MODULE 4

FORMS OF WRITTEN AND SPOKEN

COMMUNICATION IN DIFFERENT
PROFESSIONS

Lesson 1 Telephone Usage

Lesson 2 Minutes of the Meeting

Lesson 3 Business/Project Proposal

Lesson 4 Incident Reports

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MODULE 4

FORMS OF WRITTEN AND SPOKEN COMMUNICATION IN

DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS

INTRODUCTION

This module presents sample forms of written and spoken

communication in different professions. Good verbal and written
communication skills are essential in order to deliver and understand
information quickly and accurately.

OBJECTIVES

After studying the module, you should be able to:

1. understand the importance of written and spoken communication.

2. recognize the seriousness of the permanence of written
communication.
3. demonstrate techniques for writing improvement.

DIRECTIONS/ MODULE ORGANIZER

There are four lessons in the module. Study the lessons presented. At
the end of every lesson, application exercises are provided .The exercises
will make you analyze, criticize, synthesize, apply and create something.

God bless and happy reading!

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Lesson 1

Telephone Usage

Communicating over the phone remains an important tool for

businesses. Despite digital customer service communication advancements
including email, texting and automated answering services, customers
continue to use the telephone as their initial point of contact. Phone calls
are often the first positive impression a client or customer will have of your
business.

Definition of Telephone Usage

Telephone usage is the way you use manners to represent yourself

and your business to customers via telephone communication. This includes
the way you greet a customer, your body language, tone of voice, word
choice, listening skills and how you close a call.

Importance of Telephone Usage

Identifying the tools to achieve proper phone usage can help your
business to:

1. Show professionalism. Whether you are a start-up or a well-

established business, you and your representatives know your business best.
Communicating your working knowledge to your callers using telephone
manners should establish you as professionals worthy of repeat business
dealings.

2. Create a good first impression. Everyone deserves to be treated

with respect, and the initial phone call is your businesses’ chance to show
the customer how pleasant it is to do business with you.

3. Increase customer trust and loyalty. If your business has face-to-

face interactions with prospects who were initially just callers, the trust
between you and your potential customer may grow, leading to them
purchasing your goods or services more frequently.

4. Achieve high customer satisfaction ratings. When you meet

customers’ needs over the phone, they can accurately assume that you will
continue to meet their needs in person, creating well-rounded and
consistent experience.

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Elements of Telephone Usage

To achieve excellent phone usage, you’ll need to apply the following

items:

1. Friendly Greetings. Answering an office phone properly requires a

positive and cheerful disposition. Allow the positivity to resonate in your
voice, offer a salutation, thank the customer for calling, introduce yourself
and your business by name and then extend your help. This gives the
customer a sense that you are warm, alert, and pleased to help them with
their inquiries.

2. Body Language. Body language plays a major role in

communication, both in-person and on the telephone. When you speak on
the phone, your body language still communicates how you are feeling. For
example, when you smile and sit up straight, your voice is likely lighter and
easily translated by the client as cheerfulness. Body language, facial
expressions and gestures should remain professional while speaking on the
telephone.

3. Tact. There will be times when you must deliver potentially

upsetting information to a customer over the phone. Remaining calm, while
considering your word choice is the key to delivering messages tactfully to
your caller.

4. Active Listening. To achieve excellent phone usage, it is necessary

to develop active listening skills. Give the customer your undivided
attention by minimizing distractions. Taking notes and repeating requests
back to the caller lets them know that you care and are listening to only
their needs at that moment. Active listening will help you respond to a
customer’s requests appropriately.

5. Appropriate Closing. Remember that closing a call can be just as

important as the way you begin one. Before saying goodbye to your
customer, thank them again and ask if you can assist them with anything
else. Closing the call this way assures your caller that your business provides
thorough customer service.

Tips to Improve the Quality of Your Phone Calls

1. Answer the call within the first two or three rings. Providing a
quick answer to customers’ phone calls should let them know that their
business is important to you. When customers feel valued, they could be
more likely to use your business.

2. Identify yourself and your business at the beginning of all calls.

Identifying yourself and your business at the beginning of a call lets the
customer know that they called the correct place.

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3. Let positivity resonate in your voice. Offering a positive tone of

voice builds rapport, as the receiver becomes more open to sharing details
about how you can best assist them with their needs. If possible, practice by
recording your phone calls.

4. Watch your body language. When you hear the phone ring, it may
be beneficial to immediately sit up straight and smile before answering.
Your voice will likely sound more friendly and light to the customer of you
practice changing your body language.

5. Minimize interruptions. Minimizing interruptions is possible, even

in offices with ample foot traffic. Take a moment before answering a call to
put aside items you were working on and prepare to give your full attention
to your caller.

6. Active listens and takes notes. When listening actively, it can be

beneficial to give periodic affirmations that you can understand the
customer. For instance, you could say “I understand that you would like to
return your product” or “Thank you for sharing your concerns.” Keeping a
record of the conversation by taking notes can ensure that you remember
and respond to all the customer’s concerns effectively.

7. Be honest. Honesty is more important than trying to make your

customer happy. If there’s something you know you can’t do for them, make
them aware that you cannot perform the task they are requesting. Deliver
the honest message in a polite and sympathetic way and your customer may
still have a positive experience with your business after the call is over,
even though you could not meet all of their needs. For instance, you could
say “I understand your concerns, but unfortunately, we cannot approve your
request.”

8. Ask the caller before placing them on hold. You may need to
place a caller on hold to get more information for them. For instance, you
could say “Would you mind if I placed you on a brief hold to better assist
you?” Asking the caller before placing them on hold allows them to know
you are working on assisting them to the best of your ability and it displays
professional courtesy.

9. Minimize emotional reactions. Keep your tone of your voice

positive. Find a break in the conversation and ask the caller politely if you
may place them on hold. While they are on hold, take two deep breaths and
remember to be objective and emphatic when faced with a challenging
caller.

10. Make sure the callers’ needs are met before closing the call.
Making sure you meet the customer’s needs is usually your goal when
answering a phone call. The customer may often forget about other
questions they have during the conversation. Asking if their needs are met
or if they have questions is a great opportunity to be proactive and provide
further clarification.

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THINK!

Activity 1. How would you answer if someone asks you for a favor that you
feel you cannot provide while not wanting to appear difficult or cold?

Activity 2. Create a formal telephone conversation between two people.

Pretend that you are a marketing officer, and that you are going to ask for
an appointment for a product demonstration in a big company. You are
about to converse to the secretary of the company.

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Lesson 2

 Minutes of the
Meeting

Minutes are instant written accounts of what transpired in an

organizational meeting. Generally, minutes include a list of attendees, a
statement of the issues considered by the participants, and related
responses or decisions for the issues. They are used as a reference in case
doubt on policies discussed arises. They must be approved by the members
and confirmed by the president of the organization/agency; then copies are
circulated to members before the next meeting.

There are two kinds of minutes according to form (the amount of

detail in the minutes).These are condensed and detailed (Francisco, 2008).
When writing condensed minutes, only the wording of the motion, the
proposer and seconder, the number of votes, and the decision appear.
Meanwhile, detailed minutes include a description of the discussion
preceding the voting.

Tips in Writing Minutes of the Meeting

1. The language should be formal in style. Titles of persons with their

last names should be used appropriately and consistently. The third person
point of view is used.

Wrong: I informed the Council that the quorum has been met.

Correct: The secretary informed the Council that quorum has been
met.

2. The past tense of the verb is used to relate what happened in the
meeting.

Wrong: Dr. A. Zavala has moved the approval of the agenda.

Correct: Dr. A. Zavala moved for the approval of the agenda.

3. What happened before the meeting is expressed in the past tense.

Wrong: One member had submitted his letter of complaint three days
before the meeting.

Correct: One member submitted his letter of complaint three day

before the meeting.

4. Both active and passive voice is acceptable.

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Correct: The Council approved the motion.

Correct: The motion was approved by the Council.

5. Reported speech or indirect speech is used to report anything that

was said in the meeting.

Wrong: One member had submitted his letter of complaint three days
before the meeting.

Correct: One member submitted his letter of complaint three day

before the meeting.

6. Expressions of time and neatness must also be changed.

Wrong: Mr. S. Alano said: “I submitted my report online.”

Correct: Mr. S. Alano said that he submitted his report online on the
previous day.

7. Avoid using the same reporting verbs. Instead of said, the following
verbs may be used: explained, announced, agreed, reported, pointed,
pointed out, suggested, explained, supported, remarked, informed,
assumed, commented, stated, and opposed.

Parts of Minutes of a Meeting

1. Title. The name of the committee (or business unit) and the date,
location, and starting time of the meeting.

2. Call To Order. To announce that a meeting is about to begin.

3. Approval of the Agenda. The agenda as distributed was

unanimously approved.

4. Approval of the Minutes of the Last Meeting. The minutes of the

meeting on (date of the previous meeting) were approved.

5. Matters Arising from the Minutes. The list of things to be

discussed at a meeting.

6. New Business. It is usually discussed near the end of the meeting.

After participants finish with planned topics, the meeting leader allows
anyone with a new business topic or idea to present it.

7. Other Matters. The additional topics to be discussed in the

meeting.

8. Adjournment. The act of ending a meeting.

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9. Prepared by. The person who accomplished the report in the

meeting.

10. Attested by. The person who affirmed what transpired in the
meeting.

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THINK!

Activity 1. Why is it important to take accurate minutes of a meeting?

Explain vividly.

Activity 2.Imagine that you are in a meeting. The agenda is the planning of
Give a Gift Project to the street children in a community. Write a sample
minutes of the meeting for you are the secretary in the group. You may
invent names and topics assumably discussed in the meeting.

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Lesson 3

 Business/Project Proposal

A business or project proposal is considered as a persuasive

document. The main intent of the proponent is to get approval of the
funding of the agency or committee. Thus, such proposal is written primarily
to identify what is to be done, how it is to be done, and who is going to
implement the project. In order to achieve this, there are basic parts of a
proposal that need to be considered:

Title Page. Among the different parts of a proposal, the title page
perhaps is the easiest to prepare. It is one page document that bears the
following basic information: project title (should capture the essence of the
proposal), project team (the working committees), institution details,
funding agency name (if there is), and date of submission (used for tracking
purposes).

Executive Summary. This is the summary of the whole proposal.

Thus, it is imperative that all the important information of the proposal is
discussed in the document. The language should be plain and be understood
by the experts in the area and by the laymen. Since this part of the proposal
presents everything about it, it is probable that this might be the only
section to be read by the grants committee. Hence, it is important that: (1)
the problem will be addressed by the project to be defined; (2) a short
description of the general and specific objectives of the project to be
discussed;(3) projects’ significance and potential contribution be specified;
and (4) the project’s end-products be clearly presented.

Statement of Need. The Statement of Need presents the motivation

behind the proposal. It must be convincing and realistic. In order to do this,
it is vital to include facts, evidence, and statistics that lead to the
presentation of the problem that the project intends to solve. After which,
the causes and the effects of the problem be presented. Lastly, how the
project could help in mitigating, if not solving, the identified problem is
explained. It is also necessary to discuss in detail the benefits that the
project could give to its beneficiaries.

Project Description. The proposal’s general and specific objectives

must be clearly discussed in the project description. Next, a clear
methodology must also be explained. It is essential that the screening
committee could visualize the steps that will be followed in the actual
implementation of the project. The committees and their functions and the
evaluation scheme are expected to be presented as well.

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Budget and Budget Justification. A line –item budget is necessary as

this is one of the variables that will be taken into consideration by grants
committees. It must be calculated with reasonable accuracy.

Biographical Data and References. One way of convincing the grants

committees is to prove that the proponents are qualified and credible
enough to do the job. A compilation of curriculum vita of those who will be
working in the project could be prepared. Moreover, a current list of
references to relevant literatures in the field may also be included in the
proposal.

Appendices. These are supporting documents that are significant in

the proposal. This includes illustrations, figures, graphs, letters of support,
and certifications, if applicable.

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THINK!

Activity 1. The purpose of a business proposal is to convince the reader to

see the world in the same way that you do. Explain further.

Activity 2. What do you think is the part of the project proposal that can be
persuasive to the reader? Why?

Lesson 4

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 Incident Reports

Incident reports document unusual and significant events or

emergencies involving individuals who receive services and support.
Particularly, they are written to report an injury to individual or caused to
others, aggressive behavior directed at others, self-abusive behavior,
endangering or threatening at others, serious illness or hospitalization or
imminent death, property destruction, serious disruptive situation while in
the workplace, illegal behavior, problematic behavior, and any incident
involving the police, fire department, ambulance and others. Since this
account in incident, the language of the report is expected to be concrete
(behavioral terms should be used). However, judgmental terminologies
(generalities such as aggressive, upset, agitated) or left un- answered
questions be avoided.

Aside from documenting significant events within individual records,

an incident report is written to communicate information to other people
who want to understand the incident. Such understanding could be used as
bases in the formulation of plans, policies, support strategies, and when
making decisions.

Steps in Writing Incident Report

1. Find the Facts. In finding the facts, the following are expected to
be known by the writer:

a. Date, time and specific location of incident

b. Names of employees involved

c. Names and accounts of witnesses (if there are)

d. Events leading up to the incident

e. Exactly what employee was doing at the moment of the accident

f. Environmental conditions

g. Specific injuries

h. Type of treatment of injuries

i. Damage to equipment, materials and others

2. Determine the Sequence. This includes the events that happened
before, during and after the incident.

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3. Analyze. The writer of the report should analyze what happened.

The primary and secondary causes of the incident must be identified.

4. Recommend. Recommendations should be forwarded in order to

avoid the occurrence of the same incident in the future. Below is a sample
of incident report.

INCIDENT REPORT
Reported by: Kriss de la Cruz
Date of Report: April 6, 2018
Incident No.: 1
Title/ Position: Staff, HR Department
Date of Incident: January 15, 2017 @ 12:24 PM
Location: In a smoking room at the 5 th floor of the
Publishing House Headquarters

Participants and Witnesses

An argument that resulted in a scuffle occurred between Mr. Stanley,

a junior manager of the Marketing Department, and Mr. Sandler, a
marketing communication manager. The incident was witnessed by product
managers Ms. Hasley and Mr. Gratz and by a customer support manager Mrs.
Whinfrey.

Preconditions and Consequences

The participants were on their break when the incident occurred.

They discussed a personal issue related to Mr. Stanley’s family. However,
when Mr. Sandler disrespectfully referred to the wife of Mr. Stanley, the
man instantly hit him in front of their female colleagues. Ms. Hasley and
Mrs. Whinfrey.

A fistfight began and it continued until women called Mr. Gratz to

help. As a consequence, both men were not seriously injured, but a chair in
the smoking room was broken. Nonetheless, they were sent to the first-aid
room in order to be checked by the nurse. The medical statements were
attached.

As a prerequisite of the incident, HR Department defined the lack of

communication skills of both participants. Furthermore, they did not take a
part in an organizational training concerning conflict resolution strategies
conducted by the HR Department on October 15, 2016. Besides, both men
were uptight because of the Internet issue, which occurred in the office on
that day. The whole building was left without an Internet connection for
two hours between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. so people were unable to work on
their tasks.
Description of Taken Measures

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Since it was the first time that both men were involved in such an
incident, they got a verbal rebuke and a letter of warning. They were
notified of a subsequent firing in case the situation reoccurs. Both men were
fined 10 percent of their salary because of the broken piece of furniture.
The Supply Department was reported about the damaged item; it would be
replaced during the following week.

In addition, the HR Department is currently preparing a general

gathering in order to conduct an organizational talk with all members of the
company personnel concerning interpersonal relationship issues and conflict
resolution strategies. The presentation will be held on January 18 at 2 p.m.
in the meeting room, and every employee is obliged to be present at it.

Reported by:

Mr. Morgan Black (signed)

Senior Manager of HR Department

(Adapted from https://www.wcb.ns.ca/Portals/wcb/Sample%20Incident

%Report%20-%Final%20Print%Version%20(1).pdf?ver=2015-04-10-084116-000)

THINK!

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Activity 1. It is crucial that incidents are reported immediately or at least

within the day of its occurrence, regardless of its severity. Why? Explain
substantially.

Activity 2. “Incident reporting ensures that every person involved in or

impacted by an incident receives the necessary report.” Explain the
statement substantially.

 MODULE SUMMARY

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In Module 4, you have learned selected forms of written and spoken

communication in different professions.

Lesson 1 focused on telephone usage. Proper phone usage is vital to

a company because it’s usually the first contact point for a customer and
represents how the business will treat them in other conversations.

Lesson 2 dealt with minutes of the meeting. Minutes are used to

document business conducted at a meeting.

Lesson 3 discussed the business/project proposal. A well written

business proposal is an important tool because it gives people the ability to
lay out their goals and track their progress as their business begins to grow.

Lesson 4 centered incident report. An incident report form is used to

gather the details of an incident for formal documentation and
investigation.

Congratulations! You have just studied Module 4. You are now ready
to evaluate how much you have benefited from your reading by answering
the summative test. Good Luck!!!

SUMMATIVE TEST

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Test 1. Watch the video titled “Like a Girl” from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs. After which, write a
short media campaign proposal of the video. Consider the parts of the
business/project proposal.

Test 2. Write an incident report using the facts listed in the box. Follow the
following steps.

A. Decide what additional information about the incident you will

need to discover before writing an incident report. Once this is decided,
create needed information.

B. Decide if any graphics would be needed for this report; detail what
they would be. You may create any information that you believe would be
needed to complete a thorough report.

C. As the Director of the Security Management Team of Ferdinand

Edralin Marcos University, write an incident report to be submitted to the
University President.

What: bushfire
The fire caused the burning of a garage.

When: March 3, 2018

Where: Within the compound of Ferdinand Edralin Marcos

University

Who: Erick Santiago (started the bush fire who happens to be

the caretaker of Jimmy Currimao, a farmer cooperator
of Ferdinand Edralin Marcos University)

Randy Pascua (witnessed the bushfire)

Celia Samoy (owner of the burnt garage)

All are residents of Brgy. Paoay, City of Batac, Ilocos

Norte

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Samuel Tabije and Carlos Doctolero, security officers of

Ferdinand Edralin Marcos University responded to the
bushfire. They used three 20lb fire extinguishers in the
incident

Reference List

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Books

Domingo, M. et.al.(2018). Purposive Communication, IPM Publishing.

Manalo, P. (2015). Technical and Report Writing

Igoy, J.(2016). Technical Writing and Reporting.Meycauayan,

Bulacan.Trinitas Publishing Inc.

Egipto, J.(2015). Writing Business Letters.

Tiongson, M. (2016). Reading and Writing Skills.

Websites

Telephone Etiquette. Retrieved from

https://www.virtualspeech .com

A Guide to Phone Etiquette. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com

Incident Reporting. Retrieved from https://www.abcwest.org

Telephone Exercises. Retrieved from

https://www.skillsconverged.com

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