Module 4-Business letters and reports

What is a business letter?

A business letter is a also called as business correspondence letter.
A business letter is an effective medium to exchange and convey information,
ideas, instructions etc. in a written form.
It is included in the category of formal communication.
It is used by companies, employees, government, agencies, suppliers etc.
Essentials of a business letter:
• Keep reader’s interest in mind: A business letter written should be able to
capture the interest of the reader. Therefore the writer should know well in
advance that what the subject matter is of interest for the reader in-order to
avoid boredom.
• Use correct tone: Using a correct tone involves offering respect and
courtesy to the reader of the letter. Thus it actually creates an interest in the
mind of the readers and is able to canvas him. This makes the reader feel
that he is being offered value and importance through the letter.
• Be actual and authentic: The letter should provide the relevant details
forming part of the message. Facts, figures, illustrations and other such
information, which are accurate and reliable, as well as relevant to the
context of the communication, should be incorporated in the letter. The
principle of communication that we are referring to here is also known as
adequacy or completeness. A communication can be said to be complete
only when it contains all the facts and details which the receiver needs to
know in order to respond or act on the basis of that communication. Not
giving all the required details leads to protracted correspondence, loss of
customers or lack of response. Worse still, although non-submission of full
details maybe due to an oversight or inadequate attention to details, the
receiver may infer that there is a deliberate attempt to withhold or conceal
facts and figures. Imagine a letter received from a departmental store
announcing the opening of a new branch and seeking your patronage that
does not give details of the new address or timings. Another requirement of
a business letter is concreteness.
• Maintain brevity: Any good communication—oral or written—should
necessarily incorporate this essential feature. Brevity is a very important
attribute for any business letter. For everyone connected with business, time
is of essence. The time that one can allot for reading business letters is
certainly limited. The receiver does not have unlimited time to spare towards
reading and re-reading the letter and drawing out the message in its entirety.
On the contrary, any business letter is competing with a huge mass of
business-related and other communication targeted at the receiver, waiting to
catch attention and time. Recognizing this, any business will have to value
the receiver’s time. Brevity in letter writing, therefore, is a must. Long
letters, whatever are their merits, are often kept aside for ‘later reading’.
Brevity in communication is also referred to as conciseness. Conciseness
refers to the skill of conveying what one wants to convey in the fewest
possible words, without sacrificing completeness or courtesy. Conciseness
eliminates unnecessary words and phrases, repetitive sentences and keeps
the letter focused. A good letter makes economical use of words. Brevity is a
skill that a business communicator must develop. As people move up in an
organizational hierarchy, their ability to condense messages into brief and
focused letters counts for a lot.

• Persuasive: A good letter should appeal to the reader’s sensibilities. It

should go beyond the message it conveys and make a good impression. It
should have elegance, which means taste, beauty and decency. A good letter
also ensures certain aesthetic appeal. No letter can be called elegant or
aesthetically appealing if it does not give due attention to appearance.
Mistakes and corrections, striking, overwriting, improper ink flow,
unintended gaps and other such deficiencies rob an otherwise good letter of
all its elegance. A letter is appealing when it shows consideration.
Consideration means thoughtfulness. It means keeping in mind the reader
and putting oneself in the reader’s shoes while writing the letter.
Consideration means visualizing the reactions of the reader and
accommodating them in the approach to the communication. A good letter
writer invariably makes it a point to think from the other person’s point of
view. Another essential for a good writer is empathy. Letter shows empathy
when it reflects understanding and comprehension of the impact on the
reader.
 • Use a positive approach: A good business letter, in the ultimate analysis, is
that which has a positive approach. It creates a friendly atmosphere. It
avoids negative feelings. One must be in a proper frame of mind to write a
really good letter. Thoughts and words must synchronize. The basic
objective should not be lost sight of. The letter should bestir and motivate
the reader to act or respond as visualized. Good letters cannot be written
under extreme emotional conditions such as sorrow, depression, anger,
frustration or shock. Such letters may not carry the overall balance in
approach which is so essential for effective writing. Similarly a good letter
cannot be written in a hurry. One must take adequate time to put thoughts
into words, choosing the most appropriate ones for the context. The writer
should write the letter taking adequate time, with due attention to all relevant
considerations. Apart from the various characteristics already listed, a good
letter should have integrity, accuracy and promptness. There should be
respect for values and ethical and moral standards. The writer should
demonstrate a sense of legitimacy in his writing.
Structure of a business letter:
• Letterhead: Most business organizations use printed letterheads for
correspondence. The letterhead contains the company name, address,
telephone number, telegraphic address, web-site, symbols and trademarks
etc. Generally the name and address are printed on the top middle of the
page and any other information is indicated in the margins. To give a
balanced appearance to the letter, a maximum one fifth of the total space
should normally be used for the letterhead.
• Date: Some letterheads contain a printed line indicating where the date
should be typed, in others, the typist choose the right place for it. It should
be typed or written two spaces below the last line of the letterhead. The date,
month and year should be indicated in upper right hand corner.
• Inside name and address: The inside address contains the name and
address of the firm or the person to whom the letter is to be sent. The inside
address should be exactly as it is on the envelope so that it might not create
any confusion in the mind of the clerk. Inside address should be written two
spaces below the date and two spaces above the attention line, but if there is
no attention line, it should be written two spaces above the salutation in the
 left margin. It may be typed in indented form or in block form. In the
indented form, the first line begins at the margin and the subsequent lines
begin two spaces away from the beginning of the previous line; a comma
follows each line and a full stop is put after the last line. The block form has
all lines beginning at the margin and no punctuation is used at the end of any
line.
• Courtesy title: It specifies the respect, politeness offered to the reader. This
courtesy is offered depending upon the position, rank, designation possessed
by the reader of the letter. This is the initial phase that actually creates an
interest in the mind of the reader to go through the letter.
• Subject: Subject line is used to let the reader know immediately what the
message is about. It is introduced by the word Subject: or Sub: or Re. (Re is
a Latin preposition meaning of which is “in the matter of” or “in the case of;
it is not the short form of any English word). The usual practice is to type
this line in a double space between the salutation and the first line of the
body of the letter. However, some organizations prefer to put the subject line
between the attention line and the salutation.
• Salutation: The salutation is the complimentary greeting with which the
writer opens his letter. It is placed two spaces below the attention line or if
there is no such line, two spaces below the inside address. The choice of
salutation depends upon the personal relationship between the writer and the
reader and on the form of inside address. If a letter is written to a firm, a
company, a board, a club, a society, an association, an agency or a post box
or a newspaper box number, use ‘Dear Sir’. While writing to an officer by
designation, write ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Dear Madam’ as the case may be. If the
organization you are writing to consists only women, use the salutation
‘Dear Madams’. ‘Sir’ is used when the officer you are addressing occupies a
high position in an organization or when he is a person of great status in the
society or when you to be very formal. If you are writing to an officer by
name the salutation will be ‘Dear John’ or ‘Dear Sir’ followed by his or her
surname. If the correspondent is a close friend of yours, you may address
him or her by first name as ‘My Dear John’ or ‘My Dear Michel’.
Sometimes sales and circular letters are addressed as ‘Dear Customer’ ‘Dear
Member’ ‘Dear Reader’ ‘Dear Subscriber’ etc.
• Message or body: This is the most important part of a letter. It contains the
message or the information to be communicated and is placed two spaces
below the subject line or often below the salutation. This main purpose of
any letter is to convey a message and the main purpose of the message is to
produce a suitable response in the reader. This is done mainly through the
body of the letter. Therefore, it is very important to organize and arrange the
materials very carefully. The qualities or essentials of writing a letter must
be applied in this part. The opening paragraph should be attractive enough to
attract the reader’s attention. In the first paragraph, previous reference, if
any, must be mentioned and in the second paragraph the main message
should be stated. The subject matter of the letter should be written in
unambiguous, sincere, simple and correct words. In the last paragraph it
should be stated clearly what action you expect the reader to take. It must be
natural and logical, must be final and complete. It must be gentle but firm,
friendly but forceful. And it should be stated from “You Viewpoint”.
Therefore, the entire body of the letter should reflect a positive approach and
a friendly attitude and it must contain definite sales appeal.
• Complimentary close: The complimentary close or subscription is a polite
way of ending a letter, same as we say good-bye at the end of conversation.
It appears two spaces below the last line of the letter, either at the left side or
at the right side of the letter, depending on the style of the letter. There are a
variety of styles of expressing a complementary close, such as “Yours
faithfully’, “Yours truly”, “Yours very truly”, “Yours respectfully”, “Yours
sincerely”, “Sincerely Yours” and so on. There must be a close relation
between the salutation and the complementary close. Important points to be
noted here are: Only the first letter of the closer is capitalized. At the end of
the closure there may or may not be a comma depending on the style
adopted. Better to avoid a closing phrase containing a present participle like
“Hoping to hear from you soon” or “Thanking you”.
• Signatures & designations: The signature is the signed name of the writer.
It is the assent of the writer to the subject matter of the letter and is usually
hand written and contains the writer’s name, status, department, firm etc.
Signature is placed just below the complimentary close. The name of the
writer is generally typed four spaces below the closing line, providing
enough spaces for the signature. In case of partnership business, any partner
can put his or her signature below the name of the firm. The firm may also
 delegate the authority of signing letters to an officer by executing a legal
instrument called the ‘Power of Attorney’ in his favor. Such an employee
will put ‘per pro’ or ‘PP’ before the name of the firm and sign below it. Per
pro is the abbreviated form of “per procuration”, a Latin phrase meaning of
which is agency or on behalf of.
• Enclosures and copy line: If there is something to be attached to the letter,
it must be indicated against the enclosure line which is typed two spaces
below the identification marks. Generally the abbreviated form Encl. is
typed against which the number of enclosure is indicated.
For example: encl. 2

Types of business letter: refer slides for letter formats

• Sales letter: This is the most common form of a business letter that is used
in almost every field. The sales letter serves as an introduction for the
customer about the product and/or the company. A typical Sales letter
starts off with a line or statement which captures the interest of the reader
who is more often than not a target customer or a prospect. The purpose of
a sales letter is to ensure that the reader takes an action and that is why
strong calls to action are included in it. The call to action includes a website
link, phone number, social media handles, etc. which would connect the
customer with the company for further info.
• Credit letter: A letter of credit, or "credit letter" is a letter from a bank
guaranteeing that a buyer's payment to a seller will be received on time and
for the correct amount. In the event that the buyer is unable to make a
payment on the purchase, the bank will be required to cover the full or
remaining amount of the purchase.
• Offers and quotations: A quotation is a specific offer for sale.
A quotation includes details about the prices of specific goods selected,
terms of payment and conditions of delivery while writing such a letter, the
seller should clearly state everything as inquired by the buyer.
• Order letter: As the name suggests, these are types of Business letters that
are sent solely for the purpose of placing orders and they may be sent to
wholesalers, retailers, or a manufacturer. The order letter includes all the
 relevant details related to the order such as invoice or receipt number,
product details along with specifications, quantity of the order, Sales tax
number and other details related to the manufacturer and a figure indicating
the total amount of the order. Depending on the agreed payment terms the
payment amount may or may not be included in with the Order letter.
• Claim letter: We often face situations where we would demand
compensation for any wrongdoing or dissatisfaction with the services or the
product. Writing a claim letter example would be the first step to take and is
part of a legal process. The letter serves as a written notice to someone to let
them know your intent to seek damages for either personal injuries or
incomplete or unsatisfactory work on a specific project.
• Adjustment letter: Adjustment letters are the ones that are sent to the
customers as a response to their claim or complaint. The adjustment can be
either in customers’ favor in which case, the letter should begin accordingly
and if it is not in the favor of the customer, the tone should be kept factual
with a message that you understand the complaint.
• Settlement letter: A settlement letter for a loan will contain statements and
offers made from the debtor to the creditor for unpaid debts. Usually, these
type of letters state that the debtor acknowledges the unpaid account as
being true and the debtor is willing to pay the pending debt.
• Complaint letter: Complaint letters are the types of Business letters written
by one party to another party or entity to convey dismay about a certain
issue. Complaints are indicators that something has went wrong and that has
been indicated by a formal business letter. A customer may issue a product
complaint letter to address something that is wrong with the product or to
highlight a deficiency in services leading to dissatisfaction. The complaint
letters are short and usually direct in nature, addressed to the company or
person or department in charge. Sometimes complaint letters may also
contain steps to rectify the problem or expected compensation. A complaint
letter is followed by an acknowledgment letter and then an apology letter, if
applicable.
• Collection letter: There are sometimes when a company or an organization
needs to collect money from a client or a customer. The intention behind
writing recovery or collection letters is to recover the money form the
customer without bothering or annoying the client. This type of letter
 includes detail information regarding the amount of unclear payment, last
date of payment of the amount, the detail of the legal action in case of non-
payment of the dues. Although it is a recovery letter, one must always keep
in mind
• Status enquiry: A letter which requests the referees to provide necessary
information about the status of an applicant is termed as status inquiry letter.
Such a letter should be specific and polite to motivate the referees to provide
information, which is confidential in nature.
• Persuasive letter: Persuasive Letter is a letter written to persuade an
organization/s or individual/s towards accepting the writer's (sender’s) issue,
interest or perspective. It can be written to any type of organization i.e.
school, bank, college, NGO, municipality etc. The individuals can be a
director, CEO, government official etc. The motive of the persuasion letter is
to ‘Get your work done’ in layman terms. The persuasion can be related to
any matter, it can be: a complaint, a sale, a petition, a request or any other
matter which requires convincing
• Follow up letter: These types of Business letters act as a reminder
following up further with the discussion. These letters could be about the
business meeting follow-up or about a sales order follow-up or even a job
seeker inquiring about his application. These letters may also combine a
Thank you note along with the follow-up message.
• Job application letter: A letter of application, also known as a cover letter,
is a document sent with your resume to provide additional information about
your skills and experience to an employer. The letter of application is
intended to provide detailed information on why you are are a qualified
candidate for the job. Your application letter should let the employer know
what position you are applying for, what makes you a strong candidate, why
they should select you for an interview, and how you will follow up.
• Letter to editor: A letter to the editor (sometimes abbreviated LTTE or
LTE) is a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern from its readers.
Usually, letters are intended for publication. In many publications, letters to
the editor may be sent either through conventional mail or electronic mail.
Letters to the editor are most frequently associated with newspapers and
newsmagazines. However, they are sometimes published in other periodicals
(such as entertainment and technical magazines), and radio and television
 stations. In the latter instance, letters are sometimes read on the air (usually,
on a news broadcast or on talk radio). In that presentation form, it can also
be described as viewer mail or listener mail, depending on the medium. In
academic publishing, letters to the editor of an academic journal are usually
open post publication reviews of a paper, often critical of some aspect of the
original paper. The authors of the original paper sometimes respond to these
with a letter of their own.
• Bank correspondence letter: Any letter exchanged between bank and its
clients or any other letter written by bank to any other party else for
performing its banking activities is known as a bank-related letter or banking
correspondence.
Layout of a business letter:
Physical appearance
• Good quality of paper
• Proper arrangement of the typed matter
• Properly folded and kept in the envelop
• The envelop itself has to contain the addressee’s name and address and
stamping
Standardised styles of letter formats
• Full or complete block form
• Indented form
• Semi-block form
• Modified block form
• Hanging indented form
• Simplified form of N.O.M.A
Refer slides for the format of letters
Routine letters:
• Received with interest
• It is neither negative nor positive
 • There is similarity to positive letters
• Always a happy idea is welcomed
• Communicates the idea in the first sentence followed by its description in
the body.
• It includes routine claim letters, routine request letters, routine order letters
etc with ‘Yes’ response.

Regular claim letters:

• Claim can be defined as the right of a person to request or demand
something.
• It may be written as a request for an exchange against any damage to the
goods during transportation.
• It includes 2 categories
• Routine claims
• Persuasive claims
• A routine claim letter is written when the policies, terms and
conditions support exchange of the damaged goods without any
refusal.
• No unnecessary requests are made.
• There is mutual understanding between the sender and receiver.
• Writer is sure that his complaint will entertained properly.
Refer slides for the format of letters

Routine order letters:

• Works on the principle of routine credit letters.
• When more than one item is ordered the data is represented in tabular form.
• Beginning of the letter should indicate the desire to place order.
• Vague terms like ‘I am interested in must be avoided’.
• Be particular about the items like rates, shades, size, shape etc.
• The mode of payment should also be specified.
• Positive tone about dispatch of the product must be shown.
Refer slides for the format of letters

Persuasive letters:
• It is a convincing letter from seller to buyer.
 • Written with the aim of persuading or influencing one’s opinion.
• The tone of letter decides about the positive or negative impact.
• Example:
• Requesting employees to work on weekends voluntarily.
• Letters for making donations for charity.
• Mostly used by business firms
Refer slides for the format of letters

Positive message or good news letter:

• It is a carrier of a optimistic message to the receiver.
• These letters are used on the occurrence of some happy and delightful event.
• It is written in a very simple language.
• Includes sincerity and honesty.
• The tone is informal and friendly used here.
• It is also known as an affirmative letter.
Refer slides for the format of letters

Negative message or bad news letter:

• It generally conveys disappointment, bad news, unpleasant information.
• It includes refusal of employee or customer request.
• Ex: information about product recall.
• The reader must be able to comprehend the negative message.
• The relationship between sender and receiver must not be affected.
Refer slides for the format of letters

Writing reports:
• The word report is derived from Latin word ‘reportare’ which means ‘to
carry back’.
• It refers to the description of the happening of a certain event that is carried
back to a person who was not present at the spot.
• It describes what had happened.
• It generally includes detailed examination of a problem, actions taken, and
findings of the enquiry.
• It’s a form of formal communication.

Objectives or purpose of reports:

  To evaluate employee’s performance.
 To deal with changes in business.
 To provide information.
 To facilitate record keeping.
 To recommend action.

Preparing reports:
• Taking notes and investigating the sources of information.
• Collection of data
• Organizing the report
• Analysing the data
• Writing the report
• Presentation of report
Types of reports:
• Basis of legal requirement
• Statutory reports: A statutory report is one which has some legal
value or weightage. This report is prepared as per the legal
requirements. Statutory reports are those which have to be prepared
by a company under the provisions of the Companies Act or by a
registered society registered under the Societies Registration Act or by
a co-operative society registered under the Cooperative Societies Act
and a copy of such report have to be submitted to the respective
Registrar. For example, the annual report of a company or a society.
The Statutory Report to be prepared and submitted by every public
limited company also comes into this category.
• Non statutory reports: Non-Statutory Reports are those which have
to be prepared formally but there is no compulsion under law to be
submitted to any authorized person. For example, a report prepared
and submitted by a Committee set up by the Board of Directors of a
company for a particular purpose, e g. on development of market. The
submission of the report shall be to the Board of Directors. Formal but
 non-statutory reports are also prepared and submitted by the secretary
to the Board of Directors on different issues.
• Basis of formality
• Formal reports and Informal reports: Formal Reports are those
reports, which are to be submitted to a higher authority for analysis or
for approval. These are prepared by keeping in mind all the
technicalities of report writing. On the other hand, informal reports are
those which are prepared by the person, either for his own use or for
keeping as a record, not for the use of an organization for any formal
purposes. Mostly, the reports prepared in the organizations are formal
reports. In formal reports, proper facts and figures, which can be
substantiated, are used. Informal reports may be based on guess work
or approximation of facts.
Examples: Formal Report: Report Submitted by Sales Manager to
General Manager regarding annual sale.
Informal Report: Report submitted by sales assistant to sales manager
regarding approximate number of customers entering the showroom
• Basis of function
• Informational reports: An informational report, as the name
suggests, provides all details and facts pertaining to the topic selected
for study. It may be a problem arising in an organization or any other
subject of study as selected by the management. For instance, it could
be a report that attempts to trace the growth of Company X in the
automobile industry. In a report of this kind, the presentation of all
details that led to the growth of Company X should be listed in a
chronological order. The sequential arrangement of issues or topics in
an informational report could observe any one of the following ways
of presentation. It could be by:
• Chronology: On the basis of time of happening of events
• Importance: On the basis of Priority of the issues
• Sequence/procedure: On the basis of sequence of events in a process
• Category: Any basis of categorization
 • Alphabetization: On the basis of Alphabets ( A to Z)
• Familiarity: Arrangement from known to unknown issues. In a report
of this kind, the various sections are simple and self -explanatory .As
the presentation of information is the basic purpose of the report,
details are worked out in a systematic and coherent manner. The
structural orientation in an informational report should be clearly
evident to the reader and its significance also grasped.
• Interpretive reports: An interpretative report not only contains the
facts, views and opinions of reporters and others but also includes the
causes for an issue or an event and required remedial action with
recommendations.
• Basis of frequency
• Routine reports: The reports which are prepared on a routine basis in
an organization are called routine reports. These are prepared in the
normal course of business, whether or not something extra ordinary
takes place.
Examples: Progress report, inspection report, performance appraisal
report, periodical report.
• Special reports: Special Reports are those reports which are not
prepared on a routine basis, but only in the event of special
circumstances or exceptional happenings. These may have to be made
once in a while.
Example: Investigation report, survey report, First information report
• Basis of length
• Long and Short reports: Long Reports are detailed analysis of a
project or a problem at hand. As indicated by the name, Long reports
are lengthy and consume a lot of time in making as well as
presentation. On the other hand, Short Reports are a one to three page
presentation of a topic or an event. These are brief and precise in
nature and contain only the relevant facts.
Examples: Feasibility Report of a Product: Long Report.
Report on Annual Exhibition of School: Short Report.
 • Basis of subject matter
• Marketing reports: A marketing report is a set of data created to
analyze the performance of a specific marketing campaign or effort. It
is utilized to effectively communicate a company's marketing strategy,
including research, promotional tactics, goals and expected outcomes.
• Accounting reports: Accounting reports are compilations of financial
information that are derived from the accounting records of a
business. These can be brief, custom-made reports that are intended
for specific purposes, such as a detailed analysis of sales by region, or
the profitability of a specific product line.
• Production reports: This kind of report generally describes about the
production plan of an organization. It is usually prepared by a
production manager or a production controller. It generally includes
information such as number of units to be produced, number of
batches to be produced, production time scheduled, machine running
time, machine idle time etc.

Organization of reports:
• Letter form (introduction, findings, recommendations)
• Memorandum form
• Letter text combination form
• Introductory part(title page, table of contents, illustration list,
summary)
• Body(introduction, discussion, conclusion, recommendations)
• Appendix(list of references, bibliography, glossary, index)
Short or informal reports:
• They are short letter or memorandum reports.
• It is concise, accurate, unbiased.
• It requires less detailed introduction, visuals, elaborate headings.
• It is also sent through mail in business communication.
Types:
• Progress reports
• Periodic reports
• Technical reports
Long or formal reports:
• It is used in major investigations
• The report includes complex topics.
• Includes informative and persuasive information
• Used for high level administration.
• Very lengthy in appearance.
Types:
• Informational reports
• Analytical reports
• Recommendation reports
Writing proposals:
• The word ‘proposal’ is derived from the word ‘propose’ which means to put
forward .
• Hence it is an offer by a party to another party for providing goods or
services in exchange of monetary amenities.
 • It is usually issued by a customer or client.

Structure of proposal
• Cover letter or memo
• Title page or cover
• Reference to authorization
• Table of contents
• List of illustrations
• Proposal summary
• Purpose
• Problem or need
• Background
• Benefits of proposals
• Description of solution
• Evaluation plan
• Qualifications of personnel
• Time schedule
• Cost
• Glossary
• Appendixes
• Reference list
Explain all the above points
Media management:
• An information or message regarding a work of a company can be expressed
through various traditional news media such as social media networks,
 channels etc. Managing, observing, monitoring of these messages is called
as media management.
• In order to attract public towards their products or services most of the firms
use media interviews, press conferences, press releases.
• The phenomenon in which any information is conveyed to the public by
making use of the medium or media with appropriate selection is called as
media management

Press conference:
• Presentations given by business firms, governments etc through various
means of mass communication throughout the country is termed as a press
conference.
• It is performed with vigilance.
• Used especially during crisis.
• One or more spokesperson might be involved.
• One has to be well prepared for it.
• Whatever information is shared with the journalist’s the spokesperson has to
keep a record of it.
• It involves the answering of questions raised out by journalists from
different media.

Major steps for setting up a press conference:

• State the reason for holding a press conference
• Prepare the message to be conveyed
• Decide the location of the press conference
• Set the date and time
• Invite the media
• Invite the guests
• Appoint a spokesperson
• Select a moderator
• Prepare background materials
• Practice roles with group members
• Prepare visual aid
Explain the above points in detail
Media interview:
The process in which 2 or more persons convey essential information to the
public with the presence of the interviewer in front of a media or channel is
termed as a media interview.
Types of media interview:
• Print media
• Radio
• Television
•
Preparations for media interview:
• Before interview
• Know the audience and objective
• Set the agenda
• Prepare for key messages
• Practice
• During interview
• Dress appropriately
• Keep control on the interview
• Don’t say ‘no comment’
• Don’t use jargon
• After interview
• Express gratitude and follow-up
• Share it
• Learn from the experience
Explain all the above points in detail

Group communication:
Meetings: The process in which 2 or more people come together for the purpose of
accomplishing a common goal.
• Minimum 2 persons are required to conduct a meeting since it includes
exchange of ideas.
• Can occur through face to face or virtual interactions.
Planning meetings:
Objectives
Participants
Timing and venue
Types of meetings:
Basis of purpose:
• Problem solving meeting
• Decision making meeting
• Feedback meeting
• Combination meeting
Basis of formality:
Formal meeting
Informal meeting
Explain all the above points in detail
Objectives of meetings:
Objectives:
• To convey information
• To develop opinions
• To exchange ideas and experience
 • To discuss problems
• To convince members to accept changes
• To resolve conflicts
Participants in meeting:
 CEO
 Chairman
 Vice president
 Secretary
 Managing director
 Standing committee
 Head of the department
 Staff members
 Others
Notice:
• A notice contains all the essential information of a meeting such as time,
venue, agenda etc.
• It can either be given orally or in a written form.
• The right for issuing notices lies with the company secretary, chairman, HR.
• The notice should reach all the participants.
Essentials:
• The place where the meeting is going to take place.
• The day, date, timings.
• Details of any special issue to be discussed.
• Name of the person going to head the meeting.
• The date on which the notice is issued.

Agenda:
• A list consisting of various points to be discussed during a meeting is called
an agenda.
• It is generally distributed among members who are likely to attend the
meeting.
• It helps the participants to prepare themselves for the meeting.
• It consists of the attendees, date, timing, and venue.
 • It is usually sent with the notice of the meeting, but it may be sent later if it
takes time to prepare it. Items included in the agenda depend on the type of
meeting. According to rules of conduct of a meeting, apologies for absence
received from are member are taken up and recorded before the agenda is
taken up. The agenda begins with the item "Approval of Minutes" because
the minutes of the previous meeting must be approved and signed before any
matter can be taken up by the present meeting. This item may be written in
the agenda as "Minutes" or in greater detail as "Approval of minutes of
previous meeting." The second item relates to matter arising out of the
minutes. This may be indicated in the agenda as "Matters arising"; however,
it is not necessary to indicate this item in the agenda. The new items are set
out after this. Some of the items are routine requirements, like payments to
be passed and cheques to be signed, Progress reports, Review of activities,
etc.

Minutes:
• A minute is a written document that objectively and accurately records the
essence of a meeting.
• Includes various decisions and conclusions made and specific action points
earmarked under a meeting.
• It is important to record minutes as the participants often forget about the
key points made in the discussion and it is also useful to update absentees
about the things that were discussed in the meeting.
• All companies, statutory bodies, social organizations, associations (whether
registered or unregistered) and Committees have to have to maintain a
record of the meetings. Minutes are the Official Record of work done and
decisions taken and the meeting of members; they must be precise and clear.
They record what was decided and done. They are meant for future
reference. The minutes are made available to all the members on request. If
the members are staying outside, a copy the minutes is sent by post. The
minutes of companies and statutory bodies are written in formal style. Other
organizations may write minutes in informal style. Minutes are a legal
document and can be produced in a court of law as evidence. At the next
meeting, the minutes are read out by the secretary or may be taken as read if
a copy was sent to members; the minutes are then approved and signed by
the Chairman and the Secretary as a correct report of the meeting.
Preparing minutes of meeting:
• Purpose
• Title
• Members present
• Chair’s comments
• Minute numbering
• Action points

Resolution;
When the suggestion is adopted by the meeting, the common decision is recorded
as a resolution to take action. A resolution may be ordinary or special. Ordinary
resolutions require majority support in terms of votes. Special Resolution requires
support of three fourth members present. Resolutions are passed unanimously or
by vote. In case of voting, it may be carried on either by show of hands or secret
ballot. A Resolution has a heading indicating what it is about; e.g. Appointment of
Secretary Appointment of Bankers Endorsement of cheques Signature on
Negotiable Instruments