LESSON 10: WRITING WORKPLACE: COMMUNICATION

MATERIALS
Sunday, November 26, 2023 1:32 AM

FACTORS OF CORRESPONDENCE:

1. SENDER
- Initiates the process

2. MESSAGE
- Purpose and the target receiver or audience must all be considered
- Message and purpose must be clear

3. RECEIVER
- Expected to respond according to the nature of the business letter

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION IN WORKPLACE

1. ABC
ACCURACY - content must be truthful and accurate
BREVITY - sentence must be kept short and direct
CLARITY - only precise words whose meanings cut across quickly and clearly

2. FORMAT
- Standard, prescribed, and acceptable to the institution represented or to the partners in the transaction

3. COURTESY
- More implicit that explicit in purp. Comm
- Use positive words that are proactive and not reactive

BUSINESS LETTERS

STANDARD FORMATS

1. FULL-BLOCK STYLE
– Most used
– All the info is set on the left margin
– Arranged in blocks without indention
– Separated from each other by double-spacing
– 1 and 1/4 margin size
– Used if the receiver is not known to the sender

EX:

2. MODIFIED-BLOCK STYLE
– Company's return address, date, the closing line, and signature being started at the center point (right margin).
– Paragraphs remain on the left margin and has no indention
– 1 and 1/4 margin size
– Used if the receiver is personally acquainted to the sender

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 EX:

3. SEMI-BLOCK STYLE
– All text is aligned to the left margin
– The first line of each paragraph is indented
– A little less formal than the full-block format and slightly more formal than modified-block
– Suited to almost all situations

LETTER OF INQUIRY
- a.k.a letter of interest
- Written to ask for a specific information regarding a particular subject matter
- Always make the tone friendly
- List the information you need clearly, if possible
- End it with incentive

RESPONSE TO INQUIRIES
- Letters of inquiry should always and promptly be responded to
- Should take action that the sender expects
- Write a polite and clear letter addressing every concerns from the orig. letter

LETTER OF CLAIM
- Used in legal matters to assert some kind of wrongdoing
- Used in context of legal matters (can be used as evidence in court)

CORE ELEMENTS
○ Clear explanation of the complaint
○ Explanation of the losses/effects suffered because of it
○ The appeal had undergone into a fair process
○ Contains a statement that the sender considers a fair adjustment in return

ADJUSTMENT LETTER
- Response letter to the claim (within a day)
- WELCOMED: the letter would include offers to resolve the effects of the action as well as the explanation
- NOT WELCOMED: claimant is entitled to a constructive, non-adversarial tone

LETTER OF REQUEST
- Reports situation which demand actions and decisions to be acted upon
- Requests a specific product or service within professional business context

○ Make sure we lower ourselves when requesting and not sound as needy (humble)
○ Language should be non-emotional or neutral
○ Avoid too many used of adjectives
○ Should clearly expressed the needs and the appreciation for the needs to be granted

MEMORANDUM (MEMO)

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MEMORANDUM (MEMO)
- Serves as a reminder for a particular matter
- Relays information to a large number of readers
- A document that records events in the workplace for everyone's information

TYPES
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

THINGS TO CONSIDER IN WRITING A MEMO

1. Use of formal or academic language
2. Clarity
3. Conciseness
4. General use of active voice of the verb
5. Absence of grammar lapses

INCIDENT REPORT
- Records the occurrence of an unusual event in the workplace
- Comes with the form to be filled out by the witnesses

COMPONENTS
○ Problem description
○ Action taken
○ Recommendation

MINUTES OF THE MEETING

- Detailed and descriptive minutes of the meeting/report is prepared to document everting

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TECHNICAL WRITING
- A form of written communication used mainly as correspondence and in the production of written outputs valuable to any organization, job, and
professions.

FEATURES OF TECHNICAL WRITING

1. ACCURATE
- Deals with facts
- Words, sentences, numbers or figures that exactly express what the written work intends to convey

2. CLEAR
- Easily understand the main message of whole composition
- Use of simple, concise, specific, and grammatically correct language structures

3. FORMAL
- Follows standards on the structure, pattern, format, and language
- Readers judge the value or credibility of output based on how do they conform to the conventions

4. GRAPHICAL
- Visual representations help in expressing specialized meanings or ideas known only to a specific set of people
- Helps understand complex information

5. OBJECTIVE
- Straightforward and direct
- Forms of technical writing should avoid including inner thoughts, sentiments, or feelings
- Should rely on evidence and not authority

6. PRACTICAL
- It functions according to a specific purpose (e.g, inform, recommend, persuade)

7. PROCEDURAL
- Writing undergo various process (drafting, reviewing, publishing)
- Provides set of instructions and sequenced information (manuals and lab reports)

8. SPECIALIZED
- Usually functions within a specific demographic
- Language used is specialized and easily understood by a specific set of readers (jargon)

9. DIVERSE
- Extensive exposure to multicultural clients and co-workers
- The ability to encompass/explore a wide range of topics and subject matters
- Readers can lead to an expanded understanding of the world (intellectual growth)

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 - Readers can lead to an expanded understanding of the world (intellectual growth)

10. STRAIGHTFORWARD
- Presenting facts and info honestly and directly (frank, unequivocal, or cut-way)

11. AUTHORITATIVE
- Ability to command or to enforce something on anyone; to exude credibility in relaying information

12. PRESENTABLE
- Without grammatical and typo errors
- Must ensure output always undergoes proofreading

NATURE OF WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

- Human connection is indispensable whether in the confines of home, school, or the workplace
○ Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, social belonging is crucial to self-actualization
○ 21st Century, personal success is equated with career growth and advancement which is reliant on one's level of social belonging
○ In professional context, harmonious relations can be consequential and crucial to both individual and collective productivity and efficiency in the
workplace

WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION
- The process of exchanging information (verbally or non-verbally), and is important in any social environment
- It Is the force that maintains its operations from the top up to the middle and bottom level
○ TOP-DOWN COMMUNICATION: higher positions communicates org's mission and objectives, directives, and decisions from their subordinates
○ MIDDLE-LEVEL COORDINATION: communications is between different departments and teams where they facilitate alignment towards the goals
○ BOTTOM-UP LEVEL COMMUNICATION: communication is crucial for providing feedback and addressing concerns from employees and clients. It is
integrated in the decision-making of the management.

WORKPLACE DYNAMICS

1. DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE

○ Multigenerational workforce - composed of several generations (gen x, y, z, millennials)
○ Organizational culture - way of operations and attitude (traits) of employees and overall tone and approach to any given operation
○ Multiplicity of identities - differences in gender, ethnicity, language, and beliefs. Mutual respect is a virtue to practice at all times.

2. CO-WORKER RELATIONSHIPS
- Time spent at work is greater than time spent at home
- Informal networking (personal relationships) creates opportunities to attain a long-term communication goals of the organization

TYPES OF WORK RELATIONSHIPS

1. Professional Relationships - sole purpose is to get the work done
2. Personal Relationships - formed for social reason; extends beyond the professional boundaries of the relationship

3. SHARED LEADERSHIP
- Distribution of leadership responsibilities within a team can influence the functionality of its members
○ Responsibility is not confined to an individual
○ Promotes dynamic and adaptive team structure
- It is not about giving orders but involves actively working alongside with the own team
- The definition of task and relationship in workplace requires communication

4. TEAM BUILDING
- Formal and informal gatherings help build a strong team
- Team roles surface where task, relationship, and self-centered roles have to be periodically monitored, assessed, and evaluated for a check and
functional roles
○ TASK ROLES: help the team carry out tasks and get the work done
□ Ensures the employees contribute to the completion of tasks and objectives
○ RELATIONSHIP ROLES: strengthen or maintain team relationships
□ Monitors how team members communicate, interact, and collaborate to maintain positive team environment
○ SELF-CENTERED ROLES: interfere with the team's ability to complete tasks
□ To see how the individual's manners or ways to solve problems o hindrances affects the cohesion of the team
○ FUNCTIONAL ROLES: contributes positively to the overall functioning of the team
□ Ensures employees will be encourage and reinforces a healthy team dynamic

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