Republic of the Philippines

Province of Batangas
CITY OF TANAUAN
TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE
TANAUAN City of Colors
E-mail: tanauancitycollege@gmail.com Tel. No.: (043) 702 – 6979; (043) 706 – 6961; (043) 706 - 3934

URL: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tanauan-City-College/554034167997845

MODULE 7
The Principles of Professional Communication
PROGRAM: BSCPE Year Level: 2nd Section: A, B, C

COURSE CODE: GENE05 DESCRIPTION: Purposive Communication

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the period, the students should be able to:

• Describe the purpose and features of the register of

professional communication
• Know the principles that guide professional communication
• Apply these principles by revisiting professional documents or
experts

Prepared: Reviewed and Checked:

MARRY QUEENIE GONZALES-AGULO,LPT,MAED ENGR. MA. THERESA B. PRENDA

Instructor Program Head
Recommending Approval: Approved:

WILMA WENG P. CASALME, PhD PROF. MICHAEL E. LIRIO, CPA, MMPA

Vice President for Academic Affairs President and College Administrator

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE GENE05 MODULE 5 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION LEARNING MODULE

Program: Bachelor of Technical – Vocational teacher Topic: The Principles of Professional Communication
Education
Course: Purposive Communication Instructor: Marry Queenie Gonzales-Agulo, LPT, MAED
Code GENE05 Module #: 7 Week #: 13-14 # of Pages: 7 pages

I. Preliminaries
Introduction to the In this lesson, reinforces what students already know: “that people use language differently depending
Module Objective on the social situation that they are in.” It hen zooms in on professional context, discussing the basic
principles that guide corporate and workplace communication, whether in the Philippines or in the
world. As they learn about these principles, they will to apply these in short exercises which require the
students to revise sample workplace documents.
Assessment/
Section Topics Learning Outcomes Evaluation Modality
Section 1: Professional Purposes • Describe the purpose and features of Quiz
the register of professional • Module
Section 2: Audience of communication Recitation • Google
Professional Purpose Classroom/Me
• Know the principles that guide Paper Critiquing et
Section 3: Professional Language professional communication • Canvas
• Social media
Section 4:The genres of • Apply these principles by revisiting platforms
Professional Writing professional documents or experts

II. Instructions
KEYWORDS AND CONCEPTS

Professional Communication- refers to the various forms of speaking, listening, writing, and responding carried out both in and
beyond the workplace, whether in person or electronically.

Professional writing- is an activity is writing for reward or as a profession; as a product or object, professional writing is any form
of written communication produced in a workplace environment

Professional Language- secures the communication effectiveness of specialists in the same sphere.

Negative wording- Negative-wording questions, or negatively keying an item, is typically accomplished by negating an item
thought to measure a construct of interest

Positive wording- is a word which has a positive meaning or imposes a positive meaning on an existing word.

Memo- is an incredibly versatile form of communication, often used in business settings.

A memo is defined by Merriam-Webster as a "brief written message or report from one person or department in a
company or organization to another.

Business letter- is a letter from one company to another, or between such organizations and their customers, clients, or other
external parties. The overall style of letter depends on the relationship between the parties concerned

SECTION I: Professional Purposes

• All kind of professional writing have specific purposes related to the workplace setting

▪ First purpose is to record important workplace information, for example via minutes of a meeting, secretarial
notes, and official documentation of proceedings.
▪
▪ Second purpose is to give or ask for information from people within the company via memos, outside the
company via business letters, or either of the two via professional reports.

▪ Third purpose is to persuade readers to take action-pay a fee, buy something; accept changes give someone a
job, etc.

▪ This purpose can be seen in professional proposal, marketing or promotional materials and job applications
letters.

• A professional document may also be written will all three purposes in mind, such as in a resume which record a
person’s skills and professional achievement, give information about these and persuades a prospective employer to hir
or her based on these.

• Example of professional document

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE GENE05 MODULE 5 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

SECTION 2: Audience of Professional

• Professional writing targets a specific audience, sometimes one reader sometimes multiple readers.

▪ The audience may be homogenous one; a “discourse community” with the same level technical knowledge: “ a
group of people who share assumption about what channel, formats and style to use communication, what topic to
discuss. And how to discuss them, and what constitute evidence.

• The Style of Professional Writing

▪ According to Kitty Locker and Donna Kienzler (2013) in Business and Administrative Communication, effective
professional writing is reader-centered, emphasizes the positive and uses bias-free language.

▪ Important aspect of professional writing

▪ First aspect- adopting a professional style means adopting a reader perspective in writing. This “you-attitude” as
Locker and Kienzler (2013) call it, is defined as style of writing which looks at things from the reader’s point of view,
emphasizing what the reader wants to know, respecting the reader’s intelligence, and protecting the reader’s ego.”

▪ Example the difference of “I-attitude” and a “you-attitude” in writing

I-Attitude You-Attitude
If I can answer any of your queries, I’m perfectly If you have any questions, please ask.
willing to do so.
We delivered the order to the provided address this Your order was shipped to your address this morning.
morning.
I’m happy to tell you that…. You’ll be happy to hear that….

▪ “You-attitude” place the reader at the forefront. Literally, the pronouns you and your appear first in these
sentences.

▪ Second aspect- is the emphasis on the positive in order to build a positive image and good will. All information
should be stae4d positively, which means that there is focus on what the reader can do rather thank on what the
writer will not or cannot let the reader do

▪ Negative information, if not important may be omitted.

▪ For example: a letter communicating the rejection of a request may follow this rejection with information about
the next round applications. Whatever the case, the writer should also eliminate any words shat sound harsh or
have negative connotation.

▪ Example in the table show how positive wording appeals to the reader’s sense of cooperation and fairness because
sentences are phrased in a nonthreatening way

Negative Wording Positive Wording

We cannot process your reimbursement request Your reimbursement request will be processed as soon
because your documents are not complete. as you submit all the required documents.
We do not reply to emails on weekends. You may contact us via email at any time form Monday
to Friday.
We can’t give you the list of books because we have You will receive the completed book inventory by
TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE GENE05 MODULE 5 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
 not yet finished taking inventory. tomorrow.

▪ The first example, not only is the focus shifted from the writer “we” to the readers need “ you request” but the
emphasis also shifts form why the request is being denied to what the reader will gain if he or she completes the
requirements.
▪ The second example is similar in that it talks of the reader’s ability to contact an office.
▪ Third example, a failure is transformed into a promise.

▪ Third aspect- of the professional style is its use of bias-free language, as it was already discussed in module 2

▪ It is unprofessional and in very bad form to use language that shows a bias against certain people or groups of
people.

SECTION 3: Personal Language

• Professional Language-
▪ Professional documents require language that is appropriate to the workplace setting: polite, professional, rather
than overly personal, grammatically accurate.

▪ First- polite language is essential in a context wherein there are power asymmetries. There are ranks and
hierarchies in any workplace setting and workers must ensure that there is minimal conflict and disharmony in the
organization.

▪ Second- personal matter and overly friendly language should not appear in the workplace correspondence.

Example:
Overly Personal Professional
Hey, I’m not sure if you’ve heard but I’ve been having I am writing to request a three-day leave. I have some
a bunch of family problems lately. My son was recently urgent personal business to attend to, and I would
expelled, my daughter is in rehab, and to top it off, my certainly appreciate your approving this request.
wife hasn’t spoken to me in days! So, I really need a Thank you very much for your consideration.
few days off to try to get my home situation
straightened out. Please help me out by approving this
request.

▪ Third- it should go without saying that professional should exhibit grammatical accuracy in the use of standard
English.

▪ Fourth- professional writing can be made clear and direct by the avoidance of what is called” business jargon”
▪
▪ Fifth- the final point is that emojis or emoticons and shortcuts that are commonly used in the text messages and
electronic communication have no place in professional writing. Example: ^_^, !!!, LOL, NRN etc.

Section 4: Genres of Professional Writing

• Most common type of professional writing

Letters/Business Letters
- Is a document that conveys information to a member of one organization from someone outside of the
organization
- An external communication
- Must contain an inside address and a signature block.
- Also contains salutation

▪ Standard Salutation Formats

- Consist of word “Dear” followed by Mr., Ms., Dr., Prof., of the recipient, last name and a colon.
-
▪ Conventional complementary closes
- Includes Sincerely, Respectfully, Best regards, and Yours truly.

- Letter is formatted in a way that makes the information easy to see and understand

Example:
Company letter head

(two or more blank lines)

Date of letter
TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE GENE05 MODULE 5 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
 Two or more blank lines

Name of recipient
Position/ Designation of recipient
Address of recipient

(one blank line)

Dear+ Courtesy title + Readers’ last name:

(One blank)

First single-spaced paragraph

(One blank line)

Second single-paced paragraph

(one blank line)

Third single-paced paragraph

(one blank line)

Complimentary close, such as “Respectfully yours,”

(three blank lines for the sender’s signature)

Name of sender
Title/ Designation of sender

▪ Memo
▪ Is a document written by a member of an organization to one/more members of the same organization.
(William Pfeiffer)
▪ Is an internal communication
▪ Gives date, the addresses and sender, and subject of the memo in standard format.

Memo Template

(two inches blank lines)

Memorandum of Memo

To: Readers’ name (individual or group name) and designation/ jobs titles

(one blank line)

From: Writer’s name and designation/job title

First single-spaced paragraph

(One blank line)
Date: Current date
(one blank line)
Subject: What the memo is about
(two blank line)

First single-spaced paragraph: an opening that grabs attention and introduces the purpose of the memo, the
context and problem and the specific assignment or task.

(one blank line)

Second single-spaced paragraph: a body that explains the purpose and context in greater detail; uses lists, if
necessary, for easy digestion of information.

(one blank line)

Third single- spaced paragraph: a closing that includes a request for action, deadline, and reasons; ends
courteously

Tips in writing:
▪ Spell out acronyms at first mention; afterwards, use the acronym, for example: “The University of the Philippines
TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE GENE05 MODULE 5 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
 (UP) prides it on excellence. UP students are…”
▪ Spell out symbols such as ampersand, for example: “and” not “&”
▪ In general, spell out numbers from one to nine as words, and write the rest as figures.

The Design Principle of Professional Writing

▪ One final feature of professional writing is that, it is very attentive to design principles.

• Keys to consider in professional writing

▪ Good design element- Which are tied to the purpose of professional writing not only to persuade readers to
take action, but also to record information clearly so that the key points will be easily to see.

▪ Negative space of white space- this is essential for allowing the audience to engage with the content in an
orderly
▪ Proper arrange content- lay out of the content on the page should also observe, not just only the ordering
of the paragraphs.
▪ Font size, choices, effects, and line breaks- it is use to highlight and foreground key information.
▪ Typography- this includes considerations of the legibility of the typeface or fonts’ design Typefaces
designed, like the simple font style such as TNR, Arial, Calibri, Verdana are best to used for business
letters.

III. Viable and vibrant Activities

Description of the Learning Activities

Activity Number 1: Building Arguments

Negative Wording Positive Wording

You are not qualified to join the University Cooperative
because you haven’t fulfilled the tenure requirements.

We put your case on hold because you never sent us the

information, we requested in our email sent on June 24

Until your library and miscellaneous fees are paid, we will

consider you ineligible for enrollment.

Activity Number 2: Applying the Principles of Professional Communication

• Revise Text A to improve its you-attitude and positive language. Make any other changes necessary to improve the
wording of the letter.

TEXT A

Dear Mr. Jacob:

As per your request of September 29, be advised aht we have reviewed your balance sheet and seller reference sheet.
Based on this information, we have decided to extend your credit to P 50, 000. Please be aware that paying beyond 30
days is not negotiable and we expect your compliance. We grant a 2.5 discount only if you pay within ten days.

I am looking forward to your orders of our high-quality standard motherboards and custom-designed wiring. Hoping for
your continuing interest.

Yours,

Celeste Saveron
Credit Representative, Quill Electronics

Revision of TEXT A

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE GENE05 MODULE 5 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

The following is a form sent by a department to graduating students to inform them that they are eligible to graduate and to ask
them to participate in an exit interview, which is a clearance requirement, that is, something necessary for them to get their
transcripts. Make all changes necessary to improve the letter’s “you-attitude” and positive emphasis.

TEXT B.

Dear Student:

In our review of students who hope to graduate, we saw your name and have selected you to participate in an exit interview
for majors of the Department of English. We want to get feedback from you regarding your experiences with the department.
We will use this input to enhance the learning experience of future students.

We will assign you an interview schedule and venue very soon. We expect you to be at the specified venue on time. If you do
not attend this interview, you will not receive the interview certification which is a clearance requirement. This means you
will not be able to claim transcript and other records without this.

Revision of TEXT B.

IV. Opportunity to reflect and articulate students’ acquired knowledge.

Purpose of the Activity 1:
At the end of the lesson student should be able to:

1. know the difference of solid arguments;

2. learn how to avoid negative wordings in professional writing; and
3. think deeply and use positive wordings in professional writing

Purpose of Activity 2:
At the end of the lesson student should be able to:

• describe the purpose and features of the register of professional communication;

• know the principles that guide professional communication; and
• Apply these principles by revisiting professional documents or experts

Criteria for evaluation:

Rubric for Revising TEXT A and TEXT B
Criteria 4 3 2 1 score
Format Format is correct, One of the following Two of the Three of the
including your parts is incorrectly following parts are following parts are
address, date, formatted: your incorrectly incorrectly
inside address, address, date, formatted: your formatted: your
salutation, body, inside address, address, date, address, date,
closing, and salutation, body, inside address, inside address,
signature. closing, and salutation, body, salutation, body,

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE GENE05 MODULE 5 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

 signature. closing, and closing, and
signature. signature.

Body (Content) Body includes at Missing one Missing two Missing three or
least three component from components from more components
complete the following: at the following: at from the following:
paragraphs. A clear least three least three at least three
purpose is clearly complete complete complete
stated and paragraphs, clearly paragraphs, paragraphs,
conveyed to the stated purpose clearly stated clearly stated
reader. purpose purpose
Grammar and Grammar and Grammar and/or Several errors in Many errors in
Spelling spelling are spelling errors are grammar and/or grammar and/or
correct. minimal (<2 errors). spelling (>2 errors). spelling (>4 errors).

Language/Audience he language is One word is not Two words are not More than three
appropriate for the appropriate for the appropriate for the words are not
audience. audience. audience. appropriate for the
Language is formal audience.
and appropriate.
Conciseness The letter is free of The letter contains The letter contains The letter contains
redundant and/or no more than two more more than so much redundant
superfluous cases of redundant two cases of and/or superfluous
wording. and/or superflous redundant and/or information that
wording. superflous the message is
wording, but they weakened.
do not distract
from the message.
Total

Summary and Reflection

Please refer to student’s Learning Journal

V. Textbooks and other References

• Tara, M et al. 2018, Communication for Society Purposive Communication, Rex Book Store, Inc. Sampalok
Metro Manila.

• Efren F. Abulencia. 2009, Fundamentals of Public Speaking, Rex Book Store, Inc. Sampalok Metro Manila.

• https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-the-three-types-of-persuasive-speeches.html

• https://www.slideshare.net/robrocco/building-an-argument

• https://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse403/06sp/lectures/ProductPitches.pdf

• Pragmatic Programmer, Hunt/Thomas p18-23 (recommended)

http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art1.html (optional) philip.greenspun.com/seia/writeup (optional)

• https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/179084

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE GENE05 MODULE 5 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION