PURC 111
BSN Y1-13
COMMUNICATION FOR WORK
PURPOSES
• Communication is how we give and receive information
and convey our ideas and opinions with those around us.
FORMS OF COMMUNICATION
• Verbal - the use of sounds and words to express yourself.
• Aural - involves the transmission of information through
the auditory sensory system (the system of hearing)
• Non-verbal - includes facial expressions, the tone and
pitch of the voice, gestures displayed through body
language (kinesics) and the physical distance between
the communicators (proxemics).
• Written - the sending of messages, orders or instructions
in writing through letters, circulars, manuals, reports,
telegrams, office memos, bulletins, etc
• Visual - signs, symbols, and pictures
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
• A process of sending and receiving wordless messages.
• Facial Expression - conveys countless emotions without
saying a word.
• Body movements and posture - how we move and carry
ourselves communicates a lot of information.
• Gestures - movement of a part of the body; can be
different across cultures and regions.
• Eye Contact - helps maintain the flow of conversation and
assesses another person’s response.
• Touch (Haptics) - communicates a great deal.
• Space and distance (Proxemics) - refers to physical space
We can use physical space to communicate many
different nonverbal messages, including signals of
intimacy, aggression, dominance, or affection.
• Voice (Paralanguage) - communication with our voices
without, even when we are not using words (rate,
volume, pitch)
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
• The message can be a mix of factual and psychological
aspects to give the message its full impact; rather than
just dry facts or overly emotional in style.
• The message should be relevant to the concerns of the
audience.
• The language should be appropriate to the audience and
communication medium. Avoid jargon unless talking to
another professional.
• The message should be positive and focused on
solutions rather than listing problems.
• The language should invite appropriate participation and
engagement.
• The message should use the right medium for the
intended audience, the context and the desired
response.
• The message is sent at the right time to enable the
audience to have time to understand and act on the
message.
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WHAT MAKES A GOOD COMMUNICATOR?
• Prepare well and understand what you want to
communicate.
• Be confident to the point and focus on solutions.
• Ensures that you are being heard.
• Influence your environment according to your goals and
requirement.
• Applies positive influence presenting strong point of view
and develop mutual understanding.
• Delivers efficient decision and solutions by providing
accurate and relevant information.
• Builds healthy relationships.
LISTENING SKILLS
• Full understanding
• Constructive response
• Strong relationship
CORE LISTENING SKILLS
• Giving the other party your full attention
• Genuine Listening - nodding, repeating back what they
have said but in your own words.
• Acknowledging their feelings
• Asking for clarification when you do not understand.
• Trying to understand other’s point of view
• Letting the other party put over their response fully
before you react and giving them time to express their
point of view.
• Being cautious on expressing your opinion. If it is clearly
not appropriate don’t express it.
• Being timely in your reaction to the other party’s
responses to you messages.
WORKPLACE DOCUMENTS
• These are documents that provide steps or gives
instructions to carry out tasks that contains technical
details.
• It is a record of business activities
• It is completes as part of government acts or regulations
• It is developed to ensure the efficient delivery of services
and products to customers.
EXAMPLE OF WORKPLACE DOCUMENTS:
• Messages
• Memorandum
• Business Letters
• Minutes of the Meeting (MOM)
• Annual Reports
• Agenda
• Presentations
MESSAGES
• Messages come in all sorts of formats.
• It can be a simple phone message to an email or a short
message left for a work colleague.
• Whatever the format, it is important to be sure that
people’s names are spelled correctly, that phone
numbers or other figures are written down correctly.
• It is also important to mark on the “message” the time
and date as well as who is leaving the message. Above all,
it is vital that you use clear and neat handwriting.
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MEMORANDUM
• Memorandum or memo is a workplace document that
sends information to people in your organization about a
work related topic.
• Most messages of this type are sent by email, but in
some instances a hard copy of a memorandum is
distributed to staff members.

GUIDELINES IN WRITING A MEMORANDUM:
1. Choose a representative phrase that immediately tells
the reader what the memo will be about.
2. Use plain paper (not stationery) with one-inch margins
around the page.
3. Use a professional font and black color.
4. Begin all the lines of the memo at the left margin.
5. Use single-spaced, with two spaces between
paragraphs in the body of the memo.
6. If your memo is more than 1 page long, use a
subsequent page header that includes who the Memo
is addressed to, the page number, and the date
(header).
7. Don’t add a greeting between the memo heading and
body.
8. Write in declarative mood, and simple sentence
structure.
9. Be specific and detailed without including unnecessary
(i.e. timewasting or confusing) information and without
insulting reader’s intelligence.
10. Use a more informal tone. Remember, however, that
what counts as “formal” or “informal” is defined in
terms of each organization’s culture.
11. Pay attention to the intended audience and context. Be
guided with the template below.
PARTS OF A MEMORANDUM:
• Heading
- DATE (complete and current date)
- TO: (reader’s names and job titles)
- FROM: (your name and job title)
- SUBJECT: (what the memo is about)
• Opening – state purpose of memo, give the facts.
• Summary – explain the situation in more detail if needed.
• Discussion – any other info you need to present? Now’s your
chance.
• Closing – make a courteous closing statement. Do NOT use
“sincerely” or other letter-like ending.
• Necessary attachments – include any as needed.
AGENDA & MINUTES OF THE MEETING
• Agenda is a list of topics that are planned to be discussed
at a meeting. It is used a guide to the Chairperson of a
meeting, to keep the meeting “on track”.
• The minutes of the meeting are the record of the matters
that are discussed during a meeting. They are a “formal”
record of what took place in a meeting.

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CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN FORMAT OF THE MINUTES

WRITING MEETING MINUTES
Include the following information in writing the minutes of
1. When was the meeting? the meeting:
2. Who attended?
• Topics/Agenda
3. Who did not attend? (Include this information if it
• Point persons and Attendees
matters)
• Decisions
4. What topics were discussed?
• Actions Agreed Upon
5. What was decided?
- Person responsible
6. What actions were agreed upon?
- Deadline
7. Who is to complete the actions, by when?
• Next Meeting
8. Were materials distributed at the meeting? If so, are
- Date and Time
copies or a link available?
- Location
9. Is there anything special the reader of the minutes
- Agenda items
should know or do?
10. Is a follow-up meeting scheduled? If so, when? where?
why?

• Keep it simple.
• Use bullet points.
• Ask for clarification.
• Don’t include unnecessary information.
• Be objective.
• Be well-prepared.

GUIDELINES IN WRITING THE MINUTES OF THE

MEETING
• Write minutes soon after the meeting, preferably within
48 hours. That way, those who attended can be reminded
of action items, and those who did not attend will
promptly know what happened.
• Don't skip writing minutes just because everyone
attended the meeting and knows what happened.
Meeting notes serve as a record of the meeting long after
people forget what happened.
• Don't describe all the "he said, she said" details unless
those details are very important. Record topics discussed,
decisions made, and action items.
• Don't include any information that will embarrass anyone
(for example, "Then John/Jane left the room in tears").
• Use positive language rather than describing the
discussion as heated or angry, use passionate, lively, or
energetic--all of which are just as true as the negative
words.
• Edit and proof the meeting minutes.
• Attach any hand-outs or documents electronically, so that
all participants and non-participants have easy access to
them.

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RESEARCH
• The immediate purpose of a research paper is to learn
about something and to present it in written form.
• It is important to your academic survival that you master
the skills involved in research paper writing.
WHAT IS A RESEARCH PAPER?
• ordinary or critical term paper
• thesis or dissertation
• other forms of composition writing
Note: Research deals with regards to reading and writing
about your topic, purpose, problem and result.
ANALYTICAL AND ARGUMENTATIVE PAPER
ANALYTICAL RESEARCH
• An analytical research paper is one that uses evidence to
study the facets involved in an issue or topic.
• Analysis entails breaking up a concept into component
parts, and restructuring them from your own perspective
into a composite whole.
AN ANALYTICAL RESEARCH PAPER:
• is not making judgments on the topic per se, but
exploring a topic for the purpose of being able to draw
reasonable conclusions.
• is an effort to make use of research to provide an
objective picture of what information is known about
the subject.
• example of these can be LITERARY ANALYSIS and
POLITICAL SCIENCE PAPER.
ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH
• Argumentative papers require researchers to take a stand
on an issue and defend it.
AN ARGUMENTATIVE RESEARCH PAPER:
• is also known as persuasive research project.
• demonstrates an attempt to convince your audience of
the solidity of a particular view you have on a subject
STRUCTURE OF A RESEARCH PAPER
ABSTRACT
• The abstract is the little bit of everything. It has concise
statements that contains the summary of the contents of
the paper.
• It should be written in complete sentences and
paragraphs. It should not exceed to 250 words and
should not include formula, diagrams or other illustrative
materials.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
• This part enables the reader to understand the context or
territory of the study. This is where we can read the
trends and issues, objectives and main contributions of
the study. These are written in paragraphs and proper
citations must be observed.
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
• This serves as the foundation of the research for it states
how and why researchers come up with the topic
objectives. Like the Introduction, this is written in
paragraphs with technically correct sentences.
• Properly literature-reviewed research papers could
answer the trickiest questions of critics.
3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
• This will help you systematize your research by forcing
you to identify what kind of data you will need for your
paper and what is the best way to go about getting it.
• The main purpose of this portion is to provide enough
detail for a competent reader to replicate the study and
reproduce the results.
• The researchers should consider the Research Design,
Research locale, Population and Sampling/Key Informant
Selection, Research Ethics, Research Instruments, Data
Collection and Data Analysis.
4.0 RESULTS
• This presents findings which are clearly and simply
stated. This should be brief and direct. More so, when
describing the results from a table or a figure, make sure
to introduce the table or figure number and title on the
first statement for easier location of table or figure
involved.
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5.0 DISCUSSION
• This is where results should be communicated: What
principles have been established or reinforced? What
generalizations can be drawn? How do the findings
compare to the findings of others or to expectations
based on previous work?
• Are there any theoretical implications of the results?
When these questions are addressed, it is crucial that the
discussion rests firmly on the evidence presented in the
results section. This should be interpretative not just a
restatement of the results.
CONCLUSION
• This section enumerates the principal findings of the
research. This answers the objectives of the study.
RECOMMENDATION
• In paragraph form, this section presents where the
results of the study are directed.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
• This provides the opportunity to thank and recognize
those who have assisted or contributed to the study but
are not named as co-authors. This section must be
written in no more than 3 sentences.
REFERENCES
• The reference section should begin on a new page with
the title bold and left indented. The references should
strictly follow the American Psychological
Association(APA) 7th Edition, and written in 1.5 inch
hanging indent. All reference types (journal, book,
internet, etc.) is integrated and arranged alphabetically.
WRITING PROPOSALS
• The goal of a research proposal is twofold: to present
and justify the need to study a research problem and
to present the practical ways in which the proposed
study should be conducted.
• A proposal should contain all the key elements involved
in designing a completed research study, with sufficient
information that allows readers to assess the validity
and usefulness of your proposed study.
• The only elements missing from a research proposal
are the findings of the study and your analysis of those
findings.
• An effective proposal is judged on the quality of your
writing and, therefore, it is important that your
proposal is coherent, clear, and compelling.
ALL RESEARCH PROPOSALS MUST ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING
QUESTIONS:
1. What do you plan to accomplish?
2. Why do you want to do the research?
3. How are you going to conduct the research?
KEY FEATURES:
1) A well-defined problem.
Example:
Motorcycle riders who do not wear helmets risk
serious injury and raise health-care costs for
everyone.
2) A recommended solution
• Once the problem is defined, propose solutions to
the problem.
• Explain it by providing details to said solution.
3) A convincing argument for your proposed solutions
• Convince readers that your solution is feasible and
that it is the best way to solve the problem.
• Explain in detail how your proposed solution
would work.
4) Anticipate questions
• Consider any questions readers may have about
your proposal; and show how its advantages out-
weigh any disadvantages.
5) A call to action
• The goal of a proposal is to persuade readers to
accept your proposed solution.
• This solution may include asking readers to take
action.
6) An appropriate tone
• Since you are trying to persuade readers to act,
your tone is important is important – readers will
always react better to a reasonable, respectful
presentation than to anger or self-righteous.
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GUIDE TO WRITING PROPOSALS

PUBLIC SERVICE
1. Decide on a topic.
• Can be solved ANNOUNCEMENT (PSA)
2. Consider the Rhetorical Situation
A. Purpose WHAT IS PSA?
• Do you have a vested interest in the solution your
• A PSA (Public Service Announcement) is a short
readers adopt, or do you simply want to eliminate
informational clip that is meant to raise the audience’s
the problem, whatever solution might be
awareness about an important issue.
adopted?
• PSA can be instructional, inspirational, or even shocking
B. Audience
to elicit emotion and action.
• How can you reach your readers? Do you know
• Often in the form of commercials and print ads.
how receptive or resistant to change they are
likely to be? Do they have the authority to enact
your proposal?
COMMON TYPES OF PSA
C. Stance
ANNOUNCEMENT
• How can you show your audience that your
proposal is reasonable and should be taken • usual components are a series of videos and images with
seriously? How can you demonstrate your own a narrator or narrators delivering information to the
authority and credibility? audience either onscreen or through a voiceover.
D. Media/Design Sometimes text alone can be just as powerful and
• How will you deliver your proposal? In print? effective.
Online? As a speech? Would visuals help support
your proposal? DOCUMENTARY/INTERVIEWS
3. Generate Ideas and Texts
• Explore potential solutions to the problem. • This method is effective because the interviews provide
either expert testimony or stories from people who have
personal experience with your topic to support the
argument that you are making. Sometimes the interviews
can be accompanied by a voiceover, or other times your
interview(s) alone can be very effective.

NARRATIVE
• This style uses either a scene, montage (a collection of
several short clips), or a reenactment/footage of true
events to illustrate the point that you are trying to make.
This style can allow your PSA not only to be more
creative, but also subtle, yet powerful.

WHAT MAKES A PSA EFFECTIVE?

a. It gets the audience to pay attention.
b. The message is clear and easy to understand.
c. The message is supported by facts about the issue.
d. The audience is able to sympathize with those affected by
the issue.

HOW TO CREATE PSA?

a. Choose your topic
b. Research
c. Consider your audience
d. Grab your audience’s attention
e. Create a script
f. Storyboard your script
g. Film your footage and edit your PSA
h. Find your audience and get their reaction

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