PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

PURPOSIVE
C O M M U N I C A T I O N
LESSON 10: Writing Workplace: Communication Materials

Written Communication in Workplace

Tips for Effective Written Communication in the Workplace
Business Letters
Letter of Inquiry
Response to Inquiry
Letter of Claim
Adjustment Letter
Letter of Request
Memos, Reports, and other Written Documents in the
Workplace
Incident Report
Minutes of the Minutes Page 1 of 20
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TOPIC OUTLINE

1 WRITTEN COMMUNICATION IN WORKPLACE

2 TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION IN

THE WORKPLACE

3 BUSINESS LETTERS

4 LETTER OF INQUIRY

5 RESPONSE TO INQUIRY

6 LETTER OF CLAIM

7 ADJUSTMENT LETTER

8 LETTER OF REQUEST

9 MEMOS, REPORTS, AND OTHER WRITTEN DOCUMENTS

IN THE WORKPLACE

10 INCIDENT REPORT

11 MINUTES OF THE MINUTES

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OBJECTIVES

A F T E R R E A D I N G T H I S P A R T O F T H E M O D U L E ,
T H E L E A R N E R S W I L L B E A B L E T O :

➢ Discuss workplace correspondence;

➢ Distinguish the various types of business letters,
memos, reports, and other written documents in the
workplace; and
➢ Observe the guidelines in writing effective workplace
materials

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GETTING STARTED
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
1. Explain how a text can have different interpretations

2. How is discourse explained given the message and its meaning? How does language
function in meaningful action?

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1 WRITTEN COMMUNICATION IN

WORKPLACE

Any form of correspondence, business or workplace correspondence

involves three factors: sender, message, receiver.

Sender – initiates the process

Message – purpose, and the target receiver or audience must all be
considered in writing any business letter.
– Message and purpose must be clear.
Receiver – the intended reader is expected to respond according to the
nature of the business letter.

2
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION IN
WORKPLACE

1. To ensure the effectiveness of written communication materials in the

workplace, the following qualities must be remembered:
A-ccuracy – content must be truthful and accurate
B-revity – sentences must be kept short and direct
C-larity – only precise words whose meanings cut across quickly and
clearly
2. Select the format that is standard, prescribed, and acceptable to the
institution represented or to the partners in the transaction
3. Courtesy is more implicit than explicit in the purposive communication. Use
positive words that are proactive and not reactive.

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3 BUSINESS

LETTERS

Three standard formats of business letters are full-block, modified block, and
semi-block.

Full-block style

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Modified-block style

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Semi-block style

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4 LETTER OF

INQUIRY

It is also known as a letter of interest. It is written to ask for specific information

regarding a particular subject matter.

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5 RESPONSE TO

INQUIRIES

These letters of inquiry should always and promptly be responded to. Professional
and business ethics demand that the receiver of such letter take the action that the
sender expects.

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6 LETTER OF

CLAIM

It is used in legal matters to assert some kind of wrongdoing. This also aims to
notify the one responsible for the said wrongdoing and demands a response that would
address its effects. Moreover, it is used in the context of legal matters.

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7 ADJUSTMENT

LETTER

It is a response to a letter of claim that contains the response to the claimant’s

statements, whether the claims are welcomed or not. If welcomed, the letter would also
include offers to resolve the effects of the action deemed to be unacceptable as well as
the explanation for it. If it is not welcomed, the claimant is entitled to a constructive, non-
adversarial tone.

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8 LETTER OF

REQUEST

Reports situations which demand actions and decisions to be acted upon. This is a
formal letter which requests a specific product or service within the professional business
context.

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9 MEMOS, REPORTS, AND OTHER WRITTEN

DOCUMENTS IN THE WORKPLACE

Memorandum or memo is written message which serves as a reminder for a

particular matter. This relays information to a large number of readers. It is also a
document that records events in the workplace for everyone’s information.

TYPES OF MEMO
1. Instruction Memo – contains directives that organization’s members need to follow
2. Request Memo – contains request for the provision of facilities and services
3. Transmittal Memo – notice officially announcing the release of a report
4. Authorization Memo – granting permission to the undertaking of an operation in the
organization

FORMAT OF A MEMO

Organization of Information in a Memo

Things To Consider In Writing A Memo

1. Use of formal or academic language
2. Clarity
3. Conciseness

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4. General use of Active Voice of the verb

5. Absence of grammar lapses

SAMPLE MEMO

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10 INCIDENT

REPORT

It is also called as accident report. This records the occurrence of an

unusual event in the workplace.
It comes with a form to be filled out by the witnesses. The components of an
incident report are - problem description, action taken, and recommendation

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11 MINUTES OF THE

MEETING

Meeting is a gathering of people to discuss, plan, make decisions, and resolve

issues together. Detailed and descriptive minutes of the meeting/ report is prepared
to document everting.

Components of Minutes of the Meeting

INTRODUCTION
1. Name and address of the organization
2. Type of meeting (special, executive, committee, board, regular,
emergency)
3. Call to order – time, date, presiding officer
4. Attendance – contains present, absent, late
BODY
1. Reading correction and approval of minutes of the previous meeting
2. Business arising from the previous meeting
3. New business
CONCLUSION
1. Announcement – time and date of the next meeting
2. Other matters – new matters
3. Time of adjournment
4. Name and signature of the minutes-taker
5. Name and signature of the presiding officer

In preparing the minutes…

1. In chronological order
2. Factual, belief and free from editorial comments or slanting of factual
statements
3. The gist or a recording of summary of the meeting and not a
transcription of matters discussed
4. A verbatim report of parliamentary points, motions, resolutions and
points of order

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SELF-PACED ACTIVITY
Do as a Minute-Taker!
Instructions: Gather twelve people together and talk about the topics “the
Impact of Fake News on Social Media” or “The Perception of Real News in
Social Media”. Assume that it is a formal meeting that needs to be taken
seriously. Prepare an encoded minutes of the meeting

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KEY TERMS

Workplace – a place (such as a shop or factory) where work is done

Business letters – written messages to a person or group within a
professional setting.
Letter of inquiry – written to ask for specific information regarding a
particular subject matter
Memorandum – a written message which serves as a reminder for a
particular matter
Incident report – records the occurrence of an unusual event in the
workplace
Meeting – gathering of people to discuss, plan, make decisions, resolve
issues together
Adjustment letter – response to a letter of claim
Letter of Request – reports situations which demand actions and
decisions to be acted upon

REFERENCES

• Ambida et al., (2019). Purposive communication. Quezon City: C&E Publishing Inc.
(pp. 3-29)

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