COURSE FILE

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION (KMBN 107)

UNIT - II
Oral communication: What is oral Communication – principles of successful oral communication
– what is conversation control – reflection and empathy: two sides of effective oral communication
– effective listening – non – verbal communication. Written communication: Purpose of writing –
clarity in writing – principles of effective writing – approaching the writing process systematically:
The 3X3 writing process for business communication: Pre writing – Writing – Revising – Specific
writing features – coherence – electronic writing process.
What is oral Communication
Transmission of orders, messages, information or suggestions through spoken words is called
‘Oral or Verbal Communication’. It is effective for communication in meetings, conferences,
gatherings, group discussions, interviews, face-to-face talks, telephonic talks, etc. It is a direct and
informal method of communication. A personal contact is established in such communication. So,
it is useful in motivating people. It is very much flexible in nature. It is speedy, economic and
suitable for confidential and emergent talks.
Advantages of Oral Communication:
The advantages of Oral or Verbal Communication are mentioned below:
1. It saves time. Contact can be established quickly. Time spent on preparing draft of letters,
circulars, notes, explanation and finalising them in the case of written communication can be
saved.
2. Clarification and feedback is possible immediately. The listener may ask questions for proper
explanation and the speaker is also in a position to know the reaction of the listener immediately.
3. A personal contact between the communicator and the communicate helps to build up better
relationship between them.
4. It fosters a friendly and co-operative spirit as oral communication is often carried on through
informal basis.
5. It is most suitable for confidential and emergent talks.
6. Oral communication is effective for communication in meetings, conferences, gatherings, group
discussions, interviews, face-to-face talks, telephonic talks, etc.
7. It is flexible and changes can be made easily.
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8. It is economic. It saves money. Stationery spent in written communication can be saved.
9. While making oral communication the gestures, body language, changes in voice, etc. of the
participants disclose their intention.
10. Oral communication is effective in persuading people. This is why, the managers and
supervisors prefer to communicate their ideas, opinion and thinking to their subordinates through
this mode.
11. If for some reasons or other cancellation of any communication becomes necessary, withdrawal
of oral communication is easier than written communication.
Limitations of Oral Communication:
The limitations or disadvantages of Oral or Verbal Communication are as follows:
1. It is not suitable if distance between the speaker and the listener is great. Of course, this difficulty
may be removed with the help of some mechanical devices like telephone.
2. It is unsuitable if the matter to be communicated is lengthy.
3. Economy in such communication depends on control. Use of telephone may cost a lot if proper
control is not exercised.
4. It lacks recorded evidence for future reference.
5. It does not allow the listener much time to think, act and react.
6. It can be easily distorted or changed.
7. As no records of oral communication are generally kept, denial is easy.
8. It has no legal validity unless it is tape-recorded or video-recorded.
9. In the case of a mistake or neglect of duty no one can be specifically held responsible owing to
the absence of proof in oral communication.
10. Communication of statistical data is not suitable in oral communication as mistake is likely to
occur easily.
Principles of successful oral communication
1. Well-Planned - Before presenting something, there should be proper planning regarding
the audience, topics to be delivered, timing and other factors: So, a person must be well-
prepared to deliver his speech.
2. Clear pronunciation- To make oral messages meaningful to receivers, words should be
clearly and correctly pronounced. There should not be any lack of clarity, otherwise, the
communication would be a confusing one.

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 3. Brevity - Effective oral communication desires that a message should be brief. If the sender
took a long time for talking, his message may not get the attention of the receiver.
4. Precision - Precision is needed to make oral communication effective. There should not be
any confusing words rather message to be delivered should be specific so that there is no
misunderstanding.
5. Natural voice - Any sort of unnatural voice may distort the message. Natural voice can do
a lot to make oral communication effective.
6. Logical sequence - Ideas should be organized in a sequential way to make the message
communicative and attractive. Unorganized ideas do not provide clear sense while a logical
sequence of ideas gives clear sense.
7. Suitable words - Words have different meanings to different people in different situations
in oral communication, a speaker should use the common, simple and familiar words so
that receiver can react to the message without any problem.
8. Courteous - Courtesy costs nothing but can earn many things. So, a speaker should be
courteous while addressing listeners. It helps create a good impression in the mind of
listeners regarding the speaker.
9. Attractive presentation - It is another principle to make oral communication effective. A
speaker should deliver his speech in a very nice and sweet language so that receiver is
attracted to take part in the communication.
10. Avoiding Emotions - Speaker must control his emotions to make oral communication
effective. Too much emotion will take the speaker away from the main subject.
11. Emphasis - The speaker must be knowledgeable regarding the portion of the speech where
he should give emphasis. Giving emphasis on respective points will help draw the attention
of the audience.
12. Controlling Gesticulation - Speaker at many occasions, consciously or unconsciously,
gesticulates for expressing his ideas or thoughts. This is a habit and should be avoided.
Otherwise, application of such habit may lead to % disinterest of the audience.
Besides, objective information, the capacity of the listener, interesting language, proper fluency
should be considered also as the principles of oral communication.

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What is conversation control
Conversation is an informal talk in which people exchange views, feelings and thoughts.
Conversation in general is spontaneous, friendly and casual.
Social Conversation - Social conversation, also known as chit-chat or small talk attempts to
establish a sociable atmosphere. At a tea-party or social gathering, the conversation reveals
feelings of togetherness, rather than communicating ideas or any specific meaning. Words are used
in symbolic ways as verbal social gestures. This social use of words is known as phatic
communion.
Examples - It was a pleasure meeting you. Do come again. How is your family?
Features of Effective Conversation-
 It takes place face- to- face and the participants can see and hear each other at the same
time.
 It is sensitive and flexible in that it can change quickly according to the participant’s
reactions.
Conversation Control
Conversation control refers to the skills of listening and talking in a positive and meaningful way
at an appropriate time. Conversation control helps participants conclude and conclude their
conversation effectively and satisfactorily with mutual understanding and agreement.
Applications of Conversation Control skills in Business
 Selling and buying
 Negotiating
 Interviewing
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  Participating in meetings
 Disagreeing without being rude
 Protesting without offending
 Complimentary/ praising
 Responding to personal criticism
Situations where conversational skills are useful
 Interacting with people in meetings in a convincing way.
 Handling objections to a proposal.
 Being able to react to criticism in a confident manner.
 Developing skills in interviewing.
 Learning how to get correct information quickly.
Managing negative responses
 Show that you do not doubt the positive intentions of the other person.
 Use expressions such as “You are right about that, but “Avoid completely rejecting the
other person’s arguments.
 Do not use negative expressions. Instead of saying “Perhaps you do not know” try Perhaps
you know.
Techniques of Conversation Control
 Recognizing cues and clues.
 Interpreting signs and signals
 Avoiding Parallel Conversation
 Practicing Sequential Conversation
 Using Reflection and Empathy
 Cultivate a sense of timing
Noticing and Recognizing Cues and Clues
A cue is a keyword or phrase a speaker uses when he or she wants to indicate that something is
important to him or her.
A clue is a word or set of words that someone says to us.
For Example – Let us discuss the teaching- learning function of the case study method in
management studies.
Interpreting signs and Signals
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Conversation is composed of verbal and visual indicators. Verbal Indicators involve cues given
and clues received. Visual indicators consist of signs given and signals received. Signs consist of
visual indicators such as smiles, eye movements and so on. For Ex- Drinking water every 10
minutes is a sign of thirst.
Avoiding Parallel Conversation
Parallel conversation is a type of conversation where there is an exchange of information without
either speaker listening to the other.
ARE YOU LISTENING? Most of us engage in PARALLEL conversations
Example:
1st Speaker: I have a dog.
2nd Speaker: I have a dog too.
1st Speaker: My dog is a Border Collie.
2nd Speaker: My dog is a Shepherd.
1st Speaker: My dog is really smart like its owner.
2nd Speaker: My dog is considered the smartest breed.
1st Speaker and 2nd speaker are not listening to each other.
Practising Sequential Conversation
Sequential Conversation is a kind of conversation where the listener carries forward the
conversation in a connected and sequential manner. There is a logical link between the statements
given by the speaker and the listener.
An Example
1st Speaker: I have a dog.
2nd Speaker: Really? What kind of dog?
1st Speaker: My dog is a Border Collie.
2nd Speaker: That's a cool breed. How old is s/he?
1st Speaker: She is 10.
2nd Speaker: Where does she stay, inside or outside?
1st Speaker: Oh, both. She sleeps inside but loves to be outside
Using Reflection and Empathy
In verbal communication, the most important skill is to demonstrate a genuine interest in the other
person. Both participants should be able to pick up cues and reflect upon their meaning.

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The purpose of reflecting on something is to help the other person understand his/her feelings with
greater clarity and precision. One may repeat the feelings expressed by the other person- this
should be done objectively without changing, adding their statements. It is important to make eye
contact, lean forward and speak with genuine concern for the other person.
An Example - Anuj says to Bharat: I am not sure if I am required here any longer. Bharat says to
Anuj: You feel your contribution is not recognised. What can be done to change this? This would
allow Anuj to explore his own feelings with greater clarity and understanding.
Cultivate a sense of timing
The speaker should always keep in mind the time taken to communicate. The time limits
announced in formal oral activities should be strictly observed.
Summarizing
Summarizing is the best form of expressing comprehension. To summarize is to pick out the central
thought – the main theme or the essential idea – at the core of the whole argument. The speaker
should summarize the content of talk at the end and ask feedback from the audience.
APPLICATION OF CONVERSATIONAL CONTROL
 Advance circulation of agenda papers : to enable the members of the meeting understand
the issues and prepare them to present their view point.
 Chair person : a meeting is chaired by person whose role is to direct and conduct the
proceedings in an orderly manner. During the meeting the ruling of the chair is to be taken
as final words to be followed and respected by all the meeting members.
 The procedure : chairperson should have control during meeting focusing on important
issues and creating conditions for sequential, linked and meaningful discussions for
solutions.
 To be assertive without being aggressive : skills of avoiding parallel conversation, ensuring
linkage in every members talk, and being assertive about ones objective without being rude
or hurting others is basic for smooth conducting of business in meeting.
 Conversational attack and controlled response : the verbal exercise of give and take to reach
a winning end is skill fully managed by conversational control.
Two sides of effective oral communication – effective listening – non – verbal communication
TWO SIDES OF EFFECTIVE ORAL COMMUNICATION

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  Listening : is important component of conversation control. For listener to appreciate
speaker, he should be allowed to give his feedback and speaker should be patience in terms
of criticism from listener end.
o CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD LISTENER
 Do not interrupt
 Remain patient
 Make eye contact
 Show interest
 Look attentive
 Concentrate ask open questions
 Be effective presenter : oral communication is speakers ability to present his view point.
In order to be effective presenter speaker should try to present facts, not personal opinion,
content should be directed according to interest level of listener.
Effective Listening:
Listening is an essential part of spoken communication. Speaking and listening go together and
oral communication can not be effective without proper listening. Poor listening defeats the very
purpose of spoken words. Listening is a deliberate effort and is much more than hearing. It requires
getting the full meaning of what is being said.
Listening effectively takes skill, self-motivation, and practice. Effective listening means
concentrating on what the speaker says rather than on how it is said. Lack of attention and
respectful listening can be costly - leading to mistakes, poor service, misaligned goals, wasted time
and lack of teamwork.
Reasons for Effective Listening
Listening is an important aspect of business communication. It stands third after writing and
speaking. A business communicator has to listen to various customer, employees, officer,
suppliers, financiers etc. Obviously, it is an unavoidable task for a business person. This important
reason as to why a business communicator should known about listening is enumerated as under.
1. To Gain New Information and Ideas: A business person has to get new information and ideas
from various parties. For example he gets the information from customers regarding the product.
He takes various ideas from the employees inside the organization. He receives order or instruction
forms his superiors. He gets training form his instructor. All these activities require him to be a
good listener.
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2. To Question Test Evidence and Assumptions: Any activity, particularly business, activity
requires good analytical skill to survive in the environment. A good listener does not feel much
difficulty in doing so. The message of speaker mostly consists of facts (Verifiable data) or opinions
(inferences). Good listeners test those facts and opinions against assumptions and then question
the speaker. In this way he is able to analyze the massage and treat it on its merit.
3. To be Inspired a Motivated: A dynamic business man wants to be motivated again and again.
Good listening enables him to take inspiration from the message and brings about enthusiasm in
his attitude.
4. To Improve Overall Communication: A business person needs strong communication skills to
survive in the market. And to face a high degree of competition. This can only be achieved by
having strength in all areas of communicating i.e. writing, reading, speaking and particularly
listening.
Listening is of various types depending upon the speaker
1. Discriminative Listening: When the listener differentiates between different parts of the speaker
messages.
2. Evaluative Listening: Listening is said to be evaluative when the listener evaluates the evidence
and reaches a conclusion.
3. Appreciative Listening: Here the listener shows by words or his body language that he likes
some part of a speech and agrees with the speaker.
4. Empathic Listening: When the listener puts himself in the place of the position of the speaker it
is called Empathic Listening.
5. Active Listening: When the listener genuinely interested in understanding what the other person
is thinking, feeling, wanting or what the message means, and active in checking out our
understanding it is called active listening.
Listening Process
Listening is a seven stage process of:
1. Hearing
2. Selecting
3. Attending
4. Understanding
5. Evaluating
6. Remembering
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7. Responding actively with feedback
This process can be summarized in to four steps. The Four Steps of Listening are:
1. Hearing is the first step in the process. At this stage, Listener has to pay attention to make sure
that he heard the message.
2. The second step is interpretation. Failure to interpret the speaker's words correctly frequently
leads to misunderstanding. People sometimes interpret words differently because of varying
experience, knowledge, vocabulary, culture, background, and attitudes.
3. A good speaker uses tone of voice, facial expressions, and mannerisms to help make the message
clear to the listener. During the third step, evaluation, Listener has to decide what to do with the
information he has received. The judgments make in the evaluation stage are a crucial part of the
listening process.
4. The final step is to respond. This is a verbal or visual response that lets the speaker know whether
Listener has gotten the message and what his reaction is.
Importance of Listening
1. It helps us to understand the people and the world around us.
2. In our society, listening is essential to the development and survival of the individual.
3. Relationships depends more on listening skills than on speaking skills.
4. A good listener is always in a better position to deal with his problems and relationships.
5. It helps a person to grow in his career.
6. It keeps a person well informed
7. It helps an organization to meet its objectives.
8. Being listened to spells the difference between feeling accepted and feeing isolated.
9. A good listener rarely involves himself in controversies and misunderstanding.
10. Listening skills are critical to effective leadership.
11. Good listeners are often the best speakers because they have taken the time to find out what
people are truly interested in.
Guidelines for Effective Listening
Listening is very important aspect of communication. Around 20% of overall communication is
listening. Therefore, one should strive for adopting good listening habit.
There are following guidelines for good listening:
The details of each point are as follows:

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1. Preparation before listening: As already mentioned that listening plays important role in
communication. So one should prepare himself before starting listening. In preparation, there are
following guidelines:
(i) Stop talking: Human brain can perform one activity efficiently at a time, so during listening
there should be no talking by the listener.
(ii) Remove distraction: Noisy fan, traffic noise, entrance of unauthorized persons may interrupt
the listening process. All these barriers should be removed.
(iii) Good environmental conditions: There should not be extraordinary cold or warm environment
and ventilations should be proper.
2. Listening to understand, not to refute: There could be many topics to which the listener has
reservations. Apart from these reservations, the listener should try his best to understand the
message.
3. Focusing the attention: There may be many objects on which the listener should construct a
mental outline of where the speaker is going in his speech.
4. Concentration on context: The listener should keep in mind the background and theme of speech.
This thing enables him to absorb the material quickly and efficiently.
5. Taking notes: Listener should keep on taking notes. Hence, he should jot down ideas rather than
sentences. In this way, he/she could make the message safe for a long time.
6. Curbing the impulse to interrupt: One should avoid interrupting the speech until the speaker
invites questions. This habit puts the speaker and listener both at ease.
7. Asking questions: Asking right question on right time is quite different form interruption.
Listener should have an idea to know right time to ask questions.
8. Summary & evaluation: The listener should summarize and speech but not during listening
process.
Non – verbal communication
Non-verbal communication occurs without using any oral or written word. Instead of written or
oral words, it relies on various non-verbal cues like physical movements, tasks, colors, signs,
symbols, signals charts etc. to express feelings, attitudes or information. Although no word is used
in non-verbal communication, it can effectively communicate many human feelings more
accurately than verbal methods of communication.
Types of Nonverbal Communication

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Eye contact is an important channel of interpersonal communication, helps regulate the flow of
communication. And it signals interest in others. Furthermore, Eye contact with audiences
increases the speaker’s credibility. Teachers who make eye contact open the flow of
communication and convey interest, concern, warmth, and credibility.
Facial expressions

The face is an important communicator. It is commonly said that face is the index of the mind. It
expresses the type of emotions or feelings such as joy, love, interest, sorrow, anger, annoyance,
confusion, enthusiasm, fear, hatred surprise, and uncertainty. Facial expressions are indicated
through the mouth (open, wide or closed), eyelids (raised or lowered), nose (wrinkled or relaxed),
cheeks (drawn up or back) and the forehead (lowered or raised). Within the facial area, eyes are
especially effective for indicating attention and interest. However, interpretations of facial
expressions differ from culture to culture.
Smiling is a powerful cue that transmits:
 Happiness.
 Friendliness.
 Warmth.
 Liking.
 Affiliation.
Thus, if you smile frequently you will be perceived as more likable, friendly, warm and
approachable. Smiling is often contagious and students will react favorably and learn more.
Gestures

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If you fail to gesture while speaking, you may be perceived as boring, stiff and un-animated. A
lively and animated teaching style captures students attention, makes the material more interesting,
facilitates learning and provides a bit of entertainment. Head nods, a form of gestures,
communicate positive reinforcement to students and indicate that you are listening.
Gestures are movements of the arms, legs, hands, and head. Some authors opine that gesture is the
deliberate body movement as because they express specific and intentional meaning.
For example; a wave of the hand has a specific meaning-“hello” or “good-bye”; a forefinger and
a thumb touching to form a circle have the meaning -“ok”.
Alike facial expressions, interpretations of some gestures also differ across cultures.
For example, in Europe, raising thumb is used to convey that someone has done something
excellent while in Bangladesh the same gesture means something idiotic.
Posture and body orientation
You communicate numerous messages by the way you walk, talk, stand and sit. Standing erect,
but not rigid, and leaning slightly forward communicates to students that you are approachable,
receptive and friendly. Furthermore, Interpersonal closeness results when you and your students
face each other. Speaking with your back turned or looking at the floor or ceiling should be
avoided; it communicates disinterest to your class.
Body Language
Body language is another widely recognized form of non-verbal communication. Body movements
can convey meanings and message. Body language may take two forms of unconscious
movements and consciously controlled movements. For example;
When a person is bored, he may gaze around the room rather than look at the speaker or he may
shift positions frequently.
When a person is nervous, he may bite his nails or mash hair. These are usually made
unconsciously. On the other hand, leaning forward toward the speaker to express interest is the
case of conscious body movements.
Space and Distance
Space and distance are significant non-verbal tools in the case of organizational communication.
A spacious and well-decorated room indicates a person’s position in the organization hierarchy
and external people gets a message about his importance and authority only by visiting his room.
Distance is another communication tool, which expresses the degree of intimacy and individual
acceptance.
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Proximity
Cultural norms dictate a comfortable distance for interaction with students. You should look for
signals of discomfort caused by invading students’ space. Some of these are:
 Rocking
 Leg swinging
 Tapping
 Gaze aversion
Typically, in large college classes space invasion is not a problem. In fact, there is usually too
much distance. To counteract this, move around the classroom to increase interaction with your
students. Increasing proximity enables you to make better eye contact and increases the
opportunities for students to speak.
Para-linguistic
This facet of nonverbal communication includes such vocal elements as:
 Tone
 Pitch
 Rhythm
 Timbre
 Loudness
 Inflection
For maximum teaching effectiveness, learn to vary these six elements of your voice. One of the
major criticisms is of instructors who speak in a monotone. Listeners perceive these instructors as
boring and dull. Students report that they learn less and lose interest more quickly when listening
to teachers who have not learned to modulate their voices.
Humor
Humor is often overlooked as a teaching tool, and it is too often not encouraged in college
classrooms. Laughter releases stress and tension for both instructor and student. You should
develop the ability to laugh at yourself and encourage students to do the same. It fosters a friendly
environment that facilitates learning. Obviously, adequate knowledge of the subject matter is
crucial to your success; however, it’s not the only crucial element. Creating a climate that
facilitates learning and retention demands good nonverbal and verbal skills.
Touch

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Touch is a widely used form of non-verbal communication tool. By touching, one can express a
wide range of emotions. However, the accepted modes of touch vary depending on the gender,
age, relative status, intimacy and cultural background of the persons. For example, in the context
of our culture, when one touches you from the back of the examination hall, your understanding
is that he wants to know something.
Silence
Silence is a powerful tool for communication. It may have a positive or negative meaning. In a
classroom, silence indicates that students are listening carefully and attentively. In the same way,
through silence one can communicate his lack of interest or a failure to understand.
For example, silence often indicates that a person receiving instruction does not understand the
action required or sometimes silence indicates consent.
Personal Appearance
Appearance is also an important non-verbal communication tool. Appearance includes dress, hair,
jewelry, makeup, belt buckles and so on. Appearance indicates the degree of importance or interest
a person conveys to an occasion. By means of uniform, we can identify a student, a doctor, a
lawyer, a police officer etc. In an organization, one’s dress is keenly observed to see whether it
conforms to accepted standards of appearance. As an example, workers may wear different clothes
when they are on strike than they do when they are working.
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from
it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a
symbol for “stop”.
On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for numbers.
Personal names are symbols representing individuals. A red rose symbolizes love and compassion.
Visual Communication
When communication occurs by means of any visual aids, it is known as visual communication.
Thus, communication that occurs through facial expression, personal appearance, gesture, posture,
printed picture, sign, signal, symbol, map, poster, slide, chart, diagram, graph etc. is called visual
communication.
For example, to indicate ‘danger’, we use red sign; to mean ‘dangerous’, we use a skull placed
between two pieces of bone put in crosswise fashion; to indicate ‘no smoking’, we use an image
showing a lighted cigarette with a cross mark on it.
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Importance of Nonverbal Communication
Some important points expressing the importance, necessity, advantages or functions of non-verbal
communication are discussed below:
 Well Expression of the Speaker’s Attitude : Various non-verbal cues of the speaker like
physical movements, facial expression, a way of expression, etc. play important role in
expressing the inner meaning of the messages in face-to-face conversation and interview.
For example, the facial expression of the speaker indicates his attitude, determination depth
of knowledge etc.
 Providing Information Regarding the Sender of The Written Message: The format,
neatness, language and the appearance of the envelope used in a written message send a
non-verbal message regarding the writer’s tests, choice, level of education etc.
 Expressing the Attitude of the Listener and Receiver: Sometimes the appearance of the
listeners and receivers conveys their attitudes, feelings, and thoughts regarding the
messages they have read or heard.
 Gaining Knowledge about a Class of People: Clothing, hairstyle, neatness, jewelry,
cosmetics, and stature of people convey impressions regarding their occupation, age,
nationality, social or economic level, job status etc. For example; students, policemen,
nurses etc. can easily be identified through their dresses.
 Gaining Knowledge about the Status of a Person: Non-verbal cues also help to determine
the relative status of persons working in an organization. For example, room size, location,
furnishings, decorations, lightings, etc. indicate the position of a person in the organization.
 Communicating Common Message to All People: In some cases, non-verbal cues can
effectively express many true messages more accurately than those of any other method of
communication. For example; use of red, yellow and green lights and use of various signs
in controlling vehicles on the roads.
 Communicating with the Handicapped People: Non- verbal cues of communication greatly
help in communicating with the handicapped people. For example; the language of
communication with the deaf depends on the movements of the hands, fingers, and eyeball.
 Conveying Message to the Illiterate People: Communication with illiterate people through
written media is impossible. There may also be some situations that do not allow the use
of oral media to communicate with them. In such situations, non-verbal methods like

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 pictures, colors, graphs, signs, and symbols are used as the media of communication. For
example; to indicate danger we use red sign and to mean dangerous we use a skull placed
between two pieces of bone put in a crosswise fashion.
 Quick Expression of Message: Non-verbal cues like sign and symbol can also
communicate some messages very quickly than written or oral media. For example; when
drivers of a running vehicle are to be communicated that the road ahead is narrow or there
is a turn in the road ahead, we generally use signs or symbols rather than using any written
or oral message.
 Presenting Information Precisely: Sometimes quantitative information on any issue may
require a lengthy written message. But this quantitative information can be presented easily
and precisely through tables, graphs, charts etc.
Written communication
Purpose of writing
Writing is the primary way business gets done and is done in today’s collaborative world. When
it’s done well, business gets done well, and when writing is not done well, it creates a slew of
business problems. That’s why we believe it is the most important business skill. Skeptical? Take
a look at this small sampling of how effective writing can benefit an organization.
1. Effective writing drives sales.
Marketing copy and proposals play a huge role in the sales process. If poorly written, these
materials make your organization seem unprofessional and incompetent, creating a terrible first—
and often last—impression. If written effectively, however, they show that your organization is
smart and capable, helping you generate more leads and convert more sales.
2. Effective writing boosts your brand reputation.
Most people experience your organization through your written content—your website, your social
media, your email blasts, emails, and reports. Writing also heavily influences clients’ experience
of your organization, with written communication from or with your employees and your written
deliverables both coloring that experience. Clearly, improving writing quality will make a positive
difference in how people experience, and therefore view, your organization.
3. Effective writing bolsters efficiency, productivity, and innovation.
What work task, on average, do people in your organization spend the most time on? There’s a
good chance it’s writing. What work task do people in your organization struggle the most with?

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There’s a good chance the answer here is also writing. Improving employees’ writing skills means
they do a huge chunk of their jobs better (usually faster, too). And because effective writing means
employees are communicating clearly in documents and emails, readers are much less likely to
need clarification or to make time-wasting misinterpretations. This efficient communication also
ends up improving innovation, as team members collaborate better and fewer delays gum up the
process.
4. Effective writing powers quality management.
Effective written communication is an important component of quality management. When
managers write clear emails and work instructions, not only are employees more likely to produce
the results that managers expect, but it can also improve employee relations because clear
managerial communication promotes a collaborative atmosphere.
5. Effective writing aids bench strength and retention.
Because quality written communication is important for good management, helping employees
hone their writing skills prepares them to rise in the organization, thereby strengthening your
internal talent pipeline, and in turn aiding in retention, as employees are happy that they are
learning valuable skills for their career and have prospects for advancement.
Clarity in writing
Clarity is critical in business communication, where messages are continuously conveyed over
different media to many audiences. Technology and globalization makes business communication
more complex, even for a small business that might be challenged to control internal and external
messaging. A small business might view communication as a problem only for large corporations
with many employees, but effective communication is vital for success in businesses of every size
and scope. Clarity in business communication requires an intentional approach to communication
in its many forms.
Business Communication
Business communication includes the usual letters, memos and email, but also includes
informative brochures, marketing and advertising materials, websites, logos, and any type of
expression that represents or defines the company. College courses break down business
communications into factors such as audience assessment, communication objectives, tone and
language, negotiation, crisis management, and nonverbal behaviors. Depending on the message
and the medium, the elements of communication affect clarity.
Importance of Clarity
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Lack of clarity in business communication causes misinformation, mistakes, unhappy customers,
frustrated employees, and information lags that make companies look bad and affect profits. If a
supervisor assumes that workers know the proper way to ship products, the company might
discover that it pays more than it should for shipping. A customer letter that is full of jargon and
long, convoluted sentences will probably not be read completely, and might put the customer off.
An occasional warning to be mindful of safety is not as effective as providing workers with a
detailed manual for achieving zero-tolerance requirements concerning accidents in the workplace.
Principles of effective writing
Brevity, Clarity, and Communication
Lucas posits that it is rude to waste the reader's time, therefore brevity must always come before
clarity. To be concise with one's words, especially in writing, should be taken as a virtue. Inversely,
it is also rude to give readers needless trouble, therefore clarity should be considered next. In order
to achieve this, Lucas claims one must allow his or her writing to serve the people rather than
impress them, taking trouble with word choice and audience's understanding in order to more
succinctly express oneself.
Emphasis, Honesty, Passion, and Control
Just as the art of war largely consists of deploying the strongest forces at the most important points,
so the art of writing depends largely on putting the strongest words in the most important places,
making style and word order paramount to emphasizing the written word effective. For us, the
most emphatic place in a clause or sentence is the end. This is the climax; and, during the
momentary pause that follows, that last word continues, as it were, to reverberate in the reader’s
mind. Mastering this art allows the writer to structure a flow to the conversation of writing, to
move the reader with ease. To further garner their trust and make for better writing overall honesty
is key. As the police put it, anything you say may be used as evidence against you. If handwriting
reveals character, writing reveals it still more. In this, you cannot fool all your judges all the time.
Conversely, a writer may only write about the obscure, cultivating the strange to seem profound,
but as he puts it "even carefully muddied puddles are soon fathomed. Eccentricity then does not
dictate originality, rather an original idea and person can no more help being so that they can help
breathing. From this honesty, passion, and control thereof must be applied to achieve the perfect
balance of decent writing. One of the eternal paradoxes of both life and literature — that without
passion little gets done; yet, without control of that passion, its effects are largely ill or null.

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Similarly in writing, one must abstain from unbridled rants (keeping it concise) of things that
fascinate you and instead control and channel that passion into succinct, honest prose.
Reading, Revision and the Nuances of Writing
As many other great creative writing teachers will tell you, the truly best way to become a better
writer is by reading good books, as one learns to talk by hearing good talkers. If you find yourself
fascinated by a type of writing and aspire to imitate that style, do just that. By practicing in the
style of your favorite authors, your own personal voice adheres closer to that style you want to
achieve, often creating a hybrid between your unique style and that which you imitate.
These nuances in writing become especially important for the writer as he approaches the end of
the writing process: revision. It helps to remember that the sophisticated do not necessarily express
them better than the simple, nor can the opposite always be said to be true — essentially a balance
of sophistication and simplicity makes for dynamic work. Further, apart from a few simple
principles, the sound and rhythm of English prose seem to matters where both writers and readers
should trust not so much to rules as to their ears.
With these nuanced principles in mind, the writer should then consider revising any work
completed (because a work is never truly completed the first time around). Revision is like every
author's fairy godmother — granting the ability of the writer to go back and gussy up sloppy,
unclear prose, to control some of the passion spilling onto the page and to eliminate superfluous
words meant only to impress.
Approaching the writing process systematically
The 5-Step Writing Process: From Brainstorming to Publishing
Every writer follows his or her own writing process. Often the process is a routine that comes
naturally and is not a step-by-step guide to which writers refer. Being conscious of your own
writing process is especially helpful when you find yourself struggling with a particularly tricky
piece. Here are five steps towards creating or identifying your personal writing process.
1. Prewriting
You’re ready to start writing. So why has that blank page been staring back at you for the past
hour? Prewriting identifies everything you need to do before you sit down to start your rough draft.
Find Your Idea
Ideas are all around you. You might draw inspiration from a routine, an everyday situation or a
childhood memory. Alternatively, keep a notebook specifically devoted to catching your ideas as
they come to you. Your own imagination is the only limit to finding your source of inspiration.
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Build On Your Idea
Two of the most popular methods of fleshing out your idea are free writing and brainstorming.
Free writing means writing every idea that comes into your head. Do not stop to edit your mistakes,
just let the ideas flow. Or, try brainstorming. If you're on a computer, try a manual process first to
help you visualize your narrative: write your idea in the center of the page and work outwards in
all of the different directions you can take your story.
Plan and Structure
Piecing the puzzle together comes next. It's time to sort through your ideas and choose which ones
you will use to form your story. Make sure you keep your notes even after your book is published
– there may be the seeds for your next story as well.
2. Writing
Now you have your plan and you’re ready to start writing. Remember, this is your first rough draft.
Forget about word count and grammar. Don’t worry if you stray off topic in places; even the
greatest writers produce multiple drafts before they produce their finished manuscript. Think of
this stage as a free writing exercise, just with more direction. Identify the best time and location to
write and eliminate potential distractions. Make writing a regular part of your day.
3. Revision
Your story can change a great deal during this stage. When revising their work, many writers
naturally adopt the A.R.R.R. approach:
Add: The average novel has between 60,000 and 100,000 words. Does your book have enough
words to be considered a novel? Have you given your readers all the information they need to
make sense of your story? If not, go back to your notebook that you kept for additional scenes and
any additional details.
Rearrange: Consider the flow, pacing and sequencing of your story. Would the plot be better
served if some of the events occur in a different order?
Remove: After making additions to your story, how is your word count now? Are your readers
experiencing information overload? You may need to eliminate passages that don’t quite fit.
Replace: The most effective way to revise your work is to ask for a second opinion. Do you need
more vivid details to help clarify your work? Is one scene contradicting another? Ask friends or
fellow writers to take a look and give you feedback, and if something isn’t working rewrite it and
replace it.
4. Editing
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You have overhauled your story. It’s time to fine tune your manuscript line by line. Check for
repetition, clarity, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Editing is an extremely detailed process and
its best when performed by a professional. You can hire your own editor or utilized the editing
services available through LifeRich Publishing. Nobody wants to read a book that is full of
mistakes, and they certainly won’t buy a book that is riddled with them.
5. Publishing
You now have a completed manuscript ready to publish. LifeRich Publishing's extensive portfolio
of publishing services can help you beome a published author. Explore LifeRich Publishing's range
of available publishing packages. To learn more about the benefits of publishing with LifeRich,
read this article.
The 3X3 writing process for business communication:
When composing any document consulting the four basic principles of business writing is
recommended. Another great tool to keep available is the 3-x-3 writing process. This process takes
all of the information presented above and puts it into a neat package. This is a simple process that
encompasses three steps to guarantee your success.
Prewriting – Form the purpose, profile your audience and determine the correct tone and method.
Writing – Research, organize and comprise the message
Revising – Proofread, revise and determine if the message will appeal to the audience.
Pre writing – Writing – Revising

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Specific writing features
Specific writing is achieved when it has certain specific features
 Accuracy
 Brevity – saying only what needs to be said
 Clarity
 Appropriate tone
 Readability
 Organization
 Formality
 Objectivity
Coherence – logical interconnection
 Coherence means being logically arranged and connected.
 Foe e.g., you need to be coherent if you want to pass the communication skills exam
 A quality of sentences, paragraphs, and essays when all parts are clearly connected.
Electronic writing process
Electronic Media for Business Communication
The use of social media represents a fundamental shift in business communication. The shift is
still taking place, as more consumers adopt social media and businesses experiment with the best
ways to integrate these media and to adapt their internal and external communication practices.
Social media are not the only options available for business communication, of course. Individuals
and companies have a broad range of options for sending brief messages (from one or two
sentences up to several pages long), including the following:
1. Social networks
2. Information and media sharing sites
3. e-mail
4. Instant messaging (IM)
5. Text messaging
Creating Content for Social Media
There are a lot of different compositional modes to use: from conversations to summaries; from
narratives to status updates and announcements. No matter what media or compositional mode you
are using for a particular message, writing for social media requires a different approach than

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traditional media. Whether you’re writing a blog or posting a product demonstration video to
YouTube, consider these tips for creating successful content for social media:
1. Remember that it’s a conversation, not a lecture or a sales pitch.
2. Write informally but not carelessly.
3. Create concise, specific, and informative headlines.
4. Get involved and stay involved.
5. If you need to promote something, do so indirectly.
6. Be transparent and honest.
7. Surrender the illusion of control.
8. Think before you post!
E-mail
E-mail has been a primary medium for many companies for several decades, and in the beginning
it offered a huge advantage in speed and efficiency over the media it frequently replaced (printed
and faxed messages).
Over the years, e-mail began to be used for many communication tasks simply because it was the
only widely available electronic medium for written messages and millions of users were
comfortable with it. However, newer tools such as instant messaging, text messaging, blogs,
microblogs, social networks, and shared workspaces are taking over specific tasks for which they
are better suited.
Writing Business E-mail Messages
When you approach e-mail writing on the job, recognize that business e-mail is a more formal
medium than you are probably accustomed to with e-mail for personal communication. The
expectations of writing quality for business e-mail are higher than for personal e-mail, and the
consequences of bad writing or poor judgment can be much more serious. For example, e-mail
messages and other electronic documents have the same legal weight as printed documents, and
they are often used as evidence in lawsuits and criminal investigations.
Completing E-mail Messages
Particularly for important messages, taking a few moments to revise and proofread might save you
hours of headaches and damage control. Also, favor simplicity when it comes to producing your
e-mail messages. A clean, easily readable font, in black on a white background, is sufficient for
nearly all e-mail messages. Take advantage of your e-mail system’s ability to include an e-mail

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signature, a small file that automatically includes such items as your full name, title, company,
and contact information at the end of your messages.
Instant Messaging and Text Messaging
Computer-based instant messaging (IM), in which users’ messages appear on each other’s screens
instantly, is used extensively for internal and external communication. IM is available in both
stand-alone systems and as a function embedded in online meeting systems, collaboration
systems, social networks, and other platforms.
For conversational exchanges, it’s hard to top the advantages of IM, and the technology is
replacing both e-mail and voice mail in many situations. Business-grade IM systems offer a
range of capabilities, including basic chat and video chat, presence awareness (the ability to
quickly see which people are at their desks and available to IM), and remote display of documents.
The benefits of IM include its capability for
• rapid response to urgent messages,
• lower cost than phone calls and e-mail,
• ability to mimic conversation more closely than e-mail, and
• availability on a wide range of devices.
• In addition, because it more closely resembles one-on-one conversation, IM doesn’t
get misused as a one-to-many broadcast method as often as e-mail does.
Understanding the RISKS of IM
Like any tool, there are risks associated with the use of Instant Messaging in the workplace:
Not enough oversight – Be sure your staff can handle it and won’t chat up their friends all day
rather than focusing on their work.
Diminished employee productivity – Sometimes staff can get lost in conversation and
interruptions from IM. Be sure that staff understand it’s OK to set their status to “unavailable”
and make time to get work done.
Disregard of compliance/legal issues - Harassment and other compliance issues are potential
issues with frequent use of IM because it creates a perceived “private” area to talk. Reiterate any
compliance or legal policies to ensure staff is aware of the risks.
The number of conversations that a person can handle - If one person is getting too many IMs
at once, it can be stressful. The person needs to feel empowered to manage and respond to IMs
just as they would email, by sorting and prioritizing. If they need to take a break, they can always
change their status and step away for a moment.
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Seen as a permanent work interruption – If not managed and used properly, like any piece of
technology, IM can be interruptive. Setting strong policies and procedures will help ensure that
this isn’t the case for your organization.
DON’T use IM to deal with conflicts – seems like this should go without saying, but people like
to hide behind technology sometimes. If there is a conflict, steer as far away from technology as
possible. Pick up the phone, or go see the person if you can. Deal with the issue, don’t use
technology as a crutch.
Adapting the Three-Step Process for Successful IM
Although instant messages are often conceived, written, and sent within a matter of seconds, the
principles of the three-step process still apply, particularly when communicating with customers
and other important audiences:
1. Planning instant messages.
2. Writing instant messages.
3. Completing instant messages.

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