to create a possible organization
for this short email:
• The approaching Women in Medicine workshop will
be helpful and interesting for all who attend.
Longer messages
• Use an “elevator” summary at the start of the email
so that the organization will be easy to follow.
• Example: “We have had difficulty getting grades posted
in a timely manner. Therefore, I am suggesting that…”
• Present your reasons first and your conclusions
after.
Longer messages
• Even when using this plan, be sure to state your
main point up front.
• Example: You did such a good job of explaining the
merits of our new Tuition Assistance Program that I have
tentatively decided to apply for the program myself. To
keep my options open, then, I must ask you to select
someone else to serve on the
• program committee. . .
• If you require a response from your reader, make
sure you ask for one at the start of your email.
Longer communications
• One idea per paragraph
• Table of contents or headings
• Hard copy availability
Tone
• Be friendly.
• Avoid negative words, especially those that begin
with “un, non, ex” or that end with “less”.
• Use contractions to add a friendly, conversational
tone. (don’t, won’t, can’t)

• Situation + Audience = Tone

Bad news emails
• Give the news first
• Avoid assigning blame
• Avoid ambiguity
• Offer a positive resolution at the email’s conclusion
Emailing a complaint
• Give the context, the history of the problem
• Give the history of your efforts to solve the
problem
• Tell the reader why he or she is involved and what
he or she needs to do to help solve the problem
• Offer suggestions as to how the problem might be
solved
Your obligation to your reader
• Do not send bad news or complaint emails at the
end of the day, especially at 4:59 on a Friday.
• Avoid venting. Strive for an “objective” tone.
• Determine as a department or unit what can be
discussed by email and what cannot.
Section 3

Memoranda
MEMORANDA
• A memo consists of:

• Heading
• Body
• Closing (Optional)
MEMORANDA (cont…)
• Heading
• should include:
• The date
• To whom the receiver is, including the designation or a
department if appropriate
• From the sender, including the designation. A reference
(Optional)
• A clear, short heading/subject that captures exactly
what the memo is about
MEMORANDA (cont…)
• Example 1

• MEMORANDUM

• To Janice Loh, Sales Assistant

• From Aida Abdullah, Sales Manager
• Ref AA/sc
• Date 7 November 2007
• Subject Sales Report
MEMORANDA (cont…)
• Example 2

• MEMORANDUM

• Date 7 November 2007

• To Janice Loh, Sales Assistant
• From Aida Abdullah, Sales Manager
• Ref AA/sc

• SALES REPORT
MEMORANDA (cont…)
• Because it is an internal document, you do not
need to include your organisation’s address and
contact details.
MEMORANDA (cont…)
• Body (Message)

• Introduction
• States the purpose and summarize the most
important point. (main point)
• Deals with 1 issue at a time.
• Once purpose is established, succeeding
paragraphs can fill in the necessary details.
MEMORANDA (cont…)
• Memos may or may not be indented; most are not.
• Salutation or complimentary close not necessary.
• Single-spaced with double-spacing between
paragraphs and 2 spaces between heading and the
1st paragraph.
MEMORANDA (cont…)
• BODY
• Contains facts, arguments, questions to be
answered, historical background, charts,
enumerated items or other relevant materials.
• Details should be presented logically preferably in
lists.
MEMORANDA (cont…)
• Conclusion
• often overlooked
• should leave readers with ideas of follow-up.
• may give reader sthg to think about or do;
• may ask for a response by a given date;
• may ask reader to present ideas in writing;
• may get in touch with the sender.
• Frequently, the conclusion consists of an IF
statement that will give the recipient some idea of
the next step in the process.

• E.g.
• If you cannot attend the meeting, please send a
substitute.
• If you have any questions, please contact me at 03-
70809762.
• May conclude your memo with
• a) a complimentary close
• Eg. If our quarterly sales continue to improve at
this rate, we will double our sales expectation by
2003. Congratulations!
• and/or
• b) a directive close
• Eg. Next Wednesday (12/12/07), Mr. Jones will
provide each of you a timetable of events and a
summary of accomplishments.
• Closing (Optional)

• the signature of the person writing the memo

• enclosure notation (if necessary)
• copy notation (if necessary)
• Tips on writing effective memos:

• AUDIENCE RECOGNITION
• Memo – in-house audience ( usually low tech ; high tech).
You often can use more acronyms and internal
abbreviations.

• Readers of your memo can be multiple. In that case, you

should use parenthetical definitions.
• Eg. CIA??
• Central Intelligence Agency
• Cash in advance
• Tone
• Never write a memo when you are angry. Your anger
will come through and you will make the situation
worse. Calm yourself first.

• Always bear in mind the objective of your memo: What

do you want the receiver/s to know, think, feel or do
after they have read it.

• Establish your objective. Then write your memo in such

a way that you will achieve your objective.
• Try not to use all CAPITAL LETTERS, underlining, bold
lettering or italics for the main part of your memo.

• The first three may come across to the reader as if you

are shouting at them. And italics is more difficult to
read.

• Use simple words, readable sentences, specific details

in an informal, friendly, courteous tone.
• If you have bad news to convey, consider carefully
first whether a memo will be the best way for the
receiver/s to receive the news.

• GOLDEN RULE :

• WRITE AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE WRITTEN TO!!!

Section 4

Business Letter
LETTERS

• are external correspondence

• reflect your comm. abilities & your company’s
image
• elicit the expected response through clear, direct,
courteous and suitable writing.
• are written for different purposes
Parts/Components of a
Business Letter
• The 4 parts of a business letter in order are:

• Heading – return address/letter head, reference,

and date
• Opening – inside address, salutation
• Body – subject line, message
• Closing – complimentary close, signature block,
enclosure notation, copy notation
The Opening
• Inside address includes the addressee’s (recipient’s) -
• Name including courtesy title ( Mr, Mrs, Ms )
• Job title
• Name of organization
• Full postal address (a post office box number may be used in
place of the street address)
• e. g. Mrs Serena Graham
• Sales Manager
• Siemens Corporation
• 12 Fleet Street
• Sheffield, St 11501
• United Kingdom
The Opening (cont.)
• When writing letters overseas, include country’s name on
the final line.
• Mention AIRMAIL one clear line space above the inside
address.
• Eg. AIRMAIL

• Mr Doug Allen
• Eagle Press Inc
• 24 South Bank
• Toronto
• Ontario
• M4J 7LK Canada
The Opening (cont.)
• SPECIAL MARKINGS
• Eg.
• CONFIDENTIAL

• Miss Iris Tan

• Personnel Director
• Soft Toys plc
• 21 Windsor Road
• Birmingham
• B2 5JT United Kingdom
The Opening (cont.)
• ATTENTION LINE
• Eg.

• FOR THE ATTENTION OF MR JOHN TYLER, SALES MANAGER

• Garden Supplies Ltd

• 24 Amber Street
• Sheffield
• S44 9DJ United Kingdom

• Dear Sirs
The Opening (cont.)
• b) Salutation/Greeting
• Your reader’s last name, preceded by Dear and courtesy
title
• Eg. Dear Mr Smith Dear John
• To organization, use formal salutation
• Eg. Dear Sirs
• To head of dept/organization
• Eg. Dear Sir or Madam
• To a dept, Dear would be inappropriate
• Eg. (Dear) Accounting Department
The Opening (cont.)
• Mr, Ms, Miss or Mrs - distinguish gender
• Ms is always correct for women unless they prefer
to be called as Miss or Mrs (marital status)

• NOTE:
• Do not use “To whom it may concern”
• trite & imprecise
• CALL THE COMPANY TO FIND OUT BEFORE
WRITING
The Body of the Letter
• a) Subject Line (optional)
• - A brief indication of the content of a letter.
• - Usually placed one clear line after the salutation
• - Written in upper case/initial capitals with underscore.

• e.g. Dear Mr Tan

• Revision of City Sales Tax or

• REVISION OF CITY SALES TAX

Body of the letter (cont.)
• b) Message – should contain at least 3 paragraphs:

• Introductory paragraph (for greeting and purpose)

• Discussion paragraph (for details)
• Concluding paragraph (for farewell)
Body of the letter (cont.)
• Single-space each paragraph
• Double-space between paragraphs
• All paragraphs in a blocked style
• (begin at the left margin)
• Or indent 5 space in a modified blocked style letter
The Closing of the Letter
• The closing includes a complimentary closing
phrase, the writer’s name and title, OR typed name
of the organization, an enclosure notation, a
mailing notation, a copy notation, and a post script
Closing (cont.)
• Complimentary Close
• 2 spaces after the last paragraph.
• Should match the form of address used in the
salutation/greeting.
• Dear Sirs, Dear Sir or Madam
• (Yours faithfully)
• Dear Mr Leighton, Dear Mrs Yap, Dear Caroline,
Dear Sam
• (Yours sincerely)
Closing (cont.)
• b) Signature block comes after the Complimentary
Close.
• It includes sender’s signature, sender’s name
and designation.

• Yours sincerely Yours faithfully

• Joanne Taylor Alan
• Joanne Taylor (Mrs) Alan Brown
• Marketing Manager General Manager
Closing (cont.)
• If you are writing on behalf of the sender, include ‘for’
or ‘pp’ in front of the sender’s printed name
• ‘pp’ – per procurationem, which means ‘on behalf of’

• Yours faithfully
• Shirley Taylor
• Shirley Taylor
• pp Edward Nathan
• Chairman
Closing (cont.)

• Enclosure notation
• - anything that is included in the envelope with the letter.
• - type ‘Enc’ or ‘Encs’, one line after the sender’s
designation.

• e.g. Marketing Manager

• Enclosure(s) OR (Enc / Encs)

• 1. Catalogue
• 2. Reply card
Closing (cont.)
• Copy Notation – to indicate you are sending a copy to
a third party.
• Position this one line below the enclosure notation.
• Type “Copy” or “cc” (copy circulated/ courtesy copy)
followed by the name & designation of the recipient.
• If more than 2 recipients – alphabetical order

• e.g. c c Dave Evans, General Manager

• Candice Reeves, Accountant
• Ashley Silverstone, Company Secretary
•
Closing (cont.)
• If writer does not wish the recipient to know that a
third person is receiving a copy of the letter, then
‘bcc’ (blind courtesy copy) is used.

• Eg.
• bcc Mr Gordon Clark, Chief Executive
Section 5

Report
MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
LONG & SHORT REPORTS
• Less need for introductory material

• Predominance of direct order

• More personal writing style

• Less need for a formal coherence plan

GUIDES TO WRITE
SHORT REPORT…
The main stages of
writing a report….
4 stages….
1. Defining the purpose

• Identify task precisely

• Consideration
• Begin a report by drafting a statement of purpose
Defining the purpose
• This helps you to be clear about:
• why you are writing
• what to include
• what to leave out
• how to present the content
2. Investigating the topic

• Identify and list :

• information
• sourcing requirements

• A good report is based on solid, accurate, verifiable

facts
Investigating the topic

• Sources of information include:

• Observation
• Surveys
• Questionnaires
• Interviews
• Research & etc
• Gather information purposefully and avoid being
side-tracked
3. Organizing the report

• Sort your information

• Discard irrelevant data
• Organize material into sections under suitable
headings, in a logical sequence.
4. Revising the report

• Read critically
• Be prepared to :
• revise language and structure
• rewrite parts that don’t work
ORDER OF INFORMATION
• Direct order

• Indirect order

• Routine order
• If readers are:
• informed
• supportive
• keen to know results first

• DIRECT ORDER
• If readers:
• need to be informed
• need to be persuaded
• may be disappointed or hostile

• INDIRECT ORDER
• If readers need to:
• grasp information quickly
• make decisions

• ROUTINE ORDER
REPORT FORMATS
• The frequently used formats are:
• Formal format

• Letter format

• Memo format

• Manuscript format

• Prepared forms or templates

MANUSCRIPT FORMAT
• It includes:
• Cover
• Title page
• Executive summary
• Table of contents
• Sophisticated major headings, subheadings & sub-
subheadings.
PREPARED
FORMS/TEMPLATES
• Useful in reporting routine activities
• e.g. accident reports,
• merchandise inventories.
• Standardized headings & forms.
Section 6

Meeting
CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE
MEETINGS

1) Establish clear need or purpose of a meeting.

2) Fix the date, time and venue.

3) Circulate a meeting notice to the relevant

members.

4) Set the meeting agenda and circulate it to the

members.
5)Arrive earlier so that the meeting starts on time.
6)Prepare and circulate relevant documents such
as the minutes of the last meeting and other
documents to members.

7)Conduct the meeting in an orderly manner

according to the agenda.

8)Participate and contribute actively and

constructively.
5)Record the meeting minutes.
6)Ensure that the desired decision or outcome has
been made at the end of the meeting and
everybody agrees on and is clear about it.
MEETING PARTICIPANTS

 The Chairperson

 The Secretary

 Members
ROLES OF MEETING
PARTICIPANTS

The chairperson
-Plays a neutral role in the session and does not join
in
discussions and contribute ideas.
-Assist the group in generating a successful meeting
outcome and in achieving the meeting objectives
ROLES OF
MEETING PARTICIPANTS

- Role includes preventing conflicts from

arising during discussions and making sure
that each member actively participants in
the discussion.

- Acts as a supervising officer or the meeting

guide.
ROLES OF MEETING
PARTICIPANTS
• Also known as the minute taker.
• Takes a neutral stance just like the facilitator.
The
• Record Secretary
ideas accurately as discussed by the
members,
ROLES OF MEETING
PARTICIPANTS
• - During note-taking, ideas are not edited and
paraphrased- should replicate the exact words as
stated by each participant.
• -Helps in the wrapping up of the meeting with the
gathered notes from the participants’ ideas.
ROLES OF MEETING
PARTICIPANTS
• Members
• Active participants during a meeting
• Play a major role during the discussion and
• decision-making.
ROLES OF MEETING
PARTICIPANTS
• Interact actively in activities like brainstorming.
• Can create suggestions and even precede the
• function of a facilitator.
• Broadly determine the course of the meeting.
MEETING DOCUMENTS

Meeting notice

Meeting agenda

Meeting minutes
MEETING NOTICE

Contains details of the meeting:-

- Names of people who are required to attend the meeting.

- Date

- Time

- Venue

- Purpose of the meeting

MEETING NOTICE
• Prepared by the secretary and circulated to the
• respective members of the meeting in advance.
• Can be done in the form of memorandum, a
phone call, a letter, a short message service (SMS)
or a notice pasted on a notice board.
MEETING NOTICE
• Early meeting notice will help members to get
prepared- If the members are required to attend
the meeting in a different location other than the
workplace, an early notice of the venue will be
vital.
MEETING AGENDA
• A list of items or subjects to be discussed in a
• meeting.
• Prepared by the secretary upon consulting the
chairperson on the items to be discussed in the
meeting.
MEETING AGENDA
• List of items in agenda must be relevant to
the
• purpose of the meeting.
• Will assist the members to focus on the issues
being discussed in a meeting.
MEETING AGENDA
• Agendas should include the following items:
• Apologies for absence.
• Minutes of last meeting.
• Matters arising.
• Main agenda.
MEETING AGENDA

- Any otherbusiness (AOB)

- Date of nextmeeting
MEETING MINUTES
• A record of items that have been discussed at a
• meeting.
• Recorded by the secretary.
• Content:-
• - Who was present and who are the
absentees.
MEETING MINUTES

- Topics discussed.

- Decisions made and any required actions by

the
members.
 Should be written clearly since it will be a
true record of a meeting.
MEETING MINUTES

 A formal meeting may require precise minute taking.

A less formal meeting- brief minutes are preferred.

Upon preparing the minutes, it will be circulated to

members before the next meeting or at the meeting.
MEETING MINUTES
• Items listed in the minutes will reflect those
itemized in the agenda as meeting is conducted
according to the agenda.
• There are several formats of writing the minutes-
• Follow the format that they use in your company or
organization.
Minutes of Meeting
• Name of organisation
• Date, Time & Place of Meeting
• Names of Attendees & Absentees
• Approval & Amendments made to minutes of
previous meeting
• Brief write-up of discussion & decisions made
• Actions to be taken, Names of those responsible
and deadlines
Writing Minutes of Meeting
• Take notes following the same order of the agenda
• DO NOT write complete sentences while taking
down notes during meeting!
• Use Past Perfect tense, Simple Past tense and
Simple Future tense when writing actual Minutes of
Meeting from notes taken previously
Language specific to meetings
• Asking for opinions
• What do you think ….?
• What’s your opinion of …?
• Giving opinions
• I think/feel/prefer …
• My opinion is …
• Agreeing
• I completely agree with you …
• That’s right./ That seems reasonable
• Disagreeing
• I agree up to a point but …
• I totally disagree with you.
• I disagree.
Leading Meetings Effectively
• Chairperson should create right atmosphere to
encourage active participation in the meeting
• Chairperson can effectively lead a meeting by:
• Dealing with the subject matter of the meeting and achieving
its purposes/objectives within timeframe
• Dealing with the participants by avoiding time wastage,
digressions from items on the agenda and controlling the
time taken
• Chairperson should review agenda, objectives and
whatever decisions/actions to be taken in the meeting
• Chairperson must be firm but polite and know when &
how to interrupt a participant who is digressing from
the agenda
Leading Meetings Effectively
• Start punctually & begin effectively by:
• Greeting & welcoming participants
• Introduce participants who do not know one another if
in a small group
• Proceed with apologies from those unable to attend
• Define the objective of meeting clearly
• If there is no secretary, appoint one participant to take
minutes of meeting
• Brief group on how you plan to conduct the meeting &
time frame (15 mins. for each topic)
Leading Meetings Effectively
• Use the agenda as guide & reference
• Stay focused on agenda items
• Get meeting back on track with gentle & polite
reminders to participants who stray/digress
• Make decisions & delegate assignments/duties
• Balance & moderate the discussion by involving all
participants & encouraging all opinions/ideas using
open-ended questions and NOT close-ended
questions
Tips for effective participation
in Meetings
• Always prepare oneself before the meeting by
determining the purpose/objective of meeting and
source for any necessary info.
• Be prepared with whatever task that has been assigned
to you so that you can contribute effectively to the
meeting. Choose & request for appropriate audio-visual
equipment if required for presentations in the meeting
• Be courteous and respect opinions of others
• Be concise and direct in what you say
• You may disagree with opinions of others but never
criticise anyone rudely.
• Don’t take rejection personally and don’t get defensive
when facing disagreements from others
Section 7

Telephone
Skills
Effective Telephone
Skills
A standard greeting

“Good morning, LINC Help Desk, Emma

Whitfield speaking”
or
“Good morning, Lending Services, Jon
Swift speaking”

This will ensure that the caller knows he is

through to the correct department, and that
he has the name of the person he is
speaking to.
Basic Telephone Skills 1
• Effective communication/ speaking skills
• Tone of voice -
• FLAT & INDIFFERENT- bored, lack of interest in job, not
interested in caller or conversation
• ENTHUSIASTIC - interested in the conversation, likes job,
wants to help caller
• CARING - interested in caller, wants to help
• COLD - hostile, hates job, wants to be anywhere but
here
Basic Telephone Skills 1 cont
• Effective communication/ speaking skills
• Word content
• Keep jargon to a minimum in order to avoid confusing
customers
• Your use of technical words could intimidate the
customer who may have a lower level of expertise in a
particular area. Use language they understand!
Basic Telephone Skills 1 cont
• Effective communication/ speaking skills
• You need to speak at a rate that can be understood,
and how the customer responds will effect this -
• A slower rate of speech may indicate confusion or
fatigue
• A faster rate of speech might indicate anger or
impatience
Basic Telephone Skills 2
• Effective Listening skills
• Pay attention
• Assess the customers level of expertise
• It’s very valuable to know if they are novices or experts
• Knowing their level can save a lot of time
• Echo important points
• Take notes
Answering calls effectively
• Answer the phone promptly
• within 3 rings is standard practice
• Identify the Department and yourself immediately
• Let the caller hear you smile!
• Smiling conveys a pleasant tone to your voice. Use the
callers name if you can as it gives a personal touch and
helps to establish rapport.
• Transfer calls only when you have to
• try to resolve the callers problem yourself whenever
possible. If you must transfer the call ensure you explain
why!
Answering calls effectively
• Think about your words and how they might be
received
“He’s not in yet” - the caller thinks: what’s wrong
with this guy, can’t he get to work on time?
“He’s in a meeting” - Oh Yes... just giving me the
run around
“She’s still at lunch” - must be nice to take such
long lunches
“I don’t know when he’ll be back” - nobody knows
what’s going on in that department!
Taking better messages
• Get complete information
• Use a pad
• Record date and time
• Spell names accurately
• Don’t be afraid to ask how names are spelt - people will
be flattered
• What does the caller want?
• a return call? The caller will call back?
• Avoid telephone tag. When is a good time to call?
Taking better messages cont
• Ask, can you help?
• This does two things. It provides you with information
about the purpose of the call that you can pass on in the
message, or it may eliminate the necessity for a return
call if you can help by providing the caller with the
information required.
• Take responsibility - follow through
• its amazing how lax people are about returning calls and
following up enquiries. It is OK to say “I don’t know but
I’ll find out for you” but ensure you follow this up by
calling them back with an answer to their question.
Improved Customer Service
What callers like!
• Flexibility
• Follow-up
• Answering the phone promptly
• Friendliness & Courtesy
• Responsiveness
• Updates on progress
• Pleasant & Helpful Staff
• Personalized treatment
• Going above and beyond
Conclusion
• Good telephone skills means more satisfied
customers
• They are just as important as face-to-face
communication skills
• Effective telephone skills mean problems are
solved more quickly and efficiently
• Good speaking and listening skills give customers a
more positive image of the service and Learning
Services as a whole