UNIT-I

MEANING OF COMMUNICATION

• The process by which information and feelings are shared by people through an exchange
of verbal and non-verbal messages.
• The successful transmission of information through a common system of symbols, signs,
behaviour, speech, writing or signals.
• The creation of shared understanding through interaction among two or more agents.

ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS

• Collection of information
• Processing of information
• Globalization
• Decentralization
• Advertising

OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION

• Information
• Motivation
• Raising Morale
• Control
• Emotional Expression

INFORMATION (Oral/Written) can consist of

• Stock Market Report

• User Manual
• Sign Board
• News Report
• Customer Data Base
• Manifestos
• Prospectus and Schedules
• Advertising and Propaganda

MOTIVATION AND RAISING MORALE can consist of

• Counselling
• Advice
• Persuasion
• Appreciation
 CONTROL can consist of

• Instructions
• Rules and regulations
• Orders
• Memos
• Warnings

EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION can consist of

 Request
 Application
 Appeal
 Demand
 Representation
 Complaints
 Suggestions

PROCESS OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION (one-way)

P
COMM
PROCESS OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION (two-way)

P
COMM
COM
MEDIA OF COMMUNICATION

The means used for transmitting or conveying a message is called the media or medium of
communication.
Such media can be either written or oral.
The media can also be individual or mass media depending upon the number of receivers.
.

FEED
 MEDI A
Conventional/Traditional Modes of Media:
• Mail (Ordinary, Registered,
• Acknowledgement Due, Speed Post,
• Quick Mail, Express Delivery)
• Courier Services
• Hand Delivery
• Telegraph (Ordinary and Express)
• Telex (Tele Printer Exchange)

Modern Media of Communication

• Telephone- STD & ISD

• Cellular or Mobile Phone
• SMS (Short Message Service)

WR
• Voice Mail
• FAX (Facsimile machine)
• E Mail (Electronic Mail)
• Teleconferencing (Audio & Video)
• Websites

Means of Mass Communication

• Notice Board
• Hoardings and Bill Boards
• Newspapers and Magazines
• Radio
• Cinema

Reports
• Television
• Internet
Aspects to decide the Media
• Type of Audience
 • Speed at which message is to be conveyed
• Need for confidentiality
• Need for accuracy in transmission
• Need for reliability
• Cost effectiveness
• Availability of medium with sender
• Feed back capacity of the medium
• Availability of hard copy

Advantages of Written Communication

• Uniform Transmission
• Ideal to transmit lengthy message
• Less risk of alteration
• Can be used at all places
• It can be complete, clear, precise and correct
• Can be taken as legal evidence
• Can be conveyed at a time to many people.
Disadvantages of Written Communication

• It is expensive
• It is time consuming
• Difficult to maintain secrecy
• It is rigid. Not easy to alter.
• It encourages red tapism.
• It may not interpreted uniformly.
• It tends to become lengthy

Advantages of Oral Communication

• Less Expensive
• Quicker and Saves time
• More Effective
• On the spot clarification
• Immediate reaction
• More Flexible
• Only means in times of emergencies

Disadvantages of Oral Communication

• It is less reliable.
• It is influenced by self interest and attitude.
• It has the tendency of being distorted.
• It is not suitable for lengthy messages.
• It does not provide sufficient time for thinking.
• It is not suitable for conveying to long distances.

AUDIO VISUAL COMMUNICATION

Modern technology enables us to communicate easily with the help of sound and visual effects.
Such a combination of both sight and sound aids are called audio visual aids and such
communication is called audio visual communication.

Benefits of Audio-Visual Communication

• It facilitates Mass Propaganda.

• It is suitable for publicity and advertising.
• It can be understood even by the illiterates.
• It is very effective.

Disadvantages of Audio Visual Communication

• It is very costly.
• It is not suitable for all occasions.
• It may not give a clear picture.
• It is very time consuming.

LISTENING SKILLS

Effective Communication mainly consists of the following activities in the given proportions.
Writing : 9%
Reading : 16%
Speaking : 30%
Listening : 45%
Hence, it is evident that good listeners make effective communicators.

The Four Steps of Listening

Hearing : The listener simply attends to the speaker to the hear the message.
Interpretation : In order to understand the message correctly one needs to interpret the words
properly.
Evaluation : It is the stage of analyses of the speaker’s message.
Response : The ultimate reaction of the listener to the speaker’s words is called response.

Importance of Listening

• Helps to gain more information.

• Helps to learn about people and how their minds work.
• Helps to create an open door policy.
• Helps to understand better.
• Helps to communicate effectively.
• Helps to improve relations with others.
• Helps to raise morale of employees.
• Helps to obtain new suggestions and ideas.
• Helps to discuss and debate.
• Helps to solve problems amicably.
Blocks/Barriers to effective listening

• Distraction in the mind

• Wandering attention
• Planning a reply
• Lack of Interest
• Tendency to criticize
• Being self centered
• Avoiding what is difficult
• Excessive note taking
• Emotional Excitement
• Impatience
• Poor Health
• Personal Anxieties
• External Noise and disturbances

Guidelines to effective listening

• Stop talking
• Be attentive
• Put speaker at ease
• Create positive atmosphere through body language
• Be patient
• Do not distract
• Show that you are listening
• Note points
• Keep your temper
• Keep an open mind

SILENCE

Silence is not merely the absence of sound. It is a statement in itself and conveys meaning in
communication. Silence might signify something quite different in different contexts. We can
find many instances in which silence denotes agreement, but we can also find instances in which
silence denotes anger, disagreement, an attempt at self-control, fear, and a wide variety of other
emotions. Silence communicates something different according to when and where the silence
takes place.

Silence can depict the following in a conversation:

• Allowing silence in a conversation puts pressure on the other person.

• Silence can indicate hostility.
• Silence can indicate disagreement.
• Silence can indicate profoundness, such as awe or horror
• Silence can indicate respect.
 • Silence can indicate contemplation.
• Silence can be intentional rudeness.
• Silence can be the creation of a listening space.
• Silence can be an indication of empathy.
• How you manage silence in conversation is an important part of emotional intelligence

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Non-verbal communication include all things, other than words and language, that can convey a
message and are meaningful. An understanding of non-verbal methods and aspects of
communication helps a person to improve oral and written presentation by using the methods and
by gaining control over body language.

Uses of Non-verbal methods

• It has instant effect.

• It takes less time to convey.
• It evokes immediate response.
• It facilitates easy understanding.
• It is very useful in critical situations.
• It makes communication more interesting and effective.
• It is the best method to convey information to illiterate people.
• It overcomes the barriers of language.

Nonverbal communication (NVC) is usually understood as the process of communication

through sending and receiving wordless messages. i.e., language is not the only source of
communication, there are other means also.
NVC can be communicated through gestures and touch ( Haptic communication),
body language or posture, by facial expression and eye contact.
NVC can be communicated through object communication such as clothing, hairstyles or even
architecture, symbols and info graphics.
Speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, emotion
and speaking style
Prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress.
Dance is also regarded as a nonverbal communication.
Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement
of words, or the use of emoticons.

Types of Non-verbal Aspects

Written Oral
1. Colours 1. Sirens
2. Pictures 2. Whistles
3. Diagrams 3. Bells and Buzzers
4. Graphs and Charts 4. Beeps
Line, Bar, Pie, Flow Chart 5. Tunes
5. Maps
6. Signs and Signals

Body Language
The changes that occur in the body position and movements that show what the person is feeling
or thinking. Body language can make or spoil a presentation.
• It is omnipresent. Always accompanies communication.
• It is emotionally expressive.
• It dominates interaction.
• It seems trustable.

Aspects of Body Language

• Appearance
• Clothing and Accessories
• Posture
• Facial Expressions
• Smile
• Eye Contact
• Gestures
• Energy
• Space

Tips to improve non-verbal communication

• Pay Attention to Nonverbal Signals

• Look for Incongruent Behaviors
• Concentrate on Your Tone of Voice When Speaking
• Use Good Eye Contact
• Ask Questions about Nonverbal Signals
• Use Signals to Make Communication More Effective and Meaningful
• Look at Signals as a Group
• Consider Context
• Be Aware That Signals Can be Misread
• Practice, Practice, Practice

CULTURAL EFFECTS OF COMMUNICATION

Culture affects both the substance and style of communication. Culture influences how people
express themselves, to whom they talk, and how. For example, while some people may feel
comfortable talking openly about their feelings with anyone, others will only talk openly and
honestly with very close friends, while others may not talk that way at all. Such differences can
cause people from different cultures to misinterpret both what is said and what is left unsaid,
leading to misunderstandings.

Effective communication with people of different cultures is especially challenging. Cultures

provide people with ways of thinking--ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world. Thus
the same words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even when they talk
the "same" language. When the languages are different, and translation has to be used to
communicate, the potential for misunderstandings increases.

There are three ways in which culture interferes with effective cross-cultural understanding. First
is what is called "cognitive constraints." These are the frames of reference or world views that
provide a backdrop that all new information is compared to or inserted into.

Second are "behavior constraints." Each culture has its own rules about proper behavior which
affect verbal and nonverbal communication. Whether one looks the other person in the eye-or
not; whether one says what one means overtly or talks around the issue; how close the people
stand to each other when they are talking--all of these and many more are rules of politeness
which differ from culture to culture.

Third factor is "emotional constraints." Different cultures regulate the display of emotion
differently. Some cultures get very emotional when they are debating an issue. They yell, they
cry, they exhibit their anger, fear, frustration, and other feelings openly. Other cultures try to
keep their emotions hidden, exhibiting or sharing only the "rational" or factual aspects of the
situation.

All of these differences tend to lead to communication problems. If the people involved are not
aware of the potential for such problems, they are even more likely to fall victim to them. It takes
more than awareness to overcome these problems and communicate effectively across cultures.
 UNIT-II
Managing Organisation Communication

• Communication within an organisation is known as Organisation Communication

• It helps in the effective and smooth functioning of the organisation.
• It facilitates the growth and development of the organisation.
• It brings out the best of the personnel in the organisation.
• It helps in resolving issues amicably.

Types of Organisation Communication

• Formal and Informal

• Interpersonal and Intrapersonal

Formal Communication:

Deliberately created, officially prescribed path for flow of communication between the
various positions of the organization is called formal communication. It can be designed in the
following ways.
• Single Chain
• Wheel
• Circular
• Free Flow
• Inverted “V”

Informal Communication:

Communication that takes place in a very casual manner without any fixed path or flow and that
is usually under the wraps. It is called as grape-vine communication, because it happens between
persons who are close to each other.

• Single stand
• Gossip
• Random Talk
• Cluster network or groupism

Intra personal communication

The way an individual communicates with himself in order to bring about a sort of discipline in
his life and character is called as intra personal communication. This type of Communication
helps in the individual growth of a person enabling him to understand his positive and negative
traits. Ensuring the growth of a person from within it also brings about a growth and change in
the interpersonal communication skills of the person.
Inter personal communication

The communication that takes place between two persons or a group of persons is called inter
personal communication. It provides basic frame work for building human relations and a strong
society, work environment and conflicts free organisation. It can be studied and enhanced by
using two very famous models. They are:

• Johari Window
• Transactional Analysis

JOHARI WINDOW : NEED AND BENEFITS

• It is the one of the models of inter personal communication

• It helps in self awareness
• It solicits feedback to our communications
• It helps in developing our ability to improve relationships and performance in a group

Mod
 OPEN AREA:
What is known by the person about himself and is also known to others
 BLIND AREA:
What is unknown by the person about himself and is known to others
 UNKNOWN AREA:
FOU
What is unknown by the person about himself and is also unknown to others
 HIDDEN AREA:
What is known by the person about himself and is unknown to others
ASSUMPTIONS OF JOHARI WINDOW

• A change in one quadrant will affect all other quadrants.

• Personal growth means a change has taken place so that quadrant I (Open Area) becomes
larger and one or more of the other quadrants grow smaller.
• When Open Area expands working with others becomes easy
• The smaller the Open Area, the poorer the communication.

Transactional Analysis

It is a model of people and relations both within groups and in one-to-one personal or
professional relationships.
It is based on the notion that we have three parts or ego-states to our personality.
The concept of ego states is to explain how we are made up and how we relate to others.

P
• Parent
Descriptions that help us to understand the Ego State of a person

PARENT:
Physical- angry, impatient expressions, finger pointing and patronizing gestures.
Verbal- always, never, for once and for all, judgemental words, critical words, patronizing
language

ADULT:
Physical- attentive, interested, straightforward, tilted head, non-threatening and non-threatened
Verbal- why, what, how who, where and when, how much, in what way, comparative
expressions, reasoned statements, true, false, probably, I think, I realize, I see, I believe, in my
opinion.

CHILD:
Physical- emotionally sad expressions, despair, temper tantrums, rolling eyes, shrugging
shoulders, teasing, delight, laughter, speaking behind the back, raising hand to speak and
giggling.
Verbal- baby talk, I wish, I don’t know, I want, I don’t care, things never go right for me, worst
day of my life, many superlatives, words to impress

EXCHANGE THEORY

Social Exchange theory falls under the symbolic interaction perspective. The theory predicts,
explains and describes when and why people reveal certain information about themselves to
others. Social Exchange theory argues the major force in interpersonal relationships is the
satisfaction of both people’s self interest.

According to the theory human interaction is like an economic transaction, in that you seek to
maximize rewards and minimize costs. You will reveal information about yourself when the
cost-rewards ratio is acceptable to you. As long as rewards continue to outweigh costs a couple
will become increasingly intimate by sharing more and more personal information. The
constructs of this theory include discloser, relational expectations, and perceived rewards or costs
in the relationship.

The underlying assumptions include that humans weigh out rewards versus costs when
developing a relationship. The boundary conditions for this theory are that at least two people
must be having some type of interaction.

Strengths:

Social Exchange Theory can be used to study interactions across a broad spectrum from romantic
relationships to working relationships in organizations. First explained by Homans in 1958, it
remains a relevant theory that continues to generate new research.

Weaknesses:

One weakness of this theory is that it looks at human interaction simply as a rational process,
focusing on an economic formula.
 UNIT-III
MOTIVATION

The process of bringing out the latent talent in an individual through positive attitude, counseling
and guidance is called motivation. It is an essential requisite for interpersonal and intra personal
communication. It helps the individuals to analyse their communication skills and act
accordingly. It helps the managers to understand the subordinates better and bring out positive
results.

To some extent, a high level of employee motivation is derived from effective management
practices. To develop motivated employees, a manager must treat people as individuals,
empower workers, provide an effective reward system, redesign jobs, and create a flexible
workplace.

Employee motivation increases productivity which not only leads to organization success but
also increases job satisfaction, which benefits the employees.

For motivation to occur effective communication must be in place and crucial to this is feedback.

Inter personal Perception

Perception is the way a message is received. It plays a very important role in the process of
human communication. Many factors play an influencing role on perception in Inter personal
communication. They are emotion, language, knowledge, proper encoding and decoding of the
message and various other physical factors.

Our perceptions are influenced by:

1. Physical elements -- what information your eye or ear can actually take in, how your
brain processes it.
2. Environmental elements -- what information is out there to receive, its context.
3. Learned elements -- culture, personality, habit: what filters we use to select what we take
in and how we react to it.

Role of Emotion in inter personal communication

The psychological and mental reactions are called as emotions. Lack of awareness of emotion
can lead to breakdown in communication. This is because feelings influence interpersonal
perception and motives. If people are unaware of their feelings, they are unaware of a significant
aspect of what they are communicating. Negative emotions like fear and anger if not identified
properly can pose problems to interpersonal communication.

Our emotions are involved in business like everything else in our lives, whether those emotions
are excitement, pride, pleasure, frustration, anger, or something more subtle. Sometimes people's
good feelings allow deals to close quickly and on advantageous terms. Sometimes emotions
block agreement, understanding, collaboration, decision making and teamwork.
For Eg: Fear is the anticipation of physical or psychological pain. If one is paying attention to
what might happen rather than to what is happening, ones ability to respond to the situation is
impaired. Hence there is a need to overcome fear.

Anger is the emotional outburst of negative feelings of an individual. It is detrimental to the

business in many ways. It reduces the cordiality between individuals. It creates a block between
the sender and the receiver in human communication. Anger in a speaker will result in poor
listening. Hence it is essential to control anger.

Observation + Feeling + Need + Request = Emotionally Relevant Communication

Communication Styles

A communication style might best be defined as a specialized set of interpersonal behaviors

which are used in a situation.
Each communication style represents a category of communication behaviors which have related
purposes and similar approaches.
A particular style will be used with consistency by a person for similar situations.

Types of communication styles

There are six different types of communication styles:

• The controlling style
• The equalitarian style
• The structuring style
• The dynamic style
• The relinquishing style
• The withdrawal style

Barriers to Communication

Obstacles that prevent a message from reaching the intended recipient are called barriers.
They can be broadly divided as

• Physical Barriers
• Semantic and language barriers
• Organisational barriers
• Socio psychological barriers
• Cross culture barriers

Physical Barriers

These barriers can be controlled sometimes and sometimes cannot be controlled. These barriers
are sometimes manmade and sometimes natural. They are:

• Defects in the medium

• Noise in the environment
• Information overload
Semantic and Language Barriers

Semantic means pertaining to or arising from the different meanings of words or other symbols.
These barriers arise because words mean different things to different persons. These barriers can
be due to:
• Words that have multiple meanings
• Words whose spellings and pronunciation is same but have different meanings
• Emotional and cultural attitude towards a sentence
• Misunderstanding or not understanding technical words

Socio-Psychological Barriers

Problems of understanding, interpretation and response to communication are partly from our
socially learnt attributes and partly from our personal attributes. These are socio-psychological
barriers. They can be:

• Self-centred attitudes
• Closed Mind
• Group identification
• Self Image
• Selective perception Defensiveness
• Filtering
• Status Block
• State of Health
• Poor Communication Skills
• Resistance to change

Organisational Barriers

In an organisation, the gaps and barriers become more complex mostly due to a faulty system.
Some of the barriers can be due to:
• Loss or distortion of information
• Misinterpretation
• Lack of understanding
• Neglect of messages
• Deliberate withholding of information

Cross-Cultural Barriers

Communication barriers between persons or groups belonging to two different cultural groups
are cross cultural barriers. They can arise due to differences in –
• Language
• Values and norms of behaviour
• Social Relationships
• Concepts of time
• Concepts of space
• Thinking Processes
• Non-verbal Communication
• Perception
How to overcome Barriers?

A lot of effort is needed to overcome the barriers.

Periodic review and reorganising communication networks is needed.
Semantic and language barriers can be overcome only by being careful with the use of language.
Cross culture barriers can be overcome by understanding and placing ourselves in other’s role.
It is not easy to overcome all barriers, but one has to make efforts to be aware of them and take
care of them.

Gateways to effective interpersonal communication

There are hundreds of steps that you can take to improve on your interpersonal communication
skills. These skills are otherwise known as people skills and they make a huge difference in the
personal and business life. There are five tips that can be very effective in improving
interpersonal communication. They are:

1. Be Honest
2. Never Criticize
3. Listen to people
4. Ask Questions
5. Admit your faults
 UNIT- IV
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Business correspondence means to inform readers of specific information mostly in

written form like letters. It can be for the purpose of persuasion, proposal, advertising,
sales, purchases or any matter related to the business activities.

Significance of Business Correspondence

1. Prerequisite for effective communication

2. Shows the writer’s personality
3. Written correspondence has a lasting impression.
4. Good correspondence helps to influence people.
5. Success in business is directly related to effective correspondence.
6. Written correspondence serves as a legal proof.

Essentials of Business Correspondence

1. Strong purpose
2. Easily understandable
3. Should be well prepared
4. Short and simple
5. Should be complete, clear, concise, correct and courteous

Essentials of Effective Letter Writing

Following are the essentials of a good letter:

• Correctness
• Clarity
• Conciseness
• Courtesy
• Conversational
• Convincing
• Complete

Steps in effective letter writing

Pre-writing: Determine your purpose

Know your reader
Search and collect data
Prepare an outline
Drafting: Right Words and Right Balance
Revising: Critical Review for Modifications
Formatting: Designing the lay out of the letter
Proof Reading: Finishing touch
Components of a business letter

• Heading
• Inside Address
• Salutation
• Subject or Reference Line
• Body of the letter
• Complimentary Close
• Enclosures
• Copies

Layouts / Forms of Business letters

Indented Form: Old Fashioned, not in use now-a- days, wastes typing time,
not very neat
Date:
______
______
_______
Salutation,
__________________________________
_________________________________________
__________________________________
_________________________________________
__________________________________
_________________________________________
Complimentary Close

Full Block Form:

Modern form, complete alignment to the left, very easy to type, Difficult to file

Date:
______
______
______
Salutation,
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Complimentary Close
Modified Block Form: Most Commonly used today, Neat and balanced in appearance,
most attractive and most convenient

Date:
______
______
______

Salutation,
__________________________________
__________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
Complimentary Close

Semi-indented form: Combination of indented and block form, suitable for hand written
letters
Date:
______
______
______

Salutation,
__________________________________
_________________________________________
__________________________________
_________________________________________
__________________________________
_________________________________________

Complimentary Close
Hanging Indention form: large number of indentions, not used for routine letters,
drafting must be done carefully.
Date:
______
______
______

Salutation,
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Complimentary Close
NOMA Form : Similar to full block style, salutation and complimentary close are
omitted, points are listed and numbered.
Date:
______
______
______
__________________________________
__________________________________
a.__________________________________
b.__________________________________
c.__________________________________
d.__________________________________

Name of the typist/sender

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Oral communication describes any type of inter-action that makes use of spoken words,
and it is a vital, integral part of the modern business world.

The types of oral communication commonly used within an organization include staff
meetings, personal discussions, presentations, telephone discourse, and informal
conversation. Oral communication with those outside of the organization might take the
form of face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, speeches, teleconferences, or
videoconferences.

Meetings: A formally arranged gathering for the purpose of discussing an issue that
concerns a large number of persons.
Types of Meetings:
• Formal and Informal meetings
• Decision making meetings
• Executive meetings
• Consultation meetings
• Briefing meetings
• Negotiation meetings

Purpose of Conducting meetings

• To arrive at a consensus
• To solve a problem
• To understand the situation
• To get feedback
• To collect ideas
• To learn and train
• To inform and explain

Advantages of Meetings:

• Collection of enormous amount of information

• Discussion permits multiple point of view
• Group activity provides emotional and social support
• Facilitates democratic way of functioning

Disadvantages of Meetings:

• Time consuming and expensive

• Disagreements may lead to clashes
• May not always lead to useful outcome

Telephone Communication

Telephone Communication is the most modern means of communication. It is the most

effective means of oral communication. It is effective for one to one communication. It
can reach long distances very easily. It evokes immediate response. It is most suitable in
times of emergencies. But it is very costly and is not suitable for all types of receivers.

Advantages:
Fastest means of communication
Most suitable in emergencies
Suitable for distant places
Immediate feedback
Disadvantages:
Chance of misinterpretation
Costly means of communication
Not suitable for all situations and all places
Rules out the aspect of body language as a means of communication

Technology and Communication

Modern technology has revolutionised the communication process. It has brought many
latest devices and means into existence which has made communication easier and
effective. Cellular phones, audio and video conferencing, creation of websites, emails
etc., are some of the technological developments in the fields of communication. Such
means are sometimes very expensive and are not accessible to all sections of the society.

Technology based communication tools

• Telephone and Voice mail
• Mobile and cellular phones
• Facsimile machines
• Computers
• Internet
• Video/audio/tele conferencing
• Website
• Instant Messaging

Positive impact of technology enabled communication

• Face to face communication
• Distance is no longer a barrier
• Easy assess to more information
• Less time consuming
• Increase in the need for team work
• More competent staff
• Decision making made easy and quick

Negative impact of technology enabled communication

• Information overload
• Less time for organisational activities
• Blurring lines between lives and personal lives
• People isolation

Email messages
Email messages or electronic mails are the latest means of communication.
They are the fastest means of communication.
They show the modernity of the organisation.
They serve as proofs for future.
They facilitate the recording of the time and date of sending.
But they are accessible only to computer literates and not everyone.
UNIT-V
REPORT WRITING

The word report is derived from the Latin word Reportaire which means to carry back
A report is a description of an event carried back to someone who was not present on the
scene.
It is a statement or description of what has been said, seen, done etc.
It contains facts, figures, information, analysis, opinions, suggestions, recommendations,
maps, graphs, charts, pictures, statistical tables specially compiled for a particular
purpose.

Definition of a Report:

C.A.Brown defines a report as a communication from someone, who has to inform

someone who wants to use that information. It describes the events or individuals to
someone who requires it.

Structure of a Report

A report is divided into sections with headings so that the collected information can be
presented in a form that is easy to read and refer to.
A report can be an individual report or a committee report. An individual report can be in
the form of a letter with numbered and sub-titled paragraphs. It does not have the
complete inside address. It is dated on the date of submission. The Salutation is Sir or
Madam and the complimentary close is Yours faithfully. At the end the report usually
records acknowledgement of the help received in making the study.

A committee report is written by a group of persons who have been assigned the work as
a committee. It is impersonal in style and written in passive voice. The words ‘we’ or
‘our’ are not used, the committee is used where ever necessary. It is never written in the
form of a letter. It is always presented in the schematic form with sub-headings. It is
typed on a plain paper and submitted with a covering letter. The covering letter is typed
on the letter head. It is signed by the chairperson of the committee.

Essentials of a Report
• Precision
• Accuracy of facts
• Relevance
• Reader Orientation
• Objectivity of recommendations
• Simple and unambiguous language
• Clarity
• Brevity
• Grammatical Accuracy

Preparation of a Report
Steps involved:
• Investigating the source of information
• Taking important notes
• Analysing the data
• Making an outline or draft
• Writing the report

Form of a report
Introduction
Body of the report
Conclusion and recommendations
References or bibliography
Appendix

Types of Reports

External and Internal

Routine and Special
Top level and Functional level
Statutory and non statutory
Formal and Informal
Oral and Written
Negative and positive
Special and Common
Investigative and Survey
Informative and Interpretative

Formal and Informal Report

An informal report is short, no longer than a few pages, and usually written in form of
letter, memo, or even a manuscript. A formal report is longer and usually written for
people outside the company to read.

Formal reports
• The cover
• The title page
• The letter of authorisation & acceptance
• The letter of transmittal
• The table of contents
• A list of illustrations included in the body of the report
• An executive summary
• Text of the report - introduction, body & conclusions
• Supplementary parts - appendixes and bibliography

Informal reports
• Letter reports, internal circulation
• Short, fewer than 10 pages
• Does not have the cover, letter of transmittal, title page, table of contents, list of
illustrations
• Abstract appears on the front followed by details of author
• Text single spaced
• Letter report same as business letter headings are used in the text
• Memo form more common than block/box form letter

Persuasive Reports

A persuasive report is a report prepared on certain issues that needs getting people to
agree with you by using facts and beliefs. Such reports are mainly prepared in a business
for the introduction of new policies, inviting for share in capital or for advertising.

Proposals

Proposals are papers prepared to persuade the reader to do something. Proposal in

business is to give suggestion for the success of the business.

The general purpose of any proposal is to persuade the readers to do something, whether
it is to persuade a potential customer to purchase goods and/or services, or to persuade
your employer to fund a project or to implement a program that you would like to launch.

The most basic composition of a proposal, as with any other written document, is simple;
it needs a beginning (the Introduction), a middle (the Body of material to be presented)
and an end (the Conclusion/Recommendation).

Persuasion

Persuasion may be defined as an effect to influence the attitudes, feelings or beliefs of

others to bring them into our way of thinking.
It needs conviction.
It needs indirect and subtle suggestions.
It needs a flexible mind.
It needs us to come to the level of the other person.
It should be in the interests of the receiver.
It is not possible with arguments.

Steps in Persuasion

• Analyisng the situation

• Preparing the receiver
• Delivering the message
• Prompting action
Press Report
A press report, news release, media release, or press statement is a written or recorded
communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing
something claimed as having news value. Typically, they are mailed, faxed, or e-mailed
to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and/or
television networks. Commercial press release distribution services are also used to
distribute them.

The use of a press release is common in the field of public relations, the aim of which is
to attract favorable media attention to public relations professional's client and/or provide
publicity for products or events marketed by those clients. A press release provides
reporters with the basics they need to develop a news story. Press releases can announce a
range of news items such as: scheduled events, personal promotions, awards, news
products and services, sales and other financial data, accomplishments, etc. They are
often used in generating a feature story or are sent for the purpose of announcing news
conferences, upcoming events or change in corporation.

A press statement is information supplied to reporters. This is an official statement or

account of a news story that is specially prepared and issued to newspapers and other
news media for them to make known to the public.

Some of these common structural elements in organizing a press report include:

• Headline — used to grab the attention of journalists and briefly summarize the
news.
• Dateline — contains the release date and usually the originating city of the press
release. If the date listed is after the date that the information was actually sent to
the media, then the sender is requesting a news embargo, which journalists are
under no obligation to honor.
• Introduction — first paragraph in a press release, that generally gives basic
answers to the questions of who, what, when, where and why.
• Body — further explanation, statistics, background, or other details relevant to the
news.
• Boilerplate — generally a short "about" section, providing independent
background on the issuing company, organization, or individual.
• Close — in North America, traditionally the symbol "-30-" appears after the
boilerplate or body and before the media contact information, indicating to media
that the release has ended. A more modern equivalent has been the "###" symbol.
In other countries, other means of indicating the end of the release may be used,
such as the text "ends".
• Media contact information — name, phone number, email address, mailing
address, or other contact information for the PR or other media relations contact
person.