Effective Business Communication

The 3 Vs of Communication
Visual (55%) - what can be seen i.e. how we look, how we dress, our expressions, gestures.
Vocal (38%) - how we sound i.e. the tone in which we speak.
Verbal (7%) - what we say i.e. the words we use.

Barriers that Impact Communication

Some of the barriers are:

1. Inappropriate medium
2. Assumptions
3. Personal Emotions
4. Language differences
5. Poor listening skills
6. Distractions
7. Relationship history
8. Cultural view points
9. Technology

Self-Image
Self-image is made up of :
• Looks
• Values and beliefs
• Sense of humour
• Talents
• Aptitude
• Morals and ethics

People with High Self-esteem :

• Take on responsibility (have a “can do” attitude)

• Take pride in their accomplishments
• Approach challenges positively and with enthusiasm
• Are not afraid to show a broad range of emotions
• Feel qualified to influence others
• Deal with frustration, challenges and setbacks in life and bounce back
People with Low Self-esteem :
• Blame others for their own weakness or faults
• Become easily frustrated or defensive
• Avoid situations that make them uncomfortable
• Feel weak and incompetent
• Feel that others don’t value them
• Express few emotions
• Get easily influenced by others

How to build Self-esteem :

• Engage in positive self-talk - “Yes I can”
• Remember what you like about yourself
• Tell others about your good qualities but don’t brag
• Focus on your achievements
• Plan for your future
• Overcome setbacks
• Overcome fear

Active Listening (3 Steps)

1. Listen
To feelings as well as words : Words – emotions - implications
Focus on speaker -Don’t plan what to reply, don’t speak, or get distracted
What is speaker talking about? -Topic? Speaker? Listener? Others?
Look at speaker -Use verbal & non-verbal encouragers

2. Question
Purpose of questioning is to demonstrate you are listening, gather information and seek
clarification.
Ask open-ended questions such as:
Tell me more?
How did you feel?
Then what happened?
So it is like this?

3. Reflect- Paraphrase
Reflect what is said (in your words), Reflect feelings
Reframe - capture the essence of the communication
Emotional Intelligence

Social
Skills

Empathy

Motivation

Self-Regulation

Self-Awareness

The Effects of Emotional Intelligence

Self-Awareness Self-Regulation Motivation
The ability to recognize and The ability to control A passion for work for
understand your moods, or redirect disruptive reasons beyond money or
emotions, and drives, as well impulses and moods. status. A love of learning
as their effect on your The ability to think and achievement.
performance and others. before acting.
▪ Self-confidence ▪ Trustworthiness ▪ Strong drive to achieve
▪ Realistic self-assessment ▪ Integrity ▪ Optimism, even in the
▪ Modest sense of humor ▪ Comfort with face of failure
ambiguity ▪ Organizational
▪ Openness to commitment
change ▪ Passion for learning
 Empathy Social Skill

The ability to understand the emotional Proficiency in managing relationships and

make-up of other people. Skill in treating building networks. An ability to find common
people according to their reactions. ground and build rapport.

▪ Building and keeping strong ▪ Effectiveness in accepting or leading

relationships change
▪ Cross-cultural sensitivity and tolerance ▪ Persuasiveness
▪ Excellent customer service ▪ Expertise building and leading teams
▪ Good communication

Presentations

Follow the 3 Ps – Plan, Prepare, Practice

1. Setting up a Presentation
• Identify the presentation objective—it will drive everything else you do.
• Learn as much as you can about your listeners, their biases, and their expectations.
• Address your topic from the audience's perspective.
• Tailor your presentation to accommodate the context—the physical environment,
time of day, and significant ongoing events that may affect your listeners.

2. Organizing a Presentation – sequencing

• Make the logic of your presentation clear at all times.
• Place your strongest point first or last. Do not bury your best ideas.
• State in the opening where you are headed and what you want to prove or
demonstrate.
• At appropriate intervals, note what you have already covered and where you are
about to go.
• Summarize your main points and present your conclusions in the close.

3. Creating Slides – Visuals

• Use a single idea with no more than six lines per slide.
• Be selective with your words.
• Use pictures where possible.
• Don't use vertical lettering.
• Use a maximum of two sizes of font per page.
• For non-sequential items, use bullets not numbers.
• Only use all uppercase for titles or acronyms.
 4. Presenting effectively
• As far as possible don’t use a script or notes. Don’t memorize, acquire knowledge
about the subject and internalize.
• Don’t memorise as you may forget.
• Face your audience and make eye contact.
• Walk around your audience when you want control, more involvement, or to
become one of the group – this is ok if audience is very large.
• Do not put your hands in your pockets.
• Use gestures in a relaxed and normal way.
• Use the open palm, don’t point fingers.
• Use your voice effectively.
• Keep your focus on your message and your audience.

• Observe the body language of the audience, if they look bored:

• Say something interesting or ask a close ended question to get their attention
back. Modulate your voice.
• Change what you're doing (e.g., make a sudden pause or change your vocal tone)
• Ask for a show of hands
• Add humor
• Provide analogies and vivid examples
• Introduce personal stories
• Employ compelling statistics and expert testimony

How should you handle questions?

• Always repeat the question
• If questions are beginning to disrupt the flow of your presentation, record them on a white
board or flip chart and address them at the end of the meeting.
• When you are ready to end up the question and answer session, set the audience's
expectations by saying, "I'll take two more questions, and then we'll wrap up our time
together."
• Try to take questions from people seated in all sections of the audience. Avoid letting one
person dominate the question and answer session.
Fundamentals of Written Communication
The 7 Cs of written communication

1. Correctness means:
▪ Use the right level of language
▪ Correct use of grammar, spelling and punctuation
▪ Accuracy in stating facts and figures
Correctness in message helps in building confidence.

2. Clarity
Clarity demands the use of simple language and easy sentence structure in composing the
message. When there is clarity in presenting ideas, it’s easy for the receiver/decoder to grasp
the meaning being conveyed by the sender/encoder.

Clarity makes comprehension easier.

3. Conciseness
A concise message saves time of both the sender and the receiver. Conciseness, in a business
message, can be achieved by avoiding wordy expressions and repetition. Using brief and to
the point sentences, including relevant material makes the message concise. Achieving
conciseness does not mean to loose completeness of message.

Conciseness saves time.

4. Completeness
Completeness means the message must bear all the necessary information to bring the
response you desire. The sender should answer all the questions and with facts and figures.
and when desirable, go for extra details.

Completeness brings the desired response.

5. Consideration
Consideration demands to put oneself in the place of receiver while composing a message.
It refers to the use of You attitude, emphases positive pleasant facts, visualizing reader’s
problems, desires, emotions and his response.

Consideration means understanding of human nature.

6. Concreteness
Being definite, vivid and specific rather than vague, obscure and general leads to concreteness
of the message. Facts and figures being presented in the message should be specif.

Concreteness reinforces confidence.

7. Courtesy
Courtesy means not only thinking about receiver but also valuing his feelings.

Much can be achieved by using polite words and gestures, being appreciative, thoughtful,
tactful, and showing respect to the receiver. Courtesy builds goodwill.

Courtesy strengthen relations

Elements to consider before you start writing:

A. What is the Purpose ? Is it to
• to inform
• to persuade
• to review
• to invite
• to confirm information
• to make an inquiry
• to ask for approval
• to reject or approve
• to propose or suggest

B. Who are the receivers of the communication (the audience)?

• How does the reader benefit?
• What should the reader do?
• When should the reader do it?
• What happens if the reader does take action?
• What happens if the reader doesn’t take action?
• Who else will benefit? Why?
• Where does the reader go for more information?

Pay attention to the following:

Language
• Pay attention to details such as name and how you address the person
• Use simple words – avoid jargons
• Subject line should be short but meaningful
• Be clear with obvious points, don’t assume the reader knows

Grammar
• Turn nouns into verbs
e.g. “We would like to make a recommendation that…” say “We recommend that…”
• Use Active voice to sound assertive
e.g. “The report was submitted by the team lead to the CEO,” but “The team lead submitted
the reports to the CEO.”
• The tone should be confident, sincere and courteous

Style
• Formal or informal - depends upon purpose and audience

Formatting
• Use fonts like Calibri, Verdana, Tahoma
• Bullets for non-sequential matter, numbering for sequential.
• Tables
• Maps, flowcharts, and diagrams
• Bold and italics as appropriate
• Paragraphs must be short – around 7-8 lines.
• Use only credible sources. This will make your document more reliable and convincing.

Capitalizing Rules
• Capitalization is the use of an uppercase letter for the first letter of a word and
lowercase for the remaining letters. The general rules of use are as under:
• A sentence always begins with a capital letter
• Capital letters are used for headings in reports, articles, newsletters, and other
documents
• Capital letters are used for titles of books, magazines, and movies
• Capitalize the first word, and all other important words in a heading or title
(conjunctions and prepositions are normally not capitalized). Example: The Lion and
the Mouse
• Proper nouns must always be capitalized. Examples: Dr. Prasad is my physician. I love
South Indian food.
• Capitalize the name of months, days, cities, states, and countries. Examples: January,
Monday, New Delhi, India, Maharashtra.
• Some abbreviations use capital letters. Examples: NDTV, ATM, HTML
• Capitalize titles that come before personal names. Examples: Ms., Dr., Officer-in-
Charge, Col.
• Capitalize abbreviations for academic degrees and other professional designations
that follow names. Examples: M. Radhakrishnan, PhD.
• Do not capitalize seasons. Examples: winter, spring, summer
Rules for Writing Numbers
• There are rules for expressing numbers as figures or words. General guidelines for
writing numbers include:
• Numbers one through nine should be spelled out with words. Numerals should be
used for the number ten and anything greater. Examples: One clerk and three workers
were needed to form a team. The teacher placed an order for 35 notebooks.
• Use words for numbers that are indefinite or approximate. Examples: About fifty
people offered to donate blood. There were approximately ten thousand new cases
of H1NI last year.
• When a number begins a sentence, it should be spelled out. Example: Thirty copies of
the report should be made.
• When two numbers come together in a sentence, use words for one of the numbers.
Example: There are 9 thirty-year-old people in my team.
• Use words to express fractions. A hyphen comes between each word. Example: The
owner offered one-half of the sales proceeds for the day to his employees.
• When expressing time, use numerals followed by a.m. and p.m. designations. Always
spell out the number that appears before the term “o’clock”. A colon is used between
numerals expressing hours and minutes, but is omitted when using the 24-hour
system. Examples: 2:30 p.m.; eight o’clock; 16:00 hrs.; 1345
• Use numerals for days and years in dates. Do not write “th”, “nd”, “rd”, or “st” after a
number. Examples: I started my journey on March 24, 2021. I quit my job on January
2, 2021.
Letter Writing
Introduction
Communication plays a vital role in all facets of a business today. The success of any
organization depends on the ability of managers and employees to communicate effectively
not only with each other, but with people outside the organization as well. This
communication occurs in many forms. It can be informal or formal, written or spoken.

Format of Business Letters

Business letter should be typed and printed on good stationary and preferably on a
letterhead. It gives a good impression and draws attention in the first visual itself. The neat
font style and font size with the desired space between the paragraphs makes the business
letter legible. In short, the appearance of a letter is as much important as much as the content
that follows.

The Heading
Most organisations use letterheads for business correspondence. It contains the writer's
address and the date of the letter. The writer's name is not included and only a date is needed
in the headings on the letterhead stationery.
Example:
Data Consulting Pvt. Ltd
44 Nippon Building, Bandra West, Mumbai – 400 050

Phone no: (022) 22244444 email: sales@dataconsult.com website:www.dataconsult.com

__________________________________________________________________________

• Dateline
Sample 1: 15 October 2021
Sample 2: October 15, 2021

• The Inside Address (To whom you are writing)

This lists the person's name and business address that you are writing to. The inside
address appears after the date on the left-hand side of the page. It should follow this
format:
Name
Title (if applicable)
Name of business or company
Street or postal address
City or town, state or province, pin code or postal code
Country name (if applicable)

Example:
Ms Purvita Raorane
Vice President
Data Consulting Pvt. Ltd
44 Nippon Building, Bandra West,
Mumbai – 400 050
• The Salutation
The salutation directly addresses the recipient of the letter and is followed by a comma.

Example:
Dear Mr. Kumar, (formal)
Dear Sir, or Madam/Ma’am, (if the person's name is not known)

• Body of the Message

Context Paragraph

The first paragraph of the letter will define the context, providing a clear statement of the
letter’s topic and purpose.

Content Paragraphs
The typical letter uses one to three paragraphs to provide the information relevant to its
purpose. Each paragraph should cover a single topic or point. In the case of a long letter
that covers multiple pages, it is appropriate to break the information into sections with
internal headers or bullets to provide clarity.

Action Paragraph
This paragraph of the letter provides a clear, straightforward statement of the action that
will be taken be the writer, requested of the reader, or expected by a third party.

Final Paragraph
The final paragraph of the letter must contain a positive statement.

The Complimentary Close:

This is where the letter ends. Make sure to have an appropriate sign-off. Use “Yours
faithfully” when you begin a letter with “Dear Sir/Madam,” and use “Yours sincerely” when
you know the person’s name to whom you are writing.

The Signature Block

Usually, you type your name four lines below the complimentary close and sign your name in
between. Whenever possible, include your title or the name of the position you hold just
below your name
Example:
Your name typed: Purvita Kapoor
Your title typed: Director of Human Resources

End notations
Just below the signature block are often several abbreviations or phrases that have important
functions. They are as follows:

Enclosures: To make sure that the recipient knows that items accompany the letter in the
same envelope, use such indications as "Enclosure," "Encl.," "Enclosures (2)." For example, if
you send a resume and writing sample with your application letter, you would do this: "Encl.:
Resume and Writing Sample." If the enclosure is lost, the recipient will know.
Copies: If you send copies of a letter to others, indicate this fact among the end notations
also. If, for example, you plan to send a copy to your lawyer, write something like this: "cc:
Mr. Punit Pandya, Attorney."

Layout of Business Letters

There are different layout styles in letter writing but in most instances the choice is governed
by the practice of the company for which an individual works. The two most popular formats
of business letter layouts are as follows:

1. The full block format: In case of the full-block format all elements of the letter including
the date are left-justified.
2. The modified block format ( also called British Format): In case of the modified block
format the return address is right aligned, the complimentary close is right aligned and
the subject is centred.

1. Full block format sample:

Suniti Patel
Smart Training Solutions
45/2, Ganga Towers
Mumbai – 400 025

20 October, 2020

Kritika Singh
Project Coordinator
Brilliant Training
70 Paramount Building
Mumbai – 400 087

Subject: Proposal approved for Project 123

Dear Ms. Singh,

We are glad to inform you that your proposal for the project has been reviewed and accepted.
We would like to arrange a meeting with you to sign the agreement.

We are eagerly looking forward to this project and are happy to have this opportunity to work
with you.

Yours sincerely,

Suniti Patel
Project Manager
2. Modified block format sample ( also called British Format)

Suniti Patel
Smart Training Solutions
45/2, Ganga Towers
Mumbai – 400 025

30 October 2020

Kritika Singh
Project Coordinator
Brilliant Training
70 Paramount Building
Mumbai – 400 087

Dear Ms. Singh,

Subject: Proposal approved for Project 123

We are glad to inform you that your proposal for the project has been reviewed and accepted.
We would like to arrange a meeting with you to sign the agreement.

We are eagerly looking forward to this project and are happy to have the opportunity to work
with you.

Yours sincerely,

Suniti Patel
Project Manager
Sample Letters

• Enquiry and Reply: An enquiry letter is a request for information which the writer believes
the reader can provide. The need of the sender is communicated in a courteous way so
that an appropriate reply can be expected.

Sample Enquiry Letter:

Purva Rao
2151 Poddar Road,
Mumbai - 400034

10 October, 2021

The Administrative Head

High Street Phoenix Education
Lower Parel
Mumbai, 400 010

Subject: Enquiry - Part-time MBA

Dear Sir,

I am interested in marketing, and would like to enrol in a part-time MBA program. Could you
send me some information about the regulations for admission to XYZ Institute’s coveted one-
year Post Graduate Diploma course?

I have enclosed my resume which contains information about my educational qualifications

and my work experience.

If you have any questions regarding my request, you may contact me at 9870676543.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Purva Rao

Enclosure: Resume
Sample Reply Letter:

Delhi Enterprises Ltd.

High Street Phoenix
Lower Parel
Mumbai, 400 010

October 15, 2021

Sarah D’souza
Baker Street
Worli
Mumbai – 400 012

Subject: Brochure and terms of engagement.

Dear Ms. D’souza,

Thank you for your letter dated October 10, 2021

As requested, we enclose herewith our latest brochure together with the terms and
conditions for doing business with us.

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to call us on 9899999999.

We look forward to working with you.

Yours sincerely,

Shailja Mehta
Marketing Manager
Claims And Responses To Claims
What is a Claim Letter/email?

A claim letter/email is a persuasive letter sent by a customer to a business or agency to state

a problem with a product or service. It can also be referred to as a letter of complaint.

Typically, a claim letter opens (and sometimes closes) with a request for adjustments, such as
a refund, replacement, or payment for damages.

In business, claim letters are a legally binding form of communication which can serve as
evidence if a claim is taken to court. However, in most cases, the matters do not reach the
court as the organisations respond to the claimant in the form of an adjustment letter and
settle the claim.

Types of claims which may warrant a claim letter

Claim letters are usually written by dissatisfied buyers who are complaining about the
product/ service and demanding compensation from the sellers/ service provider. Generally
speaking, a buyer writes the claim letter to a seller.

The adjustment or compensation sought in the claim letter/email are not always the same. It
will depend upon the nature of the loss or damage. Some of the reasons for writing a claim
letter/email are as follows:

• Full or part refund of the service or product’s purchase price.

• Replacement with right items against delivery of wrong items.
• Replacing defective products.
• Repairing damaged products.
• Cancelling full or part of the order.
• Rescheduling order.
• Correction of any mistakes in the bill received.

How to write a claim letter?

Typically, a person writes a claim letter/email if he/she is not satisfied with the company’s
products or services which have been promised as per the terms and conditions.
It is very important to keep in mind the following tips while writing a claims letter/email:

1. Submit the claim within the specified time limit.

2. Remember to follow the format for the medium you choose i.e. email or letter. Sometimes,
organisations have a specified format to be filled in.
3. In the subject line please quote the policy no., invoice no. receipt no (as applicable) and
product for which claim is being raised as it makes it easier for the organisation to track
the case expeditiously.
4. In the first paragraph of the letter state the context i.e. you are making a claim and specify
the type of claim you are making (e.g., an insurance claim, claim for replacement, refund).
State the policy number, invoice no. receipt no as applicable.

5. In the next paragraph or two/three paragraphs (as required), write about the following:

a. The specific circumstances of what is the problem and provide details of the product
which is defective or the details of an accident (in case of insurance). Give all relevant
facts concerning the claim.
b. Indicate the amount you are claiming or what action you would like the reader to
take and the date by which you expect the action to be taken.
c. Refer to any documents you are enclosing / attaching with your letter/email,
including claim forms, repair estimates, warranty, photographs or records or
receipts in support of your claim.
d. Ask if there is any other information or documents or forms you need to send.

6. In the next paragraph, state the action you are expecting from the receiver of your
letter/email and also indicate by when you would like to receive a reply and include contact
information so that the person can easily reach you.

7. End the letter in a positive note by thank the reader for his/her (anticipated) help.

What is a Response (Adjustment) to Claims?

The reply to the claim letter/email received from a customer/client by the concerned
organisation is known as a response. A claim letter isn’t a guarantee for compensation as
some the concerned organisation will settle or deny the claim based on their policy/guidelines
for settlement. There are three types of settlement responses:
1. Full acceptance
2. Full rejection
3. Partial Acceptance

How to write a response to claims?

General points to be kept in mind while responding to a claim:

• The respondent must be thorough about the company’s policies before responding as
providing incorrect information is unacceptable and may lead the company into legal
disputes.
• Acknowledge receipt of the complaint so that the customer knows that it is a response to
his complaint.
• The response must be specific to the issues raised by the customer as customers don’t
appreciate vague responses that annoy them or insult their intellect.
• If there is a mistake on the part of the organization, apologize for the same. It is
important to say sorry as a first step to reconciliation.

The flow of the letter/email response by the organisation should be as given below for the
different types of settlement:

1. Full acceptance
• The first paragraph should contain the acknowledgement of the sender’s letter and an
apology inconvenience /empathy for the customer.
• The second paragraph should contain the good news mentioning the investigation carried
out, followed by the solution offered by the business.
• The next paragraph should provide a promotional offer by way of discount or a voucher,
if any and a closing line expressing goodwill and continued support.
• The letter/email must close on a positive note.

2. Partial acceptance
• The first paragraph should contain the acknowledgement of the sender’s letter and an
apology inconvenience /empathy for the customer.
• The second paragraph should contain the investigation carried out, followed by the
solution offered by the business.
• The third para should state the reason for the inability to settle fully because of some
clause in warranty/ guarantee and / or an alternative solution, if any. It should also clearly
state what is the amount being settled.
• The next paragraph should provide a promotional offer by way of discount coupon or a
voucher, if any and a closing line expressing goodwill and continued support.
• The letter/email must close on a positive note.

3. Full Rejection
• The first paragraph should contain the acknowledgement of the sender’s letter and an
apology inconvenience /empathy for the customer.
• The second paragraph should contain the investigation carried out and the outcome of the
investigation.
• The third para should state the reason for the inability to settle the claim because of some
clause in warranty/ guarantee.
• The next paragraph must provide the alternative solution if any. A promotion / discount
offers as a gesture of goodwill.

The letter/email must close by regretting the inability to accede to the claim but on a positive
note by stating that you look forward to their patronage.
Sample Claim Letter:

Sudesh Khanna
Building no. 08, Road no. 14
Parel
Mumbai – 400 056

24 September 2021

The Manager
Mazagaon Enterprises
20, Ramon Street
Goa

Subject: Return / Exchange of Defective Trouser

Dear Sir,

On Thursday, 23 September 2020, I bought a trouser from your store in Mumbai located in
Parel . When I took the trouser home I noticed that there was a slight tear on the back pocket.

I went back to the store with the receipt and requested the shop assistant to exchange the
trouser. She refused stating that trouser was perfect when it was sold and had been damaged
since leaving the shop. A quick look would have shown that the tear was most likely a fault
that had happened in the factory.

I would like you to replace the trouser.

Look forward to you quick response. You may contact me on 9999999999

Yours faithfully,

Sudesh Khanna

Encl: copy of receipt no 1234 dated 24.9.2021

Sample Adjustment Letter

Mazagaon Enterprises
20, Ramon Street
Goa 403110
Phone: 30303114 email: mazagoanentp@gmail.com
___________________________________________________________________________

29 September 2021

Sudesh Khanna
Building no. 08, Road no. 14
Parel
Mumbai – 400 056

Subject: Your letter dated 25 September 2020

Dear Mr. Khanna

Thank you for your letter dated 25 September 2020. I am extremely sorry to know that you
had such a frustrating experience trying to return the defective trouser.

I have spoken with our sales executive and have instructed her to give you a full refund plus
10% off your next purchase.

I apologize again for the inconvenience caused to you and look forward to your continued
patronage.

Yours Sincerely,

Ramesh Desai
Manager
3. Sample Complaint email (To a hotel you had confirmed bookings but on arrival no
rooms were available)
Date : 28.6.2021

To : customercare@hotelxyz
From : gauravsahaniabc@gmail.com
Subject : Booking Reference 4567

Dear Support Team,

I had made bookings for a double room for three night stay in your hotel at Srinagar vide
booking reference 4567 for the period 23.6.2021 (check in) to 26.6.2021 (check out). The
payment was made online with Transaction id 67890 dated 2.6.2021. The booking was
confirmed vide your email dated 2.6.2021. However, on arrival at the hotel, I was told that
the booking did not exist.

I was with my family and denial of the confirmed booking by the hotel was shocking. Though
I showed them the confirmation email, they refused to accommodate us. We had no other
option but to look for another hotel close by.

I am very disappointed with the experience because not only did the hotel staff deny our
booking, they even refused to arrange for a taxi for us to leave.

I would appreciate if you could please refund the booking amount of Rs. 20,000/- and
compensate me for the additional amount of Rs. 10,000/- which I had to pay for the stay at
another hotel. Also please consider the mental trauma due to the whole experience which
ruined our holiday to a great extent.

Attached are copies of the following:

1. Payment confirmation vide transaction id 67890 dated 2.6.2021.
2. Confirmation email dated 2.6.2021.
3. Receipt for payment towards stay in the other hotel.

I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem within 10 days.

In case you need any further details, please contact me at the above email address or by
phone on +919999999999

Sincerely,

Gaurav Sahani
4. Sample Response to the Complaint email (given above)
Date : 29.6.2021

To : gauravsahaniabc@gmail.com
From : customercare@hotelxyz
Subject : RE: Booking Reference 4567

Dear Mr. Sahani,

We refer to your email dated 28.6.2021 on the subject. We are extremely sorry for the
inconvenience caused to you. We apologise for the same.

Thank you for bringing the matter to our notice. We have investigated the matter and it was
found that the confirmation copy of the email was not sent to the hotel in Srinagar due to a
technical glitch. This is an automated process which had failed on that day. It has since been
rectified. We have also advised our staff to be helpful to customers.

We have processed the refund of Rs. 20,000/- being the booking amount. It will be credited
to your credit card account within the next seven days. We are also pleased to offer you a
complimentary one night stay in any of our hotels with India. You can avail the same by
booking with the code given in the voucher attached.

We once again regret the inconvenience caused and look forward to your continued
patronage.

Sincerely,

Support Team
Email Writing
Etiquette is defined as the rules governing socially acceptable behavior. Email etiquette refers
to the principles of behavior that one should use when writing or answering email
messages. It is also known as the code of conduct for email communication.

1. Use a meaningful subject line

Try to use a subject that is meaningful to the recipient as well as yourself. For instance,
when you send an email to a company requesting information about a product, it is better
to mention the actual name of the product, e.g. 'Product A information' than to just say
'product information' or the company's name in the subject.

2. Don't leave out the message thread

When you reply to an email, you must include the original mail in your reply, in other
words click 'Reply', instead of 'New Mail'. Some people say that you must remove the
previous message since this has already been sent and is therefore unnecessary. However,
I could not agree less.

If you receive many emails you obviously cannot remember each individual email. This
means that a 'thread less email' will not provide enough information and you will have to
spend a frustratingly long time to find out the context of the email in order to deal with
it. Leaving the thread might take a fraction longer in download time, but it will save the
recipient much more time and frustration in looking for the related emails in their inbox!

3. Address the recipient properly

First names are often okay in business, but not always. If this is your first time
communicating with the recipient you should use his title, i.e. Mr., Ms., or Dr., and last
name. Look at how the recipient signs his messages before you decide whether you should
be on a first name basis with him.

4. Be concise and to the point

Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. A good email is one which is within one
page view.

5. Answer all questions and pre-empt further questions

An email reply must answer all questions and pre-empt further questions – If you do not
answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further e-mails regarding the
unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and your customer’s time but
also cause considerable frustration.

6. Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation

This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give a bad
impression of your company, it is also important for conveying the message properly. E-
mails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change
the meaning of the text.
7. Make it personal
Not only should the e-mail be personally addressed, it should also include personal i.e.
customized content.

8. Use templates for frequently used responses

Some questions you get repeatedly, such as directions to your office or how to subscribe
to your newsletter. Save these texts as response templates and paste these into your
message when you need them. You can save your templates in a Word document or use
pre-formatted emails.

9. Answer promptly
Customers send an e-mail because they wish to receive a quick response. If they did not
want a quick response, they would send a letter or a fax. Therefore, each e-mail should be
replied to within at least 24 hours, and preferably within the same working day. If the email
is complicated, just send an interim reply acknowledging receipt of the person’s email and
that you will get back to them. This will put the customer's mind at rest and usually
customers will then be very patient!

10. Do not attach unnecessary files

By sending large attachments you can annoy customers and even bring down their e-mail
system. Only send attachments when they are productive. Moreover, you need to have a
good virus scanner in place since your customers will not be very happy if you send them
documents full of viruses!

11. Use proper structure and layout

Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, the structure and
lay out is very important for e-mail messages. Use short paragraphs and blank lines
between each paragraph. When making points, number them or mark each point as
separate to keep the overview.

12. Do not write in CAPITALS.

IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING. This can be highly
annoying and might trigger an unwanted response in the form of a flame mail. Therefore,
try not to send any email text in capitals.

13. Add disclaimers to your emails.

It is important to add disclaimers to your internal and external mails, since this can help
protect your company from liability. Consider the following scenario: an employee
accidentally forwards a virus to a customer by email. The customer decides to sue your
company for damages.

If you add a disclaimer at the bottom of every external mail, saying that the recipient must
check each email for viruses and that it cannot be held liable for any transmitted viruses,
this will surely be of help to you in court, for example: an employee sues the company for
allowing a racist email to circulate the office. If your company has an email policy in place
and adds an email disclaimer to every mail that states that employees are expressly
 required not to make defamatory statements, you have a good case of proving that the
company did everything it could to prevent offensive emails.

14. Do not overuse Reply to All.

Only use Reply to All if you really need your message to be seen by each person who
received the original message.

15. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons

In business emails, try not to use abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh
out loud). The recipient might not be aware of the meanings of the abbreviations and in
business emails these are generally not appropriate. The same goes for emoticons, such
as the smiley :-). If you are not sure whether your recipient knows what it means, it is
better not to use it.

16. Be careful with formatting

Remember that when you use formatting in your emails, the sender might not be able to
view formatting, or might see different fonts than you had intended. When using colors,
use a color that is easy to read on the background.

17. Take care with rich text and HTML messages

Be aware that when you send an email in rich text or HTML format, the sender might only
be able to receive plain text emails. If this is the case, the recipient will receive your
message as a .txt attachment. Most email clients however, including Microsoft Outlook,
are able to receive HTML and rich text messages.

18. Do not request delivery and read receipts

This will almost always annoy your recipient before he or she has even read your message.
If you want to know whether an email was received it is better to ask the recipient to let
you know if it was received.

19. Do not ask to recall a message

Biggest chances are that your message has already been delivered and read. A recall
request would look very silly in that case wouldn't it? It is better just to send an email to
say that you have made a mistake. This will look much more honest than trying to recall a
message.

20. Do not use email to discuss confidential information

Sending an email is like sending a WhatsApp message. If you don't want your email to be
forwarded don't send it. Moreover, never make any defamatory, sexist or racially
discriminating comments in emails, even if they are meant to be a joke.

21. Use active instead of passive voice

Try to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible. For instance, 'We will process your
order today', sounds better than 'Your order will be processed today'. The first sounds
more personal, whereas the latter, especially when used frequently, sounds unnecessarily
formal.
22. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT
Even more so than the high-priority option, you must always try to avoid these types of
words in an email or subject line. Only use this if it is a really, urgent or important message.

23. Avoid long sentences

Try to keep your sentences to a maximum of 15-20 words. Email is meant to be a quick
medium and requires a different kind of writing than letters.

24. Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or
obscene remarks
By sending or even just forwarding one libelous, or offensive remark in an email, you and
your company can face court cases resulting in huge penalties.

25. Keep your language gender neutral

In this day and age, avoid using sexist language such as: 'The user should add a signature
by configuring his email program'. Apart from using he/she, you can also use the neutral
gender: ''The user should add a signature by configuring the email program'.

26. Use cc: field sparingly.

Try not to use the cc: field unless the recipient in the cc: field knows why they are receiving
a copy of the message. Using the cc: field can be confusing since the recipients might not
know who is supposed to act on the message. Also, when responding to a cc: message,
should you include the other recipient in the cc: field as well? This will depend on the
situation. In general, do not include the person in the cc: field unless you have a reason
for wanting this person to see your response. Again, make sure that this person will know
why they are receiving a copy.

27. Proof-read your message

Make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. Errors will make you look careless.
Email Format

The email writing format is the same for all emails. Though the choice of words and language
may differ depending upon the type of email.

Some Useful Phrases for Writing Letters/Emails

Opening / Referring to previous contact

• Thank you for your letter dated March 15 ...

• Thank you for contacting us.
• In reply to your request ...
• Thank you for your letter regarding ...
• With reference to our telephone conversation yesterday ...
• Further to our meeting last week ...
• I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed on Tuesday.
• I'm writing in reply to your letter dated [date] about [topic].
• I saw your advertisement on [website].
• We understand from your letter dated that you're interested in
(product/service/feature).
• We talked last week about...

Making a request

• We would appreciate it if you would ...

• I would be grateful if you could...
• Could you possibly tell us/let us have...
• In addition, I would like to receive ...
• It would be helpful if you could send us ...
• I am interested in (obtaining/receiving...)
• I would appreciate your attention to this matter.
• Please let me know what action you propose to take.
• I would be grateful if you could send me further information about...
• Shall I [verb]? (E.g. Shall I meet you at the airport?)
• Would it be possible to...? (E.g. Would it be possible to have a quick chat on Monday?)
• Would you mind if [+ past simple]? (E.g. Would you mind if I took the day off on Tuesday?)
• I was hoping you could [do something].

Call to Action

• Are you considering [action]? (E.g. Are you considering upgrading to the new version?)
• Just book time on my calendar and I can answer all your questions on the product and
pricing.
• Or if you’d rather [alternative option], you can…
• Help us [give value to you] by [what action we want them to take]. (E.g. Help us give you
the best advice by telling us a bit more about your project.)
• I’d love it if you could walk me through your project.
• This may be a great time to … [call to action] (This may be a great time to take a look at
our Knowledge Base)
• If you’re interested, drop me a line and we can [action] (e.g. If you're interested, drop me
a line and we can have a quick chat to discuss your further steps.)
• Come check out what’s new and get inspired!

Closing Remarks

• If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know.

• For further details ...
• If you require more information ...
• Thank you for taking this into consideration.
• We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
• We would be (very) pleased to do business with your company.
• I would be happy to have an opportunity to work with your firm.
• I look forward to seeing you next week.
• Looking forward to hearing from you.
• I would appreciate your reply.
• I look forward to doing business with you in the future.
• Do not hesitate to contact us again at [telephone number/email address] if there's
anything we can help you with.
• Thank you for your patience/time/cooperation.
• I'd appreciate your reply,
• Please let me know what you think.
 Memo
Memo is form of communication used internally in an organisation. There is no salutation
in a memo. It is a direct form of writing the details.

The structure of a memo is given below:

Reference ( file no. pertaining to the subject) Date

To :
From :
Subject :

Body ( Matter in two or three paragraphs)

Sign off

Sample Memo
Meetings, Agenda, and Minutes Of Meeting
Meetings

A meeting is a group communication in action around a defined agenda, at a set time, for an
established duration. Meetings can be effective, ineffective, or a complete waste of time. If
time is money and effectiveness and efficiency are your goals, then if you arrange a meeting,
lead a meeting, or participate in one, you want it to be worth your time.

Meetings can occur face-to-face, but increasingly business and industry are turning to
teleconferencing and videoconferencing options as the technology improves, the cost to
participate is reduced, and the cost of travel including time is considered. Regardless how you
come together as a team, group, or committee, you will need to define your purpose in
advance with an agenda

Agenda

Agenda is used to organize meetings, keep track of old and new content, gives a time frame
for what items are to be discussed and provides a clear understanding of a common end goal
for the participants. Agendas hold important dates and content, plus they provide guidance
and preparations for the following meetings.

What is a meeting Agenda?

A meeting Agenda is a list of components and goals that participants are to discuss and hope
to accomplish during a meeting

What is the purpose of an Agenda?

The purpose of an Agenda is to outline the main ideas of any events, responsibilities and
deadlines that must be further discussed and determined.

Steps to develop an Agenda

1. Create an agenda
2. Identify the five W’s (Who, What, When, Where and Why?)
3. Items of discussion
4. Goals of the meeting
5. Provide any readings or documentation that will prepare your participants for what is
expected

When can an Agenda be used?

An agenda can be used anytime there is a big event, interview times and dates, work
schedules or school schedules, conferences etc.
Types of Meetings
• Team meetings tend to be short, regular and mostly informal. Their objective is to report
progress, identify any challenges, and align the objectives and resources of the team.
• Information meetings are to share information, such as financial or operational data. The
information is usually shared through one or more oral presentations supported by visuals
and followed by Q&A (question and answer) sessions.
• Brainstorming meetings are usually held when it is necessary to explore new
opportunities, find solutions to a problem or when planning for innovation. The objective
is to generate a large number of ideas from a range of different perspectives.
• Decision-making meetings are used to make important decisions. Key processes may
include brainstorming, sharing information, evaluating options and voting.

Meeting Notice - General Principles :

• Every person concerned and entitled to attend the meeting must be given notice
• The notice must contain all the relevant particulars relating to day, date, time and
venue of meeting
• The notice must be clear and not vague
• The notice must be circulated as per prescribed rules

Agenda - General guidelines:

• The agenda is normally attached to the meeting notice
• It contains, date, time, place of meeting and timeframe of meeting
• The programme of business to be transacted
• Background papers if any

If the Agenda is short, it can be included in the meeting notice.

Structure of Minutes
• The name of the organization
• Day, date, time and place of the meeting, duration of meeting.
• The number of the meeting if it is in a series E.g. Fifth Meeting of the Executive
Committee
• The names of the Chairman and Secretary of the meeting (if applicable)
• Names of the members present
• Names of those who could not attend
• Record of decisions taken ( Please use numbers and not bullets)
• Signature of person with name and designation issuing the minutes.
A Commonly used Format

Organization/Committee Name

Meeting Minutes

Date

Opening

The regular meeting of the Organization/Committee Name held at time on date in location
by Facilitator Name.

Members Present

Attendee names

Members Absent

Names

Decisions taken (this should follow the same sequence as the Agenda). These must be
numbered and not bulleted.

Minutes issued by: Signature

Name
Report Writing

What is a Report?
• It is something that you report/conclude after executing a business matter/study
• Written to someone with authority who can take action or affect outcome
• Formal in register : impersonal, objective, avoids personal opinion and emotion. Uses the
passive form
• Language/words used for expressing opinion, listing reasons, making recommendations
• The general purpose of a report is to identify a specific problem, explain it objectively and
recommend action that will lead to a solution

A report is:

Orderly, because it is prepared carefully,

It is objective, because it has an unbiased approach

It is factual , because it gives correct figures and data

It should serve a business purpose

Writing a report involves a lot of research and arranging the information in the most reader
friendly way. The report you write, with its detailed information, its conclusions and
recommendations, provides the basis for decisions The report usually covers certain clearly
defined topics - to investigate a particular product, or an event, company or a proposal. This
dictates the kind of report it should be.

Tips to write a report:

• You must understand the purpose of the report brief and adhere to its specifications;
• You must gather, evaluate and analyse relevant information;
• You have to structure material in a logical and coherent order;
• You should present your report in a consistent manner according to the instructions
given in brief for preparing the report
• You have to make appropriate conclusions that are supported by the evidence and
analysis of the report.
• You should make thoughtful and practical recommendations wherever required.

Broadly of two categories

1. Informational:
• Includes only the information collected or the facts and events observed in an
organized way.
• It presents the real circumstances as they are and not as they should be.
• In general, it does not include any conclusions or recommendations.
2. Interpretive
• Contains facts but it includes an assessment or explanation or analysis of data and
the reporter's conclusions.
• An interpretative report which usually carries recommendations and is also termed
as a recommendatory report.
Relevance of Report Writing

Report writing has great relevance in organisations. Some of the key points are given below:

A. Report As A Means Of Internal Communication

• A report acts as an effective means of communication within the organization.
• It provides feedback to employees.
• It is prepared for the information and guidance of others connected with the matter /
problem.

B. Report Facilitates Decision Making And Planning

• Report provide reliable data which can be used in the planning and decision making
process.
• It acts as a treasure house of reliable information for long term planning and decision
making.

C. To Provide Unknown Information

• Reports provide information, which may not be known previously.
• The committee members collect data, draw conclusions and provide information which
will be new to all concerned parties.
• Even new business opportunities are visible through unknown information available in the
reports.

D. To Give Information To Employees

• Reports are available to managers and departments for internal use.
• They are widely used by the departments for guidance.
• Report provide a feedback to employees and are useful for their self-improvement.

Types of Reports

Report can be classified into Formal Reports and Informal Reports.

A. Informal Reports

The informal report functions to inform, analyse, and recommend.

It usually takes the form of a Memo Report, Report in Letter Format or a very short internal
document like a monthly financial report, monthly activities report, research and
development report, etc.
The informal report differs from the formal report in length and formality and is written
according to organization style and rules, but usually does not include the preliminary (front)
and supplemental (back) material An informal report could be short.

The informal report is usually more controversial in tone and typically deals with everyday
problems and issues addressed to a narrow readership inside the organization.

A. (1) Types Of Informal Reports

The following reports are examples of Informal Reports:

i. A Progress report
ii. A Sales activity report
iii. A Personnel evaluation
iv. A Financial report
v. A Feasibility report
vi. A Literature review
vii. A Credit report

B. Formal Reports

A Formal Report is a systematic, well-structured document, representing information and

strategy, based on collection and interpretation of data and information. A formal report is
complex and is used at an official level. (Formal Reports are often a written account of a major
project)

Example: Formal reports could be written for

• Introduction of a new technology, a new product, a new vaccine,

• To propose the launch of a new project line,
• To formally present results of a study or experiment,
• An annual report of an organisation,
• An annual Review of developments in the field.

Report Writing - Format

Reports have three major Components. They are

Part One: Preliminary parts.
Part Two: Report text.
Part Three: Addenda

A Report generally has the following components:

Components: Part One Preliminary parts:

1. Title page: It should include the title, your name and the name of the tutor to whom it is
being submitted, date of submission, your course/department. The logo of the organisation
should also be printed.
2. Acknowledgements: A list of people and organisations who have helped you in the
compilation of report and other related work.

3. Table of Contents: A clear, well-formatted list of all the sections and sub-sections of the
report. Page numbers should be marked correctly.

4. Abstract OR Executive Summary: A summary of the major points, conclusions, and

recommendations should be written to give a general overview of report.

An Executive Summary does not contain technical details, but is more comprehensive and
demands quality language and expression.

Components: Part Two Report text

5. Introduction: The first page of the report needs to have an introduction. You will explain
the problem and show the reader why the report is being made.

6. Body (The Main Report )

This is the main section of the report. There needs to be several sections, with each having a
subtitle. The various sections include Review of Literature, Methodology used, Data
collection and analysis and results. A discussion section can also be included at the end of the
body to discuss the findings and their significance.

7. Conclusion and Recommendation: A conclusion should draw out the implications of your
findings, with deductions based on the facts described in your main body. The significance
and relevance of study is discussed in this section. Recommendations, if any would form part
of this section

Components: Part Three Addenda

8. References: This is a list giving the full details of all the sources to which you have made
reference within your text.

9. Glossary (if necessary): A list giving the meanings of words and acronyms specific to the
report

Appendices (if necessary): Questionnaires/Surveys/ Diagrams etc.

Writing Short Reports

While at the formal extreme, a project report might include most or all of the parts, in day-
to-day business, professionals find little time to prepare lengthy formal reports that contain
all the above listed parts. A business report rarely contains all of these parts.

How are short reports different from long reports?

Short reports have less introductory material.

• Short reports are likely to begin directly, with conclusions and recommendations coming
first
• Short Reports have a personal writing style using first-or second person. With
appropriate reductions in information and representations leading to a natural style.

What features do we frequently find in short reports?

• Short Reports may contain graphics to reinforce the written text.

• Short Reports should have Headings and Sub- headings to separate sections of the report
body and to show structure and neatness.

Forms of Short Reports

Short Reports could be

• Routine Operational Reports

• Progress Reports
• Problem Solving reports
• Minutes of Meetings

Short Reports come in three main forms.

1. A Short Report Form- This report form consists of a title page and report text, along with a
transmittal message/summary and report text. It can be written in direct or indirect style.
Internal Reports are written in a direct order, while external reports use the indirect order

2. A Letter Report- This report is written in the letter format and uses all the rules of letter
writing along with the salutations, subject-line, letter body (where the report is written and
the complimentary close. Letter Reports use a personal style and can be written in the direct
or indirect order.

3. A Memo Report or an Email Report: These reports are written to people within the
organisation. They could be formal or informal.

A Memo Report is written in the form if a memorandum and the format protocol is that of
a memo (Example Attached)
An Email Report (as the name denotes) is a report that is sent through email to anyone or a
set of people reporting or giving information in most cases, where a report has to be written
quickly and deserves immediately. (Example Attached)

Tips on Writing a Good Report

Here are a few guidelines to write a good report

Step One: Planning Your Report

Define the purpose of the project; define the audience for the report;

Step Two: Data Gathering and Analysis;

Determine what data will be required; decide which methods to use to collect data; Collect
the data; Compile the data systematically; Analyze each bit of data

Step Three: Writing the Report

Draft the report; Revise; Use generally accepted conventions; Proofread

Sample Report In Letter Report

This report has been sent as a letter report by the President of the Student Council of a
professional college at the end of the calendar year, reporting the activities held through the
year.

20 July 2021

From

Dr. Rohit Dubey

President Student Council
VKS Dental College
Cadell Road, Mumbai

To:

Dr Asha Karve
Principal
Cadell Road, VKS Dental College
Mumbai

Respected Ma’am,

Subject: A Report on the Activities of the Student Council- Year 2020-2021

My tenure as General Secretary of the Student Council will conclude in the coming month.

It is to this end that I present to you the annual report of the Extra Curricular Activities held in this academic
year.
A. CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

Our Student Council named the ALTRUISTS, flagged off the year with the celebration of Teacher’s day on
September 5, 2020. The Council organised many fun games and activities for our beloved staff. At this very
event, Dr. Vasanti Jirge was awarded the Best Teacher of the year.

Mega Fest, TRINITY 2020 was hosted by KLE’s College of Pharmacy with the highest number of participants
amongst the constituent colleges of KAHER with a total of 142 students participating.

Dandiya Night 2020 dubbed NAVRANG UTSAV was held on 15th October 20. Four hundred Students of Dental
college gathered in the college quadrangle for an evening of dancing and frolic. 25 students took home prizes
such as best dressed, best dancer, and best batch garba.

Freshers’ Cultural evening, INFERNUS’20, showcased the talent of the new batch with dances, skits and a fashion
show. Mr Tushar Raut and Ms. Ritul Sadawarte were crowned Mr. And Ms. Fresher respectively.

B. SOCIAL IMPACT INITIATIVES

The RED CROSS wing of the dental college organised a blood donation camp on the 28th of October 20 wherein
68 volunteers including staff and students donated blood.

November saw the celebration of children’s day with coordinated efforts from the NSS wing and department of
Pedodontics. A Dental camp was conducted at a government school in Sankeshwar where children were
involved in various activities such as drawing, painting etc. A dental check-up was also conducted for the
children.

The NSS representatives also held Road Safety Day with the help of Department of Orthodontics.

On 28th November 20 a successful dental camp was organised by the Red Cross wing of the college at Jyoti
Central School.

Every year in the month of January the NSS wing of KLE VKIDS conducts a week long mega camp. This year the
mega camp was held at Tarihal village in the district of Belagavi from 21 st -27th January 21. NSS representatives
identified several problems faced by the villagers .Related programmes were conducted accordingly such as
Dental awareness, Swachata Rally and skit, Talks on empowerment of women, tobacco counselling and dental
and medical check-up camps were also conducted for the benefit of the villagers. None of the mentioned
activities could have been possible without the continued support of our Faculty members and your guidance at
every step.

Thanking you.

Yours Sincerely,

Rohit Dubey
 Sample Report In Memo Format
This report has been sent as a memo report by the President of the Student Council of a
professional college at the end of the calendar year, reporting the activities held through the
year.

Ref: IT/2021 Date: 20 March 2021

To : The Social Equality and Diversity Cell, ABC Corp

From : Head, Women’s Day Committee, ABC Corp

Subject: Report on Women’s Day Celebrations at ABC Corp

On March 8, 2021, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Gender & Diversity
Group of Women’s Association of ABC Corp organised a day-long Fest & gathering of the
entire women workforce which included the Managers, Staff, Security Staff, Housekeeping
and all others to celebrate “Being a Woman” and to deliberate on the theme “#Equality &
Diversity”.

The event took the shape of a grand cultural, literary and sports extravaganza. With the entire
women workforce to the strength of 200 participating in the event, the event turned into a
poignant and memorable event. The highlights of the event were

VIDHWATTA - The Literary Forum with 45 women participating in a Book Review Presentation
Competition witnessed an erudite exchange of ideas

SEHAD: The sports and wellness event started weeks earlier which saw enthusiastic
participation from all batches. The event included sessions on Fitness and Meditation.

RED and BLACK MASQUERADE BALL. The event concluded with a grand extravaganza that is,
the Annual Women’s Masquerade Ball, which is ABC Corp’s unique way of showing its women
workforce that along with work, fun and enjoyment matters, and that they care.

The event closed with the CEO’s address.

Seeta Jain
 SAMPLE REPORT (EMAIL)

The following report has been sent as an email by a Conference Convenor to the Conference
Director.

To: director@healthsciences.com
CC:
BCC:

Subject: Progress of Work Done for the 1st International Pharmaceutical Conference –Health
2050

Dear Sir,

Presenting a report on the progress of work on the 1st International Pharmaceutical

Conference – Health 2050 to be held at Hotel Taj on November 18, 2021.

A. Conference Team Meeting

The Conference Team first met on February 13 2021 to discuss the Conference operations
and form committees assume responsibilities for the Conference Work through committees.

B. Communication of Research Conference

The Conference Brochure and Registration Forms have been mailed to Medical Practitioners,
Directors and Heads of Pharmaceuticals & Medical Colleges, Research Scholars and others.

C. Conference Registrations
The status of Registrations is as follows
✓ No of registrations received* – 22 – Domestic (21), International (1)
✓ *The last date for abstract submission has been extended to July 20, 2022.
✓ Abstracts have been reviewed. Feedback and notification of acceptance has been
communicated.
✓ The team is continuously working towards increasing the number of research
contributions, both international and domestic.

D. Keynote Speakers & Panel Speakers

Keynote Speaker
✓ Dr. Narayan Moorthy, CEO, World Health Organisation, has been invited to deliver the
Keynote Address. Confirmation is awaited from his office.

Panel Speakers
The following corporate HR personalities have been identified and invited to join as panel
Speakers for the Conference.
✓ Ms. Lipsa Nair- Head, Marketing Agila Pharma Ltd
✓ Ajith Kutty- Director, Unosource Pharma Ltd
E. Media and Branding
✓ Pharma Bulletin a science magazine, publishing a pre-conference write-up on the
Conference along with the Brochure in the August issue. A write-up has been sent.
✓ The Conference is also being digitally promoted through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn,
by posting brochures, articles and bytes.

F. Conference Collaterals

Work is in progress for preparation of Compendium Cover and Formatting, Banner Designs,
Certificates, Trophies and Conference Stationary

Thank you

Very Sincerely

XXXXXXX
 Advertisement
How to write an advertisement?
• For a good print advertisement, you should take the following steps:
• write a well targeted headline
• design your advert clearly
• write compelling advertising text

Writing an advertising headline

• A compelling headline is vital:
• A good headline should catch the reader's attention and make them want to read on.
It might ask a question or inspire curiosity. It may refer to a specific problem, eg a bed
manufacturer could ask: "Had another bad night's sleep?" Or it may appear to offer
the solution to a problem, eg "Ever wanted to know the secret of a good night's
sleep?"
• Don't overplay the actual message - people will feel let down if they read on and their
expectations are not fulfilled.
• A headline will encourage people to read on if it offers a clear benefit - such as "never
have a bad night's sleep again".
• It could also be used to create a fear of missing out in the reader's mind, e.g. "last few
remaining".

Designing a print advert

• Use a clear design to convey your message:
• The way an advertisement looks plays a big part in attracting and retaining the reader's
interest.
• Avoid small or complicated typefaces that are difficult to read. And don't mix too many
typefaces in one advertisement - use one or two at most.
• Don't clutter the layout - keep plenty of white space in the advertisement - avoid the
temptation to say too much. If your product or service needs more explaining - refer
readers to your website or other easily accessible material.
• Ensure your contact details are clearly positioned.

Writing advertisements
• The amount of text you include depends on the purpose and size of the advertisement.
• Businesses that want to advertise a sale might have a very limited amount of text
accompanied by a headline and a picture of some of the items on offer.
• Consider the print quality of the newspaper or magazine - a small advert in a poor
quality publication will be hard to read.
• If you're writing a lot of text, it should follow on logically from the headline, build a
convincing case and prompt a response from the reader. Back up any claims with facts.
• Magazine readers generally tend to dwell on the contents for longer than newspaper
readers, so tailor the length of your copy accordingly.
• Good advertisements draw attention to the benefits of the product or service rather
than focusing solely on the features.
• All the reader wants to know is "what's in it for me?"
• You should always write your advertisements with the reader/viewer - your potential
customer - in mind.
• The advert must be tailored to the type of print media and the potential reader's
interests and habits. For example, if you sell gardening equipment, you might write a
longer advert for a gardening magazine - where you can assume that the reader is
already interested in the subject and so is more likely to read all the text. Likewise,
you might write a shorter advert for a more general newspaper - where the reader's
interest may be less easily sustained.
• Remember that businesses have a duty to ensure their advertising is legal, decent,
honest and truthful.
 Business Proposals
What is a Proposal?
• It is something that you propose/suggest before starting a business matter
• The general purpose of a proposal is to identify a particular need, explain it and
recommend how this need can best be met
• It is written to someone who needs to make a decision usually which involves spending or
investing money
• Usually formal, but could also be semi-formal when addressed to a committee of peers
• Language is persuasive, besides listing reasons and making suggestions

Business Proposal is a document, which is written for a specific reason either to get a job or a
project. Usually, it is sent to the company or the client for giving a brief introduction about
the services and the professional features of the seller. Business Proposal can help grow a rich
relation between the two companies and strengthen their cooperation. The most common
reason of writing a business proposal is to obtain any project or offer the services for required
work in order to benefit both companies i.e. the sender company and the company to whom
the proposal is being sent. In simple words, business proposal is a document or written offer
from the side of the seller to the buyer for getting a project to be put into action in the future
time.

A business document where an idea for a change to be affected is presented in writing is also
known as a Business Proposal. Proposals represent changes to be affected which are either
approved or rejected.

Types of Business proposals:

Broadly, there are two categories: Internal and External, which in turn have categories, as
explained below:

1. Internal proposals
When the proposal for change takes place within the organisation, it is called an internal
proposal. It is of two types: a. Solicited Internal Proposal b. Unsolicited Internal Proposal

a. Solicited Internal Proposal

When a proposal is presented within the organisation by the middle management to the top
management in response to a request by the Top Management, it is called a Solicited Internal
Proposal
b. Unsolicited Internal Proposal

When a proposal is presented within the organisation by the middle management proactively
(considering the necessity for a change) without being solicited by the Top Management, it
is called an Unsolicited Internal Proposal

Pointers for writing Proposals:

• Never use bullets, use numbering.
• The parts generally are:
Part A :
Background - State the way the business functions and the need for change
Part B :
Proposal - Define the new method/business to be undertaken. This must include how it will
align with the company’s vision/mission
Part C:
Manpower requirement if any – how it will be managed, if new recruitment required- add to
cost
Part D:
Financials – budgetary provision, breakup of one-time costs and recurring costs
Part E:
Approval Required – clearly state point wise what approvals are required
Memo Format is used for writing Internal Proposals.

Sample Internal Proposal

Scenario: Research conducted has revealed that the employees of an organisation are going
through stress. This proposal is being drafted by the HR Manager to the top management to
provide solutions to manage stress in the employees.

Ref: HR/2020-1 Date: 3 Oct 2020

To: The Director

From: The HR Manager

Subject: Stress Management Solutions

Introduction

History/background (Of the problem i.e. Stress. Some conceptual definitions/basic

understanding of the problem at a macro level can be mentioned here)

The problem (Here the problem that is specific to the organisation can be highlighted i.e.
research results-how many employees are going through stress, after-effects of the stress on
the employees and for the organisation etc)

Need/Rationale (For the solution towards the problem i.e. need for Stress Management
Solutions)

The Solution

Change offered/services offered (What are the proposed changes e.g.: Yoga etc)

Benefits (Highlight the short- and long-term benefits of the change proposed with emphasis
on the specific change.

Financial Implications (Should show the items of anticipated expenditure and the amt
required under each head)

• Materials
• Equipment
• Salaries
• Travel
• Office contingencies
• Infrastructural facilities (land, building, water, electricity)
Benefits

Significance (to highlight here the significance/need for the proposal once again)

Highlight benefits from the service/change (to highlight here once again the benefits that
would accrue because of the change)

Approval Requested

Here state the points clearly that need approval for execution.

(Name and Signature of the Proposer)

2. External Proposals

External proposals are prepared for clients and customers outside your company. They are
either submitted in response to a request for goods and services from another organization
(a solicited proposal) or sent to them without a prior request (an unsolicited proposal).
Research and grant proposals, a type of external proposal, are usually submitted to non-profit
organizations, which include medical and research institutions, as well as to local, state, and
federal government agencies, to request funding in support of research or development that
could benefit the funding organization.

They are of three types:

1. External Solicited Proposal

If a business proposal is formally solicited, it means that the individual or business writing the
proposal has been asked to submit a proposal by the client officially.

To give you an example, let us say that a company (not yours!) was being sued. That company
might then send request for proposals out to various law firms. The RFP would most likely
contain an explanation of the situation and ask for help and legal advice.

Formally solicited proposals are generally easier to write because you are given clear
guidelines. With a formally solicited proposal, you know exactly what the client or customer
wants and can tailor your response accordingly.

RFP / RFI / RFQ / IFB are the standard ways that businesses ask for submissions.

• RFP (Request for Proposal)

A Request for Proposal is a type of bidding solicitation in which a company or organization
announces that funding is available for a project or program, and companies can place bids
for the project’s completion. A request for proposal typically includes background on the
issuing organization and its line of business. The request sets out specifications describing the
solution it seeks and evaluation criteria disclosing how proposals are graded. Requests for
proposals may include a statement of work describing tasks to be performed by the winning
bidder and a timeline for providing finished work.

• RFQ (Request for Quotation)

A request for quote (RFQ) is a type of procurement solicitation in which a company asks
outside vendors to offer a quote for the completion of a specific task or project. An RFQ is
usually the initial step for submitting an RFP, in which the bidders are asked to offer a more
comprehensive price quote. However, RFQs may be submitted as an attachment to an RFP.
An RFQ is typically used when products and services are standard or off-the-shelf, which
allows the soliciting company to compare the various bids easily.

• IFB (Invitation for Bid)

Companies and organizations give in-depth specifications of projects and invite contractors
to bid for their various projects. Because the focus of the invitation for bid is on the bidder’s
price for project completion, there is less emphasis on the bidder introducing its own ideas.
This separates the IFB from a request for proposal (RFP).

• RFI (Request for Information)

This is a standard business process; whose purpose is to collect written information about the
capabilities of various suppliers. Normally it follows a format that can be used for comparative
purposes. In addition to gathering basic information, an RFI is often used as a solicitation sent
to a broad base of potential suppliers for the purpose of conditioning suppliers’ minds,
developing strategy, building etc.

2. Informally Solicited Business Proposals:

Informally solicited business proposals come in where there isn’t an official request for a
proposal. A prospective buyer is interested in your services and asks for a proposal so they
can evaluate it.

An informally solicited proposal requires a lot more research from your end as a seller as they
are usually created out of informal conversations and not based on official requests which
often contain more information.

3. External Unsolicited Proposal

Unsolicited proposals can be a little more difficult to write because you do not have any
information to go on. Unsolicited proposals also need to be far more persuasive, which means it is
up to you to do your research on whoever you’re targeting and demonstrate to them how you can
add value to their business.
• Unsolicited business proposals should serve as an introduction to your product or service and
aim to convince your potential client that they should be using your service.
• Obviously, a solicited proposal is far more likely to win new business as the company already
has you on their radar. Unsolicited proposals do have their benefits though, the most obvious
one being that there is no competition.
• Sending out unsolicited proposals, providing they are well researched and offer creative
solutions to your client’s problems, can be an extremely effective marketing tactic.
• Some companies, particularly government agencies, actively encourage the submission of
unsolicited business proposals.

Drafting a Business Proposal ( longer version)

Following are the elements of a business proposal:

1. Title
2. A cover letter
3. Table of Contents
4. Executive Summary
5. The Problem Statement
6. The Proposed Solution
7. Qualifications
8. The Timeline
9. Pricing
10. Terms and Conditions
11. The Acceptance

1. Title
Use the title page to introduce yourself and your business. Be sure to include your name, your
company's name, the date you submitted the proposal, and the name of the client or individual
you're submitting the proposal to.

2. A cover letter

You would not walk up to your potential client and dive into project specifics without introducing
yourself, would you? A cover letter is that introduction.

Include a one-liner about your company, brief background information about how your company
came to be, and a short overview of what makes your company better than the rest. Make it
friendly and encourage your reader to reach out with any questions. Close it with a thank you and
a signature.
3. Table of Contents
A table of contents will let your potential client know exactly what will be covered in the business
proposal. If you are sending your proposal electronically, include a clickable table of contents that
will jump to the different sections of your proposal for easy reading and navigation.

4. Executive Summary

The executive summary details exactly why you are sending the proposal and why your solution is
the best for the prospective client. Like a value proposition, it outlines the benefits of your
company's products or services, and how they can solve your potential client's problem. After
reading your executive summary, even if they do not read the full proposal, the prospect should
have a clear idea of how you can help them.

5. The Problem Statement

This is where you provide a summary of the issue impacting the potential client. It provides you
with the opportunity to show them you have a clear understanding of their needs and the problem
they need help solving.

6. The Proposed Solution

Here is where you offer up a strategy for solving the problem. Make sure your proposed solution
is customized to the client's needs, so they know you've created this proposal specifically for them.
Let them know which deliverables you will provide, the methods you'll use, and a timeframe for
when they should expect them.

7. Qualifications
Are you qualified to solve this prospect's problem? Why should they trust you? Use this section to
communicate why you're best for the job. Include case studies of client success stories, mention
any relevant awards or accreditations to boost your authority.

8. The Timeline

Task Timeline

9. Pricing
Pricing is where things can get a bit tricky, as you do not want to under or over-price your product.
Kingpin of the proposal-Must reflect anticipated expenditure and amount required for the items
like
Materials, Equipment, Salaries, Travel, Office contingencies, Infrastructural facilities (land, building,
water, electricity). Some of these may not be applicable depending on nature and size of the
business.
• Try to be as accurate as possible and do not forget to factor in any discounts for bulk buying
etc.
• You should already have a good idea of how long the job is going to take you, so factor in
your labour costs accordingly.
• A good rule of thumb is to multiply your estimated labour time by 1.5. This way you allow
for any unexpected twists and turns in the project.
• You can always make your client happy by knocking these extra hours off the bill at the end
of the project if they were not needed!
• If the amount of time spent on a job is likely to vary then make sure that you include a
caveat in your proposal that covers you for this.

10. Terms and Conditions

This is where you go into detail about the project timeline, pricing, and payment schedules. It's
essentially a summary of what you and the client are agreeing to if they accept your proposal.
Make sure you clear the terms and conditions with your own legal team before sending the
proposal to the client.

11. The Acceptance

Include a signature box for the client to sign and let them know exactly what they're agreeing to
when they sign. This is also a chance to include a prompt for the prospect to reach out to you if
they have any unanswered questions you can address.
Application and Resume Writing

What are Resumes ?

Resumes “tell the story about you” – who you are, what you have accomplished and most
importantly what you can do for the organization that hires you.

What is an Application letter?

Application letter is a covering letter which gives you an opportunity to speak a little more
about you particularly the reason why you want to join this company and what are your
achievements to support that.

Before Applying for A Job

• Research the organisation
• Consider your motivation for wanting to apply such as:
• Values / ethics / culture
• Core business activities it is involved in
• Clear opportunities for career progression
• Size of organisation
• Induction and training programme
• Forward thinking - does the organisation have a reputation for implementing
new ideas?
• Flexible working - can staff work flexible hours?
• Community engagement - does it get involved in local / charitable events?
• You should be sure of the type of job that you are interested in.
• You will be expected to demonstrate that you have a wide range of Transferable and
knowledge-based skills so understanding the requirement is key.

In order not to be rejected, make sure you:

• Customise your application to the organisation or institution you are applying to
• Show enthusiasm as to why you really want the job or course
• Meet the essential criteria. Some recruiters will place emphasis on academic
achievement whilst others will be looking for particular skills, knowledge and
experience
• Give complete answers and provide convincing examples
• Check your spelling and grammar
How to understand Requirement from an advertisement- example

Advertisement states:
We are a small publisher of sport and leisure guides based in South India, looking to recruit
an Editorial Assistant for a brand new online reference product. You will work as part of a
team to ensure that news and articles are reviewed and published to the highest standard.
Key responsibilities
• Liaise with contributors, keeping them informed of requirements and deadlines.
• Maintain a database of contributors and potential contributors to ensure articles are
submitted on time.
• Oversee the news / articles peer review process.
• Provide administrative support to the team.
• Participate in the article’s production process from acceptance to digital submission.
• Ensure copyright and licences are received and processed.
• Attend editorial board meetings as required.
Interpretation
• Verbal and written communication skills in order to liaise with contributors, oversee
the news / articles peer review process, and to work on the production of articles.
• Interpersonal skills to support contributors as well as colleagues.
• Teamwork and organisation skills to provide administrative support.
• Time management skills to meet tight deadlines.
• IT skills and accuracy to maintain a database of contributors and potential
contributors.
• Attention to detail to ensure copyright and licences are received and processed, and
to make sure that the publications are of the highest standard.
• A proven interest in publishing and in the sport and leisure industry.

What recruiters look for – the Key Skills :

• Communication: Ability to communicate clearly and succinctly both orally and in
writing. Willingness to question and listen to others to aid your own understanding
and that of others. Ability to convey complex information at the right level so it is
understood by others.
• Teamwork: Ability to form relationships at all levels and motivate and support other
team members. Willingness to ask others for advice or help when solving a problem.
Ability to work fairly and productively alongside others.
• Organisation and time management :
Setting objectives and planning activities and resources to achieve a goal. Ability to
manage time effectively to prioritise activities and meet deadlines. Achieving a
productive and satisfying work-life balance.
• Problem solving:
Ability to understand information quickly and accurately. Appreciation of all the
variables affecting an issue. Ability to evaluate and choose workable solutions to
problems.
• Motivation:
Energetic and enthusiastic approach to work/tasks. Desire to continuously learn and
develop and evaluate own performance. Perseverance in the face of obstacles.
• Leadership:
Having a clear vision with the ability to enthuse and influence others by gaining their
trust and support. Ability to listen, share and delegate when appropriate. Willingness
to take responsibility for a task or project to ensure it gets done.
• Creativity, flexibility and openness to change:
To be original and express different views, ideas or solutions. Willingness to challenge
the status quo when appropriate and consider change. An openness to others' ideas
with a willingness to adapt.
• Confidence / assertiveness:
Willingness to express needs, views and feelings clearly, confidently and courteously.
Appreciation of the value of one's own abilities and role. Willingness to put forward
ideas and stand firm on a minority or unpopular view when appropriate.
• Interpersonal, intercultural and global awareness :
Awareness and tolerance of the diverse needs, feelings and views of others.
Willingness to support, help and share information with others. Ability to
communicate and work with people from across different social and cultural
backgrounds and from across different countries.
• Numeracy :
Ability to interpret statistics and numerical data. Ability to solve numerical problems.
Familiarity with the ways in which numerical information is gathered and presented.
• Information and IT literacy:
Confidence when using information technology with an ability to learn new packages.
Ability to identify how IT can be applied to improve efficiency and solve problems.
Knowing where and how to find relevant information.
• Business / commercial awareness and professionalism :
Understanding of the need for high quality customer service and innovative
approaches. Awareness of how economic and political issues can affect organisations
and their products or services. Recognition of the importance of a professional and
responsible approach to your own role within an organisation.
Application Letters
• Start the letter by capturing the attention of the reader in a professional manner
• Use language that states clearly your objective
• Build interest in your potential to contribute to the position
• Link education, experience and skills to the job
• Quote salary requirements only if asked
• Request interview at a time and place convenient to reader
• Provide complete contact information
• Adapt style to culture of organization
Personal Branding
• Personal branding is about understanding yourself and creating a strong
professional image which comprise of
• your talents
• your values
• your unique selling point (USP)
You can include your USP within the:
• introductory paragraph of an application’s personal statement
• brief profile section within a CV
• summary or biography sections within the social media platforms that you use

Tips to write effectively

• When writing about your experiences don’t just list your activities or duties.
• Use ‘power words’
• Use verbs at the start of the sentence (e.g. Completed…, Negotiated…, Delivered…)
• Write in an active style (e.g. ‘Researched information using various sources
including databases and scientific journals. Produced a comprehensive report that
detailed my findings (which received ‘distinction’ level grade). Learnt the value of
prioritising tasks for effective time management.’
• Write concisely (short paragraphs or bullet points)

Types of Resumes
• Chronological ( reverse order)
⁻ The work experience section dominates
⁻ If you are a student, education should dominate
Advantages:
• Familiar format
• Highlights career growth
Highlights employment stability
 • Functional
⁻ The skill section dominates
⁻ Useful for people entering the job market
Advantages:
• Employer can see what you can do for them
• You can emphasize relevant job experience
• You can de-emphasize unemployment

• Combination
⁻ Includes best feature of both chronological and functional
Disadvantages:
• Can be lengthy
• Can be repetitious

Major Sections of a Resume

• Name and contact information
• Introductory Statement (one of the 3 below)
• Career objective
• Qualifications summary
• Career summary
• Education
• Work Experience, Skills, Accomplishments
• Activities and achievements ( non-related to work but show your skills)
• Personal Data – not to be included unless asked

Use the ‘STAR’ technique to write down examples of your achievements

• STAR’ (Situation, Task, Action and Result) can help you provide a concise and effective
answer to competency based questions.
• Situation - provide some brief details about the situation you were in when you used
your competencies so that the reader can understand the context of the example.
• Task - outline what your objective or purpose was during that situation, again, to put
your answer into context.
• Action - describe what you did in that situation and how you approached it.
• Result - state the outcome, for example: Were the objectives met? What did you
learn/gain from being in that situation?
Group Discussions and Interview

Group Discussions (GD)

A few tips to prepare for GDs

1. Improve your communication skills

Improving your communication skills by practicing with your friends and family.
Watching informative videos or reading good articles help you to build vocabulary and get
more insight on improving your communication skills.

2. Develop your knowledge of current affairs both India and Global

You need to read widely on current affairs- both national and international– so that you can
participate during the group discussion. The topic can be any random, ranging from the
growing COVID Pandemic to rape, poverty, online learning, Work from home, debate around
Section 377 of the Indian penal code to Middle East affairs or merits/demerits of Donald
Trump as the U.S. President. Subscribe or buy good magazines to broaden your perspective
of worldly affairs. This will immensely boost your confidence when the GD starts.

3. Wear formal dress

Dressing well and appropriately is extremely important, because if you appear in a GD dressed
shabbily or in casual clothing, then it indicates you are not serious about the entire process.

4. Focus on body language and posture

Smile, Sit upright, don’t stare. Do not show any aggressive stance. Keep your hands on your
thighs while sitting. Do not gesture too much, be your normal self. Your body language plays
a crucial role in deciding your selection so pay utmost attention to this aspect.

5. Be the Initiator or summarise

Initiating a group discussion and even closing it gives the impression that you are a decisive
person and have traits of a leader. But if your knowledge is weak about the topic, it is better
to listen to a few people, formulate your points, and then put your opinion across.

6. Be a good listener, do not dominate

If you speak well then it doesn’t mean you should just go on and on without allowing others
to speak. Being a good listener reflects you are a team player and can give space to different
opinions. Being dominant indicates you are headstrong and probably quite arrogant also.

7. Make eye contact with all participants

Many people make the mistake of only looking at the evaluators during the GD, mostly in the
hope of garnering a favourable reaction from them. While it is okay to glance once or twice,
you need to make eye contact and pay attention to all the participants. You are in a discussion
with them, not the judge.
8. Do not go into specific details
For certain topics, you might have way more knowledge than other participants. Don’t start
quoting too many figures and statistics as you will come across as a show-off. Basic knowledge
and smart points are enough so that a solid argument can be made.

9. Differ in a polite manner

Never ever be rude. If you have a different opinion to a point made by a participant, then raise
your objection in a polite manner.

Try the following three steps to use when disagreeing with another speaker:

a. Acknowledge their thoughts/ ideas

• I can see your point - however ...

• That's a good point, but ...
• I see what you're getting at/ where you're coming from, but ...
• I see what you mean - however...

b. Then explain why you disagree

• That's not always the case because ...

• That's not necessarily true because ...
• This idea isn't supported by statistics/ evidence ...
• I thought the author meant that ...

c. Offer your opinion complete with reason and support

• From what I've read ...

• The statistics seem to indicate that ...
• I think what (author's name) may actually be suggesting is ...
• Other studies by (author's name) show that ...

10. Other phrases you can use during the discussions:

a. A valid opinion (a believable point of view)

• I believe that ...

• I think that ...
• From what I understand ...
• As I understand it ...

b. A reason why

• This is due to ...

• Because ...
• What I mean by this is ...
c. Evidence

(relevant and up-to-date examples, statistics, explanations and/ or expert opinions). If you
have actual data, examples or expert opinions on hand, refer to the source.

• This can be seen by ...

• For instance ...
• For example ...
• An example can be seen ...
• (Author's name) states that ...
• (Author's name) suggests...
• Statistics from (give a source) indicate ...

Remember You Are Being Judged For:

• How good is your communication skills

• How confident are you in interacting with the other group members
• How open-minded are you in acknowledging diverse points of views
• How flexible or rigid are you in having an opinionated discussion
• Your leadership skills
• Your analytical abilities
• Problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Time management skills
• Your skills at putting forth your ideas in an unbiased manner
• Social behaviour and common courtesy

Therefore:

• Speak up. If you don’t verbalise your thoughts you won’t be given any credit for them
and the longer you go without saying anything, the harder it is to join in.
• Be aware that being the most vocal isn’t necessarily the best approach. Make sure
what you are saying is relevant and that you are giving the others a chance to speak.
• If you notice somebody else is quiet, ask for their opinion in order to bring them into
the discussion. This will give you credit for team working.
• If somebody is dominating the conversation, ask a question to check how much
support there is for what they are saying. This gives others a chance to speak and
changes the group dynamic.
• Be involved and interested in what others have to say. If members of the group are
wearing name badges, try to refer to them by their name.
• Acknowledge what others are saying, but don’t just try and agree with everyone. For
example you could say, ‘That’s an interesting point but I also feel that…’ Remember,
it’s important to show that you have an opinion, but be prepared to back this up.
• Try to retain a sense of humour throughout the exercise. This can often help to reduce
tension within the group.
• Ignore the assessors – concentrate on your group.
Remember the following key points:

• Contribute but do not dominate

• Listen to others but do not interrupt
• Involve others especially if they have not said much
• Refer to and build on what others say
• Help the team to keep to time
• Concentrate on the task without worrying what the assessors may be thinking

Facing an Interview
1. Research about the company. Understanding key information about the company you’re
interviewing with can help you go into your interview with confidence. Using the company’s
website, social media posts and recent press releases will provide a solid understanding of
the company’s goals and how your background makes you a great fit. Find out about:
• The services or products the organisation deals with
• The organisation’s aims and values - what does it say in its ‘mission statement’?
• How you will fit in with its values. Can you identify its culture?
• Who its clients / customers are
• Who its competitors are and how the organisation compares to them
• If the organisation has been in the news recently and why?

2. Practice how to answers common interview questions. Prepare your answer to the
common question: “Tell me about yourself”, “Why are you interested in this role?” The idea
is to communicate who you are and what value you will bring to the table —it’s your
opportunity to make the elevator pitch.
3. You should come prepared to discuss your salary expectations. Research on what is the
personalized pay range based on your location, industry and experience.
4. Refer to the advertisement and read the job description again. Understand the specific
skills the employer is looking for, sometimes it may not be clear, you may have to read
between the lines. Think about examples from your past and current work that align with
these requirements.
5. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action and Result) method in answering questions. Prepare
to be asked about times in the past when you used a specific skill and use the STAR method to
tell stories.
6. Keep your list to true experiences in the STAR format and practice saying it. This will help
you to keep your answers concise and focused.
7. Have a friend or relative to practice answering questions. Actually practicing your answers
out loud is an incredibly effective way to prepare. You’ll gain confidence as you get used to
saying the words.
8. Be prepared with examples of your work. During the interview, you will likely be asked
about specific work you’ve completed in relation to the position. After reviewing the job
description, think of work you’ve done in past jobs or volunteer positions that show you have
experience and success doing the work they require.
9. Prepare smart questions for your interviewers. Interviews are a two-way street.
Employers expect you to ask questions: they want to know that you’re thinking seriously
about what it would be like to work there. Here are some questions you may want to
consider asking your interviewers:

• Can you explain some of the day-to-day responsibilities this job entails?
• How would you describe the characteristics of someone who would succeed in this
role?
• If I were in this position, how would my performance be measured? How often?
• What departments does this teamwork with regularly?
• How do these departments typically collaborate?
• What does that process look like?
• What are the challenges you’re currently facing in your role?

10. Prepare a list of references. Your interviewers might require you to submit a list of
references before or after your interview. Having a reference list prepared ahead of time can
help you quickly complete this step to move forward in the hiring process.
11. Plan what to wear for the interview the previous day. Wear formals. Try them out before
hand to see that they fit and are in order. It is important to be comfortable in your clothes.
12. Keep at least two copies of your resume, a notebook and a pen for the interview. Use a
good folder to carry all this. You may carry your certificates as well.
13. Plan your schedule so that you can arrive at least 10–15 minutes early. It would be a
good idea to carry out a visit to the location on some earlier day. If you’re using public
transport, keep a backup plan ready if there are delays or route changes /closures. When you
arrive early, use the extra minutes to observe workplace dynamics.
14. Prepare to make a great first impression. Don’t forget the little things—shine your shoes,
make sure your nails are clean and tidy, and check your clothes for holes, stains, pet hair and
loose threads. Display confident body language and a smile throughout.

On the day of the Interview:

Once you have prepared well, it is time to perform well. The following points will help you to
perform better:
1. Respectfully greet and speak to everyone you meet at the venue. This includes people in
the parking lot, security personnel and front office staff. You never know, the hiring manager
may check with them about you.
2. Good manners and positive body language are great winners. Be confident, have a
positive body language from the moment you enter the building. Sit or stand tall with your
shoulders back. Before entering the interview room, take a deep breath and exhale slowly,
this will help you to manage anxiety and self-confidence.
3. Wait for the interviewer to extend their hand first to initiate a handshake. Stand, look the
person in the eye and smile. A good handshake should be firm and last not more than 2 to 5
seconds at the most. Maintain eye contact as much as possible but be careful not to stare.
4. Be truthful while replying to the questions. Honesty is respected so don’t bluff if you don’t
know the answer to a particular question. It is alright to apologise by saying ‘I’m sorry, I don’t
know about this, but please tell me about it’. This shows you are a keen learner. If the
interviewers share, thank them, if they don’t share the answer, smile and say, ‘I will definitely
learn about this’. Being genuine during interview conversations can help employers easily
relate to you. Showing positivity with a smile and optimistic body language can help in make
the interview productive.
5. Make sure your answers can be related to your education, skills and accomplishments. It
is important that you tie your background to the job by providing examples of solutions and
results you’ve achieved in your earlier jobs or internships. Use every opportunity to address
the requirements listed in the job description. Focus on your key strengths and why you suit
the position.
6. Remember to speak only positive things about your present or previous
employers. Nobody like complainers. Organisations hire people who can find solutions not
those who find problems. If you are unhappy with your present or past job, keep the reasons
to yourself, only share your learnings from the jobs handled.

Once The Interview Is Over

When the interview is over, it is not really over, give yourself an opportunity to move forward
by doing the following:
1. Ask about next steps. After your interview, it is appropriate to ask either your interviewer,
or recruiter about what are the next steps. They may say they will send an email with results
from your interview or give you an assignment or ask for a reference list or may be another
interview.
2. Send a personalized thank you letter or email after the interview. Ask for the business
card of each person you speak with during the interview process so that you can follow up
individually with a separate thank you email.
If the interview was held in the morning, send the emails on the same day. If it was in the
afternoon, then send it by next morning. It is important to see that each email is different
from the others and is not a copy paste. While writing the email, state what inspired you
during the conversations.

Telephone Video Interviews

• Prepare in exactly the same way that you would for a face-to-face interview.
• Re-reading your application and the information that the organisation or institution has
provided, researching the job or course, and thinking of recent, specific examples that
you can use as evidence of the required skills.
• Dress formal for Video interview.
• Sit in a room without any distraction in the background.
• Check your connections, sound.
Cross-cultural Communication

This involves an understanding of how people from different cultures speak, communicate,
and perceive the world around them.

Cross-cultural Skills to Develop

• The attitude of openness - be open to initiate and develop interactions with culturally
different people. Suspend judgment in valuing your interactions with them.
• The attitude of curiosity - ask complex questions about their cultures. You can articulate
answers to these questions that reflect multiple cultural perspectives.
• Knowledge of cultural self-awareness - be aware of how your experiences shape the
rules, assumptions, and biases of your own culture.

Cross-cultural Concepts that help

• Knowledge of cultural worldview frameworks - understand the complexity of elements
important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics,
communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices.
• Skills of non-verbal and verbal communication - articulate a complex understanding of
cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication.
• The skill of empathy - interpret intercultural experience from the perspectives of your
own and the others and demonstrate your ability to act in a supportive manner that
recognizes the feelings of another cultural group.

What to talk
– begin with what is above the surface
-Once you have developed trust and understanding with the other person, you can ask about
what is given below the surface in the image below:
Communicating Across Cultures
• Speak slowly and distinctly
• Repeat key words and phrases –use synonyms to get the message across
• Aim for clarity – use simple sentences, avoid jargons
• Communicate with body language
• Support your message with visuals
Online Etiquette
Online client meetings, interviews and study classes are now the norm of the day. This makes
it very important for each one of us to learn the etiquette to be followed for such interactions.
A few significant points to be noted are given below:

1. Check your Equipment - Please check your equipment, mobile phones (if you are
connecting to a meeting through phone) and network connections before the meeting
starts, to avoid delays.

2. Login before scheduled time - It is important to log in before time so that the meeting
/class can start on time. In this way, you show respect for time - yours and others.

3. Display your name – Display your name, especially when having a meeting with an
outsider. It helps people to remember the names and address. Effectively, it is like
introducing yourself with a Business card.

4. Sit and Dress professionally (even while Working from Home) - Please dress
professionally and look like, the way you would, in a face-to-face meeting. Dressing for
the occasion helps to feel that you are in the role and you actually perform better.

5. Sit straight and have a good posture- sit on a proper chair, keeping the laptop on a table
for correct posture. Sitting straight makes you feel more confident and appear confident
and professional. Sit the way you would, in a face-to-face meeting.

6. Pay Attention to Camera Angle – Please check immediately after connection, to what
your video looks like. An incorrect camera angle, may show you looking awkward. Please
do face the light to look bright and clearly visible to others.

7. If attending the meetings from phones - please hold them in horizontal position, as some
of the participants will be accessing it through their laptops, to give same screen
positioning.
Also while connecting through a phone, please keep it at your eye level.

8. Choose a quiet location - Microphone does pick up not only our voice, but ambient
noises, as well, if it's not silenced. Therefore, please do use a separate room, to avoid
background noise being heard by other participants.

9. Mute yourself, while not speaking – Keep yourself muted when not speaking, for clarity
of the conversation to others. Please don't forget to unmute when you do want to be
heard.
10. Keep Video camera turned on – This is a way to show respect to people. Like in a face to
face meeting, you will not look away from the person you are meeting, the same etiquette
applies here.

Unless it is pre-agreed that everyone in the meeting will keep their video cameras turned
off, please keep the video camera always turned on.

11. Eating, Drinking or Sneaking Out – Eating, drinking or just sneaking out by some of the
participants could be bothersome to others. Please do ask permission before doing so.

12. Avoid multitasking – Like a face to face meeting, do pay attention and avoid multitasking
in the background. Don’t text or answer emails when you're not speaking, but rather focus
on your colleagues as you would in an in-person meeting.

13. Ask questions via live chat - Almost every video conferencing comes with a live chat
platform. You should take advantage of it when asking questions so that you don't
interrupt the speaker. Someone can notify the speaker that there are questions after
he/she finishes talking.

14. Using live chat – pl. don’t keep posting messages to others on the chat box as it distracts
the speaker. Just like a face to face meeting, keep the decorum and dignity of the
occasion.

Reference Books from Library

1. Business Communication - Second edition by Asha Kaul
2. Business Etiquette and Professionalism- Third edition by Kay Dupont
3. Business Communication Today – Tenth Edition by Courtland L/Bovee, John V Thil & Abha
Chatterjee
4. Business Communication – Second edition by P.D. Chaturvedi & Mukesh Chaturvedi